What the heck do you do with an old- patina'd up the butt early Nova wagon?? Well- you start setting it up to chase down all those new, high dollar canyon carver rice rockets, thats what!!!! This little wagon of mine actually did pretty well through the slalom for an upcoming tech story, but its getting outfitted to really go out trolling for those pesky little droner rin-tin-tins that always seem to stuff up the staging lanes at our local drag strip!! There is so much cool stuff out there to make our early cars perform, not only out at the dragstrip but up in the canyons as well. One of my goals (far-fetched,but possible!) is to run a sub-twelve quarter, then take it road racing , without touching a thing. It'll be a long time from now, but the paint'll still be the same. Dale
We heard on one trun, the car hit something. Exhaust? Rim? But, this front tire looks like it wa about ready to come off: EEEEE GGGAAAADDDSSSS!!!
The pizza cutters are part of the disguise! Go trolling, reel in the unsuspecting wanna-be rice-burner, then smack him upside the head with his boom pipe and say: "A loud exhaust does not mean your Toyota is a performance car"....
Back in the 80's a friend had a 70 Chevelle that would turn 11.15's all day then would head out to the canyons by Malibu and blast through them like a porsche. That thing was a blast, after the tires got hot that thing stuck like glue to the road. keep it up them pesky rice burners are annoying! I like the wings they put on them, makes it look like one of them race car baskets at wally world!!
The only thing I'd be afraid of is popping the bead on one of the front tires. I wonder if you can run tubes or something similar in them to help prevent this? I don't know, which is why I ask. I love the idea of a true sleeper. Got a cool vanity plate idea for you: RICEATR
Here's my story: Around '94-95 ,I scored a 67Nova wagon and wanted to make it handle..Seems that in the mid-80's a guy named Doug Norrdin wrote an article for a car mag titled "Turn Pig,Turn" about how to make a Nova handle...He worked (and still does..) for Global West Suspension in Ca. I called him and bought all the springs,bushings,shocks he spec'd...he also took my lower A-arms and modded them...That wagon truly handled like it was on rails! www.globalwest.net
ive seen alot of them with a different sub frame and supports that go to the to of the firewall. are you doing that?
I've been wanting to turn my '64 Rambler HT into a corner carver... Thanks for the motivation. Unfortunately these cars are so unpopular, i'm going to have to fab up a lot of the stuff... Good luck with that wag. It's nice to see something different on the prowl.
Nothing more fun that a good sleeper.. Good thick swaybars & a new degrees negative camber & that wagon'll corner like a house fly!!!
Turn, Pig Turn. I have a copy of that story!! It gives me motivation. The front end is a mix of both Classic Performance Products, and a new set-up out on the block: Church Boys. The sway bar is fat. Story should be out in an upcoming Super Chevy Magazine. Not sure what month though.
Impressions of the church boys set-up? I haven't liked what I saw from most of the R&P kits for these cars. Just curious. I just rebuilt my steering box, and I'm not burning up the corners, so I think I'll be fine with the stock stuff. What are those a-arms in the pic?
Yeah, but they're pizza cutters, not canyon cutters, I like your plan, and appreciate that they're part of the disguise, but tires play a pretty important part in accomplishing the goal. I'd go for the stickiest tires you can get without getting too wide or low pro. That tire in the picture looks scary, I wanna see you beat those fuckers , not die trying.
Most likely (read "for sure"!) when its back and sorted out, I'll get a set of 15/5 steelies with a set of poverty caps I have on tap. Paint the rims an old dirty white, and put a set of 205's up front. Still narrow, but not wide enough to throw the look off. Church Boys impressions?? I can't say yet. I"ve only driven the car fifty feet with the set-up on! Thats why its going back. There were a few small details on the prototype parts that we were not clear on, and Church, and CPP, along with the Source Interlink(magazine) regrouped to make everything work together. Tomorrow morning, it goes back down. By the weekend, hopefully, I'll be testing it up in my local Glendora mountains. Maybe hook up with a few street bikers that drive by, and see if they can catch up????!!!
The Jalopy Journal
