Most important thing to know about 1970's Novas with emissions slug 350" engines was $200 in parts could bump the power from 165 HP up to a respectable 350-375 HP...
My uncle has a 1970 Nova SS 396 L78 375 hp. Has owned it 50 years. It has bench seat, column shift, radio delete & steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps. 👍
Great video but I have a few clarifications: 1:02 Disc brakes were optional on all Novas in 1968 so, yes, an SS could have disc brakes however, finned front drums were standard on the SS while non-SS had non-finned front drums. 2:02 the tail light trim panel was not unique to the SS. It was standard on SS Novas but it was also optional on non-SS Novas (minus the SS emblem) as part of the ZJ2 Custom Exterior package. 3:58 Fender Louvers. Yes, they were on 1969 and 1970 only but not all 1969 and 1970 Novas had them. They were optional or part of another package. For 1969-70 SS Novas or standard Novas with the ZJ2 Custom Exterior package, the louvers were body color with chrome edges. Non-SS 1969-70 Novas with the ZJ5 Exterior Decor package got fender louvers that were completely body color and no chrome. Non-SS 1969-70 Novas without either package had no fender louvers. 4:52 The K does not technically denote a Super Sport Nova. The K denotes the L48 350 4-bbl engine. But, because that engine was only available in the Super Sport, you can deduce that it’s a Super Sport. That may be picking nits but the K is just the engine code. 6:50 the console and gauges were not part of the SS package. Neither were the bucket seats. All were optional on an SS and all were optional on non-SS Novas as well. 7:00 the M21 was the close ratio 4-Speed. The M20 and M22 were wide ratio 4-speeds with the M20 being standard duty and the M22 being heavy duty. 8:16 the “hatchback hutch” was an option you could dealer order for 1973-up hatchback Novas. 8:30 if that’s a 1971 Nova then it’s NOT a big block car. 1970 was the last year for a big block Nova. 9:13 That is a 1966 Nova, not 1967. 1966 had all bright headlight bezels while 1967 has the grill extend into the headlight bezels. Also, the L79 350 Hp engine with the dual snorkel air cleaner was 1966 only. The L79 in 1967 has a different intake (iron vs aluminum in ‘66), a open element air cleaner and was rated at 325 hp. Again, great video. I just wanted to clarify some small details. Happy Motoring!
GM built that car. They called it a Stage 1 GS455 Buick Skylark. Seriously, I've personally seen a 1970 SS454 LS6 Chevelle TH400 Car with factory 3.31 Gears. I've also seen a 1969 Caprice L72 427/425 4-Speed Bench Seat Car. I don't think the L72 or the M21 were supposed to be an available option.
The first '68 SS you showed is missing something that my '68 Nova SS had. On the bottom of each of the front fenders, just in front of the doors, it had an "emblem" about 8 inches long that said "SUPER SPORT" on it. The '68 Nova came with a 3 spoke steering wheel. Not sure if that one is original. The one in my SS was a colored plastic.
Correct, the standard 1968 Nova steering wheel was a 3-spoke plastic one that had a center horn button. SS Novas and and non-SS Novas with the deluxe interior had a different 3-spoke plastic wheel with horn buttons on ends of the two upper spokes. Non-SS had a Nova shield emblem in the middle while SS Novas had an SS emblem in the center. The wheel in that 1968 in the video appears to be the optional 1969-70 rosewood wheel used on many Chevys. It is a very common modification on many 3-gen Novas.
Very knowledgeable young man The only thing that I heard wrong was when he was talking about the white 71 and said super sports had 12 bolt rear ends My 69 from the factory was ordered by the salesman with 10 bolt 308 gears I’m sure he didn’t know exactly what he was doing and at the time neither did I Great video young man!!!
12-bolts were not standard on all SS-Novas. While most 1968-71 SS Novas had them, some came standard with a 10-bolt: 1968 327 with a 3-speed or Powerglide 1969 350 with TH350 or Powerglide 1970 350 Powerglide Also, the 12-bolt was optional on non-SS Novas and was standard on non-SS 1969 Novas that were ordered with the L65 350 2-bbl engine with a 3-speed and 4-speed manual.
Nice tour of beautiful cars. I'm an old guy and lived all the muscle Chevy cars in real time. I grew up in south Kansas City and Dickie Harrells shop was a 2 mile bicycle ride away. I would see cars being offloaded and parked in the side lot awaiting modification. I also went to school with Dickie's daughter Valerie.
He did use the qualifier "basically" alluding to some others. I believe what he was referring to is these are the big three who seemed to have inside assistance in getting a COPO number assigned to produce the special runs of cars they wanted. It required Engineering sign off on it so it really went a lot smoother if you had someone who was willing to assist you inside GM. Most of the others modified RPO cars and ordered some COPO cars when they became aware of a number that had already been issued as they had very limited success in trying to get a COPO number assigned themselves
@@gk5891 my brother bought a 69 COPO Camaro brand new off the lot at a mom and pop Chevy dealer in Ohio in Feb of 69’ 427, 400 trans 4:11 gears for $3200 And they had 2 of them, the other one was a 4spd with 4:56 gears
@bobbycuesroadhouse2204 I'm assuming you are referring to the L72 (The ZL1 was also a COPO). That number was originally issued for Yenko and the number got released by one of the magazines is my understanding of how all the little dealers managed to get them. A number for L88 Camaros was also issued but I don't believe any cars were ever built.
I love Nova's they are one of my favorite muscle cars . They are always underappreciated. When I was a little kid my parents had one. I thought it had the coolest sound like a monster. Lol
I was at the Chevrolet dealer in 1969 and saw a Kelly green SS 396 4 speed with black interior . I bought a 1973 Nova gold with a 3/4 vinyl top hatch back. Loved that car
Wow! That was great! Very knowledgeable young man! I was never a fan of Nova ‘s body style change at 68 and on. 1967 is my favorite, but you made me really appreciate the 68 and on.
Very nice video, thank you. I had a 70 Nova SS, 375 horse 4-speed. It had bucket seats, and the console had gauges in it. Also it had a linear tachometer in the dash . It was forest green with a black vinyl roof a real heavy hitter . I got it from the original owner. Did some restoration work on it. Perhaps I should have never sold it. Haha great car
I’m a Mopar fan at my core and would buy a Roadrunner if I had money to spend on a classic. I hate old Camaros and Chevelles but there’s something about the Nova I dig.
People in my family assembled some of those Novas and Camaros. I recall them saying that they ordered some for returning Vietnam Veteran family members. They took extra care in putting them together on the assembly line. I never heard of any C.O.P.O orders but it was well within their capacity to make custom assemblies without official records. We treated our troops well.
The red restomod nova appears to be a 1966, not a 1967. Also, what made the 50 1968 Fred Gibb COPO L78 396 Novas special was the fact they had a TH400 HD trans with factory high stall converter. That was the COPO part. Before that, you could only get the L78 396 in the Nova SS with a 4 sp manual trans. The HD TH400 trans and stall converter installed were basically the ones developed and offered as an RPO on the 1968 L88 Corvette. Fred wanted 50 of these to qualify them for NHRA stock and super stock automatic racing classes. They were very competitive in '68.
