We had an L78 on our Dyno, it actually put out 512 hp and 505 tq. We used Hooker headers with 2inch primary and a 850 Holley dp carb. Chevy surely underated this for insurance
The 455 Olds Buick and Pontiac engines are the lightest of the oem cast iron big blocks I think? A complete 455 Pontiac engine aircleaner to oil pan wieghed only 140-150 lbs more than a 70 355ci SBC If my memory is correct and Not a bad trade off for another 100ci
I'm generally not a GM enthusiast, cars like this one change my mind at a high rate of speed. Factory, stock without too much bling is my speed. Love it.
My uncle has the exact same color 70 SS, 4 speed L78, 3.55 that he is the second owner of since '71! As a kid, many times I went on 200 mile trips with him back then, and he tried to always keep it above 90MPH on those trips! Thanks for the memories!!! Shared to my FB
Beautiful stock NOVA! Absolutely love that blue, as you mentioned, I don’t remember seeing many that color …I think it’s one of the best. This car brings back so many memories, I’m an older boomer, and a friend of mine had one of these with headers and some other bolt on mods and he was destroying most guys in the quarter mile. I had a 70 1/2 Z28 with a lot of mods and I still couldn’t beat him. Man, I wish I would’ve kept that car but sold it in 1980 needing money at the time. I know there’s a lot of my generation that feel the same!
Lots of Fathom Blue Chevelles. Not sure on the ‘70 Nova. Headers really made these cars come alive. Really choked from the factory. The fact that this car is now running 12.7s with extra tuning is remarkable.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Very true statement! My dad had a triple black 71 SS 350 car loaded,a 1972 cylinder, a "K" code 73 SS. Apparently a Penske Canadian special built SS high comp 350 big radiator, only 100 made?
I had an L78 396 and it is one of the best muscle engines ever. If Ford had put the 427 FE cam in the Mustang. The street racer would put headers and a cam and the MR aluminum intake the two would have been such a pair! The 383 67 Barracuda ,those three were so fun and Chevy had their best!
Ordered a 1969 nova new , it had a 327 with a 325 hp rating , I changed the intake and carb right away to the intake and carb of the Z28 , 302 .at about a month old it ran 14.3 with stock everything from the factory , it had a 3:70 axle ratio , also a 4 speed , tires from the factory.
NICE RIDE! Love the '70 Nova! Had one back in 81-82. Was a '70 SS small block 350 4-speed. Had low geared rear end. Had to run about 18psi pressure in the rear tires (old bias ply) or it would just melt the tires down on takeoff. Sure miss that one........
I have been selling automobiles since January 1968. These novas and chevelles were a vary inexpensive vehicles when new. That particular Chevy nova would have an original window sticker of around thirty four hundred dollars. Personally sold about 15-20 of these new.
The Feb. '70 issue of 'Hot Cars' had a test of the L78 Nova, and they were quite harsh on it. They actually called it a 'stone' in stock tune (high 14's) and that it needed a distributor recurve and smog equipment removal to get it into the 13's. It's cool to see an example of what the car is actually capable of. I had a '69 SS396 350hp Nova in the mid '70's when it was just a 'used car'. I practically gave it away. I need a time machine......
@@jaybramble2029 I never heard of anyone saying this before. This one runs 12s on bias plies with 3.55 gears and the factory exhaust system. I have to think yours came from the dealership in need of a serious tune.
@musclecarcampy9922 You are quite right. I had a '70 SS Nova that came from Nicky Chevrolet in Chicago. It was equipped with the L-78, 402cid/375hp Turbo 400 and the lighter bench seat. I had my dad pick it up on a business trip to Milwaukee and he was lucky to drive it to Birmingham, AL. without catching fire.They had never done a pre-delivery inspection and the fuel lines on the Holly Carb was leaking when i first opened the hood. It was also in such a poor state of tune I that I wanted to send it back. After addressing the fuel leak and discarding the first smog pump I had ever seen I replaced heavy fixed steel radiator fan with a Flexalite one. Rejetting the carb and changing the springs in the distributor made a world of difference. Eventually, with slapper type traction bars, better tires, Hooker Headers feeding into Corvair mufflers, and further tuning (re-jetting again and 38° total advance all in at 2000rpm), the car clocked 12.01 secondsin the quarter mile. This was my street car so I never changed the gearing or torque converter...It was within .5 second of the NHRA record of 11.65 for B/S-A.
@@jaybramble2029I don't know what my rear gears were, but I had my '70 L-78, T-400 running a 12.01 quarter mile wiith basic tuning and a set of Hooker Headers.
