Chevrolet Nova Internet Source Dearly Departed Page

Dearly Departed Chevrolet Novas
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1970 Chevrolet Nova SS Greg Howell's 1970 Chevrolet Nova
Engine/Drivetrain Chevy 427 (bored out from a 1966 truck's 396), 4-speed "long box" transmission.
Body Style 2-door sedan.
Strengths Unstoppable motor with a good street rod appearance.
Estimated Value "I have no clue."
July 7, 1996: When I race this car on the street, I have to start in 2nd gear to minimize roasting the 12½" wide Mickey Thompson street tires. With slicks on the drag strip, the car will turn a 10.89 second-quarter mile. Fun, fun, fun.

1970 Chevrolet Nova James C. Krok's 1970 Chevrolet Nova
Engine/Drivetrain 350, TH-350 automatic transmission, Edelbrock Performer-RPM mid-rise dual-plane intake, Holley 1850 600-cfm 4bbl carb, Accel Supercoil, functional snorkel hood scoop, K&N stubstack, Blackjack headers, twin Mr. Gasket glasspacks, driveshaft safety loop, Goodyear Eagle ST 255/60R-15 tires (rear), American Racing Equipment steel 15x8 wheels (rear).
Body Style 2-door sedan.
Strengths Really weird.
Estimated Value Beyond estimation.
May 6, 1996: This is EXPLORER 01, my first and always favorite car. It started life with me as a $400, dark green 1970 Chevy Nova, with 157k miles. I managed to wring eight years and another 70-80k miles out of it, with a rebuilt engine and transmission being the only major expenses. It was actually a pretty nice package when it was made...bucket seats, 200hp 307 cu.in. small block, and a TH-350 transmission with a console shifter. For all of the work I did on it, it wasn't all that fast. The main problem was that I didn't have time or money to install the parts that it really needed, like a real camshaft, or a better rear. I'm not even sure that the rebuilt engine was a 350... The performance was the same or worse after the swap. Now, I can rebuild one myself, and am looking forward to it!
In the summer before my junior year of high school, I decided that it needed a little customizing. It was already a bit rusty when I got it, so I couldn't see spending a bunch of money on a real paint job. The camo idea came out of the zeitgeist of 1985, with movies like Rambo pulling in the big bucks. I'm not sure how I came up with the name...it wasn't until a few years later that I found that the first satellite launched by the United States was also named Explorer 01. Or, I might have heard of it years before and stuck it in the ol' subconcious. Anyway, the car was a hit. Most of the "accessories" were constructed of scrap materials hanging around the house: machine guns with shrouded barrels, wire mesh light guards, the brush guard, etc.
Custom Accessories: internal gauge console; overhead console; co-pilot's weapons console; window safety nets; brush guard; headlight and taillight guards; machine guns (front); flame throwers (rear); ejection seat markings; kill markings; psychological warfare system (this was a stereo cassette player under the pilot's seat, connected to two weatherproof speakers behind the front grille. I had tapes of machine guns, the theme from Hawaii 5-0, and, best of all, Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner. Boy, did that freak people out!); CB radio with 108" whip antenna; and rear air shocks.
April 11, 1996: [Editor's note: The following is why the car was retired.] Well, the rust was just eating the thing alive, and it was becoming unsafe. So, when I moved to CA, it had to sit in my folk's garage for a year or so, until I got a chance to go back there and strip it. I removed all of the performance and homemade equipment, and had it carted off. I have a picture of it up on blocks with "R.I.P." written on the back window... haven't scanned it yet. A few of my younger brother's friends were really keen on buying it, but there was no way that I'd let another person own it. Not only for safety reasons, but sentimental ones as well. Hell, if it were still driveable, I'd be driving it myself! I thought of driving it out here to give it one last grand voyage, but the air shocks were shot too, and the tires were scuffing on the wells on big bumps.

