1970 396 nova help id
 

hi to all

i am new to this board and thought this is the place to ask this question.

i picked up a rough nova yesterday that i believe to be a 396 375 hp car. i will post what i do know and what im asking is there any other ways to help document this car.

the body is very rough but fixable. it is missing the engine and trans i bought it from a friend of mine and it is accualy sitting in a field. he has known the car sence the 70s and it has been a race car sence then.
here is what i know
it has big block heater core,with the right bracket around the core pipes,it has the proper rubber block for the other location,it has a big block core support with clips along the top for rubber flap and weld nuts for radiator mounting,it has power disc brakes,it has the origional axle code CBT 355 posi axle,it has big block lower engine mounts still in place.

i did some decoding on the firewall cag and found it was built in willowrun the 3rd week of october 1969,
it was code 28 fathum blue with a white vinyl top
had code 732 black bench seat interior and was a factory 4 speed. and the car has all the little signs that this is right.

any help i can get in further documenting this car will be a big help. thanks in advance.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

get some pictures up. There are a couple key nova guys on the Site. Greg Roberts, Tom Williams, Jim Sullivan to name a few. Have fun!

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

i will get some pics up when i go pick it up this weekend. and that will help. thanks

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Hay Mike
Welcome. Sounds like you have the real deal, atleast a BBC car.
See if there are any signs of a original front coil spring tag too.
And B4 you take anything apart, take lots of photo's of the stuff you have already mentioned. That may be the only "Proof" you ever have.

Mike

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

If the orig fuel line(s) are still in place, that will tell if L78 or L34, single fuel line = L78, 2 lines equal =L34 (although assembly line freaks have been known to occur), CBT(3:55) axle has been shown to be the default rear ratio for an L78, CBR.(3:31) for an L34. With what you describe, smells like an L78 Nova (same exact set up as mine) Good luck with it.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Mike,

Remove the back seat (both bottom and back rest) and see if you can find a build sheet stuffed in the springs..That would be an awesome find.

Martin

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JRSully</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If the orig fuel line(s) are still in place, that will tell if L78 or L34, single fuel line = L78, 2 lines equal =L34 (although assembly line freaks have been known to occur), CBT(3:55) axle has been shown to be the default rear ratio for an L78, CBR.(3:31) for an L34. With what you describe, smells like an L78 Nova (same exact set up as mine) Good luck with it. </div></div>

Sully..3.31 Posi is a CBS code...FYI

Luv, wilma [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Sounds like you have an original BB Car.. Unfortunately the trim tag will not tell you whether it is a BB Car or SS Car... 11427 start on the VIN will tell you it was an 8 cylinder car... Having a friend know of the car since the 70s is a help in documenting the car also...

Having it be an L78 Car is cool but they actually made less L34 cars and they are more rare.... In 1970 there were 3,765 L78 Cars Built.. Compared to 1,802 L34 Cars... I still prefer a solid lifter car!!

Rich

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

11427 start on the VIN will tell you it was an 8 cylinder car

Could be the missing &quot;Possible&quot; Rumored 1 of 3 ZL-1's.....after all it doe's have the 427 Vin.......LOL

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kwhizz</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> 11427 start on the VIN will tell you it was an 8 cylinder car

Could be the missing &quot;Possible&quot; Rumored 1 of 3 ZL-1's.....after all it doe's have the 427 Vin.......LOL</div></div>

OR it could be 1 of 2 very rare factory L89s

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

only if it has factory air ... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/smile.gif[/img]

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

no factory air.

thanks for the replys i'll get a look at the fuel lines this weekend and get some pics of it

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Mike,

Also,

1. Check the driver side rear wheel well for the dual exhaust plate:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...haustplate.jpg

2. Check the floor boards above the rear axle for special brackets that are welded into the floor/frame rail for the F41 option. (no pic for this one...)

3. Single fuel line is a good sign, should have a rubber hose at the tank end, in between the two lines (under the passenger door area), and one at the fuel pump - like this:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...aenginebay.jpg

4. Check the core support for this weld nut:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...upportnuts.jpg

4a. And make sure that the core support has the large opening for the radiator - but now large holes next to the opening on the driver's side (that would be an a/c support, and will/can have the holes on top for the special hood to core seal).
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...oresupport.jpg


5. Check the speedo cable exit hole on the f/wall, 4speed cars should come out just around the distributor location:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...aenginebay.jpg

6. Check for this rectangular hole in the trans xmember with a diagonal corner:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...rossmember.jpg

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

thanks for the photos i will check those items when i get it home this weekend.i have learned enuff now that i want to go back and look at it again but its 50 miles from my house.

