1963 Chevy Nova SS Convertible

Chevrolet Nova 1963 Description

This is the only year of the Nova SS Convertible. There are only two years, 1962 and 1963 that the Nova was made in a convertible body style. The only year of the “SS” body style for the convertible was 1963. I really do not want to sell this car however, I have too many projects and need the money for another classic ride I am working on. The car is a California car that appears to have spent it's life in the LA area. Car is located in Orange County, CA (City of Westminster), just south of Los Angeles and is available for a test drive anytime.

The motor is the original straight-six, it runs solid and does not disappoint as far as reliability/dependability, this car could be driven anywhere. It is basically stock except for the split exhaust and cast iron headers with heat plate attached to the intake that has an engine coolant line running through it to heat the intake as the headers do not mate with the intake the way the factory exhaust manifold did.

I have spent the last 6 years working on this car and driving it as much as possible. I have worked out most of the minor “worn out parts” issues such as replacing the voltage regulator, having the drivetrain rebuilt, replacing the front wheel bearings, put new shocks and installed sway bars front and rear.

I have also done a lot of bodywork replacing typical rusted out areas. The car is a very solid car with no major rust issues (i.e. the rocker panels are/were solid, floor pans only minor rusted through spots and otherwise solid) but some of the thin body panel areas needed help in the usual spots (see description below) and the driver’s side quarter panel was rusted out bad where the convertible well drainage channel drains down to the area above the rocker panel. This area of the quarter panel had been bondoed over real well (to hide the corrosion) but had started cracking out and when I realized there was a good hole there I went ahead and replaced the entire quarter panel. Convertibles of this era are notorious for catching water in this area and spot-rusting here. Guess what? That other Nova on ebay that you are also watching, you know, the one with the "small paint bubbles on the lower quarter panel"? You know what that means? It's rusted through and it has holes in it. The reason there's "paint bubbles" is because there is corrosion all the way through the metal. This happens in a few typical areas on cars of this era, and on my car all of this has been repaired with the remainder of the car being absolutely rock solid and without corrosion. I have checked both sides of the car sheet metal and body, undercarriage, etc. extensively and made repairs to affected areas. I have extensive photos of all the inside areas to illustrate the good condition of the body. I’m telling you all of this because it’s unlikely you are going to find a car of this era that has not been affected by water in these areas, and most guys trying to sell you a car either don’t know how bad it really is, have had these areas bondoed over and painted over to hide it, or are just pretending the car is “completely rust free” when it probably is not. With this car I am showing you exactly the condition of all the hidden areas.

Drivetrain:

194c.i. Chevy Straight Six Motor

with approx. 10,000 miles on a rebuild done by previous owner. Odometer reads ~52,000 miles. Engine and engine compartment recently cleaned and painted.

Split exhaust with Langdon’s StoveBolt ceramic coated cast iron headers and Brockman Steel Pack 30” mufflers. Has that mean and classic straight six "rapping pipes" sound but isn't too too loud.

Professionally rebuilt 2-speed powerglide with shift kit (approx. 1,500 miles on rebuild).

Professionally rebuilt rear end with HO35 8.2” Dropout 3.08 ratio Auburn Posi differential.(approx. 1,500 miles on rebuild).

New front wheel bearings/races.

Oh, and that other Nova on ebay you are looking at that doesn't mention the condition of the drivetrain? Guess what? The wheel bearings are worn out on that car, along with the transmission and the rear end, yessir, car looks nice but with a good looking original car (i.e. not one of those on the market that's street rodded yet and "all gone through"...which by the way all have high reserves and "buy it now" prices of $29,000)...yes that other good looking and original Nova with only a tiny description stating it's a "cool car"...yes that other original Nova you see for sale...you start driving that and you are going to find out how worn out all the "stuff" is...voltage regulator about to go, tranny is tired, etc. ALL that's been gone through on my car and is fresh and ready to lay down the miles as a classic cruiser or to add in that V8 to quickly complete your awesome Nova muscle car project!

Electric:

New alternator

New voltage regulator

Good condition battery (replaced within last few years, maintained on trickle charger)

New (in the box) wiring harness included. All original wiring functions with no issues, however I do have a new wiring harness in the box that came with the car when I bought it from the previous owner (good for a V8 swap!) I replaced the voltage regulator, which solved all known electrical issues. Alternator was replaced after the bearings went out on the old one.