I had a 68 exactly like the first car in the video but, non-ss, it was ash gold, black v/top, black custom interior bucker seats (same as ss), L6 230ci and power glide!
Excellent Job overall! As a point of clarification regarding the Fred Gibb COPO 9738 Novas: It was not the L78 396ci 375hp engine which made them a COPO car, as that was an RPO in 1968 (More than 600 produced). Rare, but available to anyone. The COPO order was for the Turbo 400 automatic transmission, which was mated to a solid lifter big block for the first time ever and all 50 Gibb COPOs were ordered with that transmission and a special torque converter. Very Kool T-Shirt. Keep up the good work!
Brotha you are bad ass and thank you for the way you explain the difference and on years...im not quick on learning but i was able to keep up , down to the 26-28 count of springs on hoods WOW...!!! I lnow im older than you but your my big brother...!!!😎🤙🏽
I really enjoyed this Nova Rarest video. I'm pretty sure that I may own a very rare UNRESTORED 1969 Nova SS that I purchased in August 1, 1969. It is my first car, I was 18 yrs old. I've been told that it is a one of kind Rally green with a factory white vinyl top. The paint is original, never repainted. It was a L78 with a turbo400 M40 option & has currently a 12 bolt 3.31 ratio differential. Since I blew up 3 of the L78 engines which did have a few factory defects and was replaced under warranty during the first 5 years. I think around 15 years ago I installed a 502 crate engine which is 600hp and runs much better than the 396. My car has an amazing history over the last 54 years. I have all the documentation since new, Many pictures over the years and countless car shows.
Great info. Always miss my 72. I like the wing glass vents on doors. Some dont and swap 73\74 doors on 68-72 Novas. I also prefer look of the side rear windows more on 68-72.
I bought a new 70 nova. I ordered it with bucket seats, gauges, 3 speed manual with floor shift, 350 2 barrel carb to beat insurance price. Also power front disc brakes, rally wheels, dual exhaust, and pos and vinyl top. In north carolina if you were under 25 in service had a 300 horse eng and 4 speed the insurance almost doubled.
Great video but there are a ton more differences in the 68-72 Novas if you know where to look. In 68 the most obvious thing that you didn't mention was that the Nova Emblem was on the rear quarter panel and not on the front fender like the 69-72. By far the easiest way to tell the 68 apart from a distance. Like the emblem on the hood that says "Chevy II" the emblem on the truck says "Chevy II by Chevrolet" whereas the 69-72 says "Nova by Chevrolet". 68-69 had the radio antenna on the fender, 70-72 has it in the windshield. 68-70 dome light is tear drop shape and the 71-72 is round. You touched on the taillight differences but didn't mention the front turn signal differences in the front bumper. 68-69 were smaller than the 70-72 and were wider than they were tall and both years were amber colored. In 70 they became taller to a more square size and were clear with an amber bulb. 71-72 were the same size as in 70 but they were both amber lenses. You did talk about the "gills" on the side of the 69-70 but not all 69-70 cars got them, so they are not a good way to tell the years apart unless they do have them then they help but many people like them and put them on non-69-70 cars. You also touched on the motor size emblem on these cars, if this video is strictly about the SS then they will all have the motor size but there are 2 things you didn't mention. Not all 69-72 cars got the motor size except the SS and Chevy used the exact same motor size emblems on Novas up to the 74 Model year so if someone is using the motor size emblem to tell what year it is it is not an indicator at all unless the car is a 68-69. Having owned dozens of Novas over the years IMO 68's are by far the easiest to tell the year from a distance. 69 in the second easiest even from a distance. 70 is somewhat easy as long as the restorer is using actual 70 stuff, which many don't and 71-72 is the hardest to tell, sometimes without looking at the VIN or Cowl tag because the restorer doesn't know the small and Suttle changes between the years that Chevy did like the head light trim that has the "fins" on the side of them are different depending on the year. 68 is one year only, 69 is one year only and 70-72 are the same but all the years will bolt on all 68-72. Other differences are dumb little changes like throttle linkage changes between 68-72 and even between 4 cyl, 6 cyl and the V8's in the same model year.
I don't know what it is about the '68-72 Nova, but I've had like 7 different ones, and most people I've known have had more that 3 or 4 of them! The last one I had, a '68 SS, was stolen along with a 1958 Chevy Apache short bed step side pickup.And you're spot on with your details!
The headlight bezels are different for different years. 1968 were all chrome (with the exception of a few special Novas) and no clearance slots for the headlight adjustment screws. The outside grille portion had horizontal lines only. 1969 were black and had clearance slots for the adjustment screws. Again, only horizontal lines on the outside grill portion 1970-72 are similar to 1969 but with the addition of a verticals line in the center of the outside grill portion.
U are right on man I have a 68 nova ss a 11427 car factory 4 speed 735 black bucket seats .it is a factory small block car witch u can tell by the heater box .mine comes out the fire wall .iam not sure what engine mine came with. 68 has the best dash 69 has the hearer controls sideways, 68 is long ways ,my car still has the factory daul exhaust bracket on it also wish I had the original engine
The 1968 Nova said "Chevy ll" on the hood and on the trunk lid. Also front Disc Brakes were available, but not required on any model, The calipers had 4 pistons and were non-floating like the Corvette and Chevelle. Starting in 1969 disc brakes came standard on the SS regardless of the engine size The calipers were a single piston floating design. The most bang for your buck that few knew about was the 327/325 L79 that was available with out being required to order the SS option. 1968 was the last year for that engine.
In Argentina, all Novas were 6 cylinders (230, 250), and early SS were made about the same as 1968-69 USA models, they had 1968 dash emblems, ash tray, tail lamps, key on dash, orange front side markers 1969 style, front brake discs, hood bowtie, rear SS panel, hood "scoops" and no guills. All had bucket seats. They used 68/72 Oldsmobile 442 rally wheels on all SS models from 1972/1974.
Dam man., you know your S&!T. Thats awesome.. Bringing back too many memories. Had the pleasure of owning 2 when I was young ( 35 years ago). Dark green 68 with the 6 banger.. 70 Red with black Vinal top with 307 cross fire?. I think I might still have the gills and rear passenger cigarette ash trays. would love to find a project to build!!
One other point for 1968 Nova, for an SS this was the only year to have SUPER SPORT spelled out in individual block letters at the bottom of the front fenders, and for all 1968s, the NOVA emblem was on the back part of the rear quarter.
The rarest nova I've seen in person was A 69 L89 auto on the column but the son changed the block to a 454 and put A floor shifter and tubed it to race it, and the last time I saw the car was in the late 80s totalled at the track doing over 100 mph the cage saved him. I heard it was parted out, but I don't know for sure
I had a 66 chevy II L-79 3 spd on the collum with the 130 mph speedo . No SS markings just Chevy II Nova. It had a bench seat, too. Oh, radio delete also.
1971 Nova, I think that was the first year that wheel well opening chrome trim was available. On the gold Nova, you glanced over, did not mention the unique hood with scoop, similar to the Baldwin Motion version. 1970 Nova console guage package was unique in the letters/graphics color. I will suggest that the rarest Nova of this vintage is probably the Baldwin Motion 427, supposed only about 10 built, my understanding only 1 or 2 existing. Thanks for the tour and good commentary.
