# 1969 - '71 Chevy Nova



## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

I remember seeing a post about the ugliest HO slot car, (with kudos to the LifeLike wing Mopar)
but looking at 'Pigs for sale post of
Mustangs, Mach's, Camaro's, GranNationals,
is the 1970ish Nova ONE of the ugliest cars?
(and don't forget its cousin the Pontiac Ventura)


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

BTW- Both Oldsmobile(Omega), and Buick(I forget the name) had their own versions of the Nova body as well...... 
FWIW, I was a big Chevy Nova Fan, and loved ALL Years of the lil Chevy II's


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

Buick Apollo, wasn't it? I like the tidy Nova body style, too.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Yep Rolls, that was it :thumbsup:
Oh btw, looking at P.Pig's Sale Cars, I have to add, that the JL Firebird looks Waaaay Uglier than the Nova does. I mean the Firebird iRL was a Beautiful car, but this HO version is all scrunched up and the wheelwells are all wrong(no lip). And there is too much sheetmetal between the front fenderwell and top of the fender, it just looks Awful(IMHO)


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## oddrods (Feb 6, 2007)

Interesting fact:

(N)ova Chevy
(O)mega Olds
(V)entura Pontiac
(A)ppolo Buick


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

oddrods said:


> Interesting fact:
> 
> (N)ova Chevy
> (O)mega Olds
> ...



Thats cool Bob :dude:


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## buzzinhornet (Jan 20, 2000)

I have to agree with Ralph on this one. The JL firebird body should have been cast for long wheelbase. Same with MM '69 camaro. WWTT?


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

The upper line of the rocker molding is fargo'ed. The original has a gradual angle change where the model is cleaved by a beaver at a 60 degree angle. This negates that long sweeping appearance/illusion that the subtle angle change of the original provides. 

Additionally, both the hood and trunk lines are arced down in a short amount of space. This further adds to the visual compression of the styling.

Are the glass mounting tabs jacking the roof line up and not allowing the hood and trunk lines to drop more towards level


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Very sad side by side comparo, but I think it's almost a match for Aurora's offering back in the day. Being midsized, I'm left to assume they went SWB to make it shorter lengthwise, but in the process had to keep it tall for chassis clearance. Granted, poor glass mounting designs in the early JL years didn't help. Also, They've been know to have posts excessively long on a number of bodies. when the chassis is a rolling brick, something's got to give somewhere, and on the bird, the low sexy lines got butchered. I think MM's Camaros were done in the same manner for the same illogical logic. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy these are produced. I just wish it was thought out a little better in the beginning. AW fixed the goof up with the 68ish camaro putting it on a LWB, making it a bit more accurate.


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

I did a comparison of the MM Camaro and AW Camaro on this page...
http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=227439&page=22

If you take the TO chassis out from under the Nova and put a skinny tire chassis...
I think they got pretty darn close to the real deal with this casting. No flames please.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Your comparison what what I was talking about Rich. I just checked the glass on the firebird, and it's not an excuse, as it's trimmed flush.

You can get away with slicing about 1/8" off the posts give'r take. On a stock T jet, the rails on the top plate ahead of the arm gear can be trimmed for more clearance and more slamming. Sadly, that won't make the Firebird look less wonky!


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

By the way, my first car was a 72 Rally Nova, so I'm a huge fan of this body style.
I was thrilled to see JL come out with these years ago and I have a few of them.

Here is a 73 Pontiac Ventura.




I've been dying to do this car for a custom, but Rick may beat me to it.

In the clip you will notice the dark green fury cop cars JL recently put out.









Now if someone will only do a 72 Catalina land yacht.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

NTxSlotCars said:


> If you take the TO chassis out from under the Nova and put a skinny tire chassis...
> I think they got pretty darn close to the real deal with this casting. No flames please.


Yeah, what he said.












