My (Atrocious Looking) First Car

Kinja'd!!! by "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
Published 01/22/2017 at 20:07

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STARS: 1


Kinja'd!!!

1976 Chevrolet Nova base model, black, red interior, 250 straight-six, three-on-the-tree. Purchased in 1984. $1,600.

I thought any photographic evidence was long lost until my father sent me a package of old photos and letters from my Army Daze and this Polaroid was included.

The car looked much different by the time a buddy of mine crashed it into a tree in 1987 or ‘88. I painted over the gold trim with red, removed the leaf spring shackles and front spring spacers, and replaced the rims with a set of 14-inch black Rallies.


Replies (32)

Kinja'd!!! "Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
01/22/2017 at 20:10, STARS: 2

I’d rock that.

Kinja'd!!! "Seat Safety Switch" (seat-safety-switch)
01/22/2017 at 20:12, STARS: 2

I think a man who refuses to drive a Disco Nova is a man who refuses to be honest with himself.

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
01/22/2017 at 20:15, STARS: 0

FRAG IT.

Kinja'd!!! "OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
01/22/2017 at 20:21, STARS: 1

it looks lifted

Kinja'd!!! "Busslayer" (Busslayer)
01/22/2017 at 20:22, STARS: 0

I can remember at least 2 friends in high school that had Novas of that era. One 2 door, one 4 door. Both had the straight 6 and manuals. I have one very vivid memory of riding in one on a dark night, bombing along a twisty narrow road down the bluff toward the Mississippi River, way too fast, with Van Halen’s “Eruption” blaring.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:27, STARS: 1

YES

Kinja'd!!! "MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
01/22/2017 at 20:31, STARS: 1

sorry, but the car you have posted look hot!

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:33, STARS: 0

I was stationed in Louisiana, at Fort Polk, with mine, and I have very few fond memories of that time.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:35, STARS: 0

But not very fast.

Kinja'd!!! "Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
01/22/2017 at 20:38, STARS: 0

Can’t be slower than a tercel

Kinja'd!!! "crowmolly" (crowmolly)
01/22/2017 at 20:40, STARS: 0

TH200, eh? Alright. Welp, see you later!

Kinja'd!!!

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:40, STARS: 0

If the tercel has an automatic transmission, then no.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 20:41, STARS: 0

But mine was manual: three-on-the-tree.

Kinja'd!!! "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/22/2017 at 21:31, STARS: 0

It is.

Kinja'd!!! "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/22/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 0

I’d Rallycross the hell out of that.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 0

In a parking lot?

Kinja'd!!! "vondon302" (vondon302)
01/22/2017 at 22:17, STARS: 0

I had a girlfriend with one of these it was unkillable. Neato

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/22/2017 at 22:21, STARS: 1

The big rub, and a mistake I would not -- and did not -- make a second time, is that the ‘75 and later 250s had integrated heads, where the intake manifolds were cast as part of the head, so you couldn’t do any of the performance mods to them. I had the chance to pursue a 4-speed trans for it early on, but let it slide; that would have made the car way more driveable. The three-speed with highway gears made it pretty slow. Dependable, though, and robust.

Kinja'd!!! "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
01/23/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 0

No, rallycross is like autocross, except it’s on dirt and gravel. That thing would be insane fun bombing around those courses.

Kinja'd!!! "Die-Trying" (die-trying)
01/23/2017 at 10:39, STARS: 0

that was a nice looking first car. it had all the 80s style you could throw at it. i can see why you were looking for another one that was like it here a while back......

Kinja'd!!! "deprecated account" (savethei4s)
01/23/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 0

Pretty much the same thing: http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/5969026415.html

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/23/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 1

I bought if for its drivetrain, largely. The ‘71 van I just bought has the 250/3sp. Smog not required...

That Nova was robust and dependable.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/23/2017 at 15:12, STARS: 0

Is the Cutlass the same platform as the Nova?

Kinja'd!!! "Die-Trying" (die-trying)
01/23/2017 at 19:06, STARS: 0

yeah, that inline and 3speed ought to be about unkillable........

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/23/2017 at 19:24, STARS: 0

I’m going to upgrade the trans either to one of the Borg Warner OD 3 speed units, or a T-5 World Class five-speed. They tell me that if you use OD in 2nd with the BW unit, you split 2nd and wind up with 5 effective speeds. I think the suicide shift on the floor sounds like fun, but then, keeping Mom’s old three-on-the-tree setup is appealing also.

Kinja'd!!! "Die-Trying" (die-trying)
01/23/2017 at 19:32, STARS: 0

been a while since i have seen anyone else driving anything on a tree.......

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/23/2017 at 19:49, STARS: 1

Yeah. There’s novelty value there.

Kinja'd!!! "deprecated account" (savethei4s)
01/24/2017 at 00:23, STARS: 0

I know later in its lifespan it was the same as the monte carlo, but it looks pretty close to me.

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
01/24/2017 at 08:46, STARS: 1

Looks like the Nova is X-body and Cutlass is A-body, so no. (Source: Wikipedia)

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
02/08/2017 at 02:59, STARS: 0

Kinja'd!!!

My dad’s first car was a ‘76 SS. 305, TH350. Nothing special in those days, I think it’d be cool to have one now. Yes, I know I need to scan the better pictures. Oh, it also had fur on the dash board. Because 80s I guess (Though I thought that was more a 70s touch)

Kinja'd!!! "Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
02/08/2017 at 15:07, STARS: 0

An SS with a 305?

Kinja'd!!! "19JRC99" (19jrc99)
02/08/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 1

It was 1976. Everything was an appearance package.