I bought an L78 Forest green 1970 SS396(402ci) from Colonial Chevrolet in Norfolk Va after I got out of the Navy, bad ass street car, turning 13.20s on MH street tires with 3:73 rear m21 close ratio 4sp , 2 yrs later turned it into a legal NHRA A/S won my class at Rockingham Dragway , outrun Steve Taylor who was the then current National record holder and had won A/s 3 yrs in a row , he red lighted in an attempt to get an edge as I was running consistently 3to 4 tenths faster in the 1/4, I eventually ran a 12.19 on MH street tires, I went 5 rounds before breaking out against an H/S mustang which I caught in 4th gear we both broke out but I lost because I broke out .27 to his .17, a year later with rules change I could run Real slicks and my L78 ran a best of 11.17 121 mph , I would love to have this car back 😎🇺🇸
Had this exact car in my eairly 20's, except it was a 4 speed, but had sucked a valve. The best looking Chevy muscle car ever in my opinion, and lighter than a chevelle ! 🎯🥳🤩
If you put 3.70 to 4.11 gears in it with headers, small slicks, good gas, advance timing, you had an easy mid 11s car . I know, i grew up at that time , the time of the muscle cars !! Magazines ran them stock and turned 13s spinning the tires half way through the eighth mile ! Lol !
The NHRA Record for B-Stock Automatic was 11.65. My 1970 Nicky Nova with little more than Hooker Headers and some slapper type traction bars and good tuning ran the quarter in 12.01. This was my street car, so I never changed the gearing or the torque converter.
I built a friend of mine a 1970 L T1 350 replica. Literally we went with the 11 0 1 compression and a comp Cam's nostagal replacement cam that was revised a little bit but still considered a accurate replacement. Oh Is that engine Had such a Great-Power band and it would pull through the RPM and loved 6800 RPM. The valve train noise of the solid lifters Was music to our ears.
I have one of these but the previous year..... The Sleeper Awakes was the AD.. I am not sure what it is about this body style, but they are absolute hoot to drive. You got the bigger strato seats from the Chevelle in a body that's lighter than a Camaro, and better weight distribution over the back tires due to overhang, and they feel like they weigh nothing. This car is a beauty for sure. Almost none of them ever had the floor shifted console like that with an automatic... super setup. 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Forgot to watch this last night - duh... I thought all Nova consoles in those years had the gauges like the '69 Camaro - although with black faces on the Nova. I guess that's a deluxe interior with carpet and that woodgrain. It's surprising to see in a Nova, and more so in this example, since it appears to be a total stripper on the outside, with its lack of bright trim on the drip rail and around the side glass. Always wondered why the Nova never got the 'Horseshoe' shifter of the Camaro and Chevelle.
Had a friend who owned one of these back in the day. His was maroon with a 4 speed. I had a '69 COPO Chevelle, 4 speed car also, and he could run right with me. He wound up wrecking the car in a street race and almost died. Should always keep the racing on the track. You have a very nice example there.
Loved the fact that the L78 was Chevy's answer to the much larger hemis, 440s, 428 CJs, etc. due to GM's 400 ci restriction on anything other than a full size or vette. The little rat that could!
Same engine rated at 425 hp in the ‘65 Vette. That car had much better exhaust manifolds and the’70 had a lower profile intake, but those cylinder heads were incredible.
@@badgerbait8351 I had one and my car did not have a shorter intake. Actually, I thought it was what was considered a factory hi-rise. The L-78 had a dual line Holley, the factory hi-rise intake, solid lifters, THE factory exhaust was at least 2and a quarter- maybe two and a half inch, and if my memory serves me well I think mine had a 373 rear-end and a muncie 4-speed. I bought it brand new in the fall of 69 but it was a 70 and it got 8 mpg in town and 8 mpg on the highway. It came with D-70 by 14 tires. I bought it brand new for 3200 dollars. wish I still had it, only car that ever got me was a Vette
That restriction ended in 70, so there were 454s, and in the other divisions 455cid available in the mid-size GM's that year. Notable the 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W-30, Buick Skylark GS, etc.
@@therealtech833 And a year later they started to de-fang all of them. Can't imagine what this would have all led to had the government and insurance industries hadn't cracked down on them.
My exwifes cousin had one. 1969 SS 4 speed 396 375 12 bolt.blue...black w/ guages. Loaded for a Nova....there okay but Nova was everything..4 door.grannie grocery buggie ..6 banger w/ power glide...standard.interior. You name you could build it on the hood ol nova.
Had a few 350 Novas but never had a big block Nova until 2019. 1970 396, TH350 and 4:10 gears. Swapping in a TH400 soon. Car melts tires easily. Love the big block Torque.
Love these cars but it’s best to put frame connectors on it if you’re gonna beat on it. That’s a 425 HP MOTOR but to get that you’ll need a good set of headers.
