396/4-Speed! 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS
Chevrolet didn’t waste much time in creating an SS version of their compact offering, with the Super Sport option appearing on the 1963 models just one year after the Chevy II/Nova made its debut. In the beginning, the SS was mainly a higher trim level for the car and followed this concept for several years, but in ’68 the Super Sport finally came of age and was transformed into a performance package for the Nova. For 1970, nearly 20,000 of the cars produced were SS models, as quite a few buyers were embracing the idea that for not a whole lot extra over the base price you could be driving the sporty model. If you like the idea of a big block in a small body, this 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS may be right up your alley. It’s located in San Marcos, California, and can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $25,000.
We’d like to give a big thank you to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the great tip on this one! We get a fairly decent history of the Nova from the seller, who tells us that he purchased the car 8 years ago from a former owner in Nevada who had it for the prior 20 years. It’s said to be 99% rust-free and originally came with a vinyl top, but that’s long gone and the car is now wearing an older red paint job. The car just turned 100,000 miles and the seller says it stops good, steers good, drives good, and he thinks it’s ready to be driven anywhere.
While the exterior finish looks OK, under the hood is where this Nova really shines, as the car is equipped with a 396 that decodes as from 1968. It’s got an Edelbrock intake and carburetor plus HEI ignition, with Doug Thornley headers taking care of exhaust duties. Outback is a Ford 3.27 positraction 8.8 rear end, which seems like a good choice for ample off-the-line performance followed by some decent cruising. Shifting is provided by a Muncie 4-Speed, which the seller says shifts well and does not pop out of gear.
Cosmetically, the interior may be the weakest part of the car, although just an afternoon with a bottle of 409 and some scrubbing might be a couple of hours well spent. The interior looks pretty much all business, with that Hurst shifter and aftermarket steering wheel plus the somewhat crudely mounted tach. My first act as the next owner might be replacing that dash pad with one of those repros available from Classic Industries for less than 300 bucks. There’s also empty space below in the dash where the radio is supposed to be, but who needs music when you’ve got the sounds of that 396 upfront. What are your thoughts on this 1970 Chevrolet Nova SS, and its price tag of $25,000?
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Comments
So more than likely started out as a 350 SS and somewhere it got the big block. That killed the 10 bolt and the 12 bolt differential isn’t that easy to come by so a Ford 8.8 was sourced to fill the hole. Price seems close to fair although I would prefer the car with a strong small block similar to what it came with. If you want a big block Nova save your money and get the real deal.
For a reasonable price you get a big block, a 4-speed with a posi rear and a solid body. The interior obviously needs some help, but you could pick away at that as funds and time allow. It’s missing some exterior bits that my SS Nova had, like the “SS” badge between the taillights, the faux louvres behind the front wheels and the hood louvres. Maybe they disappeared when the car was painted, or the car never had them? Not a fan of the wheels but otherwise it seems to be a pretty nice car for the price. Still miss mine 30+ years after I sold it.
These are neat cars. Good description Mike. Not sure about the price for a car who’s engine compartment is cleaner than the interior. Drove one a few years ago with a bumped up 350 and was impressed. It had suspension mods that that made it a good handler and enhanced the big motor. Fun.
The owner of a store that I worked at owned one equipped the same as this one. One day, he asked me to drive out to his country place to pick up something and tossed me the keys. Heaven!!! Right up to the point where it swapped ends on me on the highway. Oh, did I mention that it was raining? Luckily, even during the wild ride, it never left the pavement. Most definitely much more luck than skill involved. Lesson learned, mucho horsepower, relatively short wheelbase, wide tires, wet pavement, be very careful about how much throttle is applied.
At my high school (69-73) it seemed that just about everyone either had or wanted a Nova. There were a lot of 307 Powerguides, a 307 4 speed (it later got a stout 327), three or four SS350’s, even a 4 cylinder, 3 speed 68. The two fastest cars in the area belonged to a couple older guys, a yellow 68 396/375 and a maroon 69 396/375. The only cars that ran with them were a blue 70 Hemi Cuda and a black 70 LS6 Chevelle.
My initial thought was that this was probably a regular Nova, with a big block transplant, but it has a big block heater box, so maybe it is an SS, with the trim removed? The heater box isn’t something the average back yard mechanic changed. Still, $25K seems like a lot for a wrong motor Nova, with a tired Earl Scheib paint job, and needing a lot of interior work.
1966-1968 saw the L-79 available in the Nova that would run with almost any hot car of the day…
Nice car price is right
For the price, they could at least have wiped down the interior. Lazy. How else was the car neglected?
Way to much money for this. It is probably a 307 car that had a engine swap. You can buy a good one for 25k.
Really like Nova’s but this one is priced too high, engine bay needs a good clean so does the interior. This one to dirty for me, pass.
I had a black 69 NovaSS, with 70 front fenders (with the louvers) and a giant hood scoop that served no purpose, but started a lot of conversations! It had a transplanted 454 4-speed, and a 12 bolt rear end. It had ladder bars, Cragar 5 spokes, 60’s on the back ,70’s on the front. I am sad to say today that I paid $1,200 for it in 1981, and it crashed and burned 3 years later. My how times, (and prices) have changed!