Here’s a first, at least for me, a Chevrolet Chevy II Nova station wagon. I’ve covered Impala wagons and Nova/Chevy II hardtops but not a Chevy II wagon. Weathered it is but it does run, let’s see what’s really here. This ’63 station wagon is located in Amarillo, Texas and is available here on eBay for a current bid of $2,125 with three bids tendered so far. Thanks to Larry D for this find!
The Chevy II was in its second year in ’63. It joined the compact domestic segment two years after Ford’s Falcon and Plymouth’s Valiant made their 1960 introduction. The air-cooled Corvair initially did Chevrolet’s compact segment bidding, starting at the same time as the Falcon and Valiant, and then vied with the Chevy II/Nova through 1969. Chevrolet’s ’63 Chevy II/Nova trim levels included the top-drawer Nova 400 in two-door hardtop and convertible styles, and four-door sedan and station wagon form. The next rung below was the Chevy II 300 in two and four-door sedan and four-door wagon. Bringing up the markers was the Chevy-II 100, same body styles available as the 300. The quarter panel badge on our subject car tells us that it’s a 100 trim level model, one of about 75K station wagons produced that year.
Surface rust (now euphemistically referred to as ‘patina’), dents, dings, creases rust? Yup, it’s got it all going on. The seller says it best as he states, “the rear tailgate glass channel was rusted away so the glass is sitting on the rollers the original channel and brackets are in the back in case you need to fabricate a new one. driver’s floor pan has a patch screwed over a rust hole and the passenger rear pan has a little rust through. the tailgate as you can see in the pics was holding water at one time, and both lower quarters have some rust on the bottom. The rest is dents as you can see in pics“. Have to appreciate the honesty, there is quite a bit going on here.
The interior is fair, no telling what happened to the radio and glovebox. The gear shifter knob looks like a pool ball and there’s a baseball stuck to something on the dash – no telling what’s up with that. There’s an image of the cargo area present and it’s in better shape than I would have anticipated except one of the driver’s side upholstery panels is missing.
The seller claims that the 120 HP, 194 CI in-line six-cylinder engine “runs pretty good” but the carburetor needs to be primed to get the motor started. The three-speed manual transmission’s clutch works OK but not the brakes – it’s believed that there is a wheel cylinder(s) problem.
The seller opens with, “pretty solid Chevy II wagon I need to get rid of..” Somehow the need to get rid of something may say more than the words actually do. Old station wagons are hot right now but I don’t know about this one. And that leads to the next question, what to do with this wagon? It’ll accommodate a V8 so I’m thinking hot-rod mash-up of some sort, what do you suggest?
I believe the baseball is now serving as the parking brake handle.
I think I’d like to use this grocery getter for a grocery getter as long as the weather was nice.
I was about to suggest the very same thing, having owned a 4-door ’63 for about 9 years. Great car little cars, but really could have used another gear on the automatic transmission.
I had a ‘63 Nova Convertible. Great little car and easy to work on, even for someone with limited skills. I wish I had never sold it (said every car guy who’s ever sold an older car).
I used to be a Chevy II fan because they’re pretty well bulletproof and always run no matter the engine or transmission. Early Chevy II has a cast iron glide and the later models have aluminum glides.
I’ve bolted up 350 V8 to the aluminum glides and they work too. The 194cid is most assuredly junk yard quality for scrap iron. No need to ever drive a 194cid as they are terrible.
Easy to get any parts for these cars.
Bob
Oh, but there’s reason to hang onto that little 194ci straight six. Or at least its cylinder head.
Plop that on a 250ci or 292ci six and you’ll gain a point of compression and with some pocket porting, better flow than the larger-displacement cylinder head. Jus’ sayin’ …
The 194 was ..basically half a Pontiac 389. But heavy and slow
oops too bad I can’t delete the earlier post..it’s the 153 that was a 4 banger and it was heavy and slow.
A friend of mine is building one now with “Church Boys Racing” front and rear suspension, a 5.3LS and a Tremec 6 speed. Can’t wait to go for a ride in it!
