1966 Nova Wagon (are we ever really done?)

Thanks for that negative enthusiast comment.... will leave it at that... @Dick Stevens

 

Those will still work on your motor...

 

with the Blueprint crate engine... I may need run a thicker valve cover gasket or spacer on them... The price was right.. little concerned with the breather and PVC .. I'll mess around with them this weekend... Thank you @Deuces

 

I bought a pair new from the local Chevy store many years ago, looked just like them, don't recall if they had notches in the rails, I do know that the pre-1970 rocker covers did not have the cast-in drippers to improve rocker arm lubrication.

 

good to know , thank you @DDDenny

 

My mistake, but the general concept..........a clean basically stock appearing 4 door wagon tends to project a fair amount of street driving in its future.

I personally think that having gearing that provides for both performance and comfortable cruising is one of the most overlooked issues for many rodders. There are a lot of people who have built cars with performance gearing and then found that driving the car any distance was not a lot of fun..... Often those cars get driven sparingly. Met a guy last week at the grocery. He was driving an "unrestored" Chevy pickup (59) that sounded pretty healthy. Parked next to me and we began talking. He told me he had a 383 in it that he built with a 12:1 compression and had to run either aviation fuel or race gas in it.
Now a lot of people would be impressed. Myself, I thought it was not a good choice and would have done it where it was more driveable. But........it was HIS truck and he was apparently happy with the results.

I'm just pointing out that the choices anyone makes while building often affect how usable the completed vehicle is. Times have changed and speed limits are a lot higher, so its a lot tougher to enjoy cruising when you are relegated to the slow lane with semi's constantly approaching from behind.......or move over to the fast lane and and drive at 3500/4000 rpms for miles. A lot of hot rods do not get driven a lot simply because they aren't geared well for cruising as part of the overall equation we call a hot rod.

 

couldn't be more right..

 

had to send back the fuel I got that took forever to get off back order.... finally got the right one, that wasn't boxed wrong.. lol

 

so I finally got tired of the driver side sun visor falling down when driving... new brackets and bushings for both sides.

 

went for a spin in the wagon this evening... still plugging along on updates...

 

Well trying to get the wagon , ready for Goodguys here in Puyallup... We started on Saturday.. market off the do list as we go...

 

Valve Covers changed, wrong fitting for the flow bowl connection on the carb... Summit sent the wrong MSD box mounts...ugh.. miss not having Honest Performance in Federal Way great guys.. Austin Pro Max...closed up the parts section... Doug's Racing Stables been gone along time...Will Plasti-Dip the dip stick hand Black.. get rid of the blue Blue print handle View attachment 6480473 View attachment 6480473

 

Honest Performance in Federal Way brings back memories. Used to spend all my money there in the early eighties.....

 

.. They were great... always had what you need.
Miss that shop...

 

Great looking Deuce Wagon, last one I saw was in 1977 in Peter's Salvage Yard in Oshtemo MI, its front passenger side was hit and the pervious owner junked the 66 Chevy II Mediterranean Blue/Blue interior Wagon, it was a factory 283 3 sp standard on the column. I tried for over five years to get Peter's Salvage Yard to sell me that Chevy II Station Wagon, they had it crushed after keeping it together selling no part's off of it all those year's. It was a terrible waste to find out what they did to the beautiful Chevy II Wagon.
You have a favorite of mine keep her looking great.

Dustin
(1Nimrod)

 

Seems like with all the newer 5-6 speeds in standard or automatic the newer cars & trucks really don't get much better gas mileage, but the RPM's at top is lower then the Muncie 3-4 standard trans and lower then the old TH350 & TH400 automatic trans.
They must be better for buzzing the Interstate Hwy's, right?
Just me thinking out loud in print.
Keep On Trucking Brother's

Dustin
(1Nimrod)

 

Looks great! Wagons are really in!!

