HOT ROD’s Duralast Week 2 Wicked 1967 Nova Presented by CPP
It takes a lot to build a car in a week: a lot of planning, a lot of parts on hand, and a lot of teamwork and cooperation. Adding to an already complex set of circumstances was COVID-19 and the necessary safety precautions it necessitated. Nevertheless, we all masked up and got to work.
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This is HOT ROD’s Duralast Week to Wicked build Presented by CPP, and our subject was an extremely clean 1967 Chevrolet Nova. It was a mostly stock rolling chassis with really nice paint, which made it an ideal candidate for our weeklong build. With help from Duralast and CPP, we planned to modernize this car with brake and suspension upgrades as well as a modern, fuel-injected engine and smooth-shifting overdrive transmission. The goal was to build a fun and reliable daily driver with enough go-fast parts to keep up with the new sports cars, should the occasion arise.
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Every build starts somewhere, and day one consisted of disassembling the car, removing the front subframe and rear axle, and installing the new suspension components from CPP.
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CPP’s front subframe is much more stout than the Nova’s sheetmetal front end. It has provisions for small-block and big-block Chevy engines, plus an LS will fit with adapter plates. Tubular upper and lower A-arms offer better handling than stock, and the kit also converts to a modern rack-and-pinion steering system.
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Viking coilover shocks will allow us to dial in the perfect ride height, and clicking through the double adjustable shocks will set us up with the perfect ride characteristics.
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MotorTrend tech center guys Jason Scudellari and Christian Arriero had the Nova’s front end assembled in no time, thanks to help from CPP’s Danny Nix and Luis Fernandez. The down-bars attach to the firewall for added support, and you can see the steering system and sway bar in place. Duralast provided the brake calipers and rotors as well as the tie rod ends.
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The rear suspension saw major changes, as well. The puny rear axle was replaced with a beefy sheetmetal 9-inch from CPP. The leaf-spring architecture was maintained, but these are new springs from CPP, and they’re assisted by a pair of traction bars to prevent spring wrap. Note also the subframe connectors, sway bar, and adjustable Viking shocks.
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A brake upgrade on the rear consists of calipers and rotors from Duralast mounted on CPP’s disc brake conversion brackets. An E-Stopp electronic parking brake eliminates the old cable-actuated system.
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For power, we dialed up our local AutoZone retailer for a remanufactured 6.2L LS3 engine. Have no fear of this reman—it’s built by Dahmer Powertrain and comes with a three-year/100,000-mile warranty. We put the engine through its paces at Westech Performance prior to the start of our build. On the dyno, this all-aluminum 6.2L engine made 490 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, and it pulled hard to 6,900 rpm with FiTech’s Ultimate LS port-fuel injection system for LS3 and L92 engines.
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We used CPP’s Fit Rite adjustable motor mounts, which allow the engine to be slid fore and aft for precise engine placement within the engine compartment.
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SPEC contributed a flywheel and dual disc clutch assembly to the cause. Perhaps a little overkill right now, the dual disc setup will be handy should a power adder be employed at some time in the Nova’s future.
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Backing our LS3 is a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed transmission from Bowler Performance Transmissions. Quick Time Performance provided the SFI-approved bellhousing located in between.
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With the front-end sheetmetal removed, increased access to the engine compartment makes it much easier to drop the engine and transmission into place.
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Like their Fit Rite motor mounts, CPP’s transmission crossmember and mount adjusts fore and aft to match the placement of the engine in the chassis. Note how it ties into the subframe connectors for extra chassis rigidity.
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We used Holley’s innovative water pump and engine accessory drive kit that mounts all the alternator, power steering pump, and A/C compressor directly to the water pump casting for a tight, compact fit. We used a Duralast power steering pump with a remote reservoir for extra clearance.
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CPP’s aluminum gas tank is EFI-ready with internal baffles and containing a 340-lph in-tank fuel pump, rubber line sending unit, fuel filter regulator, sending unit, rubber lines, and fittings.
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With the engine, transmission, and fuel tank in place, it was time to begin plumbing and wiring those components. FiTech’s EFI system includes the ECM and easy-to-connect wiring harness.
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Holley provided plumbing of a different sort, in the form of a header-back exhaust system to connect with CPP’s long-tube headers.
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Inside the car, the guys were busy buttoning up the fuel and dash harness, plus hooking up the shifter and installing the new Dakota Digital replacement instrument cluster. It communicates with FiTech’s ECM for vital engine temperature and pressure information, and the GPS-based speedometer provides an accurate, reliable reading.
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We also found a place to mount FiTech’s handheld ECM interface. Though the system is largely self-learning, its setup is done through this display. Minor tuning changes can be made while the engine is running, too.
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A local shop built us a custom driveshaft based on our measurements. With it installed, we were that much closer to having this Nova move under its own power.
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Nearly done, we installed the core support and front sheetmetal. The AutoRad radiator and electric fans will keep coolant temps in check, and that’s CPP’s universal air inlet for LS engines. CPP also provided the Hydroboost brake master cylinder.
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Topped with fluids, the engine fired and ran right away, so it was safe to put the hood back on and call this build done. Check out the Cruiser wheels from American Legend Wheels. We wrapped them in a set of sticky Falken Azenis tires.
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Now all that was left to do was the traditional Week to Wicked burnout, a very satisfying way to end what can be a stressful weeklong build. To say tech center manager Jason Scudellari enjoys this task is an understatement. We also took the Nova for a spin around the shop and are pleased to report that all systems were working as they should. Check out the cool LED taillights from United Pacific and the killer stance, thanks to the CPP suspension and the wheel and tire combination. In all, we achieved our goal, making this Nova a modern, comfortable, reliable driver with plenty of power to melt those Falken tires at will.
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