1972 Chevy Nova Weiand 142 Blower Upgrade

Adding power is addicting. Once you get a taste for it, you end up craving more, and it's hard to stop the madness until the wallet runs dry or you're too scared to drive the thing. Thankfully though, we aren't at either of those crossroads...yet. When we get the opportunity to add loads of "go" for not much green, and when it comes in a small, conveniently sized package that's completely bolt-on, well, now you're talking. There isn't anything better than adding nearly 80 hp in a matter of hours and having the know-how to do it yourself.

Briefly, our project '72 Nova began its life as a limp six-cylinder backed by a two-speed automatic. When we got our hands on it, we immediately swapped out the old powerplant in favor of a low-mileage iron-headed, hydraulic flat-tappet small-block with a Turbo 350 transmission. While the small-block swap was a great upgrade and made a world of difference in the power department-even barking second gear shifts-we wanted more.

With the small-block in, we figured what better way to show the simplicity of adding more power than with the tried and true method of going blown? In our case, it was the best method to making more power on the cheap with the least amount of downtime. Essentially, the build consisted of an elaborate manifold swap and only took us a full day's work from start to finish.

As always, we show you the inside on how it was done and what you might expect when adding boost to your project car. We spent the day at the Vaca Performance & Dyno facility in Downey, California, where the Vaca team helped to complete the build and threw the Nova on the rollers for before-and-after dyno numbers.

Quick Notes
What We Did
Added a Weiand 142-blower to our '72 Nova

Bottom Line
Our once six-bangin' Nova is now a fire-breathing blown small-block.

Price (Approx)
$3,709

To get things going, we strapped down the hoodless Nova for our baseline numbers. Prior to the supercharger, our small-block included iron heads, a hydraulic flat tappet camshaft, a Victor Jr. manifold, an MSD Pro-Billet distributor, and a Holley 650 HP carburetor with a 1-inch HVH spacer. What was our combo worth? Peaking at 5,000 rpm, our bone-stock mill was good for 234 hp to the wheels.

To get things going, we strapped down the hoodless Nova for our baseline numbers. Prior to
We began the swap by diving into the engine bay to move everything from the top and the front of the motor out of the way. This would give us enough room to install our new blower and belt system. From there, we marked our distributor at zero, removed the fuel lines, and took out the radiator.

We began the swap by diving into the engine bay to move everything from the top and the fr
We then removed the distributor and the manifold, and to our surprise we discovered a completely polished lifter valley, screened drain-backs, and larger 3/8-tapered pushrods with machined lifter bores. We also learned that the heads had been massaged a bit too, which was and added bonus.

We then removed the distributor and the manifold, and to our surprise we discovered a comp

We needed a nice clean surface to lay down the Weiand manifold, so Miguel Varguez from Vaca Performance began the tedious process of removing the old head gaskets and scraping the old silicone from the top of the block.

We needed a nice clean surface to lay down the Weiand manifold, so Miguel Varguez from Vac
After applying silicone and setting our Fel-Pro 1256 head gaskets, we dropped the new manifold onto the motor. We even reused the intake bolts and snugged it down with a 3/8-inch, 12-point socket.

After applying silicone and setting our Fel-Pro 1256 head gaskets, we dropped the new mani
This particular lower manifold came with an EGR housing. In our case, we don't have to deal with smog shops, so we plugged it with silicone and an EGR block-off plate.

This particular lower manifold came with an EGR housing. In our case, we don't have to dea

The supplied lower crank pulley is a easy bolt-on deal. We simply had to pull the front belt pulley off the balancer, sandwich in the new blower pulley, and replace its center bolt and the three outer bolts to fasten it down.

The supplied lower crank pulley is a easy bolt-on deal. We simply had to pull the front be
Space is an issue when the blower is on, so we decided to throw the distributor back into place before we mounted the supercharger. Since we marked it before taking it out, Varquez simply plopped it back in with the cap and wires already attached.

Space is an issue when the blower is on, so we decided to throw the distributor back into
While we could have used the old water-neck, Holley sent this one with the kit. It features an extended neck for better access and two threaded bosses for temperature control sensors. Using the old thermostat with a fresh gasket, we bolted it down with sealant.

While we could have used the old water-neck, Holley sent this one with the kit. It feature

Finally, the blower. Smiles were huge as we unwrapped the supercharger from its packaging. We removed the protective wrapping that covered the blower inlets. From there Varguez and John McKindley gently set the unit on top of the manifold with its new gasket. With the supplied hardware, they torqued the assembly down to 10 ft-lb.

Finally, the blower. Smiles were huge as we unwrapped the supercharger from its packaging.
Holley sent us three sizes of pulleys to try on our system. While we would have liked to install and tune for each one, we had limited time and went straight for the smallest pulley for maximum boost. It measuring 2.66 inches in diameter, all it took was a 9/16-inch socket to unloosen the bolt, remove the old pulley, and swap it with the new one.

Holley sent us three sizes of pulleys to try on our system. While we would have liked to i
Knowing that the generic mechanical fuel pump that originally came with the motor wouldn't handle the fuel demands of the supercharger, we went ahead and ordered a 110-gph fuel pump from Holley. To mount it, we had to disassemble the pump and rotate the pump a couple clicks to make sure our inlet and outlet wouldn't interfere with the frame.