Some run 10s, but you can’t compare new to old. I only compare them to the cars of their era. 13.40s is moving compared to a stock 383 Road Runner or GTO with a 400.
Also consider that new muscle cars run way wider tires, have launch control have 6, 7, 8, 10 speed transmissions etc. The closest would be a muscle car with slicks and a gear vendors unit. There's no point comparing old vs new muscle. I prefer vintage muscle, but I like the new stuff too. 👍 My personal ride is a 1968 Barracuda fastback powered by a 512 stroker, backed by an A833 4 speed manual. 👍
Funny but this Nova looks like my ‘71. Mine is midnight blue metallic and has the same hood. Its a SS clone that has been mini tubbed and backhalved. It sits low and has big and wide rear tires so I get strong traction especially with drag radials. Engine is a .030 over 4 bolt main 402 for 408 ci. All forged rotating assembly, H beam rods, 10.5 compression, 595 lift solid flat tappet Comp cam, aluminum L89 big valve, rectangle port L88 heads. Low single plane Edelbrock intake and a 850 cfm double pump & full MSD distributor and ignition. For a non boosted lightweight car its a hoss and a handful.
@@kevinbender1754 The L88 was rated at 430 horsepower at a very low rpm ('67-69) and only available in the Corvette. In actual dyno testing, the L88 made 540 horsepower with open headers. The 396 made 425 hp in the Corvette and was rated at 375 in the Nova, Chevelle, Camaro, etc.
I came to say the same thing, it was rated at 425 in 1966 Corvettes, then the same unchanged engine was used in Nova's and chevelle's but rated at 375......same engine.
THAT STATEMENT IS TOTALLY FALSE, i HAD A HEMI FOR YEARS, RACED ON THE STREET, AND IN STOCK AND SUPER STOCK ON THE TRACK.. THE ONLY STOCK VEHICLES IN MY CLASS WERE OTHER HEMIS.. SAME WITH SUPER STOCK. THAT WAS ANS STILL IS THE WAY IT GOES IN NHRA STOCK AND SUPER STOCK CLASSES... THE L78 WAS NOT PUTTING ANY HEMI ON A TRAILER..
@@walterneville2625 Even if you type in all caps it doesn't mean you are right. A few of my friends had Hemi cars in the early 70s. They would spend a few hours on Saturday afternoon tuning on them to go street racing that night, and by the time they drove down to the gas station and put in a few gallons of Ethel they had to go home and tune on it again. There were many times they hit the gas off the line and you would hear the motor pop out of the carburetor. Most of them sold their Hemis and bought 440 cars.
@@anthonynelson9136 Tell that to Sox and Martin, Dick Landy, or Mancini Racing, the Hemi cars dominate to top Stock and Super Stock Classes... There are zero BB Chevies in those Classes... Anyone who has a car backfire throught the carbs does not know anything about racing.. They deserve to lose..
@@anthonynelson9136 For the mechanically challenged, a single Holley Dominator carb, on a Rat Roaster intake would cure a lack of mechanical knowledge... The Hemi is still used in Drag racing today, all the Top Fuel and Funny cars race a hemi engine... It was, and still is the best of the best..
WOW, not a bad time for 355 gears, if it had 410 low 13's. Recurving the distributor was just 2 lighter springs, yes 36 degrees seemed optimum but then. It's great to have some fun but blow that original engine!!!!
i lived in tampa florida in the early 80's had a nova cant remember the year but was late 70's i think. was a 250 6 cylender hatch back. have not seen one since. anybody seen one please let me know. thank you.
An absolute awesome car, I just wish the video was more about running through the gears and a little less running your mouths (joking) but seriously, that is an amazing time capsule! ❤
Ok, so how do you wake up a 1970 402 big block chevy 2bolt mains. Cause I've asked around and it's like pulling teeth. I'm not trying to steal your formula to beat you with it. I'm new to the big block scene. I got the block, heads,cast iron intake as well as the bottom rotating assembly. I want 500 to 600hp. It's just gonna be a weekend warrior. It's going into a 2006 chevy trailblazer. TH400, EXT rear end with a locker and either 3:73 or 4:10 gearing. Yes I know , go LS or go 454 or 502 well all valid points. I just want the under dog 🐕 upper cut. My budget? Johnny Ca$h tune, ONE PIECE AT A TIME. So any help would be appreciated.
On the plus side, you rarely have to work on new cars. I never changed the plugs or wires on my 142,000 miles 6.0 LS and it ran perfectly when I traded it in.
My 72 monte 454 cost 14k. I refuse to make house payments for a car. Chrome not plastic. Compression not turbo. I can throw on a turbo and run 1100 hp easy.
