The third generation of the Chevy Nova (1968 to 1972) is popular for cloning as a Super Sport. That’s because it usually takes documentation to prove it’s a real SS. Despite the hood swap and the script on the front fenders, this 1970 Nova was built with a six-cylinder engine and comes as a roller without an engine or transmission. Located in Dunlap, Tennessee, this stalled project is available here on eBay, where the $4,000 opening bid has no takers yet, plus a reserve.
We assume the VIN provided by the seller is correct. If so, the coupe was one of 116,735 1970 Novas produced with 2 doors and the 250-cubic-inch inline-6. But if it was a real SS 396, just 1,802 came with the L34 396 at 350 horses, while 3,765 buyers went for the L78 at 375 hp. With the raised hood that doesn’t match the rest of the car and bucket seats, this looks like a clone project that got a little bit off the ground but stopped short of a powertrain.
What do we know about this Chevy? We’re told the engine and tranny are gone, but one of the photos shows the car with an incomplete motor on a lift. When it had a transmission, it was supposedly an automatic (Powerglide or Turbo-Hydramatic?). The stated mileage is 23,386, but is the odometer on its second time around, and when was the last mile added to it? The seller has owned the Nova for four years and needs someone else to finish the project.
We’re told that the drivetrain has been updated in one paragraph, and in another there is none. So, which is it? This sounds like AI did most of the work in placing this paid listing on eBay rather than a freebie on craigslist. If you bought the car, would you continue down the path of an SS clone or do something else?
Yo say it’s rough is an understatement.