In The Beginning

[Bill Pritchard]

Love this thread, Ziggy. Amazing that you took so many pictures back in the day....my friends and I did not, unfortunately.

Regarding the L78 Nova, did you ever try out the "Houdini" shifter, where it would shift itself from first into second gear at full throttle?

[ZiggyL78]

Originally Posted by Bill Pritchard

Love this thread, Ziggy. Amazing that you took so many pictures back in the day....my friends and I did not, unfortunately.

Regarding the L78 Nova, did you ever try out the "Houdini" shifter, where it would shift itself from first into second gear at full throttle?

LOL. Yes, I did. I never heard it called that though. If a TH400 was stock it had a built in safety where it shifted on its own from 1ST to 2ND just before the motors redline. I never tried it on any Muscle Car but it was a riot in my tow car. If a passenger didn't know that a 400 had this function, they would flip out the first time it happened. If you look at the pics I just posted you will see my old blue 67 Olds 98 down the street from the Nova. On the outside it was let's say rough, but on the inside it was rough. LOL. It had a 425 Olds with a TH400. That motor was a stump puller that would not die.

Thanks for posting.

[GM Powertrain]

Originally Posted by ZiggyL78

LOL. Yes, I did. I never heard it called that though. If a TH400 was stock it had a built in safety where it shifted on its own from 1ST to 2ND just before the motors redline. I never tried it on any Muscle Car but it was a riot in my tow car. If a passenger didn't know that a 400 had this function, they would flip out the first time it happened. If you look at the pics I just posted you will see my old blue 67 Olds 98 down the street from the Nova. On the outside it was let's say rough, but on the inside it was rough. LOL. It had a 425 Olds with a TH400. That motor was a stump puller that would not die.

Thanks for posting.

I used that feature often in my L34 '67 SS Chevelle I had in '85 and my '66 396 Caprice I also had. Drop it in first and stand on it and wait for that Turbo 400 to "blow shift" into second with a satisfying bark from the tires. Always fun.

Love the BB Nova you had as well as the Turbo Buicks ( I have both currently.) You have great taste in cars!