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Jeremy Pirnat
Year 1976
Make Chevrolet
Model Nova
Body Style 2-door sedan
VIN 1X27Q6K130928
Miles 82,000
Engine 305
Heads stock, original
Compression Ratio 8.5:1
Carburetor Rochester 2GC 2-bbl.
Ignition stock HEI
Exhaust stock manifolds and single exhaust
Estimated peak horsepower 140 HP @ 3800 RPM
Estimated peak torque 245 lb/ft @ 2000 RPM
Transmission Turbo Hydramatic 200
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October 2, 1996: My name is Jeremy Pirnat. I'm a 23-year-old computer progammer in
Jacksonville, FL. It was refreshing to find your NOVA INTERNET SOURCE WWW
pages. It's nice to know that there are still some people who like Chevy
Novas. In general, Novas are overlooked by most car enthusiasts. They
never got the audience enjoyed by more popular sporty models like the
Camaro and Corvette, and that's a shame. Read on to hear my story . . .
Although I majored in computer science and work as a programmer, I got into
auto mechanics as a hobby. Since I was 15 year old, I've owned seven cars
(four of which I restored). My friends were always interested in driving
the more "refined" Integras and Preludes, but I didn't much care for the
newer Japanese makes. Besides, they were expensive (my parents told me I
had to make money to buy my own car), you couldn't work on them and they
were stolen a lot. After owning two Camaros and a Trans Am, I was forced
to get a car that provided better gas mileage. Reluctantly, I bought a
Plymouth Caravelle. It's kind of a mundane car, but at least it has the
turbo engine. Still, I yearned for the days when I had V8 power . . .
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One day, I met one of my dad's friends from work. He told me that he had
retired, and was buying himself a new car. He was going to sell his
current car, a 1976 Nova, and wondered if I was interested. I had been
searching for a "third car" for my wife and I to use on weekends (or if one
of our cars broke down), so I unenthusiastically told the guy I'd look at
this Nova.
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To my pleasant surprise, the car turned out to be a real cherry. It was a
two-door coupe in near mint condition with only 82K ORIGINAL miles. It had
an immaculate interior with the original equipment, including the factory
Delco radio in the dash! The car was powered by the smaller, 305 2bbl V8
engine with automatic transmission. There was no air conditioning, so the
engine delivered full power all the time. When I went on the test drive,
my foot slipped on the gas pedal and the wheels peeled rubber. It was then
that I knew I had to have the car. It was a real bargain for $650. Not to
mention that the guy that sold it to me had been the original purchaser.
This Nova had been a one-owner car for 20 years, and he had the service
records to prove it!
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I'm currently doing some minor work necessary to completely restore this
gem. It has a little hood damage and a bit of rust on the passenger-side
fender, but I was able to find lots of spare parts. Also, the Nova was
surprisingly cheap to insure. Strange, because the 1976 Camaros had
exactly the same running gear but would cost me and additional $400 per
year in insurance premiums.
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One last thing: When I was driving the car to Jacksonville on I-95, a kid
driving an Integra (the older model) tried to pass me using the RIGHT lane,
trying get around me in order to cut me off. When I heard his little
engine revving up, I stepped on the gas. In an instant, I got a rush of V8
power and torque that pushed me back down into the seat. We raced up to
100 mph, but the Integra's front bumper never got past the rear part of the
Nova's door. Finally, the kid gave up. Here's the kicker- I didn't even
have the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor yet. So much for
Integras.
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Unfortunately, Novas seem to be a disappearing breed- especially the
1975-1979 style. The majority that I've seen are ready for the junk pile.
Oh, well, more spare parts for me!
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October 3, 1996: A few weeks ago when I went to register the Nova at the Florida DMV, the
Volusia County clerk told me that the vehicle qualified for their
reduced-rate "antique" registration! ANTIQUE! I was outraged! I'm older
than the car, and I'm certainly not antique... yet! Yes, we "antique"
people like to refer to ourselves as "classic." When I got back to the
parking lot and saw the Nova sitting amid row after row of Probes, Miatas,
Altimas, Contours, Intrepids, Sebrings and Altimas I began to realize how
different it looked. Truely an icon of engineering days gone by. I also
realized how few of them I see anymore. Once, these cars (primarily the
1970-1979 models) were EVERYWHERE!
What's a modular engine control regulator? A distributorless ignition
system? A self-diagnostic onboard computer command relay? What ever
happened to the basics? What happened to: Has REALLY big engine. Goes
REALLY fast. Gets REALLY crappy gas-mileage. Produces GOBS of V8 torque.
Old habits die hard.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1997 Aren Cambre.
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