1966 L79 Chevy II w/ 4365 miles

[Jamess113]

Hi, I've been member here for a while and have made a few posts here and there, mostly in the for sale section. I've enjoyed the site over the years as there are lots of great cars and loads of great info here. I own a small restoration shop in NH and we just recently purchased an Aztec Bronze 1966 L79 Chevy II Super Sport with 4365 original miles with two very interesting options, K66 TI ignition and K16 A.I.R. and thought this would be a great place to share it. We purchased the car from the 3rd owner who bought it just over 34 years ago at the Pomona Swap Meet in California.

At the time of purchase the car was quite dirty from just sitting. We determined from the 3rd owners service notes that the car hasn't been started since 2016 and still hasn't been started as of yet as we're cleaning the inside of the gas tank now. So for the last couple of weeks we've been just carefully cleaning up the interior and inside of the trunk compartment. We've been photo documenting as we go along and I have to say it's cleaning up very nicely. From what I understand, the original owner of the Chevy II was somewhat of a hoarder and at the time of its first sale it was pretty much being used as a storage container in a garage that was packed full. Clark, the 3rd owner who we purchased it from was able to meet the original owner James Kirkwood when he bought the car from the 2nd owner, Mike Miller in 1988 as the 2 didn't live far apart from each other. For the most part, not a whole lot has ever been apart on this car with the exception of a few things. The car wears most of its original paint, I would say 80% or so is original and it has its complete original born with drive train. From what we can tell, been told, and know, the passenger fender has been replaced and repainted and the right door and the right side of the hood were blended along with the top right side of the cowl. We were told the original owner hit a deer shortly after buying the car and parked it after the accident. We're not quite sure who replaced the right fender as it could have been the first owner or the second owner but, we do know it was never painted until the the 3rd owner bought the car in 1988 at the Pomona CA swap meet. Clark paid 20k for it in 1988 which seems to be a lot of money for that car at the time, at least that's my opinion. For the last 34 plus years the car has sat in a private collection and to be honest I don't think it's seen much love over the course of those years. Any parts that have been changed over the course of the last 34 plus years have all been saved. Wheel cylinders and brake hoses have been replaced but the originals were all saved. We plan on rebuilding them and reinstalling them. Both heater hoses have been replaced and we still have both originals but are obviously not saveable or reusable. The Smog pump has been gutted but all the internal parts have been saved. The carburetor was rebuilt in 2016 and from what we can tell it has not seen any gas since then. We looked inside the float sites with a borescope and it's spotless inside. The car has most of its original exhaust, front pipes, mufflers and resonators are all original but the tail pipes were replaced by the 3rd owner Clark. We were told they were very rusty and he had a local muffler shop duplicate the factory ones. Something that's pretty cool is the tires that are on the car currently were installed shortly after the car was purchased new by James Kirkwoood. I haven't figured out how to decipher the date code on the tires but from my research, Uniroyal only offered that style tire for a couple of years. 66 -67 maybe 68 but not 100% sure about that. If anyone can help with that please let me know.

Our goal is to keep the car as it is with the exception of just cleaning and detailing it very well. We have no intentions of painting or restoring anything that hasn't been touched before. We are just looking to preserve this one as is and sharing it with anyone that's interested. The right fender and the right side of the hood both have a big scratch in them and we are considering repairing both as both have been painted and blended already. Haven't decided on that yet though.

Other options according to the cowl tag are, Tinted Windshield, 4spd, Rear Speaker & Custom Seat Belts

We would like to attend MCACN this year with the Chevy II. So we're hoping we can make that happen. I've always wanted to go so maybe we'll be able to make it work.

Here are some pictures. I have lots so if you'd like to see more I'll post them.

[Jamess113]

More Pictures

[napa68]

Neat!!!!!

Keep the pics coming!

[Jamess113]

More Pictures

[Charley Lillard]

Would love to see it at MCACN.

[olredalert]

----What a find! I'm very envious. Aztec Bronze is one of my all time favorite colors as well and several of us here share that. Those have to be the best seatbelts on earth,,,LOL!....Bill S

[Jamess113]

More Pictures

[Jamess113]

More Pictures

[Crush]

What a cool story!

