Vehicle Description
Chevy's all-new Nova hit the streets in 1968 and despite its
mission as a modestly sized, affordable car, the engineers at GM
made sure that a powerful motor would still fit comfortably under
the hood. Because of this, cars like this 1969 Chevrolet Nova make
for some very impressive street machines, with this one offering a
strong-running, built-up 400 V8 in that lightweight 2-door sedan
body shell. And as you can imagine, performance is entertaining to
say the least.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's have a closer look at
this handsome Silver coupe. The finish is slick, was completed to a
high-end driver-quality standard, and gives the car a definite
performance look. Traditional dark gray SS-style stripes were
painted on for contrast, a cowl-induction hood was added up front,
and shiny alloys wrapped in fat fender stuff the wheel wells and
give it that street swagger that practically defines the era.
Despite the build being a few years old, the paint and bodywork are
in still great shape, with only minor imperfections and signs of
use to report in the slick, uniform presentation. The contrasting
stripes on the hood and decklid are familiar but different enough
that the car stands out in a crowded field, and you can tell a lot
of time and money was spent getting this Chevy II nice and straight
before the car was finished. The whole car fits together rather
well with doors that close easily, a hood that fits flush, and just
a bit of rake to accentuate the Nova's semi-fastback profile.
Always a favorite of Chevy fans, the '69 Nova's grille is a very
attractive design that seems to wrap around the headlights, and
while it's probably original, it's in good shape. Chrome bumpers, a
bit of polished stainless, and a completely de-badged aesthetic
(aside from the subtle Bowtie in the grille) result in one
clean-looking chunk of muscle.
You can tell the interior was built for comfort as much as combat,
as the swapped-in high-back buckets, big original steering wheel,
and B&M ratchet-style shifter all work together to create a
unique and stylish cabin. The Nova's no-frills attitude gives way
to a bit of modern comfort that includes those nicely upholstered
gray cloth seats and it's a nice touch that the rear bench was left
stock, right down to the contrasting black vinyl. Factory gauges
fill the stock dashboard, and they're joined by an Auto Meter tach
strapped to the steering column and a pair of Summit Racing
auxiliary gauges to the right, giving the driver a more accurate
reading of the small block under the hood. Plush black carpets look
fresh and clean, as do the flanking door panels, and things like
the taut headliner and crack-free dashboard prove that nothing was
overlooked in this build. Out back, the surprisingly spacious trunk
shows off just how solid the underpinning steel of this Nova really
is.
Sporting a tidy albeit not overly flashy engine bay, this Nova is
powered by a great-running 400 cubic inch V8 that moves the
lightweight Nova without much effort. Augmented with aluminum
heads, a big Holley 4-barrel carburetor, and an Edelbrock Victor
Jr. air-gap intake, this powerful small block sounds menacing at
idle, and when the taps are opened up it eats up asphalt very
quickly. Long-tube headers at the flanks shore up the torque curve,
feeding into a true dual exhaust system that's been punctuated with
throaty Pro-Flo mufflers that sound fantastic. The beefy TH400
3-speed automatic transmission is probably overkill for even a hot
small block like this, but that's okay because sometimes you just
want to stand on it and not worry about the consequences, and it
spins an equally heavy-duty 10-bolt rear end out back. The
undercarriage is very solid and clean, with a consistent coating of
satin black protecting most of the components, and power front disc
brakes were added for safety. A slightly raked stance comes
complements of those cool 15-inch Cragars wrapped in staggered
165/80/15 front and 255/60/15 rear performance radials.
Nicely built, attractive, and impressively fast, this Nova offers
everything you'd want in a vintage muscle car. Call today!
