1975 Chevy Nova inline 6 rallycross, oh and new to this forum and rallycross

hey you all. my name is Kris, i'm new to this forum. i couldn't find an intro thread. so why not introduce yourself and tell you what i MIGHT be planning. i want to try my hands in rallycross. i'm not a stranger on going fast in dirt. my friends and i use to get together and race down old tractor paths. it was fun. oh the good old days. lol. other then that i haven't done much. i dragraced at Monrovia 75&80 dragway and mason dixon dragway a little more then a few time. but that's not dirt.

so anyway i'm thinking of trying rallycross this coming season at Washington D.C. Region or Susquehanna Region rallycross.

as the topic name says. i'm thinking of using a 1975 Chevy Nova with a inline 6. well atleast at first. i know that's an odd chores. but it's what i got and hell why not.

i'll wright more later and see if i can post pics. it's 3:30 am here and i'm about to fall asleep on my keyboard. ttyl

Do it. Those are two great regions to play in. I have a slant 6 too.

I spent many summer nights at 75&80 growing up. Welcome to the board!

Greetings. Sounds like a cool project. 75 Nova sounds like an excellent platform for what you're doing; tough, cheap parts, lots of aftermarket support. Good luck and document everything.

There are a few DC rallycross people on the board.

We still have 2 events this year with DC if your car is ready.

Ok, now i’m awake. I can write more, tell you more about me and my project.

I’m from Westminster MD. north of DC, west of Baltimore. We got lots of dirt track drives and drag racers out here. But i haven’t seen much in rally here. I’ve always been into offroading. But not the slow rock climbing and tails kind. I’ve loved baja style racing for a long time. But here... i don’t know... It seems like they have a hard time replacing sand with dirt. lol The closest thing i can find to it, is Rallycross. Yes you got SCORE but you are racing side by side and you’re rebuilding the body of the cars after every race. That’s big money. I’m looking for more of a, drive in and race and if you don’t F up, you can drive home, kind of thing. But it is a good ideal to have a trailer just in case. And what i have read up, rallycross seems to fit it.

Yes a 3500 lbs, 100 hp, nova is a far cry from a 300+ hp WRX. but it is what i got. And all wheel drive is overrated anyhow. <--- just joking. I’ve always look at it this way, as grip goes away, the fun factor goes up. I’ve even had that mentality in drag racing. Why stop racing when it rains. Hell i wanted to drag race in the snow. Yes some of my friends called crazy.

Anyway. I got a 1975 chevy nova 250 inline 6. I just swapped engines. Went from the retarded chevy 250 integrated head engine to the chevy 250 non-integrated head engine. 75 to a 74. Losing 5 hp but allowing me to modify it down the road. Other then that, is it 99.9% stock. Oh wait i did, did a gear change. I went from a 2.74 to a 3.42 and got a Eaton Truetrac Limited-Slip Differential. Even the tires are stock height. In 1975 the nova had FR78-14 and according to Coker the F78-14 is 27.06 inches tall. The “R” just mean it was a radial instead of bias. ( Coker ) that’s a tall 14” tire. But i got 215/70-15 which is about 26.9”. Close enough. So really, it’s stock.

I’m thinking of doing a test and tune or two first. To see how everything is. Then if i like it i’ll start racing. Do a few things to the 6, and if i think i need more power then i’ll drop an 8 in. plus a chevy small block weighs less than an inline 6.

And here are some pics. .... well maybe not. google is being retarded right now and it seems likes i can't get my photos of my nova.

ojannen, cool bmw.

AngryCorvair, hell yea. wish it was still open.

pres589, thank you

moxnix, yea when i was doing research on rallycross and the DC rallycross, i kept getting this forum. and coming across a guy named irish44j. so i said hell way not join and see what i can find out.

Welcome aboard and you should come out to the November DC event, even if it is just to spectate and take ride-alongs. RWD is the best for rallyx, regardless of what anyone else says. :)

Katya4me wrote: Welcome aboard and you should come out to the November DC event, even if it is just to spectate and take ride-alongs. RWD is the best for rallyx, regardless of what anyone else says. :)

Anyone who says otherwise is simply wrong ;) I D/D a moderately modded WRX, but never take it in the dirt :)

Anyhow, OP definitely come out to DC for our events, you'll have a good time. Don't sweat power....the class winners in Prepared RWD and Mod RWD are basically the lowest-powered cars in those classes (Moxnix and me, lol). Losing some weight will help, but the real key is to build the car so it won't break at every event!

Also if you're on facebook, join up in these groups, which are mostly the local rally/rallycross crew..

https://www.facebook.com/groups/165531243849650/

https://www.facebook.com/wdcrrallycross/?fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dirtyethirties/

Welcome, and I will be looking forward to seeing what you do with the Nova

here are some really old pics

here are a little newer ones

and as soon as i get it out of the shop i'll post new pics.

thank you all for the worm welcome.

irish44j, and i'll check them facebook links out soon.

nice vett Madhatr

In reply to SnowWolf:

Thankyou for the compliment.

I will pass on a word of advice that was given to me:

If you really enjoy Rallycross (and why wouldn't you) and want to keep going, OEM steel wheels are not recommended. They are notoriously flexy, and with the side loads of rally, they can fatigue and fail.

OEM alloys on the other hand, seem to be the ticket... and you should be able to pick up some S-10 or Camaro alloys pretty cheap (and I think would work for your application)

I run IMCA stock car wheels because the vette uses a goofy back spacing, which makes fitment an issue.