@@richgallagher725 At the 1:43 mark, I stay it is stock down the manifolds and you can see the stock exhaust manifolds in the video. If I said that somewhere, I misspoke.
@@musclecarcampy9922 i know they do but it's not a daily driver, just bugs me when I see cars being advertised as restored 100% original and there sits a pair of Cooper Cobra radials.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Quote "No vehicles had the original 396 after 1969 with the exception of C/K trucks." The L78 396 put out 425 horses, last produced in 1969. The 1970 big block was a 402 CID. The 396 was used in the Nova only in 1968 and 1969. You may have a 396 in your '70 Nova, but not original.
@@AmmoDude It is common knowledge the SS396 had 402 cubes in 1970, and it was still available in the Chevelle, Nova and Camaro and called SS396. The 396 was only rated at 425 horsepower in the '65 Corvette. It was never offered in a truck in this configuration as far as I know.
I have a question, this or a Chevelle? I’ve crossed referenced a 67 mustang, 69 chevelle, and a 70 Nova and can’t decide which one is the most ideal and comfortable. That’s all that matters to me.
We had an L78 on our Dyno, it actually put out 512 hp and 505 tq.
We used Hooker headers with 2inch primary and a 850 Holley dp carb.
Chevy surely underated this for insurance
One of the baddest Chevys, ever built. I’m building a Poncho Ventura with a 455. This oughta be fun!
Post some videos when you get it done! Would love to see it.
It will be a blast. I had a Nova SS with a Dart 509. It is a real mover.
The 455 Olds Buick and Pontiac engines are the lightest of the oem cast iron big blocks I think?
A complete 455 Pontiac engine aircleaner to oil pan wieghed only 140-150 lbs more than a 70 355ci SBC
If my memory is correct and Not a bad trade off for another 100ci
I'm generally not a GM enthusiast, cars like this one change my mind at a high rate of speed. Factory, stock without too much bling is my speed. Love it.
Clean Nova, great to see it run in stock trim with a nice tune.
Thanks!
My uncle has the exact same color 70 SS, 4 speed L78, 3.55 that he is the second owner of since '71! As a kid, many times I went on 200 mile trips with him back then, and he tried to always keep it above 90MPH on those trips!
Thanks for the memories!!!
Shared to my FB
Thanks so much. Glad we could take you down memory lane.
Beautiful stock NOVA! Absolutely love that blue, as you mentioned, I don’t remember seeing many that color …I think it’s one of the best. This car brings back so many memories, I’m an older boomer, and a friend of mine had one of these with headers and some other bolt on mods and he was destroying most guys in the quarter mile. I had a 70 1/2 Z28 with a lot of mods and I still couldn’t beat him. Man, I wish I would’ve kept that car but sold it in 1980 needing money at the time. I know there’s a lot of my generation that feel the same!
Lots of Fathom Blue Chevelles. Not sure on the ‘70 Nova. Headers really made these cars come alive. Really choked from the factory. The fact that this car is now running 12.7s with extra tuning is remarkable.
Beautiful car, paint color, hood louvers and wheels are perfect. Very purposeful, lean and mean.
Thx for watching.
What a beautiful Nova!!! Love these style Nova's. My father had four of them, when I was a kid
I had a ‘72 SS. Wish I still had it.
@@musclecarcampy9922
Very true statement! My dad had a triple black 71 SS 350 car loaded,a 1972 cylinder, a "K" code 73 SS. Apparently a Penske Canadian special built SS high comp 350 big radiator, only 100 made?
@@rajcam80 I’ve never heard of one. Do you have pictures of it?
Tell me how much I like to see what it is it's beautiful
I had an L78 396 and it is one of the best muscle engines ever. If Ford had put the 427 FE cam in the Mustang. The street racer would put headers and a cam and the MR aluminum intake the two would have been such a pair! The 383 67 Barracuda ,those three were so fun and Chevy had their best!
As the owner said, he’s never known an L78 to make “only” 375 horsepower. All were over 400.
One of my favorite muscle cars 🚗 💪 thx Campy
Thx for watching!
Ordered a 1969 nova new , it had a 327 with a 325 hp rating , I changed the intake and carb right away to the intake and carb of the Z28 , 302 .at about a month old it ran 14.3 with stock everything from the factory , it had a 3:70 axle ratio , also a 4 speed , tires from the factory.
Love the original sounding exhaust!!! Music to my ears! Hard to find them replicated today!
Nice looking Nova. Good times for those skinny tires
For sure.
NICE RIDE! Love the '70 Nova! Had one back in 81-82. Was a '70 SS small block 350 4-speed. Had low geared rear end. Had to run about 18psi pressure in the rear tires (old bias ply) or it would just melt the tires down on takeoff. Sure miss that one........
