69 BB identification...."PICTURES ADDED"

[All American Racer]

Can any of you Nova specialists help me ID a 69 Nova? Zman and Nova Research have been big helps with PMs and pics but I have some questions that I would like to put up for your consideration. I know this: the heater hoses are correct, the engine sits off to the pass. side when I run a string from the center of the cowl to the center of the SS badges (I don't know how to properly check for that offset-I've been holding a straight edge up to my computer looking at various cars i.e. Bentz's '70) The engine/rear end are not original.The radiator support looks correct but someone has put a small block radiator in this car. I say this because the opening is way too big for the radiator. I also see welded nuts on the passenger side where the Harrison radiator would bolt on to. I don't see these welded nuts on the driver's side but there are holes that a self-tapping bolt would pass through in the proper location for a Harrison. The support does have welded nuts on the top for a small block radiator hold down but it also has all the proper holes for the BB center bracket and what appear to be push pin holes (from the pics I've seen of other correct BB's). I hear of the "enlarged" opening in the correct BB radiator supports and I've looked at pics but I haven't seen what a SB support looks like. It's hard to compare apples and oranges when you have no apples. If any of you 69 guys can give me a surefire way to tell without having the support out of the car I'd appreciate it. I have not had the car in the air yet. I can't tell you if the 4sp crossmember is the right one. I will let you know tonight. The engine (396) has a day 2 flex fan on it so no marks there. I'm sure I have forgotten some details and I'll post more as I learn. I will also post pics as soon as I move into the 90's and get a digital camera. Also, the interior is super nice although someone has replaced the original bench with correct buckets. This may have cost me a build sheet. I do have reservations about ripping the interior apart looking for it as it is so nice. Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind though . Thanks for any help you guys may have to offer. Where were sights like this in the eighties when we all had nothing but time to work on our cars? Marc

[All American Racer]

I'm trying to post that scan here. No luck.

[WILMASBOYL78]

Sounds like you have the right rad support. What about the heater box, hoses in the middle? Check trans to see if vin is on the case. Build sheet will most likely be in the back seat in the springs or maybe in the foam. Other items to check: original dual exhaust hangers, power disc brakes, hd suspension, are any of the original components still on the newer engine: alternator, fuel pump, carb. Those paty #'s could help. Photos for us to review would be helpful. If you need help with other info contact me I have an original 69 L78 car for reference. Tom Williams

[All American Racer]

Hi Tom, I was hoping to hear from you. The "lots of L78 Novas" always caught my eye. Yes, the heater hose location is correct and power front discs are there and looking very original. I have studied many pics over the past week or so and I would have to say if someone "made" this car a big block they did it a long time ago. Careful inspection of the hardware on the heater core housing, radiator support, and engine mounts tells me the car hasn't recently been tampered with. I do want to research the radiator support further though. As I said in my earlier post, all I have to match it against are other pictures of BB supports. Sounds easy but pictures tend to be one dimensional and you can't always get the right angle you need. I could use 2 pieces of info. 1. A straight down shot of the top of the support showing the hole patterns for the center support and the flap and 2. Measurements for exactly how big the opening is for the radiator. I'm also concerned that the welded nuts for the SB radiator hold-down should not be there. On a positive note, the radiator is too small for the opening (I can put 3 fingers through the gap on the drivers side). Also, the passenger side has welded nuts for the Harrison flange mount and the driver's side has what appear to be holes for self-tapping bolts in the correct position for a flange mount radiator. Again, I don't know if this would be correct or not. The car looks great. It has a black vinyl top, dark blue paint, black interior, 4sp., Radial T/As on 5 spoke SS wheels. Very factory looking which is what I like. Exceptions to this are bolted on subframe connectors and old traction bars. I will post pics when I acquire the technology. I have read the FAQ section of this site and attachment directions all look Greek to me. I have posted plenty of scans on Ebay with no problem. i don't know what my problem is here. What the heck is Mozilla 4+? My computer is only 6 months old it should have all the bells and whistles I need. Tom, thanks for your interest in my Nova and any help you have to offer is greatly appreciated. By the way, how many is "Lots"? Marc

[All American Racer]

Trying to post scan again. Sorry for the sideways scan and the poor quality but this is a copy of a copy of an invoice that was taped to the window of the car. I really don't know what it is or how legit it is. I hope you guys can read it. I can't find ANY info about a Charlie Collins Chevrolet. I have tried the Bayonne NJ dept. of commerce but they never got back to me Marc

[WILMASBOYL78]

Marc, sent you a PM. Tom

ps. are you a member of National Nostalgic Nova??? If not we need to get you signed up.TW

[All American Racer]

Thanks Tom, NNN member for 5 days now. I even asked for the box o' back issues! I didn't crawl underneath the car yesterday but when I do I'll let you know. Marc PS I never received a PM

[Allen]

For radiator core support comparison, click the link below.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...62321021tkLjTV

It sounds like you've got a neat car to work with.

Tom has pretty much listed the items to look for. One other thing to look at is the fuel line configuration... is it one single large 3/8? One large 3/8 and a smaller one next to it? One smaller one, like 5/16?

[All American Racer]

Allen, thanks for the pic. This was exactly what I was looking for. I don't know about the fuel lines. I haven't been under the car yet and it has an aftermarket fuel pump. I need to go under there and look for dual fuel lines (or bigger clips with one line), transmission xmember, and original exhaust hangars. Thanks for the pics and I'll keep you posted. Marc

[WILMASBOYL78]

Sent another PM. Glad to hear you joined the club,welcome!

TW