Chevy Nova

4getgto

4getgto

Bill from Northampton County, Pennsylvania
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Chevrolet designer Clare MacKichan recalled about creating the Chevy II: "There was no time for experimentation or doodling around with new ideas from either the engineers or from us in design; And it had to be a basic-type car." The 1962 Chevy II rode a 110 in (2,794 mm) wheelbase, compared to 109.5 in (2,781 mm) for the Ford Falcon, at which Chevy's new compact was aimed. "I think that was the quickest program we ever did at any time," he continued. "We worked night and day on that car, and it didn't take very long to run it through our shop because we had a deadline." And that is what made the Chevy II one of the fastest new-car development programs in GM history – just 18 months after the designers got the green light, the first production Chevy II rolled off the Willow Run, Michigan, assembly line in August 1961, in time for its September 29 introduction. Unlike the Corvair, the 1962 Chevy II design team deliberately avoided any revolutionary features in concept or execution; their mission was to give Chevrolet buyers a simple, back-to-the-basics compact car. When he announced the Chevy II to the press, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Cole described the car as offering "maximum functionalism with thrift." When the Chevy II was introduced, it was the second post-WWII American made car from the "Big 3", after the Pontiac Tempest (and the first Chevrolet since the 1928 Chevrolet National), to use a four-cylinder engine.

There was a lot of debate within the Chevrolet organization over just what to call this new car, and the decision to go with "Chevy II" was a very late one. Among the finalists was Nova. It lost out because it didn't start with a "C," but was selected as the name for the top-of-the-line series. Ultimately the Nova badge would replace Chevy II, but that wouldn't happen until 1969. In almost every way, the creators of the Chevy II used Falcon as a benchmark. The 1962 model range included sedans and wagons, as well as a two-door hardtop and a convertible. The only body styles it didn't offer which the Falcon did were a 2-door wagon/sedan delivery and coupe utility (the Ford Falcon Ranchero), most likely to avoid competing with Chevrolet's own El Camino.
 
The early Chevy 2 were nice looking cars. 66 and 67 looked the best for that body style.

68 to 73 are my favorite. Beyond that they started with the mandated huge bumpers and killed the look.

You can’t forget the mid 80s come back! I can still remember in high school this one guy was so excited. Said he dad got him a Chevy nova for his first car. We were all like holy crap a muscle car!?

Then he showed up the next day and it was an 86 Chevy Nova. We didn’t give him too much crap as we were all driving shit boxes for our first cars.
 
If you want a simple, reliable car, the Chevy II is a solid choice. It’s not flashy, but it gets the job done for everyday driving, and Chevy pulled it together pretty fast.

Oh, and I just copped an Chevrolet Volt and started diving into the auto scene, especially with all the electric cars coming out. I found this awesome article about Chevy's big push into the EV Market. It helped me get a better idea of how Chevy’s stepping up in that market, which is dope for my car-buying journey.
 
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Sorry I missed this Bill! Those Chevy II's were awesome little cars, and of course hot rodders had a great time with them too! Had an aunt that had one. Rode around in the back seat a lot as a rugrat. I remember it had "childproof" inside door locks that she would use the tip of the key to pop up the knob. I think if GM would have put that little "Iron Duke" 4 banger in Vega's they would have had a far better reputation. Sure they would still rust out but still be running on the original engine when it was too far gone. I had a 1991 GMC Sonoma for a lot of years that had the Iron Duke in it. It was slow but it couldn't be hurt unless the oil never got changed. About 70mph was top end on the interstate with an automatic tranny and the a/c on. The kid that bought it from me managed to blow it up about a year and a half later.

DAC
 
CRF6179 said:
I had a1969 Nova. 250 six, with factory 3speed floor shifter. Drove that car for 14 years. repaired the floor boards a couple times.
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Ah, the seldom mentioned Chevy 250cc engine straight-6 aka the 4.1L. One of the most reliable engines in GM's history. It could be tuned for great MPG or built like a hot rod with the old school Hp rating system of 168Hp with fuel injection in the 80s. A turbo was offered too. I must say, GM kept that engine going from the 60's into the late 80's. Sadly, Mopar didn't keep the slant-6 around that long. And they didn't add the turbo unless you went after market.

Those 6's from that time era were amazing solid reliable machines. Mopar did make a Feather Duster of the slant-6 getting an amazing 35MPG hwy back in the late 70s of the oil crisis. For a vehicle like the Duster not being aerodynamic at all, this was an amazing feat.

Yes, the 260cc/4.1L is a respected engine no matter it's configuration.
 
Lily'sDad said:
I've heard of slant 6's going 100K back when that wasn't normal.

" It could be tuned for great MPG or built like a hot rod with the old school Hp rating system of 168Hp with fuel injection in the 80s."
What do you consider 'Great" gas mileage?
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My Pa's 1974 /6 went 373,xxx miles. My 1979 /6 Aspen went 686,xxx miles. My 1976 Voltaire 4dr sedan had the Super-/6 and I sold it with 484,xxx miles and the young high schooler loved it.

Like I said, the Feather Duster /6 got 36 MPG in the 1970s. Very much unheard of back in that day.
There were all kinds weight reductions, larger exhaust pipe, the rear diff 2.76 vs the 3.21.

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dodge trucker said:
There was a turbo package for the Chevy 250?
Really? Stock or aftermarket?

And actually they did keep the/6 around longer than Chevy kept the 250 available. You could still get a/6 in 87, I don't think the 250 was available after about 83/84.
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en.wikipedia.org

Chevrolet Turbo-Thrift engine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

GM stopped production of the 250 in 2001.
ManufacturerChevrolet
Production1962–1988
1964–2001 (Brazil)
1964–1999 (South Africa)
1962–2001 (Argentina)



 
Turbo thrift was a name, not a turbo charged package from GM. They liked that word back then with the new turbo hydramatic transmissions. The only turbo charged factory GM engines I remember from the 1960's was the air cooled flat 6 banger in the Corvair Monza Spyder. Had dual turbochargers. They are quite rare.

I have two "turbo thrift" engines. A mid 1960's 230 in my 1955 GMC pickup and a 1964 250 for a spare that I will probably never need. Can't kill those engines either! The 4 cyl. "Iron Duke" was basically a 230 with the two rear cylinders missing. Also have our son's 1983 C-10 sitting here with a 250 I-6 in it. He has no where to keep it so I use it for a dump runner. GM screwed up then they went to the "integral head" on the 250's in the late 1970's. The intake manifold and the head was actually cast in one unit. Lots of folks had head cracking issues with them. No idea how many miles are on any of these engines as the speedo doesn't work in the C-10 and the two turbo thrift engines were well used when I got them.

Also had a couple of slant 6's. My wife's family were staunch MOPAR folks. They had numerous "leaning tower of power" cars and trucks through the years. In 1977 I bought a 1965 Plymouth Valient from her uncle. 3 on the tree, 170 slant 6. I gave it to my then fiancé for her high school graduation. That was a great little car. Had a 1977 Aspen station wagon I got from my sister in the early 1990's 225 with a 3 speed overdrive floor shift and a bench seat. The body was falling apart and the interior was crumbling, but it still ran like new!

6 in a row are darn good engines. They can be modded or just get the heck driven out of them.

DAC
 
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