1977 Chevrolet Nova Robert Olmstead's 1977 Chevrolet Nova
Engine/Drivetrain 400 .060 over, Edelbrock intake, Holley 750 double-pumper, generic Camaro headers, Elgin 292 cam, stock heads, and Accel coil.
Body Style 2-door sedan.
Strengths Goes really fast.
Estimated Value Not much anymore.
January 29, 1996: This car started with a "timid" straight 6 under the hood. Robert drove this car for 5 years like that. While stationed in Ft. Benning, GA, it blew a freeze plug. "[That taught] me to run straight water as coolant for 5 years!" So to upgrade this car, Robert got an old beat 400 and went .060 over on the rebuild. "It was worth it!" The drag picture is right after he welded spider gears in the rear. (He was about to replace the gears anyway.) About a week after that, the unibody "took on a permanent tilt," rendering it unusable for drag racing any more. The engine is now in a '64 Chevy II Nova SS.

1974 Buick Apollo James E. Billings's 1974 Buick Apollo
Engine/Drivetrain 350, 2 bbl. carburetor.
Body Style 2-door sedan.
Strengths Workhorse.
Estimated Value Junk heap.
June 3, 1996: The car was pretty plain: power steering, no A/C. Before my family gave it to me, we used the car to rip shrubs and small trees out of the yard. The car was always trouble even before I started abusing it: its first exhaust rattle was at 7 miles. Things didn't get much better from there. My dad always griped about it being a lemon. That's why this was the only Buick I've ever owned.

1978 Oldsmobile Omega
Memorial to a "love car." R.D. "Dancy" Waibel's 1978 Oldsmobile Omega
Engine/Drivetrain 305, 2 bbl. carburetor, 3-speed automatic transmission, dual exhaust, 106,000 actual miles.
Body Style 2-door hatchback.
Strengths Had a straight body, a strong motor, and a working air conditioner.
Estimated Value Gone to Nova Heaven.
April 10, 1996: The day after Mr. Waibel mailed me the photo of his car, a truck ran a red light and broadsided it! He was not injured in the crash, but the car was destroyed. Click here for another side view. If the car had survived, it would have received a 4 bbl. Carter carburetor and an Edlebrock intake manifold, 202 heads, new timing chain, and a new cam. "God, I love this car."

Love Car
Born: 1978
Died: April 5, 1996
R.I.P.

	Greg Howell's 1970 Chevrolet Nova
	Engine/Drivetrain Chevy 427 (bored out from a 1966 truck's 396), 4-speed "long box" transmission.
	Body Style 2-door sedan.
	Strengths Unstoppable motor with a good street rod appearance.
	Estimated Value "I have no clue."
July 7, 1996: When I race this car on the street, I have to start in 2nd gear to minimize roasting the 12½" wide Mickey Thompson street tires. With slicks on the drag strip, the car will turn a 10.89 second-quarter mile. Fun, fun, fun.