Thanks for watching. I had a ‘72 SS350 with a 4-speed, but dropped in a 509 Dart big-block.
I was about to order that very car (color and all) when I got a Greetings letter from my Uncle Sam. Great feature! Thanks.
Thank you for watching.
I have been selling automobiles since January 1968. These novas and chevelles were a vary inexpensive vehicles when new. That particular Chevy nova would have an original window sticker of around thirty four hundred dollars. Personally sold about 15-20 of these new.
The Feb. '70 issue of 'Hot Cars' had a test of the L78 Nova, and they were quite harsh on it. They actually called it a 'stone' in stock tune (high 14's) and that it needed a distributor recurve and smog equipment removal to get it into the 13's. It's cool to see an example of what the car is actually capable of. I had a '69 SS396 350hp Nova in the mid '70's when it was just a 'used car'. I practically gave it away. I need a time machine......
Unlike computer-controlled muscle cars of today, I’m sure some of those old vehicles could be inconsistent in the hands of journalists.
I actually owned a 1970 nova 396 375 hp absolutely horrible performance, and you needed 4.10 or 4.56 gears to make it run.
@@jaybramble2029 I never heard of anyone saying this before. This one runs 12s on bias plies with 3.55 gears and the factory exhaust system. I have to think yours came from the dealership in need of a serious tune.
@musclecarcampy9922 You are quite right. I had a '70 SS Nova that came from Nicky Chevrolet in Chicago. It was equipped with the L-78, 402cid/375hp Turbo 400 and the lighter bench seat. I had my dad pick it up on a business trip to Milwaukee and he was lucky to drive it to Birmingham, AL. without catching fire.They had never done a pre-delivery inspection and the fuel lines on the Holly Carb was leaking when i first opened the hood. It was also in such a poor state of tune I that I wanted to send it back. After addressing the fuel leak and discarding the first smog pump I had ever seen I replaced heavy fixed steel radiator fan with a Flexalite one. Rejetting the carb and changing the springs in the distributor made a world of difference. Eventually, with slapper type traction bars, better tires, Hooker Headers feeding into Corvair mufflers, and further tuning (re-jetting again and 38° total advance all in at 2000rpm), the car clocked 12.01 secondsin the quarter mile. This was my street car so I never changed the gearing or torque converter...It was within .5 second of the NHRA record of 11.65 for B/S-A.
@@jaybramble2029I don't know what my rear gears were, but I had my '70 L-78, T-400 running a 12.01 quarter mile wiith basic tuning and a set of Hooker Headers.
I bought an L78 Forest green 1970 SS396(402ci) from Colonial Chevrolet in Norfolk Va after I got out of the Navy, bad ass street car, turning 13.20s on MH street tires with 3:73 rear m21 close ratio 4sp , 2 yrs later turned it into a legal NHRA A/S won my class at Rockingham Dragway , outrun Steve Taylor who was the then current National record holder and had won A/s 3 yrs in a row , he red lighted in an attempt to get an edge as I was running consistently 3to 4 tenths faster in the 1/4, I eventually ran a 12.19 on MH street tires, I went 5 rounds before breaking out against an H/S mustang which I caught in 4th gear we both broke out but I lost because I broke out .27 to his .17, a year later with rules change I could run Real slicks and my L78 ran a best of 11.17 121 mph , I would love to have this car back 😎🇺🇸
Had this exact car in my eairly 20's, except it was a 4 speed, but had sucked a valve. The best looking Chevy muscle car ever in my opinion, and lighter than a chevelle ! 🎯🥳🤩
If you put 3.70 to 4.11 gears in it with headers, small slicks, good gas, advance timing, you had an easy mid 11s car . I know, i grew up at that time , the time of the muscle cars !! Magazines ran them stock and turned
13s spinning the tires half way through the eighth mile ! Lol !
Absolutely.
The NHRA Record for B-Stock Automatic was 11.65. My 1970 Nicky Nova with little more than Hooker Headers and some slapper type traction bars and good tuning ran the quarter in 12.01. This was my street car, so I never changed the gearing or the torque converter.
Beautiful car. Love it!!
Me too.
man what a nice car! i wish i had one of these ones or even a Yenko LT1
Those Yenko Deuces were mean machines.
I built a friend of mine a 1970 L T1 350 replica. Literally we went with the 11 0 1 compression and a comp Cam's nostagal replacement cam that was revised a little bit but still considered a accurate replacement. Oh Is that engine Had such a Great-Power band and it would pull through the RPM and loved 6800 RPM. The valve train noise of the solid lifters Was music to our ears.
