Exceptionally Clean! 1977 Chevrolet Nova

Back in the day, I almost bought a new version of this car, a 1977 Chevrolet Nova. I don’t know why; the “almost” being the “close but no cigar” event. Instead, I ended up with a ’77 Z28, and that was a mostly miserable experience, but I am digressing. This Chevy is almost 50 years old (where did all those years go?!), and it still presents nicely, so let’s take a closer look; perhaps I can recall what it is about this version of  Chevrolet’s ubiquitous Nova that piqued my interest so many years ago. Gate City, Virginia, is where you’ll find this X-body compact, and it’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $11,000, OBO. Thanks are due to PRA4SNW for this tip!

Measuring up as the fourth (’75-’79) and last edition of Chevrolet’s very popular compact (I don’t consider the follow-on NUMMI Toyota version to truly be a Nova), the body styles were three in ’77: a two-door notchback, a two-door liftback, and a four-door sedan. There were two models offered, Standard (our subject) and Concours, with a Rally trim package, a visual SS replacement, known as RPO Z26, available for the Standard model. Nova had a good year in ’77 with total deliveries reaching 292K units, of which 133K were two-door notchbacks. The seller tells us, “In great condition, no rust, clean paint,” and it looks it. The finish appears to have nice depth, though the exterior images are a bit shadowy, so it’s difficult to fully assess the external condition. Regardless, what can be seen looks straight and rust-free. It’s nice to see the original rally wheels, including their trim rings, still in place – they often got the day-two, file 86 treatment.

V8 power in ’77 meant either a 305 or a 350 CI V8 engine. The seller states that this is a 350, but I doubt its originality – the alternator is on the wrong side for ’77, and that usually has to do with the long (water) pump vs. short pump fitment- but it’s hard to say with certainty. Also, the black painted block and valve covers are representative of what’s often found on a crate engine. Anyway, I spy an aluminum intake manifold, a Holley carburetor, and the obvious open-element air cleaner. The seller claims, “runs and drives perfect.” The engine is backed with a Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission; hopefully, it’s a 350 series and not the lightweight 200, which started to make less-than-satisfactory appearances with V8 engines in this era.

The bench seat interior is amazingly clean considering this car’s age, though its claimed 75K miles of use is rather minimal. The door panels, seating upholstery, and dash are all in fine shape. This is, or was, an A/C equipped car, but the compressor has been removed. Also, the speedometer looks as if it’s stuck on 10 MPH.

OK, so to answer my question, why would I have been interested in a car like this 1977 Chevrolet Nova? I can’t really say now, nor remember any thought process that flickered through my dim-witted mind back then. Maybe it was the old-school shape and the option of a V8 engine coupled to a four-speed manual transmission that caught my attention; who knows? Back to this subject, I imagine it will have some draw; its condition is certainly notable. Now, how about that $11,000 price? What’s your thought, priced right or not quite?