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'65 Nova Pro Street Update 11/14/22 Completed Chassis Photo Pg. 5


Plowboy

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After finally getting this body into decent shape, I decided to go ahead and build it. I'm not a fan of gassers. So, the decision to build it as a pro street was easy. Especially, since the chassis from the '66 fits so easily. It just takes some minor trimming on the top of the wheel tubs and behind them. The first thing I did was glue the firewall and inner fenderwells to the chassis. It takes a bit of filing and sanding to get them to fit well to the firewall and chassis. It makes it a pain to paint. But, I'll get a cleaner look with no gaps.

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There's a fitment issue between the chassis and floorpan at the transmission tunnel. The floorpan won't go all the way down and will rock back and forth side to side. I first ground out what I could on the floorpan. Then I did some grinding on the transmission tunnel on the chassis. Still didn't fit! To find where the issues were, I brushed a thick coat of red enamel on the transmission tunnel on the floorpan. I placed it on the chassis and wherever the red paint was, I ground it away until it fit like it should.

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Then it was time to get the body and chassis to fit together. I cut away most of the flanges on the front fenders and did some trimming on the firewall and got them fitting together quite well. I need to trim the flange on the cowl back some so that it doesn't hang over so much.

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I can't wait to get the suspension together to see how the stance is going to be and how the big tires out back are going to look! I'm not sure what wheels I'm going to use yet. I do have a color in mind. I'm thinking Tamiya Gray Green with maybe a Racing White roof. But, that's not in stone yet. I may find another color I like better when the time comes.

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Edited by Plowboy
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Oh boy… this is going to be really good. Roger, this is right in my wheel house. I plan on tubbing the ‘64 when I get my hands on one. I will be watching with interest as I know you’ll knock this outta the park. Your colour combos never disappoint. Great to see another Plowboy WIP under way. 
Cheers, Steve

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12 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

Liking the idea so far. Another build thread to learn whats possible. What engine are you going with ??

Have a similar idea for one my Gasser kits, but going build it Aussie burnout car style. 

Not sure on the engine. I was kinda thinking about using the 327 from the '66 kit. I also have most of a Rat Roaster engine laying around. No blower for it though. I'll cobble something together. 

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10 hours ago, Steve H said:

Oh boy… this is going to be really good. Roger, this is right in my wheel house. I plan on tubbing the ‘64 when I get my hands on one. I will be watching with interest as I know you’ll knock this outta the park. Your colour combos never disappoint. Great to see another Plowboy WIP under way. 
Cheers, Steve

Thanx Steve! Be glad you got the '64. Moebius butchered the roof on this kit. I have many hours getting the roof and body back into shape!

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This is gonna be rad! I followed your fixes in the review thread which look really good. I don’t know these cars well enough to even notice those issues. I really like that you also fit the “aluminum” firewall and side panels from the ‘66 kit. Anxious to see what wheels you go with. I’m hoping they are something 90’s like Weld Draglite’s or Centerline Convo Pro’s. 
 

Hey, I’ve got a pile of the Revell A Roadster kits. If you’d like a complete SBC supercharger (or entire engine for the matter) say the word and I’ll put parts in the mail. 

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2 hours ago, Dennis Lacy said:

This is gonna be rad! I followed your fixes in the review thread which look really good. I don’t know these cars well enough to even notice those issues. I really like that you also fit the “aluminum” firewall and side panels from the ‘66 kit. Anxious to see what wheels you go with. I’m hoping they are something 90’s like Weld Draglite’s or Centerline Convo Pro’s. 
 

Hey, I’ve got a pile of the Revell A Roadster kits. If you’d like a complete SBC supercharger (or entire engine for the matter) say the word and I’ll put parts in the mail. 

Thanx Dennis! I saw the roof issues as soon as I pulled it out of the box. Once I saw the overhead view, I saw I was in for some serious work. I'm hoping the two tone paint job will help disguise the slight chop it has. 

Thanx for the offer on the supercharger! But, I really want the Weiand supercharger from the Rat Roaster. I really like the way it looks. 

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I got the suspension glued together enough to do a stance check. I flipped the front spindles to lower the front a little. I found a set of wheels from the Revell Rat Roaster. I like them. But, the rear wheels look so tiny in those big meats. I may need to go to a smaller tire. Or, I may need to find a bigger wheel or add a beadlock to the rear wheels. I think these wheels will go well with the colors I have planned.

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Something odd with this chassis is how the rear springs hang out past the rear crossmember. I remember it being quite thick as I've cut it down a time or two and built the first issue. Now, it's so thin it won't catch the springs. This chassis is is from the Boyd's edition. So, I wonder if they changed it for this kit and the later issues are like this also. I have a newer one molded in blue that I can check. Looks like I'm going to have to fix it on this one or  shorten the springs.

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58 minutes ago, Dennis Lacy said:

The Rat Roaster wheels look killer! Definitely use those!

 I love that Weiand blower setup, too. I used one in my ‘63 Nova Wagon. I may have one to spare. I’ll have a look and let you know. 

Thanx Dennis! If you have one, I'll make you a good trade on it!

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41 minutes ago, slusher said:

Roger, did you use.the chassis from the 66 Nova?  Great stance.  Following your build I need the information and give me some ideas..

Yeah, it's from the '66. It's the Boyd's edition. But, pretty much the same as the pro street version. Just a few different parts.

I made a mistake during the mockup process. Photos and info on that later.

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Not a great deal of progress as I've been correcting a mistake I made. My mistake was that I didn't install the suspension to the chassis with the wheels installed before fitting the door panels and dash to the '66 floorpan. I thought I had the chassis in the right position. But, I didn't. When I did a mockup, the wheels and tires were too far rearward as was every thing under the hood. It's a good thing I didn't cut on the flange above the firewall! I had to cut away the top of the radiator support on the body to be able to move the chassis forward and be able to install the '66s radiator and support. I also got the Rat Roaster engine and the 66 headers fitted. I glued the front pan to the body. The goofy T support has to go! All it accomplishes is keeping the grille from meeting the fenders. If I have to glue the grille to the fenders to install it properly, what's the point? 

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The flange above the firewall doesn’t hang over nearly as much as before.

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I have the hood scoop glued to the hood and molded in.

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I changed the rear tires out for a set from the Revell '41 Willys pro street. They're a little shorter and more narrow than the original set. The wheels don't look quite as swallowed as before. The stance is a bit better also. I'm still not 100% on these wheels.

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The tail panel is glued and molded in.

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I filled in the rear of the chassis. You can also see the notch in the oil pan that was necessary to clear the drag link. I had to do some cutting and filing on the engine mounts on the chassis to get the engine to fit.

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I had to do some bending on the headers to raise the collectors up. The right side was almost touching the ground. I can live with this.

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I have a set of headers from the Revell '69 Camaro that I want to try on it before I commit to these. I kinda doubt that they'll fit. But, it won't hurt to try them. I'm going to do some wheel hunting to see if I can find some that I like better.

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  • Plowboy changed the title to '65 Nova Pro Street Update 11/14/22 Completed Chassis Photo Pg. 5

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