I have seen numerous 1971/72 original Nova with front wheel well chrome trim. It might have been a dealer option. The same generation Ventura also had the same trim available.
@@clarkleakins879 People just love to bolt that aftermarket chrome molding on their cars. To each their own but then when you do that... it muddies the water. People start thinking that stuff like that came from the factory just like the bumper filler... people just love to paint that bumper filler body color instead of the factory argent silver and now lots of people think that body color bumper filler was a factory option...lol!
8:30 there were no 1971 big block car SSs. Only L48 350s in 71 and 72. In March of 1972 I factory ordered a 72 SS Nova. I was a Jr in high school. It was Forest Green. I ordered it with bucket seats and the center console. The brochure I saw when I ordered it had bucket seats similar to what Chevelle's had in them. When the car came in it had what I would describe as Volkswagen seats. Very plain without a separate headrest. It was a cheap looking high back seat. It also had a door to door, front to back rubber floor mat instead of carpet. When I asked the salesman what the deal was he said I got those because I didn't order the custom interior.Well he didn't tell me when ordering it. I was also expecting a full console and had never seen one that was so small and stopped where the front seats started. It worked out ok because I put a Craig floor mount stereo between the seats at the end of the console. It was an auto trans car with the chrome trim around the windows and the body side molding. Had a 10 bolt rear with 3.08 gears. Came with those body color steel wheels and the dog dish hub caps. Sticker price was $3955.55. I eventually put headers, a 327/350hp cam, a Holley spread bore carb, and 3.73 gears. It would consistently run a 16.00 sec/85 mph 1/4 mile at the track. I kept that car for 5 years. One thing I did that I never saw anyone else do was I put the hood ornaments from a 69 Camaro SS on my Nova. If you took the Nova hood ornaments off and popped the chrome outer ring off you could stack the Camaro ornaments on the chrome rings and it raised them up enough to work on a Nova. And they look so much better.
Also, something to note. ‘68 is the only year of the 3rd gen’s that have a “Nova” emblem on the top rear quarter panel. Very easy to distinguish the ‘68 from ‘69 that way!
I don't know how often, or if all you read your comments, but I got a question I'm having trouble finding the answers to. You did answer parts of my question in this video. I have a 71 Nova I just bought it to replace the 71 Nova I bought in 1988, and parted out after totaling it in 1989. There are no emblems currently on my new 71, I wanna know what, and where the correct emblems go to stay true to my 71, also I wanna make it into an SS clone. Please tell me if you can help, Thanks. PS There are holes in the left front of my hood, I have seen some that have the Nova script on the left front of the hood, I don't know what years did that, or if the hood is OE or not. Thanks again
As a Mopar Abody guy, I always liked the Nova as it was based on the compact platform, small at the time but comparable to today's performance cars. I feel more comfortable now with talking to a Nova owner about year, model, etc. but I still think it's best to open wirh "Nice Duster" 😂
Nice presentation... An amazing group of cars on display in the "Solid Lifter Showroom" and the Nova pavilion was awesome as well! Are you planning on posting other footage from the GM Nationals?
@@backyardbarnfinds keep doing what ur doing. As an old 60s-early 70s muscle car guy, the yrs 65-71 were the apex yrs.....any manufacturer. Heck, I know mid-50s to mid-60s had theirs too; my mother had 4 car salesmen brothers, and had 2 Bel-Air Chevys (55&56) with 265 4 barrel twin lines (older bros use to race them n 50s and wrecked them, so she got a 59 Impla 6 cyl). Of the many road races I saw back then, n 69, saw a 69 396/375 plain jane 4-spd nova, (don't recall it being SS cause it had bench seat & looked like a 6cyl cheapo, lime green with same rims w/caps) race a 69 Boss 429 orange mustang 4 spd: they raced from hole, slight roll on, and about 30 on. As a Chevy guy, I was disappointed at the time the Boss won all equally by 1 1/2 car lengths ...each race going well into high gear before backing off. Many years later, I felt better learning the Boss was more comparable to the LS6 Chevelle rather than "Grandma's" Nova. So keep covering the apex muscle years. BTW, In those days, an automatic trans was shunned upon as was PS & AC.....robbed HP which meant SPEED.
You missed some of the easiest tells on the Novas . '68s had the Nova badge on the rear fender , after that it moved to the front . Chevy II was on the hood and trunk with Super Sport on the bottom of the front fender . Both headrests and disc brakes were an option on '68s . '70s had clear turn signal lenses in the front bumper, '71-'72 were amber . No, and I repeat no '68-'72 Novas had SS badges on the front fender . That car had a set for a '74 Nova on it . That Dickie Harrel/ Frsd Gibb car is legit, you had to order bucket seats separately from SS package and a floor shift automatic only came with buckets and console .Hot Rod Magazine did a road test on a '69 L78 turbo 400 car , bench with column shift .
Well, technically 1968’s had “Super Sports” emblems at the bottom of the front fenders. But you are correct, there were no “SS” emblem on the fenders for 1968-72. 1973 had metal SS emblems in place of the “Nova” fender emblems. 1974 has giant decals that said “Nova SS” and 1975-76 has smaller “Nova SS” decals on the fenders.
@NovaResource u r Right I have a 68ss nova 1 year only Supersport on the bottom of the front fenders. My car is a a factory 4 speed car 735 black bucket seats .it was a small block car by the heater hose comes out the fire wall not the heater box my car was a factory blue with black vinyl top what engine? I am not sure
Any of the "supercar" conversion cars done in the late 60's, early 70's ( Yenko, Dana, Nicky, Gibb ) are extremely rare, desirable and very expensive! Camaros were done in the most while Novas and especially Chevelles are even more rare. Most came from the factory with the 396 big block and were upgraded to various iterations of the 427 big block. The most rare would be the L88 version of the 427.
In 1985 my friend had a 1970 396 4 speed ss nova. It was a gold car with white interior bench seat. All original car with like 30k on it. His dad bought it for him and told him all he had to do is have a weekend job and he refused to do that. His dad sold the car for 1,200 dollars. Man i wish i had that car now
I have a 74 Nova Spirit of America. 76 K original miles. Getting any information on it has been a challenge. It has been garaged for some time. Protected. Can you tell me it's value today?
I would say the black 1970 L89 Nova that Legendary Motors restored is more rare as it's a 1 of 1 and probably the only L89 Nova made in 1970. It is fully documented down to the engine components.
The red nova at 9:40 mark isn't a 67, it's a 66 nova. The headlight bezels are different. 67's would have a blacked out rectangles to match the grill. Also the fenders are different in the headlight bezel area. One other difference is the 67 would the the first year for a collapsable steering column.
There were a whole lot more than just 3 Chevy High Performance Specialty Car Dealers in the 1960s. You can add Baldwin-Motion, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrel, and Bill Thomas for starters.
I think all (50) COPO Fred Gibb L78 1968 chevy II novas were all turbo400 automatics. 4-speed cars were available for order through a normal chevrolet dealer. Fred wanted these to homogalate for automatic racing class.
