mine was a three on the tree too... i put the four core radiator in it and it still over heats... i think i need a shroud... i cant really aford a dual fan setup right now.... tell me more about your car... rearend? trans? gear? you got any 4th gen parts? interior or exterior? thanks

 

looks like my old car which i dont have anymore but i still see the car around town.

 

can u get ahold of any parts?

 

car is still the stock rear, its the good 10 bolt 393 gears posi, i put a hurst pistol grip shifter on the floor, trans is a built th400, full aeromotive fuel system, all braided lines.... too much work to list lol. i think the only thing still stock in the car is the rear, and the body(except the hood) lol.
i do have some parts... but not much. i got most of the chrome trim extra, extra rear windows, uhm i had extra doors, fenders, and a hood... but when i moved to NC i junked them. im tryin to think of what else i got, i would have to look but not too much. mainly just extra trim and glass, im actually trying to sell the car lol

 

NHRA and IHRA rules won't let you run that much rubber fuel line.


I would own it and drive it. Looks great, have fun with it.

 

rubber? all my lines are braided stainless lol

 

How much u trying to sell it for? what parts did u find?

 

I think that used to be my car. Weirdly Similar.

 

First car I ever drove after I got my license was my mom's 1975 Nova with the 250 six and Turbo 350. Fun car. Ran pretty well for what it was. Always dreamed of getting one and dropping a small block in it. Looks like a neat project.

 

man thats real similar to my teenage hotrod. looks like a lot of fun. ok i quickly read through this thread so take that as it is.

dist issue: since you are on a strict budget keep the hei and lock it out completely (if you are going for performance) and put the timing at full advance and itll run bad ***. put a msd box and coil on it. the advantage of the hei is that it has a larger diameter cap and will less likely have a spark scatter issue. and it has more of a sleeper appeal. oh and get you some good msd 8.5 wires (red or black) not the streetfire wires. the msd ign will toast those accel wires. i was able to snap mine like a twig after ran those accel wires with my msd ign. fyi you can buy a used msd box for real cheap, doesnt matter if it works or not, and send it into msd and they will rebuild it cheap.

over heating issue: do you have a t-stat in there? if you do, pull it out and take the "thermostat" part out of the housing and put the housing back on the motor. itll act like a water restrictor at that point. ive been doing that for years and it works great on the old school sbc's like we have. they will typically run 170-175 degrees unless its a real hot day then 185-195 degrees. if it still overheats then its an air flow issue, look into replacing the radiator with a single row aluminum radiator. less water to cool takes less air to cool it.

 

No keep your hei thats the most reliable ignition ever made. You dont need an MSD .

Diasgree with locking it out on a street car. Get the right curve it will run strong and never ping. Running 11.5:1 383 with 260@050 roller has good manners and will run on 91 if need be. Locked out it would ping. Opinions will vary though

If you want an upgrade look into DUI hei distributors through Summit
Ignition boxes will only leave you stranded one day. If you have ton of compression forced induction NOS etc then it can be helpful otherwise a waste
Milodon makes an excellent hi flow 160 been using them for 20 yrs

Tuning can make it run hot....so can a cracked head.
You can get a test kit from the auto parts..remove your spark plugs and pressurize the cooling system.
One thing at a time

You did real well for doing all that on min wage!! Props bud.

 

I had a similiar issue when I had my 79 Formula with a 383 SBC. I had a 3 row cooper radiator, and it would run very hot. I had a mechanical gauge because I didnt trust the factory one. I tried everything, lower temp t-stat, no t-stat, high flow water pump, and nothing helped. I then changed to a Griffin aluminum radiator, and it fixed the problem. It had 2 rows of 1" tubing, and even in 90 degree weather, it never went over 195 degrees. And the Griffin is the same size and capacity as the Becool, but for less than a 1/3 of the cost.

 

De Witts even less dont know if they make them for his Nova

Champion might...they are overseas made kinda cheap seems hit and miss on quality. Another option

Put a deflector under your core support that will help direct air up there when youre moving. Easy to make, flat black noone will see it

 

Running a locked-out advance depends on having enough stall in the converter. If your motor isn't under full load until 2500 it doesn't make a lot of difference (pinging wise) what the timing is up to that point. With a big cam the extra advance will help the idle.

An ignition cutout is good for hot starts, get the motor turning over before you hit the ignition.

ETA: With a manual tranny you're probably better off with a functional advance.