NTxSlotCars said:


> By the way, my first car was a 72 Rally Nova, so I'm a huge fan of this body style.
> I was thrilled to see JL come out with these years ago and I have a few of them.
> 
> Here is a 73 Pontiac Ventura.
> ...


HOLY CARP what an awesome chase! (Jeez, I hope he ducked at the end there...) Can't believe I've never heard of that movie, now I gotta go try to find it somewhere. Was that filmed in NY? A lot of it looked awful familiar; I grew up on LI and my wife is from Brooklyn. Love the roar of the cars, too... if it was in 1973, it's probably one of the last car chases that sounded good. In the episodes of Rockford Files I've been watching lately from the mid- and late '70s, all you can hear during car chases is the Wssshhhhhh of a strangled engine wheezing through a lean-burn carb and a catalytic converter. 

That Ventura would be a good custom. I've wanted to do a Fury cop car too, from way back when I did my Vanishing Point Challenger, only my idea was always to base it on the old Hot Wheels casting. I actually have one in the basement that I started taking apart for that purpose. The JL one looks much more detailed.

One of my first cars was a '73 Nova, it was the first one I really tore apart and learned about cars on, so I have a soft spot for that body too...

--rick


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Points taken on the JL Firebird and Aurora Camaro and Firebird being weirdly proportioned, but to me, that was always part of their charm. Aurora and JL Mustangs too. Don't get me wrong, I like what AW did to the '68 Camaro and the '69 (?) Mustang, but in my head, pony cars are SWB and midsize musclecars and fullsize boats are LWB.

--rick


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

We need to keep in mind (especially from the Aurora point of view) that these cars were meant to be viewed in motion. I don't think they were meant to be perfect replications in scale, scrutinized in Macro-vision. As long as you could recognize a firebird from a thunderbird from a jaguar when they were on the track and moving, that was good enough. They probably could have better proportioned the firebird, but it would have never fit on the chassis, or it would sit even more ridiculously high than it is.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Saw that movie as a kid. Also saw the making of it when the stuntman gets out of the Ventura unharmed after it hits the back of the semi. What's weird is it really sounds like they stole the sounds for the Ventura from Steve McQueen's Mustang in Bullit. I've seen Bullit dozens of times- unmistakable exhaust note.


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Oh man you can't bash the 70 Nova! I had a beautiful triple black 1970 Nova SS when I was younger. 427 engine and Centerline wheels. The car was a serious street brawler. In 1986 it starred in a Cinemax movie with Jim Belushi. I got to spend the day with Belushi and the film crew and actually drove the car for the scenes in the movie. The movie was called "Birthday Boy". Man I miss that car...


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## plymouth71 (Dec 14, 2009)

My friend has a 73 Nova Not too shabby for a Shebby. He would love to find a diecast or model, but to my knowledge nothing has ever been made.


http://www.chevynova.ca/73nova/main.html


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Great pic Rick. 
Also, the idea has been kicked around in another thread that the guy driving the Catalina
is the same guy that drove the black Charger in Bullitt, 5 years later.
Anyone found out whether that was true or not?


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## Slott V (Feb 3, 2005)

Yes the stunt driver's name was Bill Hickman:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hickman


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Nice Nova Scott,now the million dollar question,what'd it run at the track,lol:thumbsup:.

Is that you beside Belushi

My little Hornet was in a syndicated series show called "Viper",and Victoria Jackson drove it,with a reverse lock-out 4 speed and toggle switch ceramic clutch no-less.
Got nothing but respect for that girl,she never stalled it,or buck jumped it once,lol:thumbsup:
Rick


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

was this the Victoria Jackson who was on SNL for a while? always loved her...

--rick


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Yup,a little cutie pie.


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## suckfish (Feb 25, 2008)

Well when i first met my wife she drove a bright Orange 70 Olds Omega with a black vinyl top.. but had a beautiful 350 Rocket motor with 4 barrel.. Car was real nice looking especially the gal behind the wheel..lol


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for the link SlottV. What a life he had.


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