Grouchy, The 1978 Chevrolet Nova
This is Grouchy, shes my 1978 Chevrolet Nova. I bought her when I was 16, after saving up countless hard earned dollars. I always wanted a “muscle” car, my dad had a 76 when he was younger, and the deal was too good to pass up. Technically it could be called a barn find? She started out her life as a mostly stockish car, in need of a complete overhaul, all things like engine, trans, differential, and brakes/ suspension front to back. The engine that was in it when I got it had some problems, and inevitably needed to be removed, and in its place was a FB marketplace Small Block 350, that I rebuilt in the garage all by myself, along with the trans needing a rebuild as well. Funny enough Wd40 got used numerous times throughout building the engine, I would use it to coat bare metal such as cylinder walls, heads, and other bare engine components that would be put aside until assembly. My goal is to eventually turn it into a street driveable, but also sponsored race car.
Step 1
The day I went to look at the car
Step 2
The day I got the car
Step 3
It needed a grill and headlight bezels, I converted it to an electric fan setup, and gave it a long needed bath
Step 4
Got the car running and driving
Step 5
Engine finally quit, and was time to pull out and replace with something else
Step 6
The old 327 was pulled and sold, it was too far gone for me, but I did get a 350 that made it way to being a good runner
Step 7
The engine that I got did run, but needed some general maintenance before I felt comfortable putting it into my car
Step 8
Installing the freshened up engine into the Nova
Step 9
I sourced new wheels for the car, a cool retro style hood scoop, added some stickers, went through the entire brake system, and lifted the rear of the car up
Step 10
Here are some photos of its first car show, and some around town driving photos ive gotten. It was off the road for about 2+ years and just the past few months, has slowly made its return to the road.