My buddy had a 73’ spirit of america pilot car. It was a 72 body style and about 200 numbers past the last known vin # for 72. Hr bought it from original owner in indiana. Who had all factory paperwork and pics of the car at dealership the day they bought it and thru the years. Spirit of america badge on the grill was hand sand cast. Same white w/red and blue stripes as 74 cars.
I remember before I moved to Florida my uncle bought a Camaro. It was a 68 or a 69 hugger orange black vinyl top RS. He couldn't do the payments so my grandparents took over the car which was a big joke in Garner N.C. The car was sold in Raleigh brand new their last name was Hales sure would love to find said car.
Very good report. Please let me add a few more facts. There was also Baldwin Motion Chevrolet on Long Island, NY who was very popular on the east coast, for building Big Block Novas., in the 1960's & 70's. They would order base model Nova with the 396/325hp engine (that was the biggest GM would put in the Nova) then remove that engine and install the 427 in both phase 1 & phase 2 configurations. An interesting side note, is they also took out all the rear seat window crank hardware to lighten up the car. In 1972 you could get the Rally Nova package (only available in 1972 for 10 year anniversary) with the same 350 engine, 4 speed, dual exhaust & multi leaf rear suspension with staggered shocks, as the Super Sport. I ordered a Rally Nova brand new, What a sleeper! Also in 1970 the Nova went to larger, square front signal lights. 1970 was the only year those front signal lights had clear lens with amber bulbs. Other years (71 & 72) had amber lens with clear bulbs.
Your info on the Rally Nova is incorrect. The Rally package was available in 1971 and 1972 (also again later for 1977-79). Also, you could NOT order the SS only engine in a Rally. The L48 350 4-bbl engine was only available in the SS for 1971-72. The top engine available in the 1971-72 Rally was the L65 350 2-bbl.
@@NovaResource My comments are correct with the exception of the 1977-79 Ralley Nova. That was a different package. Yes the Original Rally Nova came out in mid 1971. However You could get the SS engine. I know for a fact because I owned one that I ordered NEW. But thanks for the reply.
Very Cool ! We own 2 Nova's A 72 Rally Nova and a 71 SS 4spd 427 Nova ( the original owner bought a 427 from GM and had the Engines swapped out from the 375 hp 396 to the 427 and we have both.) We have left the 427 in the Car because the Chevrolet Dealer who did it did such a fantastic job that we just left it alone and we have all the appropriate paperwork to prove it. The Car was ordered with the M22 Muncie, 12 bolt so swapping out Engines was very easy to do. The only change the Original owner made besides Engine Size is a Carter Elec.Fuel pump with a hidden switch to help prevent theft we guess ? But the original Fuel pump was disabled and left in place so everything looks very regular. I learned a lot from your video that I was not fully aware of. Thanks Again.
That is incorrect. There were no big block Novas in 1971 so your 1971 Nova did not come with a 396 375-Hp engine originally. The previous owner was incorrect.
@@NovaResource You clearly missed the part where I stated he had the drive train swapped. He had the 396 and 4 speed out of a 1970 installed then swapped it out for the 427 he was able to purchase through the local Chevrolet Dealer. I do have all the correct and factual original paperwork from GM, the Local Dealership etc. that you can feel free to verify at your convenience.
@@IRONHORSE427RACING No, I didn’t miss it because it wasn’t there when I replied originally. You edited your comment after I replied. Nice try. And YOU clearly missed my comment about there’s no way your 1971 Nova was ordered with an M22 trans since they were only available in a Nova from the factory in 1968 and 1969.
Yes side louvers painted body color and with chrome edges were part of the SS package in 1969 and 1970. ALL 1969-70 SS Novas had fender louvers standard.
It's fantastic to see a young guy so knowledgeable about car's that were built long before he was born. Great job dude!
cars
@@georgewetzel4380 blow me! Did I spell that right?
Gotta say…you do a fantastic job on this video explaining year to year changes and options.
Nice to hear and see the respect shown to these beautiful cars.. Well done young man 👍
Man! This dude knows his details. I never knew there were 28 coils on the heavier hood springs vs 26
It's encouraging to see a young guy so knowledgeable about the cars that we "white hairs" loved so much. Great job, keep those videos coming!
Most important thing to know about 1970's Novas with emissions slug 350" engines was $200 in parts could bump the power from 165 HP up to a respectable 350-375 HP...
@@BuzzLOLOLor 2 weeks wages
My uncle has a 1970 Nova SS 396 L78 375 hp. Has owned it 50 years. It has bench seat, column shift, radio delete & steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps. 👍
On the 71 those aren't ladder bars but they're called traction bars or old school slapper bars. Excellent explanation of the novas 👍
Those Novas had horrendous wheel/axle hop.
Great video but I have a few clarifications:
1:02 Disc brakes were optional on all Novas in 1968 so, yes, an SS could have disc brakes however, finned front drums were standard on the SS while non-SS had non-finned front drums.
2:02 the tail light trim panel was not unique to the SS. It was standard on SS Novas but it was also optional on non-SS Novas (minus the SS emblem) as part of the ZJ2 Custom Exterior package.
3:58 Fender Louvers. Yes, they were on 1969 and 1970 only but not all 1969 and 1970 Novas had them. They were optional or part of another package. For 1969-70 SS Novas or standard Novas with the ZJ2 Custom Exterior package, the louvers were body color with chrome edges. Non-SS 1969-70 Novas with the ZJ5 Exterior Decor package got fender louvers that were completely body color and no chrome. Non-SS 1969-70 Novas without either package had no fender louvers.
4:52 The K does not technically denote a Super Sport Nova. The K denotes the L48 350 4-bbl engine. But, because that engine was only available in the Super Sport, you can deduce that it’s a Super Sport. That may be picking nits but the K is just the engine code.
6:50 the console and gauges were not part of the SS package. Neither were the bucket seats. All were optional on an SS and all were optional on non-SS Novas as well.
7:00 the M21 was the close ratio 4-Speed. The M20 and M22 were wide ratio 4-speeds with the M20 being standard duty and the M22 being heavy duty.
8:16 the “hatchback hutch” was an option you could dealer order for 1973-up hatchback Novas.
8:30 if that’s a 1971 Nova then it’s NOT a big block car. 1970 was the last year for a big block Nova.
9:13 That is a 1966 Nova, not 1967. 1966 had all bright headlight bezels while 1967 has the grill extend into the headlight bezels. Also, the L79 350 Hp engine with the dual snorkel air cleaner was 1966 only. The L79 in 1967 has a different intake (iron vs aluminum in ‘66), a open element air cleaner and was rated at 325 hp.
Again, great video. I just wanted to clarify some small details.
Happy Motoring!
I am just blown away, With your knowledge and explain it everything with these fantastic rare Chevy vehicles thank you
You are one smart young fella to stand up and do this on RUclips with all the critics. Great job. Thanks for doing it plus I have a 68 Nova love it.
Totally awesome report! I love GM cars from the mid 60's to 1971. I'm in my 70's now and I'd prefer a car with an automatic trans and taller gears.
