Sleeper Project: 1972 Chevrolet Nova

The 1972 Chevrolet Nova was largely unchanged from 1971, yet production rose nearly 80% after labor issues hit GM the year before. This seller offers a nice sleeper that was stored for 10 years before being resurrected. It has a 350 cubic inch V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission, but the seller-provided VIN indicates this isn’t a numbers-matching pairing. Located in Clermont, Florida, this running project is available here on eBay, where the current bid is $11,700.

Chances are this 1972 Nova was a Plain Jane car when new. The VIN says it was built with a 307 V8, and a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission could have been its trusty companion (that transmission was nearly the end of the line; the last installation was in 1973). As a standard Nova, a bench seat would have likely occupied the passenger cabin, so the bucket seats were probably added later. The back seat has a split in it, so perhaps some of the interior was lifted out of a period Super Sport.

Though it sat for a decade, this Nova is said to run and drive well now. That doesn’t mean it won’t need more tinkering to be trustworthy. The body is rust-free (for the most part), and the silver paint is described as older and showing its age (a redo at some point?). Rally wheels are installed and look like the ones I had on my 1970 Nova (the wheel style changed in 1971).

Besides the upholstery needing some attention, we’re told a new headliner is needed. The 4-speed is floor-shifted, of course, so we wonder whether it was ever column-shifted. Though the automobile photographs well, the seller admits it is a project, but probably not one that will require removing every nut and bolt. This is the kind of Nova you’d find in high school parking lots in the 1970s and 1980s.