@@PatandDoopypoopy LT-1 was an amazing small-block.
the L-78 is a great engine, it was a marvel when it first came out, it's true power rating is 425hp, not 375.
What a beauty. Love the color and that it's bone stock.
Glad you like it!
This Nova is perfect. Everything seems proper. No resto embellishments to alter the factory original concept. I want it.
Get in line behind me!
I have one of these but the previous year..... The Sleeper Awakes was the AD.. I am not sure what it is about this body style, but they are absolute hoot to drive. You got the bigger strato seats from the Chevelle in a body that's lighter than a Camaro, and better weight distribution over the back tires due to overhang, and they feel like they weigh nothing. This car is a beauty for sure. Almost none of them ever had the floor shifted console like that with an automatic... super setup. 👍👍👍👍👍👍
Forgot to watch this last night - duh...
I thought all Nova consoles in those years had the gauges like the '69 Camaro - although with black faces on the Nova.
I guess that's a deluxe interior with carpet and that woodgrain. It's surprising to see in a Nova, and more so in this example, since it appears to be a total stripper on the outside, with its lack of bright trim on the drip rail and around the side glass. Always wondered why the Nova never got the 'Horseshoe' shifter of the Camaro and Chevelle.
Deluxe interior, console and power disc brakes, but manual steering. Gotta love old cars.
@@musclecarcampy9922 power disc brakes became standard equipment on all SS Chevys starting in '69
My friend Al, bought a new one in 1970. It was a rocket.
Had a friend who owned one of these back in the day. His was maroon with a 4 speed. I had a '69 COPO Chevelle, 4 speed car also, and he could run right with me. He wound up wrecking the car in a street race and almost died. Should always keep the racing on the track. You have a very nice example there.
Loved the fact that the L78 was Chevy's answer to the much larger hemis, 440s, 428 CJs, etc. due to GM's 400 ci restriction on anything other than a full size or vette. The little rat that could!
Same engine rated at 425 hp in the ‘65 Vette. That car had much better exhaust manifolds and the’70 had a lower profile intake, but those cylinder heads were incredible.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Was not aware of the shorter intake?! Thanks for sharing!
@@badgerbait8351 I had one and my car did not have a shorter intake. Actually, I thought it was what was considered a factory hi-rise. The L-78 had a dual line Holley, the factory hi-rise intake, solid lifters, THE factory exhaust was at least 2and a quarter- maybe two and a half inch, and if my memory serves me well I think mine had a 373 rear-end and a muncie 4-speed. I bought it brand new in the fall of 69 but it was a 70 and it got 8 mpg in town and 8 mpg on the highway. It came with D-70 by 14 tires. I bought it brand new for 3200 dollars. wish I still had it, only car that ever got me was a Vette
That restriction ended in 70, so there were 454s, and in the other divisions 455cid available in the mid-size GM's that year. Notable the 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass W-30, Buick Skylark GS, etc.
@@therealtech833 And a year later they started to de-fang all of them. Can't imagine what this would have all led to had the government and insurance industries hadn't cracked down on them.
My exwifes cousin had one. 1969 SS 4 speed 396 375 12 bolt.blue...black w/ guages. Loaded for a Nova....there okay but Nova was everything..4 door.grannie grocery buggie ..6 banger w/ power glide...standard.interior. You name you could build it on the hood ol nova.
It was nothing if not versatile.
Had a few 350 Novas but never had a big block Nova until 2019. 1970 396, TH350 and 4:10 gears. Swapping in a TH400 soon. Car melts tires easily. Love the big block Torque.
Nothing like it!
Dont remember ever seeing a big block Chevy with a Turbo 350.
@@ashleyjennings5224 not ideal. Have a few th400s ready to go in.
Love these cars but it’s best to put frame connectors on it if you’re gonna beat on it. That’s a 425 HP MOTOR but to get that you’ll need a good set of headers.
God bless you !
the tach would be in lower left corner .
I LOVE THAT NOVA.
Me too! Thx for watching.
Love the period 70's look seeing the 12-bolt rear tastefully painted black and with the 12 rear cover bolts in chrome or painted silver. 😎
Fine in a strait line, has the cornering of a brick.
If you can make the last turnoff at the drag strip, that is all that matters.
that carwas a maniac in its day
They were monsters.
My favorite engine of all times. Just put shorter piston skirt pistons, better rods, crank, cam and it’s a beast.
I enjoyed the look on his face when he launched, 13.5 GD.
With carb tuning and a couple of tricks, he is now running in the high 12s as you see it here. Amazing.
OEM Size on those tires is E70x14, Not F70’s……. I had a new one.
She’s a beaut .
Oh, indeed.
