Martin's '72 Nova

Once Martin had completed his incredible Camaro, he found himself spending his Sundays lounging around the house with nothing real to do. Being the kind of guy who needs to constantly busy himself, he grabbed himself another project car that would, with about a decade of work, become something truly special. Truly special is an appropriate description in this case, because the particular car he began with was quite rough, so getting it anywhere near where he’s taken it requires superhuman effort.

For starters, this ‘72 Nova II needed a good deal of bodywork: new trim, new paint, and a few new squares of sheetmetal to replace the corroded floorpans and kickpans. He took his time as working in an uninsulated garage throughout the Dutch winters was a little too cold to be really productive, but he could, fortunately, work out some MDF templates and CAD drawings inside the comfort of his heated office.

The first order of hands-on business was fitting a 2006 Mitsubishi Colt’s disc brakes. The 10” brakes weren’t small enough to squeeze within the 14” wheels, so he grabbed a set of 17” wheels, Eibach spacers, and while he was at it, he decided to overhaul the entire suspension. It needed some help.

To modernize this Nova as best he could, Martin went with a CPP mini subframe kit. This kit consists of new upper and lower A-arms with new ball joints, springs, perches, and shocks. He also received a front rollbar and a set of bigger, five-lug brakes that may go on in future when V8 power requires more stopping power. With a new set of bushings and a Church Boy adjustable strut rod kit, he eliminated the rubber strut rod bushings and, therefore, eliminated any noticeable deflection.

Getting rid of the Powerglide was the next major hurdle. With a recently refreshed T5 transmission and a spell of nice weather, he began mating the transmission to the motor. He had bought a pilot bushing specially for Powerglide to manual conversion since they have a different outside diameter, and it didn't fit. The bushing was loose in the crankshaft, so that meant this one would not work.

When trying to mount the bellhousing Martin found out it interfered with the starter motor, so he removed it to see if it would fit. Thankfully, it did. He marked where the starter motor hit the bellhousing and began grinding away material until it fit.

When the bellhousing was on the transmission slipped into place without a problem. However, the flywheel cover plate he bought almost fit—it just needed a very small bend to flatten an edge. Hardly a difficult swap.

Sensing the potential this car had, he realized how using the old four-lug brakes wouldn’t make sense with the bigger ones collecting dust in the corner of his garage. He sold his 17” wheels as well as the brakes, made his money back, and began redrilling the rear drums to suit the new Chevy 5x4.75" bolt pattern.

The realization that this would soon be a quick car no longer resembling the basic Nova it once was came with another problem: power steering. With modified suspension, big brakes, an overdrive manual transmission, and wide tires, driving it without some assistance would be a real pain.

Recently a new power steering box became available on the market but this would also require a power steering pump to be mated to the motor and new hoses and besides that a lot of money. After some research he decided to go for an Electric Power Steering (EPS) unit from an Opel Corsa. He sourced a unit as well as an electronic control box that simulates the speed pulse signal. This unit has an adjustment knob to control the amount of assistance.

With most of the major mechanical work out of the way, he could start focusing on the cosmetic side of things. A coat of paint for the inline six to help it pop, a wider set of 17” wheels, a little rust repair, and a little polish helped distract the eye from the patina. In fact, that display of a little promise amidst a great deal of imperfection helped the rusty relic convey a sense of potential.

Martin keeps a detailed log of his progress. If you’re in the mood to scour through all the nitty-gritty of an ambitious build like this, please give his page a peek.

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