71 Nova is Worth..?

How much do you guys think this 71 Nova is worth?

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/71nova1.JPG

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/71nova2.JPG


Somethings about it:
-rebuilt 350cu with ~10-15k miles
-th350 tranny 3 on the tree
-holley (650?) double pumper
-heater core doesn't work
-a/c unit doesn't work (isn't installed even)
-open differential
-5 new tires (three 215/60/15; two 235/60/15)
-4 disc brake rally wheels; 1 rust-covered wheel of some sort
-front disc brakes; rear drums
-power brakes
-power steering
-parking brake doesn't work; dash light for it does not either
-random small dents (largest on the rear passenger side fender)
-virtually no weatherstripping (except the trunk insulation was new)
-trunk pan has surface rust only
-interior headliner is excellent
-rear seat vinyl is excellent, front is as well (except there are 3 long rips along the seams on the driver's side seat)
-passenger side is missing the handle to pull the seat forward (to get into the back seat); however, the latch is still there and works
-seat belts are non-retractable; has both waist and over-chest seat belts
-front driver & passenger floor pans are rusted completely through with rather large holes covered up by cheap floor mats; rear floor pans have surface rust only
-floor has rubber matting
-dash pad is brittle and cracked all over
-horn isn't hooked up (dash shroud is bent and no longer fits)
-dash bezel is faded and cut for a CD player (but has no CD player); the dash bezel is not original
-the dash bezel clear plastic is scratched heavily (not deep) and noticable
-the dash has a fuel gauge that is roughly correct, working speedometer, and dash clock
-the orange "pin" that tells you what gear you're in is missing (so thus you simply listen/"feel" what gear it's in)
-the dash is missing the piece that screws into the dash bezel from beneath the steering column (I forgot the formal name of it)
-the glove box is missing the glove box door (however, it has been replaced with one from 72 with a similar shade of black to match the dash and interior)
-the interior has 1 speaker under the rear window (the other one is missing) and not connected
-the rear window has slipped from where it is supposed to be by about a half inch, and thus leaks considerably during rain
-the side rear windows do not go down properly
-the windshield is brand new
-the driver side door window frame appears to have been welded improperly (after an accident perhaps?) and does not line up properly with the wing window frame, and as well, is loose/unstable
-the wing windows are too loose to keep open; they close with gravity
-passenger-side door handle is connected to the door as simply door-handle-on-door, with no insulation/rubber/plastic; and does not sit flush against the door
-neutral safety switch is loose and moves with a simple push side-to-side; start car in drive/reverse or park/neutral; turn off in any gear
-windshield wipers work; launching wiper fluid does not (not hooked up, & missing nozzles, as well as fluid container)
-under-hood insulation is minimal/gone
-no fender splash guards in engine compartment
-front tires rub against the inside & outside of the fenders when turning further than 3/4, scratching deep into the tires (without popping)
-front end is lowered with 2" drop-spindles (not seen in the pic); car still sits higher than novas that aren't lowered
-front end newly rebuilt
-frame is bent; this is the reason for tires rubbing
-passenger-side inner fender is crinkled some and holes do not line up correctly [a new inner fender will not line up with the outer fender bolt holes]
-brand new hood hinges (old springs)
-new valence that is painted (not seen in pic)
-bumper is hooked up properly (not seen in pic); however it is bent in several places, and due to it been hanging, driver-side front fender has deep gouges
all front bumper brackets bent [a new bumper will not line up with holes and will miss by up to 2" in some places]
-new side-mirror on driver side door
-new rear-view mirror bracket & mirror
-new door lock knobs
-new headlights (no headlight fluid added)
-new headlight bezels
-paint is bad; scratches everywhere; surface rust visible underneath the orange/beige/green paint
-car drives; engine runs strong; slight burning of oil
-no fluid leaks
-all lights work except any aforementioned
-original car manual & protect-o-plate
-headers and dual exhaust (unknown brands)
-Car was originally a 350 with a 4 barrel

So, how much would you say it is worth?

Because it got hit it's got some 'issues' that will take some effort to overcome, I'd say $1,000 - $1,500.

You buying or selling?

You mention the front subframe being bent...that would be the only "real drawback" for a lot of general enthusiasts...
It's hard to touch any running nova in my neck of the woods for under 1,500...and those are very rusted, barely running 6 cyl. cars. It'd probably bring an un-honest $2,000-2,500 from a shady seller.

Ive seen some really crappy 69-72s out there in the 2-3k price range. The car looks better in pics than what it apparently is based on the brutal description.


"new headlights (no headlight fluid added)" -***?

bent frame?? sounds like a basket case to me..from the pics it doesnt look like it has a motor in it

"new headlights (no headlight fluid added)" -***?