69 yenko nova 427 ,is the fastest yenko ever...with drag slicks and open headers 0-60 in 4.7 seconds
New factory muscle run low 12s some high 11s at 114 -118mph stock. Nice car though.
Some run 10s, but you can’t compare new to old. I only compare them to the cars of their era. 13.40s is moving compared to a stock 383 Road Runner or GTO with a 400.
Also consider that new muscle cars run way wider tires, have launch control have 6, 7, 8, 10 speed transmissions etc. The closest would be a muscle car with slicks and a gear vendors unit. There's no point comparing old vs new muscle. I prefer vintage muscle, but I like the new stuff too. 👍 My personal ride is a 1968 Barracuda fastback powered by a 512 stroker, backed by an A833 4 speed manual. 👍
Funny but this Nova looks like my ‘71. Mine is midnight blue metallic and has the same hood. Its a SS clone that has been mini tubbed and backhalved. It sits low and has big and wide rear tires so I get strong traction especially with drag radials. Engine is a .030 over 4 bolt main 402 for 408 ci. All forged rotating assembly, H beam rods, 10.5 compression, 595 lift solid flat tappet Comp cam, aluminum L89 big valve, rectangle port L88 heads. Low single plane Edelbrock intake and a 850 cfm double pump & full MSD distributor and ignition. For a non boosted lightweight car its a hoss and a handful.
THE L78 actually made 425 hp.
In the Corvette it did.
@@musclecarcampy9922 that was the L88 427 not an L78
@@kevinbender1754 The L88 was rated at 430 horsepower at a very low rpm ('67-69) and only available in the Corvette. In actual dyno testing, the L88 made 540 horsepower with open headers. The 396 made 425 hp in the Corvette and was rated at 375 in the Nova, Chevelle, Camaro, etc.
I came to say the same thing, it was rated at 425 in 1966 Corvettes, then the same unchanged engine was used in Nova's and chevelle's but rated at 375......same engine.
@@jimmiematho8082 Corvette had far better exhaust manifolds, but yeah, 375 was a bit of a joke.
Nova's are light in the rear so you need a lower tire pressure.
Had a 72 Nova but sadly no big block!
I put a 700-hp Dart 509 in my ‘72 Nova SS. Ram mid 10s at 130.
On any given day the L78 could put a Hemi on the trailer !
Thanks for watching.
THAT STATEMENT IS TOTALLY FALSE, i HAD A HEMI FOR YEARS, RACED ON THE STREET, AND IN STOCK AND SUPER STOCK ON THE TRACK.. THE ONLY STOCK VEHICLES IN MY CLASS WERE OTHER HEMIS.. SAME WITH SUPER STOCK. THAT WAS ANS STILL IS THE WAY IT GOES IN NHRA STOCK AND SUPER STOCK CLASSES... THE L78 WAS NOT PUTTING ANY HEMI ON A TRAILER..
@@walterneville2625 Even if you type in all caps it doesn't mean you are right. A few of my friends had Hemi cars in the early 70s. They would spend a few hours on Saturday afternoon tuning on them to go street racing that night, and by the time they drove down to the gas station and put in a few gallons of Ethel they had to go home and tune on it again. There were many times they hit the gas off the line and you would hear the motor pop out of the carburetor. Most of them sold their Hemis and bought 440 cars.
@@anthonynelson9136 Tell that to Sox and Martin, Dick Landy, or Mancini Racing, the Hemi cars dominate to top Stock and Super Stock Classes... There are zero BB Chevies in those Classes... Anyone who has a car backfire throught the carbs does not know anything about racing.. They deserve to lose..
@@anthonynelson9136 For the mechanically challenged, a single Holley Dominator carb, on a Rat Roaster intake would cure a lack of mechanical knowledge... The Hemi is still used in Drag racing today, all the Top Fuel and Funny cars race a hemi engine... It was, and still is the best of the best..
WOW, not a bad time for 355 gears, if it had 410 low 13's. Recurving the distributor was just 2 lighter springs, yes 36 degrees seemed optimum but then. It's great to have some fun but blow that original engine!!!!
i lived in tampa florida in the early 80's had a nova cant remember the year but was late 70's i think. was a 250 6 cylender hatch back. have not seen one since. anybody seen one please let me know. thank you.
Sweet 👍
Thanks 👍
Phantom Blue?........it's Fathom Blue (code 28)...perhaps I misheard. extremely close to '69 Dusk Blue (code 51).
It is Fathom Blue.
An absolute awesome car, I just wish the video was more about running through the gears and a little less running your mouths (joking) but seriously, that is an amazing time capsule! ❤
LOL.
