1966 Chevy Nova SS L-79 Unveiling
I always learn something new at these shows I never knew.
During the presentation after the unveiling, Kurt Hofbauer talked about the restoration process. Turns out, the engine bay of the original 1962 Chevy II, a semi-unit body with a bolt-on front subframe and engine cradle, was intended to hold either the standard I-4 or optional I-6 engines -- never a V8.
When the decision was made at GM to shove a V8 into the top-of-the-line Chevy II Nova, things were a little tight. The problem was solved at the engineering level by offsetting the entire engine slightly to the passenger side of the car. Apparently, it's derailed quite a few aftermarket and DIY 6 to V8 engine swaps, and it caused some headaches for Brian Dinsmore at Heartland Autobody in Logan, IA, who restored this car.
If you open the hood of a factory V8 Chevy II or Nova and sight down the front fascia and windshield ridges and the air cleaner wingnut, you can see the offset, even without measuring the clearances on each side.
1966 Chevy Nova SS L-79 Unveiling
I always learn something new at these shows I never knew.
During the presentation after the unveiling, Kurt Hofbauer talked about the restoration process. Turns out, the engine bay of the original 1962 Chevy II, a semi-unit body with a bolt-on front subframe and engine cradle, was intended to hold either the standard I-4 or optional I-6 engines -- never a V8.
When the decision was made at GM to shove a V8 into the top-of-the-line Chevy II Nova, things were a little tight. The problem was solved at the engineering level by offsetting the entire engine slightly to the passenger side of the car. Apparently, it's derailed quite a few aftermarket and DIY 6 to V8 engine swaps, and it caused some headaches for Brian Dinsmore at Heartland Autobody in Logan, IA, who restored this car.
If you open the hood of a factory V8 Chevy II or Nova and sight down the front fascia and windshield ridges and the air cleaner wingnut, you can see the offset, even without measuring the clearances on each side.