Nova Purchase!

[dean409]

Well, I finally found a shell for my 409 in the form of a '65 Chevy II Nova.
Wished I coulda got it cheaper but it's a decent car to start with.
For $1000 I got:
a car with good glass and no leaks, seller says car hasn't drove in 7-8 months,
no rust in the floorboard sundeck or trunk,
bad rust on the rear quarters(needs full skins), a bondo mess on the passenger door,
needs both bumpers and brackets,
may need to replace or repair rear panel,
hood has 2-1/2" cowl molded on(so-so job),
no grill or headlight rings(I hate the '65grills so I'll be looking for '64 pieces),
dash is clean and unbutchered,
needs a radiator and driveshaft,
a 4-speed with Hurst shifter(looks like a T10 but not sure),
and needs a new trunk lid.
The clutch linkage looks it broke at one time and was welded back good enough to break again. Will be looking at Decatur for an aluminum big clutch Chevy II bell housing for it.
Car had a tunnel ram small block in it and was given to the seller to pay off a repair bill. Someone put a late model Camaro 10 bolt under it, as well as the same Camaro buckets(that will go immediately!).
Bringing it home next Saturday then heading to Autorama!

[blumun53]

Hey, bro, reckon we can make something of this ChevyII? There are grills and headlight rings on ebay. And turn signal lenses. We can get the bumper straightened and reconditioned if it's too 'spensive to buy one. I remember seeing a 63 hood on ebay when I was looking for a complete car. We can scour Decatur for some usables. Hey, how 'bout dis. Call the U-Haul here in Denton to reserve a tow dolly. Meet me here. Then we can go git it. Then head to Market Hall. Hmmm? :cool:

[jim_ss409]

Sounds like a great project car.:deal
Before I got the 55 I was looking for a first generation Chevy II to build as a 409 powered drag car. The picture below shows the kind of look I would have done...

[tripower]

Here is one my buddy built a few years ago. Made into a roadster from an original convert.

http://www.348-409.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6135&d=1168651705

http://www.348-409.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6136&d=1168651705

[dean409]

Here is one my buddy built a few years ago. Made into a roadster from an original convert.

http://www.348-409.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6135&d=1168651705

http://www.348-409.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=6136&d=1168651705

Tri,
What motor is in that?

[tripower]

Tri,
What motor is in that?

He is running a 540 with a 4L60 trans. 9" posi

[dean409]

He is running a 540 with a 4L60 trans. 9" posi

Wow. What front end if different from stock is he using? If stock...how the hell'd he do it?

[tripower]

That car has a completly new chasis. I think its a Chris Alston front end and the body is channeled over the frame. All new sheet metal in the engine bay and floorpan. Then the whole car was powder coated before paint.

[dean409]

My goal eventually is to put the bolt on front end with connectors with custom headers built, drive it a while like that untill I can gather everything to back-half it. The bolt-up front end runs about $1600(about $1599 more than I have right now)so it will be some time before I can do that. There's a Mustang II type cross member available for about $750 I'll probably have to compromise on just so I can get the 409 in and going. Of course, I'll have to pay someone to do the work($$$$$$!!!!!!). The motor itself has turned into a greater financial bit than I expected, so I'm looking for cheap solutions at this point. Now I'm depressed.