I don’t think that owning a 1969 Chevrolet Nova, with only 153 cubic inches under the hood, is on anyone’s bucket list, but I sure do think that in this case it is ultra cool. With just 90 Horsepower, this 153 Cubic Inch 4-Cylinder was offered for only three years in the newly redesigned Nova that came out in 1968. This engine was an option for those looking to get the most out of every drop of gas they put into their Novas, and was backed by either a 3 speed manual transmission or the option Powerglide. This wasn’t the normal glide however, as it came with a trimmed down version that had to be manually shifted by the driver. Because most folks didn’t want to have to shift it, even though no clutch was needed, it was only installed in 6,000 or so Nova’s in 1969. This trans was only available in Nova and Camaro with low horsepower combos. Sounds kind of like a manual valve body glide to us, people just didn’t know what was good yet!
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One owner, all original 1969 Chevrolet Nova 2 door coupe. Driven regularly and garaged until 2016, not a barn find but a survivor. Original Santa Barbara, CA, car, purchased from Washburn Chevrolet.
Straight body with limited rust. A few parking incident dents, but overall straight. Interior is original and in good shape for its age. Two tone Glacier Blue / Dover White (the roof is painted, not vinyl), with black interior.
Runs and recently drove, but rear brakes, e-brake, and Rochester 1-barrel carburetor need to be rebuilt to drive it. Odometer suggests 114,206 miles.
It has the 153ci inline 4-cylinder engine that was only offered in the Nova between 1968 and 1970. It is backed by the 2-speed Torque-Drive automatic transmission. It is very rare, having been installed in only about 6,000 of the well over 100,000 1969 Novas produced.
One of the most original, untouched 1969 Novas anywhere.
Ha ha ha ha – 0-60 in 10 minutes and 10 miles a gallon. Enjoy your crusher bait and you’ll never get a speeding ticket as it only does 40mph in top gear!
Great little engine for inboard/outboards. They were put in lots of boats. Most were rated at 125 HP with 2bbl carbs. Good on gas(for a boat) and very reliable. I had many…
I would give my right nut for that
Paging Mr. Foley…Mr Axel Foley.
Would love to own it. I would be doing an LS swap for sure.
Thankfully you don\’t have it, sick of LS swaps.
I’d LS swap it just to piss you off, Kyle. That’d be more fun than driving it!
I’d find some old dirt track/sprint car racing parts & increase that 90 hp a little. Maybe swap some clutch bell housing parts around & put a 4 or 5 speed in it & leave all else as is & drive it!
It’s an interesting find, and I’m impressed with how clean it is. But a two speed semi-automatic transmission seems like a bad idea when the Falcon, Rambler, and Valiant all had three speed automatics.
Alderman, are you selling this one or a similar car? I\’ve always liked the 1968-72 Novas and while I agree that many were trashed for various projects; not sure I agree a stock four or six cylinder would be worth FAR more than a V8 restomod. Also, I somewhat doubt that the relatively heavy Nova with a 70-75. net horsepower four cylinder and a three speed, would be peppy or torquey. Sounds like a sales pitch. If so, good luck as I think these have a somewhat limited appeal especially with a five figure price tag.
I know it’s solid but, 11 grand for an original condition 4 cyl nova?!! Seems a little pricey.
I don’t know which is rarer, the 4 cylinder or the Torque-Drive. I haven’t seen either one of them in a Nova.
Here is a good Torque-Drive article if anyone is interested.
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-chevrolets-torque-drive-a-dumber-powerglide/
It’s a $3,000-$4,000 car tops.
I worked in a Chevrolet dealership when these came out. You couldn’t give them away.
The 153 is super rare in GM cars, but were very popular in boats.
As for driving or building upon its potential, I would probably drive it as it is for about a week. I doubt I could stand the lack of power for any longer. It could make a good candidate to build a project using one of the new turbo 4 cyl engines out there.
I had a 1971 Pontiac Acadian. Nearly the same car but at least it had a 250 inch six. Pretty gutless anyway, I cannot imagine how slow this one must be.
I dig the rarity though. I thought they stopped putting this engine in this car around the time of the first Chevy Two Novas. Wow
IIRC, the 4 cyl Nova was the slowest car you could buy in America in 69-70. I think top speed was like 85-90 mph. Now, according to the same article, and I think it was Mechanics Illustrated, the fastest car was the Dodge Charger R/T. Now before you get all wound up, it gets better. They gave the Charger’s top speed as right around 130 mph. The numbers were based on the standard engine and the standard gearing, and the maximum recommended engine speed. Well, a 440 4 spd Charger got 3.54’s, 14″ tires, and a 5500 rpm “maximum recommended engine speed.” I’d venture that’s right around 130.
$11k for that? Hell no.
Well if your a tuner you would be in hog heaven 4 cylinder and all. Might be a fast and furious dream all over again. The mustang set up in fast and furious. For me I personally would go 283 with a 4 speed. bye 4 cylinder.
They were called Iron Dukes, much more plentifull in the Chevy ll of early 60s and mail delivery jeeps. I had one out of a Vega, yes, not the aluminum cammer! I loved mine, but it was very low miles with progressive 2 barrel carb and quite responsive, maybe I got the odd \”good\” one but put it in a Datsun pickup, lifted 4×4, jeep transfer and axels 5.38 gears, and 36es, was extreamly happy with how it turned out!
Dream on, you are so out of touch, you must be on a different planet. I have worked at a GM specialized restoration shop for over 20 years. I\’ve seen many \’68-72 BARE Nova body shells with very little to no rust, and no accident damage, bring $5000-7000 over the past several years. A car such as this, will be FAR more valuable restored to original condition, than hacking it up trying to make a hot rod out of it. Too many cars, that would have been worth a whole lot more money, if they hadn\’t been hacked up by wannabe street racers, have ended up being worthless piles of s**t, or worse, sent to junkyards and scrappers because the owners were too ignorant to recognize the true worth of the vehicle in its original condition. I\’ve seen it happen over and over during my nearly 60 years on this earth. Besides that, if you have never driven a second gen Nova with the 153 four banger and three speed manual, you don\’t know what you\’re talking about. I have and they are actually quite peppy for a four, with a lot of torque. Don\’t knock it if you\’ve not tried it!
The guys putting the car down probably drive mini vans or foreign cars! It\’s a great find who cares what drive train is in it! I own a few GM muscle cars currently and have owned several since high school in the 90\’s!
I wouldn’t have the heart to take it apart. There are plenty out there to do that with.