[Jamess113]

----What a find! I'm very envious. Aztec Bronze is one of my all time favorite colors as well and several of us here share that. Those have to be the best seatbelts on earth,,,LOL!....Bill S

Thanks Bill, The seat belts are pretty incredible. I honestly can say I don't think the fronts have ever been buckled.

[Jamess113]

----What a find! I'm very envious. Aztec Bronze is one of my all time favorite colors as well and several of us here share that. Those have to be the best seatbelts on earth,,,LOL!....Bill S

Bill, here are a few more of the seat belts

[WILMASBOYL78]

:biggthumpup::flag:

Amazing....

[GMC_Typhoon]

Love the car and the dog.

[Jamess113]

Love the car and the dog.
Thanks, The dog belongs to the previous owner Clark, He's the old gentleman in the picture.

[BJCHEV396]

Thanks for sharing James! I'll be following!

[black69]

The color of that car is really a nice treat to see. Always great to see a time capsule.

Side note, love your website, I found my neighbor a rust free 69 camaro shell a friend had and now he is just starting down the path of making it a resto mod, so going to your site, the red and blue 69s are some of the best I have ever seen. Hat's off to that! I just told him to go to your site and use your cars as bench marks.

[dykstra]

Wayyyyyyyy cool!!!!!! Congrats!!

[flyingn]

That car is outstanding.. The color is a home run too

[frankk]

I fell in love with the car after seeing the very first picture.

[Jamess113]

The color of that car is really a nice treat to see. Always great to see a time capsule.

Side note, love your website, I found my neighbor a rust free 69 camaro shell a friend had and now he is just starting down the path of making it a resto mod, so going to your site, the red and blue 69s are some of the best I have ever seen. Hat's off to that! I just told him to go to your site and use your cars as bench marks.

Thank you! My gallery is not currently working. I had all the build picture for both of those cars in there. The red Camaro belongs to me. There are pictures of both of those cars on my Instagram and Facebook pages.

[Jamess113]

More pictures of the interior. As you can see there was a little bit of a mildew issue that needed to be taken care of. We've carefully taken apart some of the interior to do a thorough cleaning and to look for a build sheet. Clark, the previous own told us that he never looked for one. I knew most likely we wouldn't find one. So since about 95% of the interior had never been apart we just had to look. We've been extremely careful in doing so making sure we put all the hardware back in its original locations. We did find the small broadcast sheet in the drivers seat and confirms everything on the cowl tag. We took lots of pictures of if and just left it in place exactly where it was just sticking out of the left inner seat trim.

[napa68]

Spectacular!

[Oldss]

Great car! Glad you are sharing!!

[Jamess113]

I think interior cleaned up very well. It took some time to get the interior looking good again but it shows as it should now. No wear in the seats at all you can see all the grain in the drivers seat and welting where you would slide in to the seat. The pedals look brand new, not scuff in the gas pedal. There are few scratches and chips here there on some of the paint surfaces and I would assume they're all from when the car was being used for storage.

[scuncio]

Unreal! Looks like that interior was installed last week.

[Charley Lillard]

Can I have it ? :-)

[Jamess113]

Unreal! Looks like that interior was installed last week.

I know right, check out the passenger seat back. Barely any paint on the outer corner. The drivers seat is very similar but not quite as bad.

[Jamess113]

Can I have it ? :-)

Yeah, sure no problem... lol

[Jamess113]

A couple good shots. That's not rust on the air cleaner and valve covers. That's just dirt and grime

[PeteLeathersac]

‘

Simply incredible, must feel like a dream come true!
:beers:
~ Pete

.

[dykstra]

Man, this car is toooo cool!!

[ragtop]

Those Tires are just cool. never seen any Uniroyal like that before. Always wanted an Aztec Bronze l79 sedan. Thanks for the pictures. can't wait to see some of the engine detailing. Along with the original parts that were taken off. Thanks Tony

[67since67]

Checks the boxes for me, spectacular!! :worship:

[Jamess113]

Those Tires are just cool. never seen any Uniroyal like that before. Always wanted an Aztec Bronze l79 sedan. Thanks for the pictures. can't wait to see some of the engine detailing. Along with the original parts that were taken off. Thanks Tony

Here's a 1966 Uniroyal ad for the tires. The $75.00 Tire. Love the ad.... "You'd have to be insane".