Brakes:

New power brake booster with under-dash brace, brake light adapter, etc. and dual reservoir master cylinder

Drum brakes with good condition brake shoes

New front brake lines and all new brake line hoses both front and rear.

Suspension:

New shocks front and rear (rear shocks are Monroe adjustable air shocks)

New front coil springs

Front and Rear Sway Bars recently added

Trim & Interior:

New sunvisors, new rear view mirror mount, new side mirrors, all OEM reproduction parts.

-New carpet recently installed (including trunk), new (with some use) floormats, complete AcoustiShield auto insulation kit installed from Quiet Ride with dynamat sound dampener, Car has a padded dash, chrome seat trim.

-Upholstery appears to be an original black vinyl and is in very good shape. There is one 2” tear at the top side of the driver’s seat which has been hot-glued down and doesn’t stand out real bad. There is one tiny hole on the seat of the passenger seat that is not really noticeable at all that is from the seat spring poking through.

-Front grill guard, rear bumper guards.

-Grill and other msc. front aluminum trim pieces (near the parking lights, around the headlights) are in real good condition with only a few tiny dings here and there.

-Complete original SS 2-inch aluminum side-trim that is polished and near show quality w/ fastener clip kit included as well as trim fastener kit included for all other side trim pieces as well. This main 2-inch SS side trim is not available on the reproduction market. The peak molding side trim and trunk molding pieces are available new from multiple sources such as Classic Industries. The peak molding and trunk molding pieces on this car are not perfect, trunk section has some good dings and should be replaced, but these pieces can be straightened or replaced easily. Otherwise all side trim is present with no missing pieces.

-Convertible “top well” stainless molding trim with fastener snaps; this trim is in good shape with a few minor dings and two cracked-through sections (one on each side) right in front of the rear quarter windows. I had read somewhere that this trim is known to crack here from body flexing and it’s hard to find trim that is not cracked here; otherwise looks decent. I do have an extra set of this trim that I will include with the car, however it is bent slightly but otherwise looks real good, Extra replacement snaps included. The large windshield top stainless trim that shows when the top is down is in excellent shape with the exception that there is one dent from the convertible top latch that likely resulted due to lack of careful operation of the hydraulic power top (like this when I got it).

-The majority of all the trim on the exterior and interior of the car looks good but close inspection reveals minor pitting and wear typical of un-restored trim that is 50 years old. There are some new OEM replacement parts on the car such as the convertible top latches, etc. which are brand new with new chrome finishes.

-Bumpers are in excellent shape and the chrome is near perfect condition, shines beautifully.

-Msc. new rubber seals installed (hood rubber, trunk rubber, vent window seal rubber, msc. rubber bumpers, quarter window seals), new window channel felt installed, and additional new rubber in the box for you to install or have installed. New rubber floor shifter boot, new defroster flex ducts.

Body: A few very minor dings. Otherwise very straight body panels.

-All major rust areas have been repaired with sheet metal and minimal body-filler. This car had a few of the typical rusted out areas all of which have been repaired with replacement sheet metal panels. New driver’s side quarter panel (the entire quarter panel) and tail light panel installed. Rear trunk panel (vertical section above the bumper) repaired and sealed with body caulking. Small (quarter to half dollar size) rust patches made to doors, door jambs, and front fenders; these areas had previously been bondoed over; I chased out the bondo and patched with donor sheet metal from the old quarter panel. Floorboards patched with replacement floor pan sections from Classic Industries and sprayed with rubberized coating (the entire floorboard, convertible well, trunk, and all the interior nooks and crannies such as the interior quarter panel area where the window crank mechanisms are housed have been sprayed with undercoating as far back as the sprayer would go). Floorboards had a few quarter size holes on the passenger toe-board area and behind the passenger seat, otherwise floorboards were very solid. I have plenty of photos to illustrate the good condition of the car with the exception of a few typical rust areas which have been repaired using good sheet metal and or reproduction patch panels.