from what i can tell the core support looks the same but i only found weld nuts on the pass side for radiator and just holes on the left. i will also check the speedo cable location and fuel lines. im sure its a factory 4 speed as the hole in the floor was filled it still has the pedals and wiring and the clutch ball is still there.

when i was looking at the rear axle i noticed it had multi leaf springs and the correct 12 bolt and from the looks of them they are origional.
the factory fuel tank is gone and a cell is in the trunk.but i can only hope they were to lazy to remove the factory fuel line.

thanks for the info and anything else you can think of. i will post pics of this car as soon as i get it home. and see if it all adds up. thanks again.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

also on the core support i did not see any weld nuts for the top radiator support just a few holes with a couple push in metal clips in them. thanks

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

&quot;from what i can tell the core support looks the same but i only found weld nuts on the pass side for radiator and just holes on the left.&quot;

The weld nuts are only the pass. side...I believe the driver's side used a rubber grommet with washer and expansion bolt. They resemble the hardware that mounts the windshield wiper motor. The grommet fit into the holes you found...

wilma

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

The 70 Nova Fischer body sheet won't show engine designation, 69 does,70 does not. Unless you find the whole broadcast sheet (super rare in a Nova) and Wilma, CBS, CBR who the hell can remember the wimpy gear ratios

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

yes then it is the right core support.. the lower ruber gromit is still in the core support and i remember looking at it wondering what it was used for as it looked to be in the lower left radiator bolt hole and there was no weld nut.i was looking for all 4 weld nuts. there is no dought to me it is a 396 car now all i need is to figure out witch engine it had .and i wont get to look until i pick it up this weekend. thanks for the info.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Correct - passenger side has the weld nuts, drivers side has the grommets.

If the fuel line is gone/missing, let's hope the clips are there. If they are not, then we'll check the date on the rear - assuming its the original then the 3.55 ratio is a pretty good indicator that it was the L78 vs. the L34.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...69Novarear.jpg

I know you said it was a bench seat car, but look for a heater box like this one - I was surprised with this in my BB car, not realizing that it was unique to console cars.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...ovaconsole.jpg

Once you get it home, you'll want to start scrubbing the firewall for codes like these:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h6...vafirewall.jpg

Most Novas will have a large letter written in white grease pencil on the f/wall under the black paint that corresponds to the letter on the bottom row of the TT. It indicates the interior paint color. Also, the paint code is usually under the black paint too. In this pic is an 'A' for black interior paint ('B' is blue, 'G' is green, 'S' is sandalwood), and '79' is my paint color - rally green.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

How about all those answers Mike? Told ya these boys know there stuff. Even that old Italian guy M22Mike in Ohio. He ain't no slouch either.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

the info has been great and i cant thank the guys enuff for the help. once i get it home i can varify the rest of the bb specific items and get some pics up thanks again.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Remember Mike ...Lots of pictures, B4 you clean anything... [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

yes i will get lots of pics with plenty of rust and pics of the rare parts before touching them. thanks

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

well i decided to beat the weather and go pick it up tonight . i didnt get a chance to really look over all the little areas but i did notice it has a single 3/8 fuel line and the speedo cable comes out of the firewall just left of the distributor at an angle. so if all this looks right to you guys when i get real pics tomorrow it looks like a 375 hp 4 speed car with a bench seat.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

here are a few bad pics. i'll get more soon. if i can figure this file thing out.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

So cool finding them,im happy for you and good luck.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

did some more research on it today. the rear axle is origional it is dated for oct 8 69 and the car was built the 3rd week of oct so it must be right. as well as the cbt 3.55 code and it is still a 3.55 posi . i did find a 28 written on the firewell as well wich matches the cowl tag.and the single 3/8 fuel line is still in tact.

it is cool finding one in the field like that .i bet ive looked at 50 novas that were supost to be ss cars and 396 cars in the past but this is the first real one i have found. im not sure how many are left but there will be one more saved in michigan.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

its like a barn find without the barn! good luck with the resto

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

Awesome!!! Nobody is faking anything on that car - sure looks like an L78. Since it's an October car, no rear sway bar (not available until Jan of '70). I see the TCS switch hanging on the firewall wiring gutter - last 3 digits of the part number stamped into the top should be 573.

Car looks good, great color!!!

Congrats on the purchase [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img]

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

thanks . my origional thinking it had a white vynil top was wrong. the a i was seeing is in the 3rd row meening black interior trim. and the color is stamped twice 28-28 so i was even happier to learn it was all fathom blue.

i want to thank everyone for the help in researching this car. it has been a blast just finding it and researching the mistery.

now all i need is some pics of a 70 fathom blue bench seat 4 speed 396 car. thanks again.

Re: 1970 396 nova help id
 

That is probably A 1....

black interior trim and one exterior trim option.

b/molding or brite window trim are the most common..

wilma