GM built that car. They called it a Stage 1 GS455 Buick Skylark.
Seriously, I've personally seen a 1970 SS454 LS6 Chevelle TH400 Car with factory 3.31 Gears.
I've also seen a 1969 Caprice L72 427/425 4-Speed Bench Seat Car. I don't think the L72 or the M21 were supposed to be an available option.
Don't forget the smaller turn signal/parking lights in the '68 and '69 front bumper.
The '70 has Buick Road Wheels rather than proper Magnum 500s.
Good call.
Yeah I spotted the Buick wheels too.
Definitely look like Buick rims... way cheaper to buy then fasten chevrolet center caps
Great video. Love the way you explain and tell the differences on each year
The first '68 SS you showed is missing something that my '68 Nova SS had. On the bottom of each of the front fenders, just in front of the doors, it had an "emblem" about 8 inches long that said "SUPER SPORT" on it. The '68 Nova came with a 3 spoke steering wheel. Not sure if that one is original. The one in my SS was a colored plastic.
Correct, the standard 1968 Nova steering wheel was a 3-spoke plastic one that had a center horn button.
SS Novas and and non-SS Novas with the deluxe interior had a different 3-spoke plastic wheel with horn buttons on ends of the two upper spokes. Non-SS had a Nova shield emblem in the middle while SS Novas had an SS emblem in the center.
The wheel in that 1968 in the video appears to be the optional 1969-70 rosewood wheel used on many Chevys. It is a very common modification on many 3-gen Novas.
8:20. That trunk tent was indeed a dealer option, called the “Hatchback Hutch”. Also available for Vegas.
It was called the Hatchback Hutch in 1974.
Very knowledgeable young man The only thing that I heard wrong was when he was talking about the white 71 and said super sports had 12 bolt rear ends My 69 from the factory was ordered by the salesman with 10 bolt 308 gears I’m sure he didn’t know exactly what he was doing and at the time neither did I Great video young man!!!
12-bolts were not standard on all SS-Novas. While most 1968-71 SS Novas had them, some came standard with a 10-bolt:
1968 327 with a 3-speed or Powerglide
1969 350 with TH350 or Powerglide
1970 350 Powerglide
Also, the 12-bolt was optional on non-SS Novas and was standard on non-SS 1969 Novas that were ordered with the L65 350 2-bbl engine with a 3-speed and 4-speed manual.
A lot of great info! I myself am a stickler for knowing details and answering questions on what year cars are. Very nice video, thanks for sharing!
Nice tour of beautiful cars. I'm an old guy and lived all the muscle Chevy cars in real time. I grew up in south Kansas City and Dickie Harrells shop was a 2 mile bicycle ride away. I would see cars being offloaded and parked in the side lot awaiting modification. I also went to school with Dickie's daughter Valerie.
So Joel Rosen Aka motion performance didn’t exist???
He left out Berger Chevy as well
He did use the qualifier "basically" alluding to some others. I believe what he was referring to is these are the big three who seemed to have inside assistance in getting a COPO number assigned to produce the special runs of cars they wanted. It required Engineering sign off on it so it really went a lot smoother if you had someone who was willing to assist you inside GM.
Most of the others modified RPO cars and ordered some COPO cars when they became aware of a number that had already been issued as they had very limited success in trying to get a COPO number assigned themselves
@@gk5891 my brother bought a 69 COPO Camaro brand new off the lot at a mom and pop Chevy dealer in Ohio in Feb of 69’ 427, 400 trans 4:11 gears for $3200
And they had 2 of them, the other one was a 4spd with 4:56 gears
I’m surprised he mentioned Dick Harrell from Kansas City
@bobbycuesroadhouse2204 I'm assuming you are referring to the L72 (The ZL1 was also a COPO). That number was originally issued for Yenko and the number got released by one of the magazines is my understanding of how all the little dealers managed to get them. A number for L88 Camaros was also issued but I don't believe any cars were ever built.
I am blown away by your intricate knowledge of these cars. Keep up the great work.
I love Nova's they are one of my favorite muscle cars . They are always underappreciated. When I was a little kid my parents had one. I thought it had the coolest sound like a monster. Lol
In 1968 the door lock knob was near the rear of the door. 1969 and up they were moved forward so they were easily reached from the front seat.
Nice presentation young man! Many beautiful Nova's there, would love to see them up close
I was at the Chevrolet dealer in 1969 and saw a Kelly green SS 396 4 speed with black interior . I bought a 1973 Nova gold with a 3/4 vinyl top hatch back. Loved that car
Wow! That was great! Very knowledgeable young man! I was never a fan of Nova ‘s body style change at 68 and on. 1967 is my favorite, but you made me really appreciate the 68 and on.
I was a gearhead teenager when these cars came out and up till now thought I was knowledgeable about them. I learned a lot, thank you.
Super good 👍🏻 job highlighting these beauties … my favourite cars … had 2 and at 57 I’m building my third 👍🏻💪🏻
Very nice video, thank you. I had a 70 Nova SS, 375 horse 4-speed. It had bucket seats, and the console had gauges in it. Also it had a linear tachometer in the dash . It was forest green with a black vinyl roof a real heavy hitter . I got it from the original owner. Did some restoration work on it. Perhaps I should have never sold it. Haha great car
I’m a Mopar fan at my core and would buy a Roadrunner if I had money to spend on a classic. I hate old Camaros and Chevelles but there’s something about the Nova I dig.
Always great to hear a expert on any topic spew their knowledge it’s uplifting!
People in my family assembled some of those Novas and Camaros. I recall them saying that they ordered some for returning Vietnam Veteran family members. They took extra care in putting them together on the assembly line. I never heard of any C.O.P.O orders but it was well within their capacity to make custom assemblies without official records. We treated our troops well.
The red restomod nova appears to be a 1966, not a 1967. Also, what made the 50 1968 Fred Gibb COPO L78 396 Novas special was the fact they had a TH400 HD trans with factory high stall converter. That was the COPO part. Before that, you could only get the L78 396 in the Nova SS with a 4 sp manual trans. The HD TH400 trans and stall converter installed were basically the ones developed and offered as an RPO on the 1968 L88 Corvette. Fred wanted 50 of these to qualify them for NHRA stock and super stock automatic racing classes. They were very competitive in '68.
I had a 68 exactly like the first car in the video but, non-ss, it was ash gold, black v/top, black custom interior bucker seats (same as ss), L6 230ci and power glide!
Excellent Job overall! As a point of clarification regarding the Fred Gibb COPO 9738 Novas: It was not the L78 396ci 375hp engine which made them a COPO car, as that was an RPO in 1968 (More than 600 produced). Rare, but available to anyone. The COPO order was for the Turbo 400 automatic transmission, which was mated to a solid lifter big block for the first time ever and all 50 Gibb COPOs were ordered with that transmission and a special torque converter. Very Kool T-Shirt. Keep up the good work!
