350/383 First Build for 74 Nova

Thanks. I have had this car for a couple of years now. My dad funded the building of it as a college graduation present. I was given the option of making it shiny or fast. I chose fast. (althought I have been having some issues with it).

Adam


Register now (free) or login to remove ads

I was thinking 3.55 gears. I will be using the TH350. I want the torque but do not want it screaming at 60 mph. I will have weld in the sub-frame connectors. Will the 10 bolt hold that or will I have to get a 12 bolt? I won't be running slicks, and the drags only for fun not a weekly thing.

before you step up to 3.5 gears get your enigne in there and run it for a little bit- you may find that with all of the torque the engine is producing you'll be having loads of traction issues without going with a harder gear.

You're looking at building a high torque street killer of a 383 in a light car- don't underestimate the power you'll have off idle.

I agree with ap72. Get a feeling for the gears you have and make a decision after that for how much more you want to throw at it. As for 3:55's, that is what I have in my car. I have a 28" tire and run ~70 mph at ~3000 RPM. That feels pretty comfortable to me. I have considered going to a 4.10 gear which would take me to ~3500 rpm at 70 mph. I would most likely still run 3000 rpm and just stick to 60 mph in that case, but that is just my preference.

As for the rear end, if you have the 8.5" to bolt, they can handle a lot of power. I am pretty sure the pinon gear in an 8.5 is the same as a 12 bolt. The ring gear is just a little smaller. I had one of these in my first ventura which was a vortec headed 355. I figure it was around 375 hp and 410 ft lbs. With richmond 3.90 gears and a posi, the rear end ever had any problems. Although this car only had 375 hp, I beat the heck out it. If it is the 8.2 inch 10 bolt, it may be iffy.

Adam

Good advise, thanks for reeling me in. I can put that money towards the brakes and suspension. If I need more gear I can always get it later, with the extra power I'm going to need to upgrade the brakes.

yea im in the middle of my build now and my wife askes me what color im going to paint it, (i know what color) i say i dont know and dont care it probably wont get paint for a year or two after i have all the drive train done and in it (which is true) and ive pointed out a couple of cars to her (at cruiz'in) that were primer or had some rust or what have you and said "that car is bad" she would think im crazy and then i would say "listen to that motor" that's all it takes for me, paint and all that shiney stuff is just icing on the cake

The '74 nova is an 8.5" 10-bolt, like has been said, they will handle 98% of the power that a 12-bolt will, especially if you upgrade to the 30 spline(same as 12-bolt) or bigger axles. They use all the same size bearings, just the tiny (.187") difference in ring gear diameter. I'm running low ten's with one and I'm not afraid of it in the least. 30 spline axles, c-clip eliminators, spool, tubes welded to center section, girdle rear cover, 4.56 gears in a '72 Nova. I figure if it blows, would have broken a 12-bolt too.

The last 8.2" was in 1971.