Chevrolet Nova SS 3 Generation 396/375 L78 Sport Coupe 1970
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Car producer : |
Chevrolet |
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Model: |
Nova SS 3 Generation 396/375 L78 Sport Coupe 1970 |
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Year: |
1968-1974 |
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Type: |
Coupe |
The 1968 models were fully redesigned with an extensive restyle on a longer 111-inch wheelbase that gave Chevy's compacts a chassis that was just one inch shorter than that of the midsize Chevelle coupe. The station wagon and hardtop sport coupe were discontinued, the former in line with an industry trend which left AMC the only American maker of compact station wagons until Chrysler rejoined the market in 1976 (the 1966–70 Ford Falcon wagon was actually a midsize, using a bodyshell identical to the Fairlane wagon's). One notable change was the front subframe assembly — as compared with Ford, Chrysler and AMC, in whose cars the entire front suspension was integrated with the bodyshell, a separate subframe housing the powertrain and front suspension (similar to the front part of the frame of GM's full-size, full-framed vehicles) replaced the earlier style. Although the front subframe design was unique for the Nova, the Camaro introduced a year earlier was the first to incorporate such a design; the redesigned Nova was pushed a year ahead to 1968 instead of 1969. The sales brochure claimed 15 powertrain choices for coupes and a dozen for sedans. Options included power brakes and steering, Four-Season or Comfort-Car air conditioning, rear shoulder belts, and head restraints. There were a few Chevrolet Novas built with the 194 ci (3.1 L), the same motor that had been used in the previous generations of the Chevy II. Sales of the 1968 Chevy Nova fell by half. In 1969 Chevrolet dropped the Chevy II portion of its compact car's name; it was now known simply as the Chevrolet Nova. The 153 cu in (2.51 L) four-cylinder engine was offered between 1968 and 1970, then was dropped due to lack of interest (besides its other usage in the Jeep DJ-5A a.k.a. the Postal Jeep or a marine/industrial engine) and to clear the field for the Vega. Far more popular were the 250 cu in (4.1 L) six-cylinder and the base 307 cu in (5.03 L) V8, which replaced the 283 cu in (4.64 L) V8 offered in previous years. Several units were produced with the 327 cu in (5.36 L), 275 hp (205 kW), engine, four-barrel quadrajet carb and four-speed Saginaw transmission with a heavy duty 12 bolt positraction rear as a "towing option' package. At mid-year, a semi-automatic transmission based on the Powerglide called the Torque-Drive (RPO MB1) was introduced as a low-cost option (~$100 less than the Powerglide) for clutchless motoring. The Torque-Drive transmission was only offered with the four and six-cylinder engines. The two-speed Powerglide was still the only fully automatic transmission available with most engines, as the more desirable three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic was only available with the largest V8 engines.
The Nova Super Sport was transformed from a trim option to a performance package for 1968. One of the smallest muscle cars ever fielded by Detroit, the Nova SS now included a 295 hp (220 kW) 350 cu in (5.7 l) V8 engine along with a heavy-duty suspension and other performance hardware, priced at US$312.Optional engines included two versions of the big-block 396 cu in (6.5 l) V8 rated at 350 hp (260 kW) and 375 hp (280 kW), which went for US$348. Both engines were offered with a choice of transmissions including the M-21 close-ratio four-speed manual, the heavy-duty M-22 "Rock Crusher" four-speed manual, or the three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission. A total of 5,571 SS coupes were produced for 1968. Novas sported the SS badge until 1976. [15] Front disc brakes were optional on the 1968 Nova SS.
For 1969 the Chevy II nameplate was retired, leaving the Nova nameplate. The "Chevy II by Chevrolet" trunk lid badge was replaced with "Nova by Chevrolet" and the "Chevy II" badge above the grille was replaced with the bowtie emblem and the ’69 model was promoted under the Nova model name in Chevrolet sales literature.
As with other 1969 GM vehicles, locking steering columns were incorporated into the Nova. Simulated air extractor/vents were added below the Nova script, which was relocated to the front fender behind the wheel well instead of the rear quarter panel. The 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8 with four-barrel carburetor that came standard with the SS option was revised with a 5 hp (4 kW) increase to 300 hp (220 kW), while a two-barrel carbureted version of the 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8 rated at 255 hp (190 kW) was a new option on non-SS models. The SS option price remained US$312 A new Turbo-Hydramatic 350 three-speed automatic was made available for non-SS Novas with six-cylinder and V8 engines, although the older two-speed Powerglide continued to be available on the smaller-engined Novas. 1969 SS models were the first Nova SS models to have standard front disc brakes.
The 1970 Nova was basically a carryover from 1969. The side marker and taillight lenses for the 1970 Nova were wider and positioned slightly differently. This was the final year for the SS396 (actually, a 402 cubic in. engine now). All other engines were carried over including the seldom-ordered four-cylinder which was in its final year. The car finally became simply the Chevrolet Nova this year after two years of transitional nameplates (Chevy II Nova in 1968 and Chevrolet Chevy Nova in 1969). Out of 254,242 Novas sold for 1970, 19,558 were the SS 350 or SS 396 version. Approximately 177 Central Office Production Order (COPO) Novas were ordered, with 175 converted by Yenko Chevrolet. The other two were sold in Canada. The Nova was used in Trans-Am racing this year.