 

back on the wagon . been way to long

 

View attachment 6517677 View attachment 6517677 Getting things done... Gauges are in... just need do away with the plastic oil pressure line .. working on the fuel line to the carb...did away with horrible aluminum plate the aftermarket radio was in.. Classic Industries made a cool radio plate that looked great. @chevy57dude ... gauges are in..

 

A few years ago I could have sold you an original "CHEVY II" Radio face cover & 2 AM Push*****on Radios, I had four Chevy II Radio Face Covers, plus the SS dash Badges & The Instrument Panel, Glove Compartment Doors, and several different colors of 2 door Sport Coupe, 2 door Post & 4 door Door Interior Panels in the Black,Gold,Green & Red with Headliners to match & front Dash Pads to match, 2 sets of Bucket Seats Black & Red & the Rear Bench Seat in Black & Red. The SS Door Panel were Black. Extra Door's, Trunk Lids, Hoods Fenders, Grills for 66 & 67 & the Aluminum Light Trim for 66's & the Cast Crome for 67's, Extra Front & Rear Bumpers & the quarter panel 150 & SS Badges front 66 SS badge & the Chevy Flag V 283/327 Front Finder Badges, several Factory Wiring harness Front & Back. Several sets of different Chevy II Hubcaps 6" X 14" Wheel, the 66 SS Crome/ Silver/Gray Trunk Lid Panel & the 66 standard Chevy II Trunk Lid Panel & the 67 Crome/Gray Chevy II Checkered Trunk Lid Panel, door glass, Front & Rear Glass, the Tail Lights Aluminum Ring & Plastic Signal Cover's and more...
I sold My Barn full of parts, all my 66-67 Chevy II part's to Bob Phillips who bought an sold Car Part's and everything else at Swap Meets all over Michigan.
Those Radio Face Covers are even harder to find now & the CHEVY II Radios just as hard to find, the 66-67 Chevy II Radios were the Coolest Radios with Crome CHEVY II at the Top.
Man I had a Cash Honey Hole of 66-67 Chevy II's & Part's back then.
Picture of my Dad teaching us two youngest boys me 10 & Billy 13 year's old how to get that old push mower running again. See the Blue 66 Chevy II behind me my oldest brother DJ hit a Horse head on about a year later, I ended up with that 66 Sport Coupe Chevy II, the other two pictures are of a 2 door Post 150 I bought for $75 in 10th grade, I'll have to dig up pictures of my 66 SS Chevy II for y'all. I had many Chevy II part's car, they would be a small gold mine now.

Dustin
(1Nimrod)

 

Unfortunately the new radio was already in the car..and speakers...may upgrade the radio to a newer Bluetooth, with a all black face.. still working on the MSD set up...need to go get a another fuel line made...well some progress..

 

MSD, is in...got a few bugs to work out. not crazy about the blue plug wires.The clearance on the headers is tight... spark plug boots on theMSD wires I bought are to big/// so need to do a little research

 

Well, just need to wire the tach back up.. replaced plug wires, they were in sad shape... swapped the distributor and fattened up the carb some...seems to be ok... finish line is near

 

aren't those bananna rims???

 

I thought these are the OG ones... but what would I know...I lived through the 50's-60's,70's 80's 90's 2000's 2010's and 2020's.. but must been real high... didn't learn nothing..

 

but....I think you nailed it on the wheel choice...most important... you like them..and thats what matters..

 

Never heard that term before, the early Corvette disc brake "D" spoke American wheel has been referred to as a "crows foot" due to the way the spoke flairs out slightly and rolls back into the rim.
I have Halibrand five spokes on my 67 Nova that are similar.

 

Early D spoke for Corvette...15x6 and 15x7..two are American Racing the others ET or Appliance...got the idea from a friends original 66 Nova SS...

 

So now need to find the missing cover for the wiper motor... anyone have picture of what the stock piece that fits here... another thing that bugs me

 

Buttoned up the MSD set up on Sunday..sanded and and painted the dipstick handle (was blue, and said Blueprint)... Tach hooked up..