Brotha you are bad ass and thank you for the way you explain the difference and on years...im not quick on learning but i was able to keep up , down to the 26-28 count of springs on hoods WOW...!!! I lnow im older than you but your my big brother...!!!😎🤙🏽
I really enjoyed this Nova Rarest video. I'm pretty sure that I may own a very rare UNRESTORED 1969 Nova SS that I purchased in August 1, 1969. It is my first car, I was 18 yrs old. I've been told that it is a one of kind Rally green with a factory white vinyl top. The paint is original, never repainted. It was a L78 with a turbo400 M40 option & has currently a 12 bolt 3.31 ratio differential. Since I blew up 3 of the L78 engines which did have a few factory defects and was replaced under warranty during the first 5 years. I think around 15 years ago I installed a 502 crate engine which is 600hp and runs much better than the 396. My car has an amazing history over the last 54 years. I have all the documentation since new, Many pictures over the years and countless car shows.
Good job sir for presenting the history of my fav GM car and giving it honor it’s due
71. Nova 396,you said before the last year for 396 was 70.plus in 67 and disc brake were available, but as an option.
Great info. Always miss my 72. I like the wing glass vents on doors. Some dont and swap 73\74 doors on 68-72 Novas. I also prefer look of the side rear windows more on 68-72.
I bought a new 70 nova. I ordered it with bucket seats, gauges, 3 speed manual with floor shift, 350 2 barrel carb to beat insurance price. Also power front disc brakes, rally wheels, dual exhaust, and pos and vinyl top. In north carolina if you were under 25 in service had a 300 horse eng and 4 speed the insurance almost
doubled.
Great video but there are a ton more differences in the 68-72 Novas if you know where to look. In 68 the most obvious thing that you didn't mention was that the Nova Emblem was on the rear quarter panel and not on the front fender like the 69-72. By far the easiest way to tell the 68 apart from a distance. Like the emblem on the hood that says "Chevy II" the emblem on the truck says "Chevy II by Chevrolet" whereas the 69-72 says "Nova by Chevrolet". 68-69 had the radio antenna on the fender, 70-72 has it in the windshield. 68-70 dome light is tear drop shape and the 71-72 is round. You touched on the taillight differences but didn't mention the front turn signal differences in the front bumper. 68-69 were smaller than the 70-72 and were wider than they were tall and both years were amber colored. In 70 they became taller to a more square size and were clear with an amber bulb. 71-72 were the same size as in 70 but they were both amber lenses. You did talk about the "gills" on the side of the 69-70 but not all 69-70 cars got them, so they are not a good way to tell the years apart unless they do have them then they help but many people like them and put them on non-69-70 cars. You also touched on the motor size emblem on these cars, if this video is strictly about the SS then they will all have the motor size but there are 2 things you didn't mention. Not all 69-72 cars got the motor size except the SS and Chevy used the exact same motor size emblems on Novas up to the 74 Model year so if someone is using the motor size emblem to tell what year it is it is not an indicator at all unless the car is a 68-69.
Having owned dozens of Novas over the years IMO 68's are by far the easiest to tell the year from a distance. 69 in the second easiest even from a distance. 70 is somewhat easy as long as the restorer is using actual 70 stuff, which many don't and 71-72 is the hardest to tell, sometimes without looking at the VIN or Cowl tag because the restorer doesn't know the small and Suttle changes between the years that Chevy did like the head light trim that has the "fins" on the side of them are different depending on the year. 68 is one year only, 69 is one year only and 70-72 are the same but all the years will bolt on all 68-72. Other differences are dumb little changes like throttle linkage changes between 68-72 and even between 4 cyl, 6 cyl and the V8's in the same model year.
Perfectly said!
I don't know what it is about the '68-72 Nova, but I've had like 7 different ones, and most people I've known have had more that 3 or 4 of them! The last one I had, a '68 SS, was stolen along with a 1958 Chevy Apache short bed step side pickup.And you're spot on with your details!
The headlight bezels are different for different years.
1968 were all chrome (with the exception of a few special Novas) and no clearance slots for the headlight adjustment screws. The outside grille portion had horizontal lines only.
1969 were black and had clearance slots for the adjustment screws. Again, only horizontal lines on the outside grill portion
1970-72 are similar to 1969 but with the addition of a verticals line in the center of the outside grill portion.
U are right on man I have a 68 nova ss a 11427 car factory 4 speed 735 black bucket seats .it is a factory small block car witch u can tell by the heater box .mine comes out the fire wall .iam not sure what engine mine came with. 68 has the best dash 69 has the hearer controls sideways, 68 is long ways ,my car still has the factory daul exhaust bracket on it also wish I had the original engine
The 1968 Nova said "Chevy ll" on the hood and on the trunk lid. Also front Disc Brakes were available, but not required on any model, The calipers had 4 pistons and were non-floating like the Corvette and Chevelle. Starting in 1969 disc brakes came standard on the SS regardless of the engine size The calipers were a single piston floating design. The most bang for your buck that few knew about was the 327/325 L79 that was available with out being required to order the SS option. 1968 was the last year for that engine.
In Argentina, all Novas were 6 cylinders (230, 250), and early SS were made about the same as 1968-69 USA models, they had 1968 dash emblems, ash tray, tail lamps, key on dash, orange front side markers 1969 style, front brake discs, hood bowtie, rear SS panel, hood "scoops" and no guills. All had bucket seats. They used 68/72 Oldsmobile 442 rally wheels on all SS models from 1972/1974.
You look a touch like Basketball-Great Jayson Tatum. Kudos for knowing so much about the Classics, Well-done!
Did used to own a '74 "Spirits Of America " Nova back in the early 90's . Wish I still had it now.
Dam man., you know your S&!T. Thats awesome.. Bringing back too many memories. Had the pleasure of owning 2 when I was young ( 35 years ago). Dark green 68 with the 6 banger.. 70 Red with black Vinal top with 307 cross fire?. I think I might still have the gills and rear passenger cigarette ash trays. would love to find a project to build!!
A running non-rusted out nova is a rare one
One other point for 1968 Nova, for an SS this was the only year to have SUPER SPORT spelled out in individual block letters at the bottom of the front fenders, and for all 1968s, the NOVA emblem was on the back part of the rear quarter.
The rarest nova I've seen in person was A 69 L89 auto on the column but the son changed the block to a 454 and put A floor shifter and tubed it to race it, and the last time I saw the car was in the late 80s totalled at the track doing over 100 mph the cage saved him. I heard it was parted out, but I don't know for sure
I had a 66 chevy II L-79 3 spd on the collum with the 130 mph speedo . No SS markings just Chevy II Nova. It had a bench seat, too. Oh, radio delete also.
1971 Nova, I think that was the first year that wheel well opening chrome trim was available.
On the gold Nova, you glanced over, did not mention the unique hood with scoop, similar to the Baldwin Motion version.
1970 Nova console guage package was unique in the letters/graphics color.
I will suggest that the rarest Nova of this vintage is probably the Baldwin Motion 427, supposed only about 10 built, my understanding only 1 or 2 existing.
Thanks for the tour and good commentary.
FYI: Wheel well chrome trim was never an option for any of the 3rd gen Nova. That was Camaro and Chevelle, not Nova.
I have seen numerous 1971/72 original Nova with front wheel well chrome trim. It might have been a dealer option. The same generation Ventura also had the same trim available.