1971 Novas were similar to the previous year. The 396 cu in (6.49 L) engine was replaced with the 350 cu in (5.7 L) in the SS model. 1971 also saw the introduction of the Rally Nova, a trim level that only lasted two years (until it resurfaced in 1977). The Rally kit included black or white stripes that ran the length of the car and around the back, a Rally Nova sticker on the driver's side of the hood, Rally wheels, multi-leaf rear springs, and a "sport" body colored driver's side mirror that was adjustable from the interior. The well-hyped Vega stole sales from the Nova this year, but the compact soon would enjoy a resurgence of popularity that would last deep into the 1970s. A mid year production change was the front door hinges spot welded to the A pillar and the door shell, a design shared with the Vega and later implemented by GM's subsequent light duty trucks and vans which later was used with the S10, Astro van, and full size trucks commencing with the GMT400 a decade later.
The 250 cu in (4.1 L) six-cylinder engine was now the standard Nova engine with the demise of the 153 cu in (2.51 L) four-cylinder and 230 cu in (3.8 L) six-cylinder engines. The 307 cu in (5.03 L) and 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8s were carried over from 1970 and all engines featured lowered compression ratios to enable the use of unleaded gasoline as a result of a GM corporate mandate that took effect with the 1971 model year.
After 1971, other GM divisions began rebadging the Nova as their new entry-level vehicle, such as the Pontiac Ventura II (once a trim option for full-size Pontiacs to 1970), Oldsmobile Omega and the Buick Apollo. This was considered to build brand loyalty with respective GM divisions although the company later fused their badge engineering with platform sharing to cut expenditures. Interestingly, the initials of the four model names spelled out the acronym NOVA (Nova, Omega, Ventura, Apollo).
The 1972 Nova received only minor trim changes. The Rally Sport option with special suspension returned and was a rather popular choice, with 33,319 sold. Super Sport equipment went on 12,309 coupes, some of which also had the Rally package. Nova production moved to Norwood, Ohio, where it would be assembled alongside the Camaro. At mid-year a sunroof option became available on two-door models. Also, the optional Strato bucket seats available on coupes switched from the previous low-back design with adjustable headrests to the high back units with built-in headrests introduced the previous year on Camaros and Vegas. Despite the lack of change, Nova had its best sales season in years, with production of the 1972 models reaching 349,733. Of these, 139,769 had the six-cylinder engine.
The 1973 model year introduced a hatchback bodystyle based on the 2-door coupe. The front and rear of the Nova were restyled, following a government mandate for vehicles to be fitted with front and rear bumpers capable of absorbing a low-speed impact of 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h). To go along with the bigger bumpers, stylists gave the Nova a new grille with a loosely patterned crosshatch insert and parking lights located inboard of the headlights. In 1974, they could absorb 5 mph impacts. Fuel tank capacity increased to 21 gallons, which required a redesigned trunk pan where a circular section was stamped to house the space saver spare tire used on hatchback models.
An SS option remained available, but it was merely a $123 dress-up package that included a blackout grille and Rally wheels. It could be ordered with any of the Nova engines. 35,542 SS packages were installed, making 1973 the best-selling year for the option. A modified rear side window shape was also introduced, eliminating the vent windows on both two- and four-door models. A revised rear suspension was adapted from the second generation Camaro with multi-leaf springs replacing the mono-leaf springs used on Novas since the original 1962 model. By this time, six-cylinder and V8 engines were de rigueur for American compact cars, with the 307 cu in (5.03 L) and 350 cu in (5.7 L) V8s becoming fairly common. The 1973 Nova with a six-cylinder engine or 307 cu. in.(5.0 L) V8 were among the last Chevrolets to be offered with the two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, which was in its final year. A dressy Custom series (which became a mid-level trim package in 1975) joined the Nova line and a Custom hatchback listed for $2,701 with a six-cylinder engine. That was $173 more than the six-cylinder base-model two-door hatchback. Air conditioning added $381. Every 1973 Chevrolet Nova got side guard door beams and additional sound insulation, as well as flow-through ventilation systems. A sunroof could be installed, and fold-down rear seats were available.
Retired race car driver and muscle car specialist Don Yenko of Yenko Chevrolet in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania refitted a series of Third generation Novas, as well as Chevelles and Camaros for optimum performance to compete with the frontrunning Ford Mustangs, Plymouth Barracudas and Dodge Challengers. The specially redesigned Nova (sometimes known as the "Yenko Supernova") had a stronger body frame and suspension system to house the powerful and heavy 427cid (7.0L) V8 engine that powered the Yenko Super Cars. Only 37 were known to be produced with an original selling price of $4,000.00. Today, only seven units are registered and known to exist. In 1970, emissions standards and fuel economy were taking a toll on muscle cars. To counter this, Yenko requested a high-output Chevy 350cid V8 in his special line of Novas, the same engine that the new Z-28 Camaro and LT1 Corvette shared. Additionally, the new "Yenko Deuce", as it was known, had extensive suspension, transmission, and rear axle upgrades along with some very lively stripes, badges, and interior decals.
