[novafreak6901]

Im a beginner hot rodder and for my first hot rod Ive decided to do a 71 Nova because its my favorite car but Ive run in to trouble. I want to drop a 496 ci engine in it with a dual carb blower and I found a blower kit and carbs but I dont know if they are compatible. The blower kit is a BBC INT 8.71 3V 1/2 pitch and the carbs are Holley 4150 street 850 cfm. Also I cant even find a lighter drivetrain. Im so confused please help

[matt167]

you do realise, that engine combo is $13k easy.. if this is truely your first hotrod... a 350 w/ 4bbl carb will propel that car along quite nicely.. and if you want to try your hand at supercharging, you can put a low boost on a 144 blower on a stock 350 with 8.5:1 or less compression, and end up with ~400 hp in good tune

[novafreak6901]

hey thanks where do you reccomend I buy the carb and blower

[ericnova72]

Originally Posted by novafreak6901

hey thanks where do you reccomend I buy the carb and blower

If your going to actually do it... BDS for the blower; BDS, Holley, Pro Systems, or Barry Grant for the blower specific carbs.

You have a steep learning curve in front of you, do your homework and do a lot of searches on this and other forums. Don't just expect someone to hand you all the answers, learn enough to ask intelligent questions.

What are you asking when you say "I can't even find a lighter drivetrain"?? Lighter duty driveline parts are the last thing you want with an engine like that.

[novafreak6901]

oh I didnt know I thought maybe they made one to make the car lighter but thanks for all the help. Also should I put in a 12 bolt rear end or stick with the 10 bolt thats in it? And is there a way to get that leather stuff off the top and make it a hard top? Its like leather padding and its beat up. If not I will have somebody redo it.

[ericnova72]

Stock rear is the small 8.2" 10-bolt, that motor will eat it, you will want a full tilt 12-bolt, Dana 60 swap, or 9" Ford swap to handle the power. Trans will need to be a well built race Turbo 400.

Top is a vinyl top, grained pattern vinyl with a thin padding glued to the metal. Removing it will make it a hard top, it will need complete bodywork under where the vinyl is as the factory doesn't do any body prep there when a vinyl top is installed, there will likely not even be any paint under most of it, and a lot of surface rust. It will take a body shop, or someone with bodywork skills to make it look good enough to paint. Auto Upholstery shops can also install a new vinyl top if you want it to be good as new, will be cheaper and less work than tearing it off and painting unless you can do the body and paint work yourself.

Don't take this the wrong way, but....
Sounds like you are young and inexperienced, don't get "eyes bigger than your stomach" and start something you can't finish, your questions indicate a lack of enough knowledge to actual get a Blown BBC and proper driveline together in the car. Maybe think smaller, or find a local mentor who can guide you, you have to learn to walk before you can run with the big dogs.

[novafreak6901]

hey thank for the help, I have a friend that does body work and he can do it for me. Dont get me wrong its a BIG project but Im good with my hands and learn quickly so I think I handle it. If not Ive got mechanic friends who can help but i want to do this by myself, they are a last resort. I was already gonna put in a 12 bolt but I wanted another opinion to make sure it wouldnt be a waste of money. Also Im not goin with the 496, Im goin with matt167s idea but its a performance 350 with a 10.0 comp ratio and cast iron high performance aftermarket heads. Ive really been doin my homework on this car. The only thing giving me problems is turning it from key start to switch start. If I cant give it a starter switch thats fine but if I can I will. But like I said this is no small task and thanks for the help.