From all indications, this 1969 Chevy Nova was a somewhat basic car when new. The VIN indicates it had an inline-6 engine (250 cubic inches?) and a 2-speed Powerglide. The original owner may have kept it this way until the seller acquired it and performed major surgery. Now a monster motor resides under the hood along with a slew of other upgrades and changes. Yet, it wears its original blue-Ish paint, complete with patina, looking a bit like a sleeper. Located in Lebanon, Tennessee, this one-of-a-kind build is available here on eBay where more than $44,200 will be needed to crack the reserve.
The compact Chevy II lost that designation altogether in 1969 and was now simply the Nova. Chevrolet built more than a quarter-million of them, being one of the best-selling vehicles the GM division would have to peddle. This example had a vinyl roof covering and some trim options added when it was new, but not much else. And while the seller has applied some SS badging, this car is far from a Nova Super Sport tribute or clone. Mechanically, it’s much more modern – and likely substantially more powerful.
A lot of car-guy speak is used to describe what’s been done to the auto. That begins with the engine from 2004, an LQ4 V8 (6.0 liters) that was a small-block engine used in GM trucks around the turn of the century. It was better known as the Vortec 6000. The list of upgrades goes on and on and rather than repeat what the seller says, why not just dig deeper into the listing? We don’t know the horsepower output of the engine as installed, but surely it’s far greater than the 300 hp a Nova SS 350 would have produced.
The body is original and clean as is the paint, which appears to have had a clear coat applied to give it a lustrous shine. The battery has been moved to the trunk and the Chevy has aftermarket wheels along with vintage air conditioning (under the dash, but nicely tucked in). The interior has been redone using bucket seats that would have been in an SS. The seller says this car runs, drives, and handles better than original – and even more so than his/her Lexus. The transformation was completed in the Fall of 2023, so everything here is fresh. Only 5,000 or so miles have been added, just enough to nicely break in everything. Anything that you would add to the mix or just enjoy what the seller has created?
He says it handles better than his Lexus. Now that’s something.
I’d add a second car to the mix for that $45k asking price. Coat of paint would have been nice, too. Or at least knock off the $10k a buyer will have to spend for the paint job the mechanical restoration demands.
Loved his handiwork so much he couldn’t wait to sell it.
It has everything new, sans paint. I could paint it for far less than $10K, more like $2K and be proud to show it. It’s all in the prep, and I don’t see dents or rot in it.
I was never a fan of waxed rust.
Looks pretty drab compared to a couple of recent Novas that have popped up on BF lately. For that price I agree it should come with paint.
I love original paint cars and this one is no different. But at that price you can do so much better than a base model nova with 20 year old truck motor in it.
Too much asking price for this one . I owned one with a six cylinder and it ran extremely well with very little service and was still running great when I sold it regrettably . Love the patina on this one though !
I don’t mind the paint so much, I’d drive it that way, but for the money I would like a decent set of wheels and a manual.
Hahaha youve all missed the point its a Q ship //// Sleeper unassuming looking grandmas car thats why the patina paint drab looks bet he got tickets thats why hes selling it too much fun
still had the chevy ll moniker on the hood
I think the motor looks worse than the paint.
Drive better than a Lexus? Very doubtful. And the word patina is really starting to get boring.
It’s a sleeper with a 6.0 motor in it. Very fast and fun. The reserve is not meet yet. Probably $50,000 with all the work done to it. Yeah not crazy about the rust/clear coat job. But again that’s the reason for the look. Nobody would think it’s a hot rod. Unless it’s running and you can hear it. Nice clean job. Good luck to the seller. 🐻🇺🇸
As a professional auto body and paint technician for just over 50 years, I think all clear coated “patina” cars and trucks look like crap except rat rods.
I agree with you 100%.
Had the same car with the inline 250 and 2 speed slip and slush. Sold it 3 years ago for 500 bucks. go figure
does the lexus come with it ?
Ok, I am going to piss off A Lot of people. As for patina, rat rods and crazy asking prices like this…..the patina and rat rods are poor excuses for keeping a crappy paint job that looks like “S”. The same goes for those piece of “S” rat rods. Either redo the car the way it should be and get rid of these stupid excuse terms for for JUNK.
Maybe $4,400.