Printable View
I have a 65 chevy II nova that i what to make into a somewhat power house. It is a 4dr. and was wondering what engine I should put in and what I would have to do to acommidate it. Right now it has a 195ci 1966 chevelle engine in it. I am 17 so i am on a limited buget of 700 dollars. thanks for any reply's. My friend also has 66 comet he is building up and has the same question.
Welcome aboard '65. Answers? Oh, we've got lots of answers.
I'll give you my opinion, and then maybe someone will have another thought. I base my answer on the reality that some day you're going to move on to another car. Either for the sake of change, or because your interests will evolve.
My take on your particular car is that it is a waste of money to do too much "hot rodding" to a four door. When it comes time to move to the next car, you won't be able to get the money you sunk in it back out. The market for performance cars leans HEAVILY to two doors (and two doors on each side don't count;) ). My suggestion to you is to make your current car as safe and reliable as practical. Impove it's appearance as much as possible regarding paint and upholstery. That way, when you earn more money in the future, and increase your knowledge base regarding the kind of performance car you like, you can get the max return on the sale of this car. A $700 budget won't get you much today with respect to engine mods unless you have considerable mechanical experience and skill, coupled with a good gift of horse tradin' ability.
What is in the comet? A 302 will go, but you'll need the trans for it too (bellhousings changed in 68 when the 302 came out)
Not sure of Comets, but come fords run the shift linkage (on autos anyway) between bellhousing and frame, and chanigng trans will mess this up beyond a simple fix.
Here i can get a 70 302, with truck attached, for $250. Well, ok, red paint over rust. there isn't much left that would actually work as a truck!
As to your car...if you could get a totaled or thereabouts running car with a 305 or 350 (or a truck, but less likely) then you could swap it over. It IS possible...the Camaro mess, (did i type that?) was a $750 purchase with a reman 305 with 10k on it, and a new quadrajet, TH700R4. The 80's camaros/'birds are pretty cheap right now, and getting rusty.
Thanks for your replies guys. I realize that I cannot get much for 4 doors but I knew that when I bought the car. There's not to many classics up here in Maine that are nice in condition. Howerver I do not care about what I can get for it later down the road. Right now my main goal is to make it a sleeper (not really a hotrod- sorry about that I got mixed up), to which it has power but is not flashy. My friend and I are the only kids at school that have "classic cars." Everyone else has ricers with the annoying big exaust, so I wanted to be different. Mainly so the next time they rev there little engines at me I will have something to throw back at them. LOL Thanks again guys.
Well another Maineiac huh. If yer thinking of SB you will need a little more money and or resources. Streets had a good suggestion (hes a little crazy shhh) with the 235 but a 250 is a good solid six that will bolt in if you are not planning on making any engine internals changes. and you can get one anywhere. If yer thinkin of doin internal engine work go 235. If ya keep it straight six overall cost and mods will be lower, unless ya can source out the necessary SB conversion stuff. Disc brakes?, Sb added weight, springs? I am currently SB a 63 nova and have six parts if ya want. Clifford 4bbl intake, split headers dual exh. I have loads of links books etc if ya wanna know more, feel free ta email me.
P.S. I grew up in Westbrook/Portland ME
Are the 292 as commen as the 250? Thought i didnt see half as many on my hunts in yards but im sure if he looked he coulkd get a good one cheep. Always count on this place to expose all options. also 262, 267. and the 292 is a 4.8 ltr as apposed to the 194 3.2 ltr. here is a gm link
http://www.chevy-gas-diesel-engines....y-engines.html
Oh yeah, then there is the integral head issue iffin you want six headers or not.
"also" instead of II. Any reason fer that? And you chose 235 cause of all the room ta play internally? Bore?
so what your saying is that I could get more power and performance out of a straight six than a 327 or 350? What would I need to do to make the straight six performe well. New carb, headers, intake? I want power and speed. right now the 194 sucks. It has no power and takes a heck of a long time to get up to speed. Also it takes awhile to shift gears. I was also wondering if the 283 (I think thats what its called), v8 would be a good powerplant. Does it have good power and will it bolt up to my current tranny? thanks for any replies.
Going back to what Bob said, before you even consider uping the HP on your car, at a minimum inspect the steering, brakes and tires. If any of these are marginal spend you money there FIRST.
On your $700 budget, I would start hunting for a decent running small block V8. If you can find a complete one for a decent price (or a complete donner car), you should be able to squeek by with the rest of the parts you need;
V8 motor mounts
Bigger radiator
Special oil pan and pickup (this is a must as the stock chevy pans will intefer with the steering).
Exhaust
It's doable, but you will need to do a lot of smart shopping.
how much do you think a 283 v-8 on average would cost?
used 283's in donor cars are kinda rare these days. Others can verify, but the 283 hasn't been put in new cars since early or mid 60's. Whereas a 350 can be had up until NOW, in one form or another. I would think you could find a 350 powered donor car (or truck) cheap, lots cheaper than a 283 one, especailly up in Maine!
Remember, what is cheapest? what is most common and most available! (probably the 305, but spend the extra $50 and get a 350)
As to other chassis items - YES! get the brakes, etc up to spec first. an old car as yours is has lots of wear and just plain age on it. ALL teh rubber suspension bushings are no doubt shot. You should be able to get a kit for $200 or less and intalling it will keep you busy for awhile (long enough peraps you can save up more money) and learn more from us here.
Somtimes you can find motors in the stangest places...440 Chrysler and 727, 45,000 miles for $750. Includes free 21' motor home. SO keep an open mind and be PATIENT!
Thanks Chris, you pretty much said what I was going to about finding an engine.
One thought on the brakes, even if everything is perfect otherwise replace all of the steel brake lines from the master cylinder to the wheels. The old lines can look perfect on the outside, but will rust through from the inside out. With the original single resevior master cylinder, a leak any where will cause you too loose brakes. A dual resevior MC conversion would be a smart investment.
all my brakes and exaust are all new. all new brake lines etc. it was stickered when I bought it.
OK thats good but seperating the front and rear brakes at the master is still a good idea with a dual res. For ex. a small block is a couple hundred pounds more than a six and if ONE wheel cylinder goes you have no brakes period. As for converting to SB, here's some things to consider: springs, headers, radiator, small distributor(or pounding in firewall), no power steering, oil pan(cannot lower with certain types of these special pans). motor mounts(these are bolt in, no welding). I'm sure there is some I missed, heres a really good site link, they really love nova.
http://www.stevesnovasite.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl