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Image Source: TomM
Starting a new project can be a lot of fun for enthusiasts like ourselves. It can also at times be stressful: like ripping apart the interior of a recently purchased roller, and finding out the entire floor is rotting from rust. Fortunately for LS1Tech forum user TomM – that wasn’t the case with his extremely clean ’66 Nova project.
Let the tear down begin.
Having previously built a LS1 swapped ’66 Nova SS a few years back, Tom is no stranger to stuffing modern LS engines into classic Chevy muscle cars. His current venture is swapping a supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 from a Cadillac CTS-V into the ’66 Nova we see today.
From old school 327 cubic-inch to supercharged LSA goodness.
Although the ’66 Nova is in great shape for its age, Tom decided to clean things up a bit in the front end which houses the new LSA engine and other components.
Seeing as the Nova would now have over 550 supercharged horsepower at the crank, the car would need to have the capability of putting the power to the ground safely. Suspension components from Viking Performance and a new set of big Wilwood brakes were more than capable of handling the power and stopping the car safely. Tom also integrated a pair of subframe connectors onto the Nova, which will help to keep the chassis-flex to a bar minimum. Fuel system components come from a host of parts, like a Vaporworks stainless-steel tank which uses a ZL1 Camaro’s fuel module, and pulse-width-modulation.
Although the engine was relatively issue-free during the swap, Tom noted that the 6L90 from the CTS-V/ZL1 unfortunately wouldn't work during the swap, due to the transmission sitting too low.
With the LSA swapped in, we can’t wait to see what’s next for Tom’s ’66 Nova. Check out the build thread here and follow along as Tom’s ride progresses.