[dykstra]

I can’t stop looking at this car!

[KENNY PASCOE]

Now that's a great car right there !

[Jamess113]

I can’t stop looking at this car!

Lol. We've had it for almost a month now and I still can't stop looking at it. We restored a black 66 l79 a while back but there's just something different about this one.

[MYSTERYCHEVELLE]

Congratulations!

[60sStuff]

I’m having my coffee and drooling at the same time.

What an Awesome car.
I love the powertrain.
I love the color.
And that interior cleaned up like it just left the assembly line.

This is FUN.
Looks like it’s still wearing the Black & Yellows.

Thank you for sharing such a cool ‘66 Muscle Car.

Chris.

[60sStuff]

Here is an ashtray I have in my shop.

Same Same.

[grantprix]

What an incredible car and I've always loved that color. I've seen several Chevelle's & El Camino's that color, but not one of these cars. Fantastic job on the preservation too! And those tires, way cool!

[Jamess113]

Here is an ashtray I have in my shop.

Same Same. I saw a couple of those for sale while trying to find information on the tires.

[bashton]

WOW..what an awesome find. Again, a prime example of the old "they're still out there". Congrats on the acquisition.

As Charley said, we would love to have you join us at the upcoming Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show. It looks like a prime candidate for Vintage Certification, and I am sure Steve Shauger will chime in. There is no doubt that it would be a hit and well received

Bashton.

[Steve Shauger]

WOW..what an awesome find. Again, a prime example of the old "they're still out there". Congrats on the acquisition.

As Charley said, we would love to have you join us at the upcoming Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show. It looks like a prime candidate for Vintage Certification, and I am sure Steve Shauger will chime in. There is no doubt that it would be a hit and well received

Bashton.
We spoke weeks ago :)!

[mssl72]

Love the car!! Congrats!!!

[RPOLS3]

Wow just wow - hopefully this will make it to MCACN so we can all see it.

Congratulations - great car.

[BJCHEV396]

Here is an ashtray I have in my shop.

Same Same.

Way cool!

[Jamess113]

We've spoken weeks ago :)! I had emailed you some pictures and few details back on February 6th but not sure you got it or them as I never heard back from you. Maybe you could PM me with a good time to speak on the phone.

Thanks Jay

[jeffschevelle]

Fantastic, on all counts! What product(s) did you use to clean the vinyl? Came out spectacular.

[R68GTO]

Outstanding car, congratulations!

[Jamess113]

Fantastic, on all counts! What product(s) did you use to clean the vinyl? Came out spectacular.

Thanks!

We started by lightly wiping the seats down, Next we steamed them really good, then we gently cleaned them with a general purpose cleaner (Incredible Pink) to get any leftover dirt off and last we put on a vinyl /leather conditioner which is more or less just a spray wax , we let that dry and then hit them with a very soft boot brush. The seats were absolutely filthy but they look and feel brand new now. I think the windows might have been down for at least the last 10 years maybe longer. Amazingly we didn't find one mouse nest or any signs of any mice in the whole car

[60sStuff]

There must be an efficient cat nearby.

[Jamess113]

There must be an efficient cat nearby.

Lol, No cat, I asked if he had mice issues. The previous owner said if you leave the widows down mice won't go into the cars. I find that hard to believe though.

[Jamess113]

There must be an efficient cat nearby. Here you go since you asked.

Here's the cowl tag

[Jamess113]

Here's another angle

[Jamess113]

This is pretty cool or I think it is. These are the original license plates for the car stamped 63. They came with the car when Clark bought it in 1988. The last registration decal is 88 and it was just scotch tape on over the the 1974 sticker. Also this car has not been registered since then either. Clark the 3 owner whom we purchased it from never registered or titled it in his name.

[Jamess113]

These are the original belts

[BJCHEV396]

Wow,just keeps getting better! Great car and great story!

