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is a 69 nova 4 cylinder rare?

12K views 26 replies 18 participants last post by  Junkyard Dawg 
#1 ·
Just curious, this guy I know up here is selling one that seems to be in pretty decent condition considering it's 36 years old. Not trying to advertise, but if someone here wants info on it just because it seems to be a very odd car I'd be happy to pass it along. I thought about buying it, but I don't need another project. But if it is rare it'd sure be neat to fully restore it with the 4cyl and trip people at car shows out.
 
#3 ·
19Nova72 said:
The 4 cylinder Nova's are rare, but not worth much. I remember seeing a chart somewhere saying they got close to 30mpg!

weren't they govermnment cars? stripped to the bone models? when i was growing up, they used them as postal cars. we had a lady who could drive one, from the passenger side, steer with her left hand and brake with her left foot and delv. mail out the passenger side. it was fun to watch, then the city bought right hand drive jeeps......
 
#4 ·
1BLACKHARLEY said:
weren't they govermnment cars? stripped to the bone models? when i was growing up, they used them as postal cars. we had a lady who could drive one, from the passenger side, steer with her left hand and brake with her left foot and delv. mail out the passenger side. it was fun to watch, then the city bought right hand drive jeeps......
In Minnesota, that's exactly how rural mail-carriers deliver the mail ... they have to use their own personal vehicle. My Mom was a postal relief driver when I was in High School (i.e.- when the regular route drivers took a week of vacation, she drove their route for them). Monday through Saturday (excluding holidays) that's how my mail is delivered.
 
#7 ·
Wwalstrom said:
In Minnesota, that's exactly how rural mail-carriers deliver the mail ... they have to use their own personal vehicle. My Mom was a postal relief driver when I was in High School (i.e.- when the regular route drivers took a week of vacation, she drove their route for them). Monday through Saturday (excluding holidays) that's how my mail is delivered.
Same here everyday.

Funny isn't it, what we see as normal everyday things, are fun to watch in diffrent parts of the country. I wonder what we would find oddball in california that is normal to them?

Nevermind, that question, I can probably think of quite a few things. Musclecars in winter, exotic cars, transvestites, you know the standards :D

Jeff
 
#8 ·
They are rare, especially in the 2nd generation ('68 - '74). Chevy barely built 200 of those things a year in the U.S. In Canada the last year for the 4 cyl was '65. Essentially the 153 four was 2/3rds of a 230 six, but the six was way smoother running due to the firing pulses occurring every 120 degrees of crank rotation rather than 180 degrees on the four.

In '77 the Pontiac Ventura offered the Iron Duke 151 four, the reborn 153. A simple but kind of rough running engine if you ask me. Crossflow head added for 1979 in anticipation of the mid-year transverse engine placement in the '80 Citation & other X-cars.

See the attached picture. I borrowed it from
www.Stevesnovasite.com last year. Notice the use of a deep rad spacer and a downflow rad rather than the customary crossflow rad.

 

Attachments

#10 ·
1BLACKHARLEY said:
weren't they govermnment cars? stripped to the bone models? when i was growing up, they used them as postal cars. we had a lady who could drive one, from the passenger side, steer with her left hand and brake with her left foot and delv. mail out the passenger side. it was fun to watch, then the city bought right hand drive jeeps......
I'd like to watch one do that with a clutch lol
 
#12 ·
am i the only person here thinking "Ecotec"?
get one of those supercharged Ecotec crate motors and put it in your factory 4 cylinder Nova. that would be a pretty good daily driver..
 
#16 ·
The 4 cly. also was used in boats mainly. A friend of mine has one, a '70, frame off, show winner , usually tops at every show he enters. The National Nova pres. wanted him to bring it, and display it at their show in Atlanta this year. He says he has never seen one in person, they are that rare. His car was bought through an estate sale, 40,000 mile , all original car. The only thing he did was change colors ,from yellow to black.
 
