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63 bomb · 04-01-2020, 02:16 PM

So, this has been the quest for the last 18 months or so. I procured a ‘67 230 from a Tempest after several years of searching. It is a ZD block with matching head. At first glance it appeared to be a virgin engine but after tearing it down I found a flattened “C” camshaft. The engine has already been bored .060 over but the crank is standard/standard. All other numbers match a late ‘66 built, ‘67 issued engine. I’m thinking the rebuild was done a very long time ago due to the fact that it still had nothing but shim steel gaskets. The engine will run again without any issues, that I am confident of.

So, why a ‘63 Nova, you ask? It all started in 1971 when my dad bought the car, the first he had ever purchased with his own money. He drove it until the early 80’s when it became the backup. As the years passed it became the backup to the backup, then pushed even further down the chain until it was eventually parked behind one of the auto parts store belonging to the company he worked for. It sat there for 10+ years in a dirt parking lot doing its best to become one with the earth again until I decided that I needed a project. We went to that store and sure enough it was still there being used as a storage rack for pallets and other junk. We came back a short time later with a trailer and I drug it out of its eventual grave. A couple months later “The Bomb” was running and driving again and has been ever since.

Now, why the OHC 6 for this car? When I was a young kid, my dad and I were driving home in “The Bomb” and while turning onto our street the radio quit. We finished the drive and when we pulled in I remember telling my dad “They forgot to finish the song.” He looked at me a little puzzled and laughed. A short time later he replaced the radio and the music returned. The one he found that fit the dash had the name Pontiac on it. Fast forward 25 years when I decided to get the car going again and that Pontiac radio was still speaking to me (although it no longer works). I decided then that I would like to eventually find one of those goofy overhead cam Pontiac engines to replace the ailing Chevy power plant. That brings us to the current.

I’ve heard a lot from people over the years that the OHC engine was basically a modified Chevy... boy were they wrong! I’ve now had to find a way to modify nearly every point that this engine is going to make contact with the Nova. So far, I’ve fabricated motor mount adapter plates, found a ‘69 water pump to bring the overall length of the engine down so it’ll fit in the car, adapted a Chevy 168 tooth flexplate to the back of the crank, made an adapter shim for the starter so it mates up with the new larger ring gear, found a gear reduction starter that will clear the steering linkage and am in the process of trying to modify the oil pan to clear the same linkage. I know there’s more that I’m not thinking of at the moment. In the end, the engine itself was not modified at all, only bolt on adapters so that if anything happens in the future, off the shelf parts will still fit.

I hope y’all get a kick out of this story and I’ll do my best to keep this thread updated as things progress.

A few pics of the progress so far:

63 bomb · 04-01-2020, 05:25 PM

Here is the car it will go in.

63 bomb · 06-25-2020, 11:34 AM

Got two more items crossed off... The radiator fits (barely) and the hood actually clears the belt cover with room to spare! Waiting on one more wiring harness before we try and fire it for the first time.

63 bomb · 07-11-2020, 08:44 PM

Would it be better to block it off from the bottom of the intake? Between the two manifolds?

And, if it was made this way, what kept this from overheating all carbs?

exotec · 04-01-2020, 08:26 PM

Hi 63,

You found the way to the cammer experts!

gtospieg · 06-25-2020, 05:40 PM

Wow that fan is close...I'm guessing you already tried to make more room based on everything else you've done.

63 bomb · 06-27-2020, 10:24 AM

The fan is as close to the engine as I can get it without running into the balancer. Funny thing is, this engine is 3/8" shorter than the Chevy powerplant that came out but due to the thicker radiator the fan ended up in the same overall position as it used to be. There's little to no front to back movement of an engine/trans combo when running so I should be fine...

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtospieg