Buying a '72 Nova SS

[Motorhead]

Hey ya'll. Found a deal on a 72 Nova SS this week at work. I've never owned a Nova and I don't really know what the problem areas are for this car.:dunno: I don't even know how to tell if it's a real SS or not. Did all the 72 SS cars have the vents in the hood? Any help ya'll can give would be appreciated.:icon996:

[dhardison]

Motorhead, it's virtually impossible to tell if it's a 'true' SS or not. 1969 was the last year that GM designated Novas being an SS in the VIN. It's not 100% because in '70-'72 you could order these things as separate options (without the SS package), but most factory SS cars came with a 12-bolt rear, usually had front discs, front/rear SS emblems and fake hood vents. As far as the fake hood vents are concerned, another way to tell a true SS hood. SS hoods had a separate bracket that allowed the fake vents to bolt under the hood properly. If the rearmost (closest to the cab) vent mounts just have holes through the hood and no bracket then it's not an SS hood.

You might want to look at http://www.novaresource.com to check the body tag and vin codes. The guy that runs that site (Scott Windle) is a Nova God and knows nearly all there is to know about Novas.

Dan

[Motorhead]

Thanks Dan, sweet ride by the way. What are the problem areas as far as rust go. I've delt with rust problems on first and second generation F-bodies, but I have no experience with the Nova. Hopefully I'll go on Tuesday to look at the car, he says the body is solid, but the interior is shot. It's been sitting for a while, "in a field with a tarp over it." We'll see.

Thanks again,
Shane

[dhardison]

Thanks Shane. The worst spots for rust are at the base of the rear window, behind the front tires, behind the rear tires, floorpans, trunkpans and the very bottom of the doors (the very bottom at the base of the door panels). Basically the rust areas are very similar to the 1st gen Camaros. Good luck, maybe she's not in too bad shape.

Dan

[Motorhead]

Thanks Dan. That's what I needed.:icon996: I'll post pics once I get her home. :fingersx:

Shane

[69bigblock]

Shane, The good thing about novas you can pretty much get all the parts you need... Like dan said about the SS if you don't have the paper work or oring. motor its hard to say....
Bryan