Vintage Nova

In order to keep a sharp eye on the new engine, I installed some new gauges. They are Auto Meter Z-Series gauges with electric sending units.

Interior

Here’s the new engine after we got it all bolted in. Still needs lots of stuff to be connected, but overall it fits pretty nice.

383 V8

The oil pan I selected for the 383 is a Canton Racing brand pan made specifically for 1st/2nd generation Chevy II’s. It has a notched sump to allow the pass through of the steering centerlink.  The part number is 13-170 and it cost me about $250.00 at carshopinc.com. It comes with a crank scraper and windage screen to control the oil. It’s a very nice high quality pan with thick metal and great engine fit. The only problem I had was it didn’t fit quite right with the centerlink. As a result, my steering radius is reduced somewhat. Overall it worked out though.

The crank scraper had to be notched to clear the crankshaft. A sharpie marker, die grinder, cut-off wheel, and some trial and error made it all fit together without hitting.

The centerlink passes through the pan at an angle and the passenger’s side is low and close enough that , when turned tight, the inner tie rod stud hits the pan. I’ve talked to others with this pan that didn’t have this problem so maybe my car is just special. I tried both the straight and curved styles of pitman arms, tried spacing down the pitman arm mounting bracket, and tried two different centerlinks all to get it to fit better. I ended up using the curved pitman arm with no spacers, and I cut the inner tie rod stud shorter. Also, instead of a cotter key, I used a peice of wire to run through the castle nut and stud on the inner tie rod to gain some clearance. I adjusted my steering stops to assure that the steering would not hit the pan. Overall I can now turn the wheel 1.75 revolutions to the left and 1.5 revolutions to the right.

383 V8

I called up CPP and ordered a set of steering stops for the lower control arm kit. I needed them because without stops I could turn too much and hit my oil pan with the centerlink.

They cost $19.00 and I paid $9.10 for shipping, for a total of $28.10.
I’m very happy with them and they fit and perform exactly as I needed them to. The part # is CP12028

Because of the oil pan I can turn farther to the left than I can the right. To allow the stop to hit the steering arm on the passenger’s side (the side where I’m limited on turning) I had to mount the stop on the outer holes instead of the inner holes that the instructions say to use. You can see I used some washers to space up the stop to clear a bolt head from the lower ball joint.

Front Suspension