Ok, so how do you wake up a 1970 402 big block chevy 2bolt mains. Cause I've asked around and it's like pulling teeth. I'm not trying to steal your formula to beat you with it. I'm new to the big block scene. I got the block, heads,cast iron intake as well as the bottom rotating assembly. I want 500 to 600hp. It's just gonna be a weekend warrior. It's going into a 2006 chevy trailblazer. TH400, EXT rear end with a locker and either 3:73 or 4:10 gearing. Yes I know , go LS or go 454 or 502 well all valid points. I just want the under dog 🐕 upper cut. My budget? Johnny Ca$h tune, ONE PIECE AT A TIME. So any help would be appreciated.
only a few thousand SS novas with a 396 were sold,....that's why you haven't seen many.
They made over 13,600 of them from ‘68-70. That is a fairly decent amount.
@@musclecarcampy9922 I was meaning a 1970 nova SS with the L78, there are only 3700 and change of those.
Cheers👌👍
I have a 1974 Nova
nice car,,u shood put some nice rinkle-meats in the back..n see what it will pick up in the quarter.
Was it produced, from the factory with 3.55 gears?
Looks like you got some wheel hop going on!!! That's no good!!
Going 12.70s now on bias plies. Something is working at the track. That is all that matters.
Nice nova but 70's had a 402, GM bored the 396 0.30. With slicks and a 427 I run 13
SS402
Technically speaking …
My father had the same car
When I look under the hood of that car, I see an engine that the common man can work on, and fix. We let the auto industry take that from us.🤮
On the plus side, you rarely have to work on new cars. I never changed the plugs or wires on my 142,000 miles 6.0 LS and it ran perfectly when I traded it in.
@@musclecarcampy9922 OMG If there's car hell....142k?🤣
@@jackshaftoe1715 I changed enough plugs in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Car ran perfectly and got 24.5 mpg on the highway (ran13.39 at 103). Why mess with it?
My 72 monte 454 cost 14k. I refuse to make house payments for a car. Chrome not plastic. Compression not turbo. I can throw on a turbo and run 1100 hp easy.
can’t be “bone stock” if it’s got headers and other performance additives
It doesn’t.
they never sold them on the showroom floor with headers and yours has headers…
@@richgallagher725 Did you watch the video? It has factory manifolds.
@@musclecarcampy9922 you mention in the video that it has headers
@@richgallagher725 At the 1:43 mark, I stay it is stock down the manifolds and you can see the stock exhaust manifolds in the video. If I said that somewhere, I misspoke.
El carro más bello ..pero el Pontiac gto también🖤🖤🖤🇵🇷🇵🇷
¡Gracias por verlo!
Car manufactures built their car as cheap as possible, hence better after market parts.
Period correct rubber is the only way to go with vintage muscle, T/A radials etc. just take away from the look.
Period correct rubber May look better, but modern radials ride, turn and stop 100 times better. To each his own.
@@musclecarcampy9922 i know they do but it's not a daily driver, just bugs me when I see cars being advertised as restored 100% original and there sits a pair of Cooper Cobra radials.
Yeah well these new muscle Cars have alot more horsepower so you can't compare
There were prettier women than Mona Lisa, but she is the classic.
I'd rather a car break the tires loose under acceleration. Sitting and spinning with front brakes applied doesn't do it for me...
Well, he is a drag racer and this is how you do a burnout. Whatever floats your boat.
In '69 Chevy put out a 350 engine with 375 horses. It was not a 396.
Guess again.
@@musclecarcampy9922 Quote "No vehicles had the original 396 after 1969 with the exception of C/K trucks." The L78 396 put out 425 horses, last produced in 1969. The 1970 big block was a 402 CID. The 396 was used in the Nova only in 1968 and 1969. You may have a 396 in your '70 Nova, but not original.
@@AmmoDude It is common knowledge the SS396 had 402 cubes in 1970, and it was still available in the Chevelle, Nova and Camaro and called SS396. The 396 was only rated at 425 horsepower in the '65 Corvette. It was never offered in a truck in this configuration as far as I know.
@@musclecarcampy9922 My info is from General Motors.
@@musclecarcampy9922 In 65 it was also rated 425 HP in the Impala SS.
Got to love those little Bastard Novas SS
DYNO RAN MY BRAND NEW 396/375, STOCK THE SECOND DAY AND IT PRODUCED 412 PONIES
I have a question, this or a Chevelle? I’ve crossed referenced a 67 mustang, 69 chevelle, and a 70 Nova and can’t decide which one is the most ideal and comfortable. That’s all that matters to me.
I believe the Chevelle would be most comfy.
@@musclecarcampy9922 thanks man
@@TD-il6ju Muscle Car Campy is here for his viewers!
Not a 70 Nova, a 70 Monte Carlo, it's a glorified Chevelle.
Original is respect for all