[BJCHEV396]

This is pretty cool or I think it is. These are the original license plates for the car stamped 63. They came with the car when Clark bought it in 1988. The last registration decal is 88 and it was just scotch tape on over the the 1974 sticker. Also this car has not been registered since then either. Clark the 3 owner whom we purchased it from never registered or titled it in his name.

So Clark never drove the car,it just sat in his garage?!

[60sStuff]

The Black & Yellow California plate breakdown by years.

Cowl / Trim tag information on the New shoulder strap provisions.

[Jamess113]

So Clark never drove the car,it just sat in his garage?!

He drove it a total 37 miles in just a little over 34 years. 0 miles in at least the last 7 year's according to his service notes.

[BJCHEV396]

He drove it a total 37 miles in just a little over 34 years. 0 miles in at least the last 7 year's according to his service notes.

Geez,that's like having a hot wife and not making love to her!

[1967Z28]

These are the original belts

Non-deep groove smog pump pulley, which has been observed on '67 Z-28s with K19 smog equipment also.

[napa68]

I just love this car and all of the details. Thanks again for sharing!

Tim

[cook_dw]

Cool car thanks for sharing.

[Jamess113]

The Black & Yellow California plate breakdown by years.

Cowl / Trim tag information on the New shoulder strap provisions.

Thanks for the info. I did know about the shoulder harness provision and the "T" being a "63 stamped plate for 66. The break down on the registration stickers are great. I've been trying to figure it out tonight and this is what Ive come up with.

So this is pretty confusing, Maybe it'll make sense to you or maybe not

You can see the blue on the left side of the plate which I'm guessing is 67 and a pink on the right side I'm guessing is a 68.

I would think and I'm only guessing here is there should be a white for 69 on top of the blue 67 but I don't see one.

There is however an orange on top of the 68 pink and guessing it should be 70.

No green for 71 one that I can see but there is a yellow under the red 73 and I'm guessing that's got to be a 72


Some of the colors don't match the sides on your chart though but maybe that has something to do when the car was first registered?

[grantprix]

Thanks for the info. I did know about the shoulder harness provision and the "T" being a "63 stamped plate for 66. The break down on the registration stickers are great. I've been trying to figure it out tonight and this is what Ive come up with.

So this is pretty confusing, Maybe it'll make sense to you or maybe not

You can see the blue on the left side of the plate which I'm guessing is 67 and a pink on the right side I'm guessing is a 68.

I would think and I'm only guessing here is there should be a white for 69 on top of the blue 67 but I don't see one.

There is however an orange on top of the 68 pink and guessing it should be 70.

No green for 71 one that I can see but there is a yellow under the red 73 and I'm guessing that's got to be a 72


Some of the colors don't match the sides on your chart though but maybe that has something to do when the car was first registered?

Did it ever have a "month" sticker on the left side? These began in 1976 and all year stickers were to be placed on the right side only after that.

[Jamess113]

Did it ever have a "month" sticker on the left side? These began in 1976 and all year stickers were to be placed on the right side only after that.

I believe just years on both left and right.

[nova67]

My 67 Nova SS has TRY Black plate i will have to check the stickers on it.

[SBR]

I love a beautifully restored car as much as anyone but there is something extra special about a ultra low mile time capsule. Congrats on the purchase.

[Jamess113]

Here are a few pictures of the air cleaner assembly. It still has it's original air cleaner element. The carburetor was rebuilt in 2016 but from what we can tell it hasn't seen any fuel since then. I inspected inside float bowls with my bore-scope and it spotless inside. Now the gas tank was just the opposite and we currently have the it out now for cleaning. I think its safe to say the gas in the tank was pre 2016. Pretty nasty inside the tank but it should clean up nicely

[clnovaparts]

Jay, is that air filter media reddish brown with hairs? Does it resemble this pictured NOS air filter? Thanks

[Jamess113]

Jay, is that air filter media reddish brown with hairs? Does it resemble this pictured NOS air filter? Thanks

I'd have to look closely at it tomorrow to give you a better answer but at first glance it just looks old and very dirty. I was told by Tom that it was the original filter base on the style of the font.