Knowing that the generic mechanical fuel pump that originally came with the motor wouldn't

Since it's crucial to keep an eye on boost levels, we tapped into our manifold using Holley's boost gauge kit. With some pipe sealant, we threaded in our fitting and hooked up the vacuum line, which we eventually ran through the firewall and into the car.

Since it's crucial to keep an eye on boost levels, we tapped into our manifold using Holle
Our blower-specific carburetor from Holley was spot on from the box and didn't require much tuning besides idle adjustment. Our efforts literally consisted of bolting the carb down with a 1-inch HVH spacer and gaskets. Added features of the carburetor include mechanical secondaries, nonstick gaskets, adjustable air bleeds, and a four corner idle system.

Our blower-specific carburetor from Holley was spot on from the box and didn't require muc
With the new Holley carb, we took advantage of the kit's new fuel lines from B&M. This kit comes prebent with stainless steel lines and AN-8 inlet anodized fittings with a provision for a fuel pressure gauge. We installed it and ran the lines to our new Holley fuel pump.

With the new Holley carb, we took advantage of the kit's new fuel lines from B&M. This kit

To get the throttle linkage hooked up, we used Holley's universal linkage setup and fed the lines through the firewall and onto the bracket. The bracket itself uses a variety of adjustable slides and Allen bolts to achieve the proper length. After figuring out the exact settings, it was only a matter of tightening the bolts.

To get the throttle linkage hooked up, we used Holley's universal linkage setup and fed th
All that was left was to reinstall the radiator and vacuum lines and to wrap the blower belt around the supercharger. After a final once-over, we cranked it over a few times to fill up the fuel bowls, and started the engine.

All that was left was to reinstall the radiator and vacuum lines and to wrap the blower be
With nothing more than a supercharger pushing 5 pounds of boost with 91 octane, we laid down 312 hp and 349 lb-ft to the tires. That's a gain of 78 hp and 75 lb-ft! At first glance this might not seem like much, but considering we're still using cast-iron heads, factory steel stamped rockers, and a less-than-exciting cam, there's tremendous room for growth. You ain't seen nothing yet!

With nothing more than a supercharger pushing 5 pounds of boost with 91 octane, we laid do

The Proof

BASELINE
Advance	38 degrees
Fuel Pressure	7 lbs.
Carb	Holley 650 HP
Spacer	1-inch HVH 4 hole taper

RPM	POWER	TORQUE
2,800	109	205
2,850	115	212
2,900	120	217
2,950	125	223
3,000	129	226
3,050	133	229
3,100	137	231
3,150	140	233
3,200	144	236
3,250	148	239
3,300	153	243
3,350	156	247
3,400	162	251
3,450	167	255
3,500	172	258
3,550	177	261
3,600	181	264
3,650	185	266
3,700	189	268
3,750	192	268
3,800	194	269
3,850	198	270
3,900	201	271
3,950	204	272
4,000	208	273
4,050	211	274
4,100	214	274
4,150	217	274
4,200	219	274
4,250	221	273
4,300	223	273
4,350	225	272
4,400	227	271
4,450	229	270
4,500	231	269
4,550	232	268
4,600	233	266
4,650	234	264
4,700	234	262
4,750	234	259
4,800	234	256
4,850	233	252
4,900	232	248
4,950	231	245
AVG	191	250
MAX	234	274

SUPERCHARGED
Advance	32 degrees
Fuel Pressure	9 lbs.
Carb	Holley 700 CFM
Spacer	1-inch HVH
Boost	5 psi

RPM	POWER	TORQUE
2,800	115	216
2,850	124	228
2,900	131	238
2,950	138	246
3,000	146	255
3,050	153	264
3,100	169	272
3,150	169	281
3,200	176	290
3,250	182	295
3,300	187	298
3,350	192	301
3,400	197	304
3,450	202	308
3,500	208	311
3,550	213	315
3,600	218	318
3,650	223	321
3,700	228	324
3,750	233	327
3,800	239	330
3,850	244	332
3,900	248	334
3,950	253	337
4,000	258	339
4,050	263	341
4,100	268	343
4,150	273	345
4,200	277	347
4,250	282	348
4,300	286	349
4,350	289	349
4,400	292	349
4,450	295	348
4,500	297	347
4,550	300	346
4,600	303	345
4,650	305	345
4,700	308	344
4,750	310	343
4,800	311	340
4,850	312	337
4,900	312	335
4,950	306	324
AVG	237	316
MAX	312	349

Shopping Cart

MANUFACTURER	DESCRIPTION	PN	PRICE
Holley	142 supercharger polished
	long nose	6507-1	$2,400
	Boost gauge	90520	95
	700-cfm 4150 carburetor	0-80572-S	500
	14-inch high-flow air cleaner	120-146	64
	Fuel line assembly	93178	154
	Mechanical fuel pump	12-327-11	78
	2.66-inch blower pulley	90534	93
Vaca Performance & Dyno	Half-day chassis dyno		325
Vaca Performance & Dyno	Half-day chassis dyno	TOTAL	$3,709