The Super Sport was the performance side of the Chevy Nova in 1972. An L48 350 cubic inch V8 was the only powerplant offered and 12,309 copies were delivered. We don’t know the split between manual and automatic transmissions, but this nice example has a 4-speed. The car comes with a build sheet to prove it’s a real SS and the engine and tranny are original to the sweet machine. Another fine tip brought to us by Rocco B.!
With insurance companies clamping down on barn burners like the Chevelle SS 396, buyers began to shift to smaller performance cars that might attract less attention. This included the Plymouth Duster 340, Dodge Demon 340, and the Ventura-based Pontiac GTO (but only in 1974). The seller’s Nova’s engine produced 200 horsepower, down from 300 two years earlier but the rating system had changed to SAE net and the compression ratios had been lowered.
As the story goes, this Nova has its factory drivetrain, but the paint and interior have been redone to match the day the car was built. The odometer reading is 22,000 miles, but we suspect it has rolled over for this work to have been done. It’s a well-equipped Nova with power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning, though the latter needs a new compressor. Everything looks nice and tidy, and the seller almost gets the whole car in the shot for most of the photos.
The car’s appearance is not perfect, but darn close, and the vehicle comes with validating paperwork. The automobile’s original air cleaner and valve covers have been saved while the engine compartment sports some bling. From Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, this Chevy is available here on craigslist for $39,950 OBO.
It’s got one of those cheapie universal Hurst shifters that were around in the ’80s. You had to cut your transmission tunnel to install them as they kind of mounted over to the side of the transmission. It seems really odd that somebody would install one of those on a car equipped with a factory 4-speed.
Correct.
That’s about the time Hurst shifters started getting expensive. More than a few people will buy a used one at the swapmeet that is supposed to fit, but didn’t. Today a new competition plus shifter is $500+ plus another $250+ for the installation kit.
Steve R
Had I been a clear thinking teen, rather than watching those smoking diesel rigs go by, I would have bought my grandfathers ’72 Nova, and done this with it. I read, the base price of a ’72 Nova was $2467. Gramps car had a couple options, the 350, 2 barrel, 3 speed auto, P/S, P/B, and radio, oh, and a clock, my grandma always demanded a clock, but not much else. He didn’t get peanuts for the ’65 Impala 4 door he traded, so maybe $3grand. I loved my grandfather, and take after him in many ways. I know he would have given me the car had I shown any interest. Funny to think back on that by just a mere Chevy Nova post, huh?
Howard I am with you the older I get strange how something will trigger a long forgotten memory
Often I will comment about the memory under my breath and my wife will say what are you muttering about!! Duh I said that out loud
Non big block nova 40k?……Nope!
Nice car but not $40,000 nice
I bought a 74 Nova SS about 6 years ago. PS/PB/350/Auto/AC/console with gauges. Gave $10K for it. Paint, interior, 375hp/396, all the correct stuff for the BB install so to the “un-Nova” eye it looks stock. Camero AC suitcase, B&M kit in tranny with 2200 stall converter, 3.73 posi rear…Still not done, got more than $35K in just paint and parts, no labor. These can get really expensive really fast!
You didn’t see many up north with air. Two tone says it was a more mature owner. Needs the correct shifter. Would love to buzz around in this one.
Wow 40 k and it needs a compressor 40k should bring perfection
My First car! 1970 Nova. I was 16 when I bought it from my grandpa. 307 2dr automatic. I pretty much ruined a nice car. Painted the hood black with Mopar dual hood scoops. I had to cut the rear 1/4s to make the tires fit!! So if I smoked the tires I could open the truck and more smoke would come out. AH to be 16!!
The aftermarket shifter that forces you to use the larger aftermarket boot that looks terrible. For 40k, and no buckets, console and gages and a peg leg rear end to boot! For each his own, but not my cup of tea! GLWS!
The problem isn’t that it’s an aftermarket shifter, it’s that they didn’t buy the Hurst shifter designed for this car. If they had it would fit through the factory hole and would have had a handle that was longer and angled back towards the seat. Used Hurst shifters are incredibly common at swapmeets and until recently we’re a fraction of the price of new. I worked at a speed shop for years, after every big swapmeet you’d have several people come in and try to adapt the used shifter they just bought to their car. Sometimes it was an easy fix, other times they just hacked up the floors and bought a bigger boot, just like what’s on this car.
Steve R
I helped a buddy put one of these in his 1969 Camaro back in the day. It’s impossible to install it without cutting the transmission tunnel. As I said above, it mounts to the side of the transmission, so there’s no way it will fit otherwise.
I would be very suspicious of this detail. Not only do you need to fix the floor but it may not be what it’s being represented to be. No one would go through that trouble on a real 4-speed car, What’s implies?It was originally an automatic or a column shift 3-speed.
TinIndy, I installed several Hurst Competition Plus shifters and never has a problem, they all fit through the factory hole, even used the factory boot, I just stretched it over the chrome handle.
What shifter did you guys try to install? There are some that won’t fit, they were universal in nature. Did your friends shifter new or used?
Steve R
TinIndy, I forget to mention this, but all 1969 Camaro Z28’s came equipped with Hurst Competition Plus shifters from the factory.
Steve R
Steve, he used the shifter this car has, which is the budget universal job. The Competition Plus shifters were a lot more expensive and they fit properly.
The universal is big and bulky and bolts to the side of the transmission, so you need to cut the tunnel facing the driver’s side.
So somebody did this on the cheap. Probably many years ago when these cars were not worth much.
TinIndy, thanks, that was my point. If you spent the extra money on the right part they fits. We always sold direct replacement shifters unless the buyer wanted a race oriented shifter like the Super Shifter 3 or V-gate. It was less headache for everyone involved. I don’t remember ever looking up a generic shifter, I don’t think we even stocked them.
A lot of people complained about Hurst. They didn’t deserve it. Most often it was from people cutting corners to save a few bucks then blaming the shifter. We saw that with several brands, people would trouble shoot by changing parts, when the new part didn’t fix their problem they wanted their money back and would bad mouth the manufacturer.
Steve R
40k.!! that’s a loud number for a s/b nova with a/c that doesn’t work. good luck