[60sStuff]

Same style paper filter with the outer soldered screen and fine inner wire mesh that was used on the 64-66 GTO with 3X2’s.

Here are a few NOS boxed filters I have that are dated 1967.

[jer]

Absolutely loving this car and the discovery. How close has anyone come to the iconic plate?? THX 138 ??

[dykstra]

Absolutely loving this car and the discovery. How close has anyone come to the iconic plate?? THX 138 ??

Was that Milner’s plate in American Graffiti??

[Jamess113]

Jay, is that air filter media reddish brown with hairs? Does it resemble this pictured NOS air filter? Thanks

Here you go Doug. I think it looks similar

[Jamess113]

picture

[downunder1]

WOW, just WOW.

[jer]

Was that Milner’s plate in American Graffiti??

Yes, but the colors were reversed beings the movie was based in '62. I believe it was a prop plate, non-state issue......but not positive on that.

[dykstra]

Sorry for the hijack. Back to this beautiful Chevy II.

[Steve Shauger]

Jay thanks for sharing this stunning car. The details you have shown and time you spent providing countless pictures and responses to our questions is very much appreciated.

Very exciting news!! This car will be attending MCACN 2023, and will be Vintage Certified. Another reason to attend MCACN and see this iconic car in person. :3gears:

[Hawkeye]

Jay, congratulations on your purchase of this amazing Chevy II.

Can you explain the tank cleaning process? Who is doing it? Will the patina on the outside of the tank be affected at all?

Thanks, Marty

[Jamess113]

Jay thanks for sharing this stunning car. The details you have shown and time you spent providing countless pictures and responses to our questions is very much appreciated.

Very exciting news!! This car will be attending MCACN 2023, and will be Vintage Certified. Another reason to attend MCACN and see this iconic car in person. :3gears:

Thanks Steve, Very excited about attending MCACN as I've always wanted to attend
and now I'm not only going but we're bringing a pretty cool car to boot.

No problem on sharing the pictures and info I enjoy it and if it helps others with their projects all the better. Hoping to share more as we slowly clean it up.

[Jamess113]

Jay, congratulations on your purchase of this amazing Chevy II.

Can you explain the tank cleaning process? Who is doing it? Will the patina on the outside of the tank be affected at all?

Thanks, Marty


Thanks Marty! We've sent them out in the past but in most cases we have just replaced them but, that's not an option here though. So we're doing the tank in house ourselves as I don't want lose any of the originality of the tank. We do want the outside clean of dirt and grim but we don't want to lose any of the factory undercoating that's on it and to be honest this is the first one I've ever done one and it has gone very well.

Basically we drained the gas, removed the tank, dried the inside and then I just used some of the the metal cleaner (PPG SX579) we use to clean lightly rusted parts here in the shop. I just pored a gallon in and sloshed it around throughout the a day and let it sit over night then flushed it out with water the next morning. To dry the inside I then stuck an air hose inside the tank and then vacuumed out any leftovers with small hose taped to my vacuum with my bore-scope attached so I could see what I was doing. The tank actually looks pretty good in side now but I'll most like do another round just to make sure we're good to go. This time I'll dilute the mixture with water, 1 part SX579 to 2 parts of water. The biggest thing here is to make sure you don't get any cleaner on the the outside of the tank as it will stain it. Hope that help.

[Hawkeye]

Jay, thank you for the response and detailed process. I would be very appreciative if you would share before and after photos. If it is even possible to get inside the tank photos. I’m in the same situation with my survivor tank and I’m not sure if I want to tackle it or not.
Thanks again, Marty

[bashton]

Great to have you joining us at MCACN!

This is sure to be a hit and of course, another reason for everyone to join us in November. Can't wait to see this one up close and in person in our Vintage Certification area.

Bashton

[Jamess113]

Great to have you joining us at MCACN!

This is sure to be a hit and of course, another reason for everyone to join us in November. Can't wait to see this one up close and in person in our Vintage Certification area.

Bashton

Thank you! We're very excited to attend MCACN this year. I know this is going to be a lot of fun and can't wait.

[dykstra]

Thank you! We're very excited to attend MCACN this year. I know this is going to be a lot of fun and can't wait.