@@clarkleakins879 People just love to bolt that aftermarket chrome molding on their cars. To each their own but then when you do that... it muddies the water. People start thinking that stuff like that came from the factory just like the bumper filler... people just love to paint that bumper filler body color instead of the factory argent silver and now lots of people think that body color bumper filler was a factory option...lol!
Excellent presentation, every time...keep rolling...big thanks...
8:30 there were no 1971 big block car SSs. Only L48 350s in 71 and 72. In March of 1972 I factory ordered a 72 SS Nova. I was a Jr in high school. It was Forest Green. I ordered it with bucket seats and the center console. The brochure I saw when I ordered it had bucket seats similar to what Chevelle's had in them. When the car came in it had what I would describe as Volkswagen seats. Very plain without a separate headrest. It was a cheap looking high back seat. It also had a door to door, front to back rubber floor mat instead of carpet. When I asked the salesman what the deal was he said I got those because I didn't order the custom interior.Well he didn't tell me when ordering it. I was also expecting a full console and had never seen one that was so small and stopped where the front seats started. It worked out ok because I put a Craig floor mount stereo between the seats at the end of the console. It was an auto trans car with the chrome trim around the windows and the body side molding. Had a 10 bolt rear with 3.08 gears. Came with those body color steel wheels and the dog dish hub caps. Sticker price was $3955.55. I eventually put headers, a 327/350hp cam, a Holley spread bore carb, and 3.73 gears. It would consistently run a 16.00 sec/85 mph 1/4 mile at the track. I kept that car for 5 years. One thing I did that I never saw anyone else do was I put the hood ornaments from a 69 Camaro SS on my Nova. If you took the Nova hood ornaments off and popped the chrome outer ring off you could stack the Camaro ornaments on the chrome rings and it raised them up enough to work on a Nova. And they look so much better.
Also, something to note. ‘68 is the only year of the 3rd gen’s that have a “Nova” emblem on the top rear quarter panel. Very easy to distinguish the ‘68 from ‘69 that way!
I don't know how often, or if all you read your comments, but I got a question I'm having trouble finding the answers to. You did answer parts of my question in this video. I have a 71 Nova I just bought it to replace the 71 Nova I bought in 1988, and parted out after totaling it in 1989. There are no emblems currently on my new 71, I wanna know what, and where the correct emblems go to stay true to my 71, also I wanna make it into an SS clone. Please tell me if you can help, Thanks. PS There are holes in the left front of my hood, I have seen some that have the Nova script on the left front of the hood, I don't know what years did that, or if the hood is OE or not. Thanks again
🏆Great job 🏆I had a 71 🍀got R done😎✌️
As a Mopar Abody guy, I always liked the Nova as it was based on the compact platform, small at the time but comparable to today's performance cars. I feel more comfortable now with talking to a Nova owner about year, model, etc. but I still think it's best to open wirh "Nice Duster" 😂
spirit of america nova has camper because americans have to live out of their cars. that car was ahead of it's time
Great information. I have '65 Corvette fuely that was delivered to Nickie; however, it appears to have not been modified.
In these '68 to '72 Novas, there is usually a copy of the build sheet under the rear seat tucked into the springs.
Nice presentation... An amazing group of cars on display in the "Solid Lifter Showroom" and the Nova pavilion was awesome as well! Are you planning on posting other footage from the GM Nationals?
Unfortunately due to the rain… we didn’t get to walk around and cover everything.. plus I’m honestly not always sure what you guys would like to see..
@@backyardbarnfinds keep doing what ur doing. As an old 60s-early 70s muscle car guy, the yrs 65-71 were the apex yrs.....any manufacturer. Heck, I know mid-50s to mid-60s had theirs too; my mother had 4 car salesmen brothers, and had 2 Bel-Air Chevys (55&56) with 265 4 barrel twin lines (older bros use to race them n 50s and wrecked them, so she got a 59 Impla 6 cyl).
Of the many road races I saw back then, n 69, saw a 69 396/375 plain jane 4-spd nova, (don't recall it being SS cause it had bench seat & looked like a 6cyl cheapo, lime green with same rims w/caps) race a 69 Boss 429 orange mustang 4 spd: they raced from hole, slight roll on, and about 30 on. As a Chevy guy, I was disappointed at the time the Boss won all equally by 1 1/2 car lengths ...each race going well into high gear before backing off. Many years later, I felt better learning the Boss was more comparable to the LS6 Chevelle rather than "Grandma's" Nova.
So keep covering the apex muscle years. BTW, In those days, an automatic trans was shunned upon as was PS & AC.....robbed HP which meant SPEED.
Anything F-body related (67-02) gets my attention.
Wow! Congratulations
Really nice video! Very interesting and you know your subject well 💪🏁
You missed some of the easiest tells on the Novas . '68s had the Nova badge on the rear fender , after that it moved to the front . Chevy II was on the hood and trunk with Super Sport on the bottom of the front fender . Both headrests and disc brakes were an option on '68s . '70s had clear turn signal lenses in the front bumper, '71-'72 were amber . No, and I repeat no '68-'72 Novas had SS badges on the front fender . That car had a set for a '74 Nova on it . That Dickie Harrel/ Frsd Gibb car is legit, you had to order bucket seats separately from SS package and a floor shift automatic only came with buckets and console .Hot Rod Magazine did a road test on a '69 L78 turbo 400 car , bench with column shift .
Well, technically 1968’s had “Super Sports” emblems at the bottom of the front fenders. But you are correct, there were no “SS” emblem on the fenders for 1968-72. 1973 had metal SS emblems in place of the “Nova” fender emblems. 1974 has giant decals that said “Nova SS” and 1975-76 has smaller “Nova SS” decals on the fenders.
@NovaResource u r Right I have a 68ss nova 1 year only Supersport on the bottom of the front fenders. My car is a a factory 4 speed car 735 black bucket seats .it was a small block car by the heater hose comes out the fire wall not the heater box my car was a factory blue with black vinyl top what engine? I am not sure
@@tommycook9620 The only small block available in the Super Sport Nova in 1968 was the L48 350 4-bbl.
@@NovaResource ok anyway to tell that any code for 68
@@NovaResource didn't some come with 327 ? Or no
Great vid!!!! 👍👍
Any of the "supercar" conversion cars done in the late 60's, early 70's ( Yenko, Dana, Nicky, Gibb ) are extremely rare, desirable and very expensive! Camaros were done in the most while Novas and especially Chevelles are even more rare. Most came from the factory with the 396 big block and were upgraded to various iterations of the 427 big block. The most rare would be the L88 version of the 427.
Thanks for sharing this information
Just recently got back my 1969 Nova SS 350 4 speed, that was my first car at 16.
Wow, great that you got it back !
In 1985 my friend had a 1970 396 4 speed ss nova. It was a gold car with white interior bench seat. All original car with like 30k on it. His dad bought it for him and told him all he had to do is have a weekend job and he refused to do that. His dad sold the car for 1,200 dollars. Man i wish i had that car now
Were there any 72 skyroof novas? We had a 72 rally nova with the rare skyroof
I have a 74 Nova Spirit of America. 76 K original miles. Getting any information on it has been a challenge. It has been garaged for some time. Protected. Can you tell me it's value today?
