Tooth's 68 Chevy ll Beater Project

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
In the past I have posted a few pictures of my 68 Chevy II and some of the things I've been doing to it, I have had several requests for more pictures and more information about it.. My goal is to start a thread where I can show the ongoing progress of the Nova. I acquired it on 11/8 /17 and it was just a roller. Drum brakes 10 bolt posi Trac and all the interior was there except for the front seat.. It is a factory 6 cylinder Powerglide car.I had a 69 Camaro that had new quarters trunk pan and rocker panels in floor pans already installed in it.. it was a project car that somebody else had started and it done a really good job on and got burned out.. I happen to find the car and had interest in building another hot rod, so I called a couple of friends James and Mike and between the two of us we made 3 trips with a trailer and my truck and pick it all up. About a month later I got a call from a guy who had looked at it from the man I had purchased it from and was still interested in buying it, he would not leave me alone and offered me crazy money for it. And wanted to know if I would consider taking a Nova in on trade? I gave him a crazy high number cuz I didn't really want to sell it and told him that he would have to bring the Nova and let me look at it before I would consider buying it.. he lived in Pittsburg Kansas and how to open Missouri Title for it. He wasn't crazy about bringing that car up and then picking the other car up and leaving it but I told him I wasn't coming to look at it and that he could come back and get it if I didn't like it and he agreed. I spent a day and a half climbing and crawling all over this car and the only rust that I could find was on the dash underneath the edge of the windshield and around the edges of the rear quarters. The bottom of the car look brand new! So I called him and threw a low figure at him but a fair one and he accepted and I became the owner of the Beater Nova...... Boy that cost me a lot of money:doh
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
I think the car was it originally some kind of yellow, but definitely had Ivy gold interior:barf1 I completely dismantled the interior of the car and took everything apart. I painted the dash red and died the dash pad black and died all the interior door cards pillar covers rear seats sail panels package tray and headliner red. I died all the cloth in all the vinyl with Dupli-Color products using the prep solvent to clean and follow the directions. It came out surprisingly brilliant and nice. That saved me from spending a fortune on the interior after all it was all there just not a good color. I used a pair of 68 bucket seats for it. And resealed all the floor pans and started putting it back together. I went with black carpet and black armrest pads.20170708_175427.jpg20170824_153836.jpg20181118_201315.jpg
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Now for a power plant! Had originally decided to build a mild 396 just to make a driver out of it while I was working on my other projects. Something to take to a cruise or go get ice cream in when I was getting burned out working on other projects. Well we know how that always blows up and does something weigh more than we had originally started. I figured it would be easy since I had about six or seven Big Blocks sitting on the shelf. I ended up taking a LS6 short block with forged pistons (closed chamber) Steel forged crank cross drilled what 7/16 dimple rods and 4 bolt mains. Then I decided to put a roller cam in it hydraulic of course this is a driver that I plan on putting a lot of miles on. Was going to put it on automatic transmission in it but then decided to change gears and put a super T-10 in it. Of course my buddy James is pretty good at spending my money for me. LOL but his points are always well made! So I went with 11 inch ceramic street/strip Ram clutch and I Lakewood scattershield, a new competition plus Hurst shifter. And all the linkage paddles z bar everything! I had purchased a set of 69 date coded ZL1 Camaro aluminum heads a while back. I took them to Noland cylinder head service in Kansas City and they pressure checked them and welded a couple places on them and got them in out standing condition with all holes redrilled with inserts in them. I had some roller rockers and a stud girdle sitting on the shelf from past builds and started putting it together.20170610_004516.jpg20171203_182252.jpg20190330_104459.jpg20190605_185349.jpg20190605_185255.jpg20190605_185237.jpg20190605_185214.jpg
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
When you build a motor like that you know the factory drivetrain it is probably going to make you that guy, the one whose broke and found the weak links! So I took the factory 10 bolt posi Trac with 4:56 gears out and put in a quick performance 9 in with 35-spline axles truetrac posi track and disc brakes. It also has an aluminum pinion support with a nodular center section and a 1350 Billet yoke. Wanted to make a driver out of it so I put it in a 3.25 gear...... then I put Global West aluminum body mount bushings in it, Lakewood frame connectors competition engineering 3-way adjustable shocks all the way around. And I decided to put disc brakes on the front and you know you can't put those on stock a arm so you have to put in tubular a arms and a quick steering manual box and rag joint and pitman arm. My how things get of control.:facepalm But nobody twisted my arm, well maybe James a little.:poke I have taken this thing apart and put it together several times 2 install upgrades, here it is with a 10 bolt in it. I would drive it for a while and then decide that I needed to upgrade, man that was a lot of work. But in the end it's worth it:waiting2:just money and time!
At this time I thought Cal tracks would be a good addition to!20180609_151752.jpg20180915_072912.jpg20180915_074627.jpg20190605_194704.jpg20190605_194741.jpg20190605_195010.jpg
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Here's some more pics of the car as I was progressing through my build, the complete drivetrain has been rebuiltand replaced. I took the factory gas tank and weld of the sump on it so I could use my full trunk and my gas gauge works. It's been a lot of fun a lot of work but I tell you there's nothing like a big block for the 4-speed in it. I need to put a driveshaft Loop in it and take it to the track this year! Everything works on the car and I've been driving it a lot, my brakes are great steering is great sounds great no leaks no issues at this time and I have not been pampering it trust me. Took it to the first car cruise and car show this year and got a lot of interesting comments, most of them where After People crawled underneath it and was looking at everything. They commented how car shows are usually a visual experience but when you look at the nuts and bolts under this thing all were impressed. Especially whenever I start it up and drove in and out of the car show.
It has big Hooker Headers on it, 3in exhaust, Holley fuel pump and an 850 Holley double Pumper. 621 lift hydraulic roller with about 10.25-1 compression. It runs really well and I put good parts in it.20181128_194417.jpg20190602_104742.jpg20190602_104724.jpg20180425_174157.jpg
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
I have a lot more work to do I also want to get it painted. Right now I'm in the middle of a 54 Chevy pickup, my wife says she wants to drive it and I'm all for that. Sometimes I go to classic Chevy parts in Kansas City and she rides with me. She's interested in it she likes it. I'm a lucky guy!:4th2
 