My Aunt had one until a speeding drunk creamed it when it was parked
in front of her house. That was the
Summer of ’71 (I think) but as I recall,
it was a good little car that always
started and got the job done. Hers
was blue with a white top and compared to other cars I saw, it had
very little rust. Would make a great
delivery vehicle once you get everything sorted out.
Actually, the small wagons ( Jim forgot the Rambler American and Lark wagons) were very popular. More so, I’d wager, than the sedans. Cars weren’t such a status symbol, like today, and people wanted the cheapest way to get the family to grandmas on Sunday, 2 counties over, these fit the bill. Not for long travel, families were a lot bigger then ( my ex-wife had 7 brothers and sisters) many with mom at home and dad with a so-so job( but looking), this was perfect. Especially once dad got the new Impala, the poor Chevy ll wagon got relegated to “mom” duty, and each sibling systematically that tried to kill it. Alas, it was the tin worm that did them in. This car? Sigh, I highly doubt anyone will go for it. People today, with even a shred of interest, want instant results, not the headaches of a restoration. It could be a fun little car again.
My brother-in-law had one of those in the late 60s, early 70s. He had dropped a 283 with a 4-speed into it. It was a nice little ride. Very fast, as the state patrolman would attest to, that stopped me going about 90 on a nice, quiet country road that I never imagined he would be on. 😆 🤣 😂
I remember going with my Dad in 62 and he bought a new Chevy 2 wagon equipment the same as this one. If I’m remembering right he paid $2.100 out the door because he got the push button radio and cigarette lighter.
I have owned 5 nova’s over the years great little cars easy to work on this one would be a good car for first time driver
I had a ’66 Nova with a V-8, unnecessary. The big 6 would have been fine.
This needs major money to bring it back from the dead but once there would be reliable and intelligent carrier for chores forever.
I think this would be a fun little cruiser for around town stuff, and the best part is the self entitled Tesla owner is less likely to cut you off and brake check you because it looks like something without insurance
My father-in-law gifted me one of these back in the 1970’s and I’ll never forgive him. I just couldn’t believe how GM could make a small car drive like a truck. It was awful to drive. Also, the transmission would hang up in 1st gear unless you moved the lever just so. Then you had to get under the hood and jostle the linkage to free it up.
That happens with old cars and a lot of mileage. My Valiant did the same thing until I adapted a stouter rebuilt torque bar from a later model A Body.
My parents new 63 Dart 270 wagon had to be towed from the driveway and back to the dealer because the linkage hung up.
Chevy II won Car Life’s Engineering Award in 1962 for it single leaf rear springs.
A direct Falcon competitor, which the Corvair really wasn’t.
BFF had a clapped out 63 he drove from LA to FL and back and it was still running when it went to the junk yard.
Nova SS hardtop, 6, PowerGlide, console, bucket seats, trashed driver’s side rear fender…
Just to clarify Mr White’s post.I have owned many of these Chevy II and Novas.They NEVER had a Cast Iron PG.The new Aluminum PG was made for these cars for the 62 intro and were air cooled.All six cylinders were air cooled.When the V8 came in 64,they were air cooled through the radiator like the rest.The full size cars in 62 had the Cast Iron PG for the last year being used with the exception of the high performance 327 or 409 engine due to weight.The Aluminum PG came standard for all 63 models.The PG stayed on until the early 70’s.
This will become a donor car for parts like every wagon before it.
To bad it is a six, more useless parts.
The 2 door six car was a cheap run around car when they were around. When the six gave up then they were turned into V8 cars. But needed 5 lug drive train installed also as the four lug was not going to stop you after any high speed assault.
Parts car, yep…..
My old man here in New Zealand bought a 64 Nova Wagon in 65. Already right hand drive, so don’t know if it came from the factory that way or was converted here. It had the 194 engine. Clearly remember him hitting the ton on a down hill straight on a back road with us hanging over the back of the seat watching the needle.
It has now passed through several of our family members and now I believe has been converted to a hotrod by a non family person.
I wonder how a torque monster 292 in one these would go. Quite the sleeper.