I would say the black 1970 L89 Nova that Legendary Motors restored is more rare as it's a 1 of 1 and probably the only L89 Nova made in 1970. It is fully documented down to the engine components.
A Really Unbelievable Video You Covered The Most Important Parts Of Every Detail I Appreciated It Always Loved SS 💪🍀🍀🍀🍀🔨💯🥊
I like how you explain all off the cars you should make from 1990 chevy c10 454ss gmt400
mid 60's..early 70's..before gas BS..most iconic vehicles..just beautiful styles..HP...wish i had a time machine but videos like this does satisfy..
Old Ford guy gives you the Big 👍 for this video!
👍🇦🇺
Great video. @3:01 the nova badge was never Nova SS from factory. Just Nova But you can get an aftermarket one that says Nova SS
Very Very informative, thank you very muuuch.
The red nova at 9:40 mark isn't a 67, it's a 66 nova. The headlight bezels are different. 67's would have a blacked out rectangles to match the grill. Also the fenders are different in the headlight bezel area. One other difference is the 67 would the the first year for a collapsable steering column.
Great informative video. 👍 Had a '71 as my 1st car back in high school! 😎
Words for the day....actual, actually.
There were a whole lot more than just 3 Chevy High Performance Specialty Car Dealers in the 1960s. You can add Baldwin-Motion, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrel, and Bill Thomas for starters.
Good job young man you just schooled a 58 year old " bow tie guy" own several Montes, Camaros, and El Caminos. I just never kNOVAed!
I had a 1969 SS 396 Nova and the trim gills came painted the same color as the car which was Corvette Lemans Blue.
The blue and white Z28 up on the rack, is it a two tone paint, or a white vinyl top?
You will do well here. Great presentations and knowledge.
I think all (50) COPO Fred Gibb L78 1968 chevy II novas were all turbo400 automatics. 4-speed cars were available for order through a normal chevrolet dealer. Fred wanted these to homogalate for automatic racing class.
My buddy had a 73’ spirit of america pilot car. It was a 72 body style and about 200 numbers past the last known vin # for 72. Hr bought it from original owner in indiana. Who had all factory paperwork and pics of the car at dealership the day they bought it and thru the years. Spirit of america badge on the grill was hand sand cast. Same white w/red and blue stripes as 74 cars.
Love this channel great content and informative on such beautiful cars
Does a 72 nova ss with the 6 hole 14x7 rally wheels did the wheels come painted body color ?
I remember before I moved to Florida my uncle bought a Camaro. It was a 68 or a 69 hugger orange black vinyl top RS. He couldn't do the payments so my grandparents took over the car which was a big joke in Garner N.C. The car was sold in Raleigh brand new their last name was Hales sure would love to find said car.
Very good report. Please let me add a few more facts. There was also Baldwin Motion Chevrolet on Long Island, NY who was very popular on the east coast, for building Big Block Novas., in the 1960's & 70's. They would order base model Nova with the 396/325hp engine (that was the biggest GM would put in the Nova) then remove that engine and install the 427 in both phase 1 & phase 2 configurations. An interesting side note, is they also took out all the rear seat window crank hardware to lighten up the car. In 1972 you could get the Rally Nova package (only available in 1972 for 10 year anniversary) with the same 350 engine, 4 speed, dual exhaust & multi leaf rear suspension with staggered shocks, as the Super Sport. I ordered a Rally Nova brand new, What a sleeper! Also in 1970 the Nova went to larger, square front signal lights. 1970 was the only year those front signal lights had clear lens with amber bulbs. Other years (71 & 72) had amber lens with clear bulbs.
Thanks For the Support! Don't forget to check out the Baldwin Motion video about why they are different on the channel!
Your info on the Rally Nova is incorrect. The Rally package was available in 1971 and 1972 (also again later for 1977-79).
Also, you could NOT order the SS only engine in a Rally. The L48 350 4-bbl engine was only available in the SS for 1971-72. The top engine available in the 1971-72 Rally was the L65 350 2-bbl.
@@NovaResource My comments are correct with the exception of the 1977-79 Ralley Nova. That was a different package. Yes the Original Rally Nova came out in mid 1971. However You could get the SS engine. I know for a fact because I owned one that I ordered NEW. But thanks for the reply.
@@autophile-cv621 Sorry but you are mistaken. The 1971-72 Rally was NOT available with the SS-only L48 350 4-bbl engine.
At 5:41 what are dual fuel lines for? Is one a vapor line?
My 1968 L78 Nova came with 4 piston caliper front disc brakes and it's documented.
Hey, that was a nice walk down memory lane. In the 70s I owned a 69 Nova SS/L78 396, and a good friend owned a 68 Nova RS/327, Always loved Novas.
No such thing as a RS Novas. The Rally Sport was a Camaro option, not Nova.
Very Cool !
We own 2 Nova's
A 72 Rally Nova and a 71 SS 4spd 427 Nova ( the original owner bought a 427 from GM and had the Engines swapped out from the 375 hp 396 to the 427 and we have both.) We have left the 427 in the Car because the Chevrolet Dealer who did it did such a fantastic job that we just left it alone and we have all the appropriate paperwork to prove it. The Car was ordered with the M22 Muncie, 12 bolt so swapping out Engines was very easy to do. The only change the Original owner made besides Engine Size is a Carter Elec.Fuel pump with a hidden switch to help prevent theft we guess ? But the original Fuel pump was disabled and left in place so everything looks very regular.
I learned a lot from your video that I was not fully aware of.
Thanks Again.
That is incorrect. There were no big block Novas in 1971 so your 1971 Nova did not come with a 396 375-Hp engine originally. The previous owner was incorrect.
Also, there were no M22 Novas in 1971. The M22 was only available in the Nova in 1968 and 1969.
@@NovaResource
You clearly missed the part where I stated he had the drive train swapped.
He had the 396 and 4 speed out of a 1970 installed then swapped it out for the 427 he was able to purchase through the local Chevrolet Dealer. I do have all the correct and factual original paperwork from GM, the Local Dealership etc. that you can feel free to verify at your convenience.
@@IRONHORSE427RACING No, I didn’t miss it because it wasn’t there when I replied originally. You edited your comment after I replied. Nice try.
And YOU clearly missed my comment about there’s no way your 1971 Nova was ordered with an M22 trans since they were only available in a Nova from the factory in 1968 and 1969.
Wish I could have attended the show this year. Thanks.
Wish they had the Baldwin Motion cars there.. Those to me were very rare cars.
Question: On the 1970 Nova SS did the side gills come standard? Asking because I am currently looking at a 1970 Nova SS which does not have them. 🤔
Maybe I can answer for the original guy. No they were an option. They did not come standard but many had them.
Yes side louvers painted body color and with chrome edges were part of the SS package in 1969 and 1970. ALL 1969-70 SS Novas had fender louvers standard.
@@NovaResourcedid hear his talk about all ss cars had black out grills and tale panel was black out compared to regular novas were chrome
Nice video! Thanks phor sharing.
SWEET TY FOR THE INFO LOVE THE NOVAS
excellant presentation....thanks for sharing...new scriber here,greetings from NC...