Also something that I didn't think of when starting was, tire de-beads DO happen. So tires with a stiff side wall are better.

That's what I have for now... there is a TON of info here on GRM, and MANY knowledgeable people, so go out, have fun, and report back!

thank you.

as for the rims, i thinking of using beadlock rims. that should keep the bead on the rim. it works for the 410 sprints. so i think it should work for rally. and with all the dirt track drives and mud boggers, and even a few rock crawlers, around where i live, i should be able to get a set of 16" beadlocks for kinda cheap.

oh and i found a place that dose cheap or relatively cheap steel race wheels. i haven't dealt with them yet. Diamond Racing Wheels Inc

as for tires. thinking of using all terrain tires. like a 215/65-16 from BFG or a Grabber 2. it's still a 27" tall tire. 5.5" sidewall and at least the BFG has a "D" Load Rating. it should be plenty stiff.

but first i want to try it a couple times "as is", before i spend any money. but i think i will like it.

and again, thank you for the info.

In reply to SnowWolf:

IIRC beadlocks are not legal. Someone will know for sure.

Cool. I wonder if we were ever at 75-80 at the same events. I ran a blue Jr Dragster, red-primer Cutlass wagon and green 4-door Maverick. 1998 until the first time they closed in 2006.

Anyway, BMR is another semi-local rallycross region, maybe 2 hours from you, that has a few events over winter. So far this year they have scheduled two events and both conflict with DC events (friggin' brilliant guys...) but maybe later in the winter they will have more.

https://www.facebook.com/BMRRallyX/?fref=ts

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: In reply to SnowWolf: IIRC beadlocks are not legal. Someone will know for sure.

Wheels are listed as unrestricted for Prepared & Modified. I recall seeing bead locks on a MF car at Nationals in 2015, so I'd say they are legal.

With the engine swap & differential swap, this car definitely falls in MR.

RedGT wrote: Cool. I wonder if we were ever at 75-80 at the same events. I ran a blue Jr Dragster, red-primer Cutlass wagon and green 4-door Maverick. 1998 until the first time they closed in 2006. Anyway, BMR is another semi-local rallycross region, maybe 2 hours from you, that has a few events over winter. So far this year they have scheduled two events and both conflict with DC events (friggin' brilliant guys...) but maybe later in the winter they will have more. https://www.facebook.com/BMRRallyX/?fref=ts

well i first started to "race" with a 1987 Ford Ranger. it ran 21's in the 1/4. i think it was the slowest thing there. back in 99-04 ish. in 05 until the last night race, i was racing an 1974 Dodge Charger. it ran mid 15's. when i raced i was in ETK.

i might of seen your red-primered Cutlass wagon. it's kinda ringing a bell.

and i'll check out BMR.

Nick (Bo) Comstock and FooBag

i got the SCCA Rallycross Rule book, i didn't come across anything about beadlock but i'll be sure to ask an official before i put the money out for a set. thanks for the heads up.

What's Frostburg terrain like, what kind of tires would you recommend? I'm thinking about coming down in November as well, if I can pull off some rubber.

FooBag wrote:

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: In reply to SnowWolf: IIRC beadlocks are not legal. Someone will know for sure.

Wheels are listed as unrestricted for Prepared & Modified. I recall seeing bead locks on a MF car at Nationals in 2015, so I'd say they are legal. With the engine swap & differential swap, this car definitely falls in MR.

I didn't remember seeing any restrictions... but to be fair that was almost same answer Foobag gave me when I was looking at them, lol!

I just couldn't justify the extra $$$ at that time....

IMO: Nova+Beadlocks=

You need a 76 Seville to get the WHOLE front frame,Master cyl.and booster then get the Disk brake rear out of it they are the same thing as an x body and it all bolts in. 5x5 bolt pattern 12" disc up front,b-body ball joints,and if you hunt for one caddy's(b-body)from around 74-8 some had a 12 bolt ring gear in the 8.5 Housing.remove gear set and put in yours then you can use the Quick steering box from a T/A(w painted on back) BIG front and rear sway bars.don't look at a 75 its the same as what you have. I don't suggest a unibody on a dirt course without a good cage to brace the structure.

RevRico wrote: What's Frostburg terrain like, what kind of tires would you recommend? I'm thinking about coming down in November as well, if I can pull off some rubber.

Nov event is at the Rally Farm in Catlett, VA.
Frostburg is all gravel mixed with a bit of dirt. It tends to chew thru soft snow tires pretty quick so assuming they are legal in your class rally tires are better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8EsQEJlqTU

RevRico wrote: What's Frostburg terrain like, what kind of tires would you recommend? I'm thinking about coming down in November as well, if I can pull off some rubber.

Frostburg is all gravel. I would recommend whatever tires you don't mind tearing up lol.

Also, not certain the November event will be there - it might be at the Rally Farm in Catlett, VA. TBD I think.

EDIT: Shawn already answered, sorry.

In reply to moxnix:

Oh crap, this hobby is going to eat some money. I'll be running SR in the P71...and after watching your run, I'm not sure how I feel about that honestly. I foresee lots of slides and cones in my future.

That Nova looks like it would be a blast anywhere though, especially in the dirt. I'm looking forward to seeing it next year at some events.

Swapping those big barge bumpers for a set of earlier ones will drop weight off the ends of the car. When you're ready to get into the motor, there is a very good book available for guidance. Yeah, some of the stuff is big-buck but there's a lot of info to steal in order to get more power/ life out of that motor.