If you look closely, the driver-side headlight has fluid in it.


I'm not buying/selling it. I actually owned it a couple of years ago (unfortunately).

It looks like it doesn't have an engine in it, because when the picture was taken, it had large springs (I think) so that it would clear the fender and not rub the tires when turning.

I know it doesn't look as brutal as I described it, but the pictures don't do it justice. I'm sure if you were able to see it in real time, your description wouldn't waiver too much from mine.

Unfortunately for me, the guy I had bought it from was cunningly dishonest. That, and I didn't look over it in super-great detail like I should have. So that combination led to a bad decision.

However, I made another bad decision when driving it:

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/71nova3.jpg

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/71nova4.jpg

Of course you would ask how in the world I could hit a block wall, unless I was intoxicated or something, as the cops suspected :rolleyes:

But that wasn't the case.
The case was:
Giving it too much gas
Turning a corner
Driving over a crosswalk (paint is slick)
Open differential
and Over-correcting steering


What do you suppose the damage was?

looks like something a teenager would do.. guess the car is worth only parts now

looks like something a teenager would do.. guess the car is worth only parts now




Thats exactly what I was gonna say because well thats exactly what I done in my74 nova when I was 17. I came around a right hand turn (road was a little wet) and punched it, next thing I know I am facing the opposite direction than which I started in and im parked against a concrete wall (DOH) bent up my fender just a little and busted my headlight but that was about it........Man these cars are tuff :)

That car is fixable......shoot.....when I was 19......I had a 68 Nova that was hit head-on by a 62 Galaxie. That front end had so many shims it would have made Bob Vila proud.

Look for a parts car,heck I have enough parts laying around here to repair everthing including sub frame.It's gotta be easier for you to find parts in Cal the up here.Look for a 4 door and take the hole front end and re & re it.The only thing you should check is the shell isn't bent,if it is then you'll have a bigger descission to make repair or sell it in parts.

My 2 cents ;) Paul

I would classify it as a parts car since it would take pretty much another car to get this one back on the road. Once you start talking front subframe collision damage you have no idea how far back the damage goes. Control arms, spindles, front firewall subframe mounts, main floor pan brace. You will not be able to tell completely until you get the front of the car removed and start doing some measurements, this becomes a higher probability when you add rusty floor boards into the equation. If the car had connector bars odds would be in your favor that the damage was isolated to the front sub frame, but then again in rare situations it could even transfer impact damage to the rear leaf spring mounts. If the car was mine I would tear it down and start measuring. If the main body and subframe mounts were found good you could get another or new after market front subframe and build from there. If they are not square you will have to see how much work is needed and make your own call based on your capabilities. If it comes down to you can't repair it then you will probably end up ahead if you part the car out and sell it in pieces your self or use it as a donor for another project.

I apologize if I led anyone to thinking I still owned this 71. I felt there was too much damage done (before & after the crash) to keep it.

AAA found it 'totalled' with the reasons:
"I have no idea where to even find a subframe"
"motor mounts were destroyed, transmission was disconnected"

and they mentioned a few more reasons that I don't recall, but they never went into detail and I didn't feel like bothering with it anyway. I was actually kind of glad they took it away.

They offered me $4200, which seems to be well above what some of you have thought. I responded with displeasure to that number and spent a few weeks thinking about appraising it or not. By the fourth week, they actually appraised it themselves. They had three appraisers look at it, and they came up with $7910. :eek: I took that. :D

Yep you got ripped LOL!!!:eek:

RUN;)

Now you can buy a better one.

And a better one I did buy. After that 71 Nova, I found this 72 and snatched it up.

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_frontqrtr.JPG

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_int.JPG

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_rearqrtr.JPG

That's a much nicer car,I'm not sure on the color.Does everything work on this one?

It's gulf green in color and I was contemplating repainting it a different color.
Everything does work, yes, however there is no heater core, nor A/C. This isn't a big deal to me, considering I will most-likely be purchasing a heat/air kit from Classic Auto Air that Rudy recommended.

And a better one I did buy. After that 71 Nova, I found this 72 and snatched it up.

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_frontqrtr.JPG

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_int.JPG

http://www.tysonphillips.com/stuff/72nova_rearqrtr.JPG

How much did you get that for?

Am I reading this clearly...? You total the car and the wreckage company pays you almost 8k for the vehicle? What kind of insurance did you have? I'm now thinking about building a concrete wall at the bottom of my driveway and driving into it.

Am I reading this clearly...? You total the car and the wreckage company pays you almost 8k for the vehicle? What kind of insurance did you have? I'm now thinking about building a concrete wall at the bottom of my driveway and driving into it.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: o man classic!!