All the little things…
I’ve been in the garage a lot lately. I’m now remembering all of the little bits and pieces that go into completing the little Nova. I’d taken pretty much everything apart/off before taking the car for paint. As I reassemble I realize that some of the original parts are just not good enough to put back so I’ve ordered new/reproduction pieces. Little things like bumper brackets that would seem to be straight forward are challenging as the new pieces (well made I must say) are just a ticth off the original and some persuasion is in order to make them line up. Couple that with a 57 year old car that has most certainly been bumped a time or two and well – it’s challenging to get things to line up and then reef the bolts nice and tight. And oh-by-the-way…. Why did GM decide to use 7/16 x 20 bolts to attach the bumper brackets to the frame? Fortunately my local Ace stock a good lot of Grade 8 bolts. I’ve got so many nuts and bolts at home that my stock is nearly a hardware store – but for whatever reason, 7/16” is not one I have a lot of.
Sound is important in a hot rod as well so I installed new speakers and a nice modern stereo. The unit mounted below the dash as the original radio opening is filled with gauges. Front speakers found a new home in 57 year old kick panels and look pretty good. Sub woofer in the trunk and we're all good to go. I’m a bit compulsive where wiring is concerned so after I moved the battery to the trunk, I built a small distribution system and used relays for the large draw items. All in all, I’m happy. I have found that it’s not as easy to crawl into and out of the trunk as it was when I was 30 years younger! Thank you Lord for Advil!
A special note to those of you who are working electrical – you cannot “over do” on grounding and bonding. One of the biggest causes (especially in older cars) for electrical issues is a poor ground return for a circuit. As such, I’ve individually bonded all things electrical to the frame. It assures that lights, signals and horn all work correctly. I make a lot of short jumpers using appropriate size (#12/14/16) black wire and high quality crimp ends that heat shrink to the wire. It’s bulletproof and saves a lot of headaches with troubleshooting trying to find those electrical gremlins that tend to plague us hot rod people. Use good tools and take your time and the results will be very rewarding.
Here’s a few more pictures – enjoy!
Glenn