'70 Nova V/SA to F/SA Makeover

[Doug Hoven]

Well it's been a while since I've added anything to this thread. I've more or less just been racing the car the way it was all season. In the middle of changing my transmission pan for a more purpose built piece, I ended up finding a piece of metal in the bottom of the pan. After getting much more up close and personal with a th200 than I ever had before, we found that it was a piece of the rod that actuates the parking pawl. The rest of the trans showed to be pretty worn, so I also discovered the not so easy task of sourcing th200 clutches and steels. With some luck, I sourced the parts, and the transmission went back together about a week later. The torque converter I've been running that has worked fairly well is a Dynamic that was built in the early 2000s for a 305 stocker. I had the stator changed midway through the season which has improved my 60ft times a bit. My most recent upgrade that I actually documented was changing over the front drums on the car to a good used set of wilwood front discs. An upgrade in another part of my racing "crew" meant that I ended up with these brakes. Was a very straight forward job, and with the addition of a residual pressure valve for the rear drums, I'm in business. Hoping to get out this weekend for the Mid-Atlantic S/SS series to test out my new brakes.

[Billy Nees]

Don't "lose" those original 6 cyl. drums!

[Doug Hoven]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

Don't "lose" those original 6 cyl. drums!

Don?t worry, they?re safe and dry. OBTW, for inquiring minds, the weight savings was 8lb per side. And these are not the super lightweight brakes. They are definitely lighter than a stock rotor, but are still finned.

[Tim H]

Any "news" to share or results from this season ?

[Doug Hoven]

Originally Posted by Tim H

Any "news" to share or results from this season ?

Well, I've had some ups and downs this season. For the most part, the car has been great. Apart from maybe one or two runs, the car has followed my ET predictions really well. As a driver I've sort of just been all over the place this season. But, for it only being my 3rd full season of racing, I can't be too unhappy with how I've been doing. I've definitely made some progress in my E.T.'s this season compared to last year. My best ET in NHRA competition this year has been 11.21, knocking on the .65 under mark. The timing of the Dutch classic this year could be a recipe for some fast runs. I'm pretty pleased with how the car has been running. I am aware of a handful of things that are making my car "slow," but for now, my budget has determined where I've spent my money with this project. The front discs haven't shown me any ET so far, but the car is much nicer to stage, and more importantly it stops much better than before.

[Doug Hoven]

Well I originally was going to end the season with the conclusion of the "Dutch Classic/Virginia LODRS," but I made a last minute decision to do some "foot swapping" down at M.I.R. this past weekend to close out my season. For having never not used the 2 step, the car worked very well with a best of a 1.42 60ft. I struggled hitting the very loose tree, and by the time I figured out what I had to do, it was too late. I did manage to go a few rounds here and there, with a 4th round loss in the "gamblers" race Saturday night being the most notable, which made for some very nice pictures of the car. For Stock/Super Stock racers that never have, I would definitely recommend attending a "money race" like this some time. This marks the end of the season, with my best E.T. at an NHRA race now being an 11.18 at almost 116 at maple grove. Work on the car this winter will most likely reside in things like "neatening up" the wiring in the car, as well as some fiddling around with the "traction bar" setup that is on the car currently.

[Billy Nees]

Wow! nice car! ;-)