	James C. Krok's 1970 Chevrolet Nova
	Engine/Drivetrain 350, TH-350 automatic transmission, Edelbrock Performer-RPM mid-rise dual-plane intake, Holley 1850 600-cfm 4bbl carb, Accel Supercoil, functional snorkel hood scoop, K&N stubstack, Blackjack headers, twin Mr. Gasket glasspacks, driveshaft safety loop, Goodyear Eagle ST 255/60R-15 tires (rear), American Racing Equipment steel 15x8 wheels (rear).
	Body Style 2-door sedan.
	Strengths Really weird.
	Estimated Value Beyond estimation.
May 6, 1996: This is EXPLORER 01, my first and always favorite car. It started life with me as a $400, dark green 1970 Chevy Nova, with 157k miles. I managed to wring eight years and another 70-80k miles out of it, with a rebuilt engine and transmission being the only major expenses. It was actually a pretty nice package when it was made...bucket seats, 200hp 307 cu.in. small block, and a TH-350 transmission with a console shifter. For all of the work I did on it, it wasn't all that fast. The main problem was that I didn't have time or money to install the parts that it really needed, like a real camshaft, or a better rear. I'm not even sure that the rebuilt engine was a 350... The performance was the same or worse after the swap. Now, I can rebuild one myself, and am looking forward to it! In the summer before my junior year of high school, I decided that it needed a little customizing. It was already a bit rusty when I got it, so I couldn't see spending a bunch of money on a real paint job. The camo idea came out of the zeitgeist of 1985, with movies like Rambo pulling in the big bucks. I'm not sure how I came up with the name...it wasn't until a few years later that I found that the first satellite launched by the United States was also named Explorer 01. Or, I might have heard of it years before and stuck it in the ol' subconcious. Anyway, the car was a hit. Most of the "accessories" were constructed of scrap materials hanging around the house: machine guns with shrouded barrels, wire mesh light guards, the brush guard, etc. Custom Accessories: internal gauge console; overhead console; co-pilot's weapons console; window safety nets; brush guard; headlight and taillight guards; machine guns (front); flame throwers (rear); ejection seat markings; kill markings; psychological warfare system (this was a stereo cassette player under the pilot's seat, connected to two weatherproof speakers behind the front grille. I had tapes of machine guns, the theme from Hawaii 5-0, and, best of all, Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner. Boy, did that freak people out!); CB radio with 108" whip antenna; and rear air shocks. April 11, 1996: [Editor's note: The following is why the car was retired.] Well, the rust was just eating the thing alive, and it was becoming unsafe. So, when I moved to CA, it had to sit in my folk's garage for a year or so, until I got a chance to go back there and strip it. I removed all of the performance and homemade equipment, and had it carted off. I have a picture of it up on blocks with "R.I.P." written on the back window... haven't scanned it yet. A few of my younger brother's friends were really keen on buying it, but there was no way that I'd let another person own it. Not only for safety reasons, but sentimental ones as well. Hell, if it were still driveable, I'd be driving it myself! I thought of driving it out here to give it one last grand voyage, but the air shocks were shot too, and the tires were scuffing on the wells on big bumps.

	Robert Olmstead's 1977 Chevrolet Nova
	Engine/Drivetrain 400 .060 over, Edelbrock intake, Holley 750 double-pumper, generic Camaro headers, Elgin 292 cam, stock heads, and Accel coil.
	Body Style 2-door sedan.
	Strengths Goes really fast.
	Estimated Value Not much anymore.
January 29, 1996: This car started with a "timid" straight 6 under the hood. Robert drove this car for 5 years like that. While stationed in Ft. Benning, GA, it blew a freeze plug. "[That taught] me to run straight water as coolant for 5 years!" So to upgrade this car, Robert got an old beat 400 and went .060 over on the rebuild. "It was worth it!" The drag picture is right after he welded spider gears in the rear. (He was about to replace the gears anyway.) About a week after that, the unibody "took on a permanent tilt," rendering it unusable for drag racing any more. The engine is now in a '64 Chevy II Nova SS.

	James E. Billings's 1974 Buick Apollo
	Engine/Drivetrain 350, 2 bbl. carburetor.
	Body Style 2-door sedan.
	Strengths Workhorse.
	Estimated Value Junk heap.
June 3, 1996: The car was pretty plain: power steering, no A/C. Before my family gave it to me, we used the car to rip shrubs and small trees out of the yard. The car was always trouble even before I started abusing it: its first exhaust rattle was at 7 miles. Things didn't get much better from there. My dad always griped about it being a lemon. That's why this was the only Buick I've ever owned.

Memorial to a "love car."	R.D. "Dancy" Waibel's 1978 Oldsmobile Omega
	Engine/Drivetrain 305, 2 bbl. carburetor, 3-speed automatic transmission, dual exhaust, 106,000 actual miles.
	Body Style 2-door hatchback.
	Strengths Had a straight body, a strong motor, and a working air conditioner.
	Estimated Value Gone to Nova Heaven.
April 10, 1996: The day after Mr. Waibel mailed me the photo of his car, a truck ran a red light and broadsided it! He was not injured in the crash, but the car was destroyed. Click here for another side view. If the car had survived, it would have received a 4 bbl. Carter carburetor and an Edlebrock intake manifold, 202 heads, new timing chain, and a new cam. "God, I love this car." Love Car Born: 1978 Died: April 5, 1996 R.I.P.