Phil Reed

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 10
Pretty nice car for a "beater"!!!!!!!!!
Next time you come in for Tommy Nolands or Classic Parts of America.......call me ahead of time......I know both companies well!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Pretty nice car for a "beater"!!!!!!!!!
Next time you come in for Tommy Nolands or Classic Parts of America.......call me ahead of time......I know both companies well!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will do Phill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will probably have Tommy freshen up my 409 aluminum Walla heads. They only do cylinder heads but they're damn good at it!
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Absolutely correct, I'm going to drive it and enjoy it for a a while. Seems to be pretty roadworthy and I've showed no mercy. Someday I'll get it painted it just needs quarters and outer wheel houses do to somebody cutting them out for bigger tires and it wasn't me! I used to keep in touch with the guy got the car from and now he won't talk to me. When I told him what I was doing and showed him some of the pictures of the motor parts and stuff I was going to put in it he was really surprised and seem kind of wishing he had not sold it.Won't respond to my calls or my texts or emails. Is it my fault that he couldn't see a vision with this car. Thanks for your interest!!!
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Doesn't look like a beater, looks like something that needs to be beat on.
You know me and I am doing my best to do that!:driver:burnout
No worries La Hot Rods, if I blow it up it'll be a perfect opportunity for a 572 and a procharger!!!!!!! :):happy:dance
 
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DonSSDD

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Great work, great colours, as a driver, I’d keep it as is. You’d be afraid to scratch it if you put really nice paint on it and you’ll pisss off more asssholes as it is with it not being perfect ?
 

Iowa 409 Guy

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 15
You've done the work changing things "before" breaking them.....good idea.

I argued with someone on this site that my 68 Nova didn't have the Chevy II on the hood a while back before I admitted that they were right. Yours has that.....maybe it was an option.....:facepalm:doh:D
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
The Chevy ll on that generation of Nova was the last year it was available and the first year for that body style. There are a lot of things about the 68 that are way different from the 69 to 72. Like the heater controls key in the dash and marker lights on the sides. There is also a Chevy ll on the right rear of the deck lid or trunk lid.20180122_173037.jpg
 

Tooth

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
You've done the work changing things "before" breaking them.....good idea.

I argued with someone on this site that my 68 Nova didn't have the Chevy II on the hood a while back before I admitted that they were right. Yours has that.....maybe it was an option.....:facepalm:doh:D
When I originally got the car the Chevy part was there but the ll part was broke off, I searched for a long time to find one in good shape NOS. And it cost me a couple of hundred bucks. But it was worth it. They also have a Chevrolet badging that goes in that place too for 69 and newer.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
I maybe wrong,but I believe that the Nova trim was an option on the 68 and earlier Chevy II's.The Nova became the cars name starting in 69.
 
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