Hi, Martin,
Just a thought about your lack or torque. Are you using the stock exhaust manifold on your Nova? When I built my 194, I started out using the stock int. and ex. manifolds, and even with a hotter cam, it still wouldn't breathe worth a darn. I put a set of Clifford long tube headers on it, and that made a world of difference. I ran a complete dual exhaust system with glass packs for mufflers and 2" exhaust pipe diameter, and that really woke that 194 up! The good news is that if anything, it should increase your gas mileage, and certainly won't decrease it any, and with that setup, it sounded a whole lot like an Austin-Healey 3000, which would surprise the heck out of people at stoplights.
