Xplantdad
08-14-2006, 07:00 AM
Bruce......I was one of the Lucky people to have the pleasure of buying a brand new L79 SS Marina Blue Nova back in the day.....I drove it, I raced it, I beat it, I cleaned it, and I (believe it or not) put a Big Block with a built Turbo 400 in it back in 68......Boy ...was I smart........then the family came and the car went......I sold it in 68 or 69 to a guy on the south side of Chicago and never saw it again.........
Twenty years later I went on a Quest (pre-Internet days) to get another Nova.....I drove all over the Midwest looking at advertised Perfect Novas...... NOT .....so I just gave up on finding something decent........On Vacation down in Bradenton, Florida I just happened to look in the local paper while sitting on the beach and saw a 66 Nova advertised, talked the wife into going inland to look at it .....when we got there it was sitting in the back yard with it's driveway paint job and dented front fenders.....it was a non SS car with a bench seat, White top and Mist Blue bottom, 283 P.G .......Ending up buying the car and shipping it back home.....bought new GM fenders and stripped the body down to bare metal....the car had been undercoated when it was new and other than the dents on the fenders, the car was perfect with absolutely no damage or Rust....
I had the car painted Marina Blue, put the SS Interior in it and started to have Car Fun again........When GM came out with the ZZZ family of crate motors, I bought one and installed it along with headers and a 4 speed.....Now it's getting interesting........About this time I started my own business......so the car got put into the garage for 5 years as I now didn't have the time for car stuff........
One weekend I was talked into taking the car out to the Grove (Big Mistake) and I was beaten by a rice burner.......Ran 13.80's that first time.....over the course of a couple of years and changing parts (700R4 in place of the 4 speed), Camshaft, forged pistons,suspension, nitrous, etc.....just taking the time to match parts and tune the system........with 235-60 BFG Drag Radials I got the car to run a best time of 10.92 @ 126mph.......because I didn't want to put a cage in the car.....I was very politely told Not to come back ...........Now with the other cars to drive, it's nice to get in Granpa's Noisy Car as my grand daughter calls it once in a while and have some Street Fun........
Ken http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02116.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02120.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02118.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02113.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02121.jpg
Twenty years later I went on a Quest (pre-Internet days) to get another Nova.....I drove all over the Midwest looking at advertised Perfect Novas...... NOT .....so I just gave up on finding something decent........On Vacation down in Bradenton, Florida I just happened to look in the local paper while sitting on the beach and saw a 66 Nova advertised, talked the wife into going inland to look at it .....when we got there it was sitting in the back yard with it's driveway paint job and dented front fenders.....it was a non SS car with a bench seat, White top and Mist Blue bottom, 283 P.G .......Ending up buying the car and shipping it back home.....bought new GM fenders and stripped the body down to bare metal....the car had been undercoated when it was new and other than the dents on the fenders, the car was perfect with absolutely no damage or Rust....
I had the car painted Marina Blue, put the SS Interior in it and started to have Car Fun again........When GM came out with the ZZZ family of crate motors, I bought one and installed it along with headers and a 4 speed.....Now it's getting interesting........About this time I started my own business......so the car got put into the garage for 5 years as I now didn't have the time for car stuff........
One weekend I was talked into taking the car out to the Grove (Big Mistake) and I was beaten by a rice burner.......Ran 13.80's that first time.....over the course of a couple of years and changing parts (700R4 in place of the 4 speed), Camshaft, forged pistons,suspension, nitrous, etc.....just taking the time to match parts and tune the system........with 235-60 BFG Drag Radials I got the car to run a best time of 10.92 @ 126mph.......because I didn't want to put a cage in the car.....I was very politely told Not to come back ...........Now with the other cars to drive, it's nice to get in Granpa's Noisy Car as my grand daughter calls it once in a while and have some Street Fun........
Ken http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02116.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02120.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02118.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02113.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b156/lotsayenkopics/Members%20Rides/Kwhizz/L79%20Nova/tn_DSC02121.jpg