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The story of my 1968 Chevy II starts in October of 1985. I went to look at a set of wheels for my 70 Camaro a local used
car dealer had for sale. What started out as a parts shopping trip turned into a car purchase. The Chevy II had been a drag
car for several years the body was in very good shape. The leaf springs had been moved inboard and mini-tubs had been installed
along with sub-frame connectors.
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The car also has had the sub-frame bushings replaced with solid bushings. The front inner fenderwells have been replaced
with aluminum panels. It also has had a Hurst Line-Lock installed. I have replaced the 4 point rollbar with an 8 point cage.
You can see the rust bucket 70 Camaro in the background.
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I figured an installing an engine, transmission and rewiring the Nova would be much easier than installing new quarters on
a badly rusted Camaro. I paid out the $1200.00 and can honestly say I have never looked back. When I bought the car it came
with 5.13 gears and a set of 10.5-29.5-15 slicks. With the M-20 transmission a mild SBC and 5.13's it would scoot.
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The first order of business was to install the engine and transmission. The first go-around was a 350 small block and a worn
out M-20. The engine was a standard bore 4 bolt main, cast crank with a Crane Fireball cam. Induction was old Edelbrock C4B
intake with camel hump heads and used a 600 CFM Holley.
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The engine produced enough power and the chassis worked well enough to put the car in mid 8?s in the 1/8 mile on street tires
through the mufflers. The fastest pass was 8.58 with a rebuilt M-21 and 4.56 gears. It would leave the line with drivers
side wheel lifting off the ground a couple of inches on the launch. I drove the car for a couple of years in that configuration
and had lots of fun driving, racing and cruising.
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I had the urge to upgrade the engine in the car. The dealer who sold me the car contacted to let me know he had just traded
for a 454 and I thought I might be interested in it. It didn?t take long to buy it and install the engine in my car. These
pictures were taken at I-57 Dragstrip in Benton Ill. About 2 seconds after this picture was taken the clutch disk on page
four became reality.
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