We can’t wait either to lay eyes on such a significant car. So cool that you are bringing it to MCACN!:worship:

[ANDY M]

I just wanted to throw in this little trivia tidbit, since my brain is a treasury of useless information. The "THX" license plate belonged to George Lucas before he became famous.
That's the reason his unique sound system was called THX1138, and was the name of a robot in Star Wars before it went into production. He also produced American Graffiti.
Now back to your regular program....

[njsteve]

Actually THX 1138 is goes way farther back in time than that.

THX-1138 was a futuristic science fiction prison movie by George Lucas, filmed in 1969 but released in 1971. It was his first movie made as a school project while a film student at USC

It is renowned for the Lola T70s used in the chase scenes (and their destruction)

https://forums.hemmings.com/stories/2011/10/27/ask-a-hemmings-editor-were-the-lola-t70s-in-thx-1138-real-or-fake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nmxHjPuvY&ab_channel=Movieclips

Lucas used the THX and 1138 monikers in pretty much all of his movies since them, like the license plate on Milner's coupe and various Star Wars references.

[Jamess113]

Actually THX 1138 is goes way farther back in time than that.

THX-1138 was a futuristic science fiction prison movie by George Lucas, filmed in 1969 but released in 1971. It was his first movie made as a school project while a film student at USC

It is renowned for the Lola T70s used in the chase scenes (and their destruction)

https://forums.hemmings.com/stories/2011/10/27/ask-a-hemmings-editor-were-the-lola-t70s-in-thx-1138-real-or-fake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nmxHjPuvY&ab_channel=Movieclips

Lucas used the THX and 1138 monikers in pretty much all of his movies since them, like the license plate on Milner's coupe and various Star Wars references.


I didn't know that our 66 Chevy II had a George Lucus THX1138 connection? Lol. The read on the Lola t70s was pretty neat though even if it's way off topic. Lol.

[Jamess113]

Well we finally fired up the Chevy II yesterday afternoon. This is the first time this car has been started since 2016.

It been a long road to get it all cleaned up and running. We had rebuild the original water pump as the front seal was leaking pretty bad. We were very careful not to disturb any of the water pumps original patina. As I mentioned before we flushed out the fuel tank as it looked like a swamp inside, it was pretty nasty. We took the fuel pump off and apart to inspect it and flushed out all the fuel lines. The fuel lines were full sludge and after taking the fuel pump apart it was good we did as the upper part of the housing was starting to corrode. The diaphragm seamed to be in good shaped so the pump only needed a good internal cleaning. We rebuilt the carburetor which was done back in 2016 but we thought it was a good idea to go through it again just to make sure it was all in good shape with all new gaskets and we also flush out the cooling system. After a fresh oil change and filling the float bowls, she fired right up and sounded great.

There are still a few things to button it all up, but we're getting close. Were waiting for a correct style battery and once we have that we can put the battery hold down all back in place It been pretty amazing carefully cleaning the car up. Things that were cover over with dirt and grim can now been seen.

Here's a quick video of it running yesterday and a few pictures of it outside in the sun. Its probably since 2016since this car has seen the sunlight.


https://flic.kr/p/2oyK7KJ

[Jamess113]

Pictures from yesterday outside.

[Pro Stock John]

Wow...

[Charley Lillard]

Now can I have it ? :-)

[Jamess113]

Now can I have it ? :-)

I have to admit I admire your persistence Charlie.

[Xplantdad]

Looks amazing!!:headbang:

[BJCHEV396]

Most excellent!!

[dykstra]

Awesome!!

[JRSully]

That paint is absolutely stunning, unreal

[napa68]

That paint is absolutely stunning, unreal

Exactly!

[olredalert]

----What a Nova! Just the best color that year and then L79 makes this car an absolute home run.....Bill S

[60sStuff]

That car is Sick!

[DW31S]

Magnificent specimen.

[ban617]

What a fantastic find … Was the 3607 carb used in place of the 3245 when smog was installed ? Where is the amplifier for the transistor ignition , also does it have its own harness aswell ?

[60sStuff]

This is the location of the T.I. amplifier on the early GTO’s.

