Muscle Cars: 1974 Chevy Nova SS

History: I got this 1974 Chevy Nova SS in late January of 2007. Myself, my nephew Jason, my brother-in-law Donnie, and various other gearhead pals turned all the wrenches in Donnie's garage. We will do all the body and paint too.

The guy I bought this 1974 Chevy Nova SS from said all it needed was a new carb. Pffft. The only big things left from when I bought it are the radiator that was brand new, the block & heads, and the drive shaft. I bought the car because the body and interior are in excellent condition, and the dyno sheet meant I didn't have to do a total rebuild on the motor.

However, the 1974 Chevy Nova SS had sat under roof for 2 years without ever having been started. It ended up being a mess mechanically. A very expensive mess to fix. 3 months after I bought it the tranny let loose and it scattered the rear end when it broke. After some wheeling and dealing and haggling, I got a freshly rebuilt turbo 350, and a solid set of 4:11s. With the exception of some fine tuning, the car is now mechanically sound and solid.

Now our attention can shift to the body and paint. This 1974 Chevy Nova SS body is solid with very little rust. Body work shouldn't take any more than a day. By the time winter blows out of here, I'll be putting one bad ass slice of Detroit Muscle on the streets.

I built this 1974 Chevy Nova SS to be equally comfortable on the street, on a strip, or at a Cruise Night/Car Show. We'll see how I did come spring. This is no trailer queen or "collector's car". This car is way too cool to not drive. This is my every day car now. I'll park it when snow/ice and salted road conditions start.
Engine: Chevy 350 V8 4 bolt main, Edelbrock Torker intake and Edelbrock 500 Series 4 Barrell.

Transmission: Turbo 350 w/ Shift Kit and Tranny Cooler

Rear End: Chevy 10 bolt posi, 4:11 gears

Exhaust: Hooker headers, Flowmaster 2.5" exhaust, Flowmaster American Thunder mufflers.

Wheels & Tires: 14" SS 396 Rally Wheels with Cooper Cobra Radial GTs.

Horsepower & Torque: 425 HP 415 lbs @ rear wheels. This is what the dyno sheet said when I bought the car. If anything, those numbers should have increased with what I've done to it.

Top Speed: Unknown, but it pegs easily at 120 mph 3800 rpm.

1/4 Time: Unknown. If I had to guess, I'd say low 13s-high 12s on Cooper Cobra Radial GTs. Probably low-mid 12s with slicks.

Mods: Replaced stock distributor with Accel high output. Replaced stock alternator with chrome Powermaster high output. Replaced stock fuel pump and oil pump with high flow pumps. Replaced all fuel lines, tranny lines, and brake lines. Replaced almost all gaskets, seals, and belts. All new shocks, with air shocks in the rear. All new drum brakes, disc brakes to be installed in the rear this winter. Replaced stock driver side rear view, with sport style mirrors on both sides. Will replace stock guage console with new Guage console from Covan Classics this winter. New gas tank. New reproduction back seat cover. New chrome door handles. Removed the A/C, and installed a new heater core. New high torque starter.

Color: GM Dark Teal with white stripe the length of the bottom of the car. Fresh paint is coming this winter. Same color with metal flake, and silver Chevelle/Camaro SS style stripes on the hood and trunk lid. That stupid white stripe is history!