#17 ·
Doug Garland said:
The 4 cly. also was used in boats mainly. A friend of mine has one, a '70, frame off, show winner , usually tops at every show he enters. The National Nova pres. wanted him to bring it, and display it at their show in Atlanta this year. He says he has never seen one in person, they are that rare. His car was bought through an estate sale, 40,000 mile , all original car. The only thing he did was change colors ,from yellow to black.
if it is that rare and all original why did he change colors? that make no sense in my mind but its not my far
 
G
#19 ·
It's a stock 230", 6-banger with 2 cylinders missing is all! Nothing out of the ordinary at all EXCEPT it is a 4-banger!

Great little motor, imho!!

AND I wished GM had it nowaday's b/c it would make a great commuter car!!

Like a 4-banger TAXI!!

A h-ll of a lot better then the pos Vega motor AND the funny thing about the Vega motor is that they got it right AFTER they made it with cast-iron sleeves, but by that time it was too f----g late!!

Same deal with the V-6 Fiero, 5-speed!!

AND don't even get me started on the '65 and newer Corvairs vs the '64 and older man-killers!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote
 
#21 · (Edited)
keithb said:
if it is that rare and all original why did he change colors? that make no sense in my mind but its not my far

He changed the color of the car first, and then was approached to have it displayed, and found out how rare it is. Hindsight is always 20/20. He has a thing for black cars, and trucks, so this one followed suit. The car would be worth more if it was the original color. He bought all his parts for it through Year One, and they asked him to send in a portfolio of it, for a possible photo shoot, and display on the showroom floor. When they found out it was a 4 cyl. car, they declined the offer. To look at it, it looks exactly like a COPO 427 car, dog dishes, and all, then you raise the hood, and see that little 4 cyl.



His car actually should look like Marlin's car, pictured here, before repaint.


http://www.yenko.net/features/2001/August-01-3-big.jpg
 
G
#22 ·
That was the problem with the V-6, 5-speed Fiero, they shoulda installed it early-on and not after the little car got such a bad rap that it wouldn't sell!

That and the V-6 needed a bigger oil pan!!!

They did the same thing with the Corvair too! Built the better one too late!

Same thing with the Vega block!! Shoulda been sleeved from the git-go!! BUT I figure it was sure cheap to make UNTIL they couldn't sell them anymore unsleeved!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote
 
#23 ·
The 4 cylinder was the base engine for the Nova up to 1970. The six was the option. After '71 the six was the base engine.

Of interest the 153 cube 4 cylinder that came in the Novas isn't much different than the 151 cube iron dukes that were found in S-10's, 80's Camaros/Firebirds, etc.

Anyone remember the torque drive transmissions?
 
#24 ·
The 4 cyl Nova was meant as a price leader car, but it doesn't deserve much praise. Car review writers of the era soundly panned the 4 because it was needleesly noisy (always had to buzz the engine to get the car moving), it was not smooth, and often times got no better fuel mileage than the small 6.

My only exposure to this engine is through house boats, a place where it is disproportionately represented. My experience was the same as the car test writers: it was noisy, vibrated excessively, and didn't provide much power.

Thomas
 
#26 ·
The torque drive was an automatic/manual powerglide. It had only 2 gears, hi and 1st.

When you took off from a dead stop you shifted the car into 1st, then after the car was moving you shifted out of 1st into hi.

There was no clutch pedal to push. Think of it as a powerglide with a manual valve body.

It was avaliable from 1969 thru 1971 on 4 and 6 cylinder powered Novas. Not sure if they came in anything else.

I know of a guy that's giving one away if you want it.

Here's what the gear indicator looked like on torque-drive Novas (very bottom pic):
http://www.classicnovas.net/brochure/69-12.htm

Here's another one (upper left hand pic):
http://www.classicnovas.net/brochure/70-11.htm

From the 1970 Nova brochure:

Torque-drive: Low cost answer to no clutch driving. Shift manually or stay in gear without shifting in stop, slow and go traffic. Geared for fuel economy. Avaliable with 4 and 6 cylinder engines only.

Bomber '67 said:
Car review writers of the era soundly panned the 4 because it was needleesly noisy (always had to buzz the engine to get the car moving): it was noisy, vibrated excessively, and didn't provide much power.
Why does this remind me of rice burners?
 
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