They get warm so this location helps the cooling of the amplifier.

[Jamess113]

What a fantastic find … Was the 3607 carb used in place of the 3245 when smog was installed ? Where is the amplifier for the transistor ignition , also does it have its own harness aswell ?

Thanks, We feel pretty lucky to have been able to purchase it and help preserve it.

Yes, the 3607 is the correct for the K19 A.I.R option in 66. I've attached some pictures. All the emission hose's have part numbers which you could barely see before I cleaned them all.

The TI Box is mounted below the wiper reservoir and above the horns, it does have it own harness as well. I've attached some pictures

[Bill Pritchard]

Compared to total 66 L79 Chevy II production, I can't imagine there were too many produced with smog. The tooling amortization costs for all those extra formed hoses, brackets, tubing, etc. has got to be pretty high. Thanks for doing such an amazing job of preservation and documentation on this incredible car :worship:

[60sStuff]

Hi Jay,

Excellent photos of more engine bay components!
Love the part numbers inked on the hoses.

When you have time could we see both decals on the valve covers.

Since I’ll never be able to view this car in person, I’ve made a folder of all your pics to scrutinize at my leisure.

Thank you, Chris.

[jeffschevelle]

Awesome car, and great caretaking. And a Beautiful assembly line air filter, with correct 65-E68 large outlined-font embossed number and diagonal soldered mesh!!

[RPOLS3]

Compared to total 66 L79 Chevy II production, I can't imagine there were too many produced with smog. :worship:

L79, Smog, and TI - gets to be a pretty small number I bet.

Amazing car - great job cleaning it up. Thanks for sharing.

[67since67]

This group of pix takes my breath away...

[dykstra]

Looking at this car never gets old!

[Jamess113]

Awesome car, and great caretaking. And a Beautiful assembly line air filter, with correct 65-E68 large outlined-font embossed number and diagonal soldered mesh!!

Thanks! Yeah, Pretty amazing its survived this long.

[Jamess113]

This group of pix takes my breath away...

I've taken so many pictures (2500 or so) but feel like I still haven't taken enough.

[Jamess113]

Compared to total 66 L79 Chevy II production, I can't imagine there were too many produced with smog. The tooling amortization costs for all those extra formed hoses, brackets, tubing, etc. has got to be pretty high. Thanks for doing such an amazing job of preservation and documentation on this incredible car :worship:

So many parts that are just specific to these cars in general. I've lean a lot from another member here that has really taken the time to help verify everything on the car is indeed correct and original. (clnovaparts ,Doug Mattew) Doug has been beyond helpful. You talk about tooling up for specific emissions parts and then you have 1st and 2nd design parts that they had to re-tool for also. Parts on early built cars are different from later built cars which make some of these parts very rare.

We've tried very hard not to lose any of the cars originality or patina. It was very nerve racking rebuilding the water pump as I had never done one before but it went well and I think anyone would be hard pressed to really notice we R&I it. I documented rebuilding it also if anyone wants to see pictures. Same with the fuel pump I was very careful in removing it to the point I was able to save the original fuel pump mounting plate gasket in one piece.

[Jamess113]

Awesome car, and great caretaking. And a Beautiful assembly line air filter, with correct 65-E68 large outlined-font embossed number and diagonal soldered mesh!!

Hard to believe that it still all intact. Thanks!

[Jamess113]

Hi Jay,

Excellent photos of more engine bay components!
Love the part numbers inked on the hoses.

When you have time could we see both decals on the valve covers.

Since I’ll never be able to view this car in person, I’ve made a folder of all your pics to scrutinize at my leisure.

Thank you, Chris.

HI Chris, Thank you. I'll post up some pictures a little later

[Jamess113]

Hi Jay,

Excellent photos of more engine bay components!
Love the part numbers inked on the hoses.

When you have time could we see both decals on the valve covers.

Since I’ll never be able to view this car in person, I’ve made a folder of all your pics to scrutinize at my leisure.

Thank you, Chris.

Here you go Chris.

[60sStuff]

Here you go Chris.

Perfect!
Just how 57 year old decals should look.

Looking forward to more photos.