-Many internal exposed metal areas were treated with POR 15 rust conversion treatment. This includes the topsides of the rocker panels and crevices of the lower structures above the floorboards, and seams of the inside quarter panels prior to installation of the acoustic insulation under the carpet.

-This car at some point in its history (prior to my owning it) was involved in a minor rear end fender-bender which slightly tweaked the passenger tail-light area which has since been straightened. I’m pretty sure the bumper has been replaced as a result of that. Some of the lower quarter panel spot welds had separated but have been pulled back together. Pretty much cannot tell and the fix is a good one with no funny business. I replaced the bumper brackets as well as the bumper was at a slight “pushed up angle”. It’s real nice now with the new bumper brackets.

Paint:

The gloss black paint job looks good from many angles however it is fading out a bit on the front of the hood and about 50% of the car has actually been painted with a good quality flat black automotive paint following recent body work repairs. The car is half gloss black and half flat black and could benefit from some additional very minor small ding repairs (about 6 small dings I can think of, and I mean dime to nickel size little wavy dings that show up on the black paint job, not creased dents…black paint shows minor defects more than any other color). prior to being given an new paint job. The car still looks reasonably good as it is now and turns heads everywhere, this Nova being as stylish and “tough looking” as it is.

Original color of the car was Ermine White #936

Convertible Power Top:

Fully operational system. Hydraulic pump and two cylinders.

Note that not every Nova has a power top on these cars! That other nicely painted Nova with the cool rims that you are looking at with a "buy it now" for $29,000, guess what, it's a manual top! And it's only a "tribute" SS car, it doesn't have bucket seats or the center console or the trim! With a power top you can raise and lower the top "on the fly" right as you are pulling in and out of the parking lot and you don't need "a helper" to assist with raising or lowering the top. This feature makes a big difference in your ability to truly enjoy a convertible car, people!

New hydraulic cylinders and hoses. No leaks.

New convertible sunvisor and top bracket chrome hold-downs with bushings

Also included but not shown is the black vinyl "boot" that snaps in place over the convertible top when it is folded down. Good condition, no tears or anything.

Msc:

New gas tank to filler neck rubber hose

Great candidate for a V8 motor swap or drive as an original cruiser with Straight-6 vintage-style performance upgrades.

All receipts for professional rebuilds to drivetrain and receipts for various upgrades and parts are included with the sale along with original GM maintenance manuals. I will hand you a binder with $26,000 in receipts (includes cost of car purchase) showing the investment that has been made to this great car!

Recent tune up included:

Checking/setting timing and new points, idle set to vacuum and rpm specs. New vacuum advance canister, new fuel filter, oil change/filter. New rubber fuel line, new heater hoses and lower radiator hose

Msc. restoration parts not installed but included (see photo):

-Door window felt and rubber seals

-Bumper to body seal

-vent windows rubber kit

-new wiring harness (doesn't really need it, but came with car)

-quarter window rubber seals

-paint gasket set

Known issues:

-Carb missing a choke. Takes a little playing with the pedal to start, but absolutely starts reliably each time.

-Convertible top has a small tear near the rear window that overlaps the vinyl rear window, this appears to be a result of the convertible framework digging into the vinyl when the top is down. I have noticed other older convertibles have similar issues with the framework indenting the top. Most likely can be remedied by adjustment by an experienced convertible top shop.

-Convertible top rubber seal is due for replacement.

-Door weatherstripping needs installation. Driver door a tad bit springy when new weatherstripping was installed so I removed it so I wouldn’t have to fight the door. Not a huge deal but could use some attention to improve closure. Passenger door closes real nice, no issues.

-Windshield is in good condition but there is a minor "scratch trail" from the drivers side windshield wiper where at some point the metal was dragging across the glass while in operation.

-Some of the undercarriage components that I have not replaced but would if I were to keep the car include the ball joints and suspension bushings, tie rods etc. There are no problems with this stuff but renewing them would probably improve the ride slightly.

-Tires have good tread but are over 6 years old and show some minor cracking. Not advisable to take a long trip on these tires due to age.

-Feel free to ask me anything about this car. I know practically every square inch and detail of this car and would be happy to answer any additional questions about it.

-Car is located in Orange County, CA (City of Westminster), just south of Los Angeles. Questions call 312-636-6561 ask for Adrian.