Noob

73novaguy · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: Noob

im a noob to the site and to old cars. i have a 350 nova with 103,000 miles, that needs some work.

I was wondering if it is worthwile to install new motor mounts or anything else. the motor is stock.

What things are good on stock engines, and what need to be replaced/upgraded? also

I have an old rear bumper that is rusting and was wondering what years are interchangable with that bumper ? someone told me that that bumper is very heavy and needs to be replaced. i think it is fine, but i need a new one. any ideas ?

also any information you could provide would be helpful. thanks alot

Robert

squeeezer · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:09 pm Post subject:

welcome

you didnt mention what year??

af2 · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:26 pm Post subject:

1973?

If they are wore out yes! if not save you're money for tires! Cool

squeeezer · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 11:34 pm Post subject:

clay · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:21 am Post subject:

I moved this to the Nova section. I believe 73 was the first year they did any body changes from the 68 - 72 body style. Somebody correct me on the start date - not sure about it. Pretty sure the front was different but the rear stayed the same as previous. In 74, everything got changed. If this is true, the rear bumper isn't a "safety bumper" design and isn't really that heavy and can be easily had from somebody like JW Nova for a pretty good price. Anyway, I wouldn't really do anything to lighten that end of the car, do everything on the front. Motor mount are a toss up - sure they are old and I'm sure they could use it, but if they are the interlocking style, the only thing you might notice is a little bit less vibration because the motor isn't going anywhere. As far as what needs to be replaced, that is entirely dependent on what you deisre the vehicle to be. Daily driver - just replace stuff like valve seals, external gaskets, seals, maybe carb rebuild, water and fuel pump if uncertain, general tunup, etc. Something to play with and have a little fun - headers and intake swap and maybe a small cam in addition to previous. Past this, it can escalate rapidly since other things will need changing like gear, stall, carburetor, etc. to really start to optimize the combination. Let us know what you want to do, there are a ton of smart people on here to help you out. Clay

73novaguy · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 4:32 pm Post subject:

thanks for all the information. the car is really just gonna be a daily driver with pickup. what is a good website to get a rear bumper from and what years will fit on my car? 68 - 74 ? also i have broken interior trim for around the rear windshield and need to get it replaced, any suggestions ? i also have a bench seat in the front and would like to replace that with bucket seats, anyone have any pics of nice seats or suggestions from where to get them?

af2 · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:00 pm Post subject:

There are many people with web sites that have the parts you need. Very Happy

jeep_406 · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:22 pm Post subject:

I'd search out junkyards in Arizona that may have a 73 that you can get parts off of.
As far as seats go, Nova buckets are hard to come by. My 72 Nova had a bench seat in it when I got it. I used Camaro seats. They look identical but are about 1 inch narrower and the seat mounting is different.

squeeezer · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:01 pm Post subject:

windy hills new london MN

this salvage yard is huge biggest in MN only old cars

worth a try.....maybe

10sec.et · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:12 am Post subject:

how good are you at fabricating ? i have 94 Cavalier seats in my Cutlass. see what you can find in the local salvage yards. have you tried http://www.yearone.com/ or www.novaparts.com or http://www.classicindustries.com/nova.htm ?

squeeezer · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 11:57 am Post subject:

as far as seats go i have a dead mid to late 90's altima in my shop if you are interested

73novaguy · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 12:03 pm Post subject:

i have no experience in fabricating. is it true that you can put in virtually any seat in the car, you just have to build a custom bracket to mount it to? any one have any pics of nice bucket seats in their car ?

clay · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject:

Mine are from a Pontiac Sunfire, basically the same seats as 10sec.et is talking about. Clay