Thanks again, Chris

[Jamess113]

Took a few videos of the Chevy II a couple weeks ago. I haven't been able to figure out how to post them so here are the links if you'd like to check them out.

I haven't put the hub caps back on because I plan to reinstall the original wheel cylinders after they're rebuilt. Nothing appears to be wrong with the original brake hoses either so I plan on reinstalling those as well.

I'm waiting for a correct style AC Delco DC12 Battery. I ordered one from The Battery Mall, it was the only place that seem to sell them but it's been on back order since February. If any one here has a better source for correct style DC12 battery please let me know.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/absclassicmusclecarrestoration/52950913349/in/album-72177720308092077/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/absclassicmusclecarrestoration/52950936914/in/album-72177720308092077/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/absclassicmusclecarrestoration/52950217742/in/album-72177720308092077/

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Outstanding car!!

[dykstra]

Of all the outstanding cars at MCACN, I can’t wait to see this one.:worship:

[Hawkeye]

I really enjoyed looking this Nova over at MCACN. Stunning example of preservation and originality. Congratulations on the Vintage Certification. Absolutely one of the best examples in existence.
Thanks for bringing it out and sharing.
Cheers,
Marty

[dykstra]

I really enjoyed looking this Nova over at MCACN. Stunning example of preservation and originality. Congratulations on the Vintage Certification. Absolutely one of the best examples in existence.
Thanks for bringing it out and sharing.
Cheers,
Marty

Agreed:beers:

[Jamess113]

I really enjoyed looking this Nova over at MCACN. Stunning example of preservation and originality. Congratulations on the Vintage Certification. Absolutely one of the best examples in existence.
Thanks for bringing it out and sharing.
Cheers,
Marty

A few pictures from Vintage Certification. What a great experience! It was nice meeting some of you and putting faces to names from here. It was a grueling drive from New Hampshire (16Hrs one way) but was worth it. Glad so many of you like the car!

[Charley Lillard]

What a great car and great job preserving it.

[RPOLS3]

One of my favorites at the show this year, thank you for bringing it.

[downunder1]

A few pictures from Vintage Certification. What a great experience! It was nice meeting some of you and putting faces to names from here. It was a grueling drive from New Hampshire (16Hrs one way) but was worth it. Glad so many of you like the car!

Just WOW, love that Nova.

[Jamess113]

What a great car and great job preserving it.

Thanks Charley, Great meeting you and it was nice talking with you.

[Jamess113]

One of my favorites at the show this year, thank you for bringing it.

We had a great time, So glad you enjoyed the car. It was a long trip but well worth it! Hopefully we'll be back next year.

[Jamess113]

Well we had a great time attending MCACN for our first time and be able to bring our Chevy II made the experience all that much better. I though some of you here might want to see our Judging sheet.

I think we did pretty good with the Chevy II on all levels so I thought some of you would like to see our Judging sheets. We got beat up a little on Exterior section due to some paint work but that was expected. Over all, over 90% in 5 areas and 100% in 3 out of those 5 with only 1 under 85%. Pretty good in my opinion.

[Steve Shauger]

Jay, this is a well preserved & rare L79 Nova. Thank you and the owner for participating in the Vintage Certification program!!!!

[Bill Pritchard]

Congrats on doing so well with that awesome Chevy II. Those scoring sheets are way more involved than I ever could have imagined....very intimidating.

[Pro Stock John]

Thanks for bringing the car to MCACN it was great having the opportunity to check it out in person.

[Jamess113]

Jay, this is a well preserved & rare L79 Nova. Thank you and the owner for participating in the Vintage Certification program!!!!

Thanks for inviting us Steve! Definitely would do it again if we every the opportunity.

[Jamess113]

Congrats on doing so well with that awesome Chevy II. Those scoring sheets are way more involved than I ever could have imagined....very intimidating.

Thanks! Very involved for sure! I was told they would spend about 3 hrs judging a car, Chris White spent a least 8 hours going over everything. Yes it's pretty intimidating but the Judges are all very knowledgeable and if they don't know or not sure about something the bring others in for there opinions on things they might not be 100% sure on to confirm it all. The Judging sheet really puts things in perspective.