I enjoy your videos very much & usually watch as soon as I get the notification... I crank up the sound system on the first expulsion of gaseous materials... 😂😂
It's funny how the L78 was rated at 425 hp in the 65 Vette, but 375 in every other Chevy model after that. Thank you, insurance companies and Chevrolet.
That's what GM did back then, most of their Chevys and Pontiac all of the V 8's were only rated at 75% HP that these motors were putting out. As they had to meet government standards back then. Old Vet Tom
65 GTO is one of my favorite bodies, that year was SO unique. I'm a Ford guy but ya gotta respect Pontiac through the muscle car era. Keep these great videos coming brother...Thanks much! About the race though,the GTO is considered a mid-sized car,while the Nova was considered a small car...to be fair, you'd have to run a 65 GTO against a 65 Chevelle...just sayin...
@@CarsAndZebras I bought a 65 GTO tri-power new from the factory with all performance options available in 65. It would do 14:01 on street tires and with mufflers connected. The carbs were never a problem. Keeping syncros in the transmission was a big problem, and I did break the motor mounts. 4:33 gears did stress the drivetrain. Lots of fun to drive.
So my vote was for the car I wanted to win.... pretty sure it’s not going to now that I see 396 with aluminum heads and 11:1. Great videos!!! Keep it up.
I'll never forget the first time I saw the GTO at the drags. Pretty sure it was a 1964 but I recall that the Falcon ( 260 and 289" ) sprints were the top dogs at the time possibly "C" stock ? The 389 wowed everybody by beating the Falcons by three and four car lengths. Later in years I owned an L78 Nova 69 model that I sold for 3,000 bucks, yeah, I regret it.
@@413x398 The point was that the GTO was so new no body knew what class they belonged in. The first GTO was a" Tempest" GTO and that was a compact that ran against the compacts ie: Falcons etc. Since the Tempest GTO (even with a 389") was considered a compact they pitted them against the 260 and 289" Falcons. Confusing I know.
I had a 1969 SS Chevelle 396, 350 HP with the Turbo 400 transmission and use to eat goats for breakfast, lunch and supper, and yes even beat a '69 GTO "The Judge" with ram air. Gas mileage was around 9/10 but when you punched it I swear the fuel gauge hand and the speedometer hand would race each other to see which one could disappear the fastest.
My torquey '65 GTO tripower beat overcammed 396 Chevelles street light to street light... they needed full 1/4 or more to rev out... plus GTO averaged 17 MPG in easy driving... czcams.com/video/SJIRitKQYrM/video.html
Now,Now I Love all these real muscle cars. But i Had a 66 GTO with a 1968 $)) HO engine MW-TW 6- 4-speed with 355 gears in the rear that would eat 396 Chevys all day long not only that see would all most pull the left front tire off the ground when i pulled 2nd gear She would go by any thing but a gas station How do like that. Ha Hat. 73 year old Vietnam Combat VET.
My neighbor had a 65 GTO Hurst Edition. It was triple black. Hurst wheels and all the badges. What a beautiful car. I'd see the car, then I wouldn't then I'd see it, then nothing. I asked him where his car was and he said he recovered it twice from being stolen and the 3rd time never to be seen again. That was back in 65. Those tri power setups were hard to adjust and this GTOs time shows it. Now I know where you got your FART sounds when announcing the weight of the cars .
Nice! I've always liked the Novas, even the clapped out ones w/truck 454s & living room carpeting on the floor boards because that's all the builder had, but this one is definitely top shelf!
396 has was a beast on the drag strip in fact ex-girlfriends brother won the Grand Nationals with a 396 Nova. But nothing but love for the GTO a high school friend restored an original 389 tri-power and I got to drive it when it was weak and it would still lay rubber for a whole city block.
This red Nova is my dream car!!! The most overlooked Muscle Cars of their day and I love them!!! This one is perfect!!!...well almost lol. If I had it, there'd be a set of L-50s on the back, of course, Goodyear Eagle Wingfoots, (block letter) with a set of air shocks. But that's it. Other than that, it's perfect.
@@billwilliamson9842 no, it had rained earlier in the day but by that point was very hot and dry. Perhaps they had just sprayed the track shortly before this run.
I love my GTOS especially this one 4:56 gears does alot but just how sweet are the trips and the Royal treatment let us not forget the H2O in the Nova.
@@gearmeister I've owned 2 67 442's, one had a 455 with 4 spd, a 1970 W30 with 4 spd, even had a Vista Cruiser like in that 70's show. Then there were my Pontiacs.....
i really like this channel. God uses you guys to get us through this coronavirus quarantine thing. i appreciate you guys and thank God for creating you and using you guys to give us entertainment.
@@CarsAndZebras I guess I "cheat" in a way when trying to choose which car looks like the likely winner... but I vote immediately after hearing just a few words about the 2nd car... after owning & building a 396, I'm usually going to vote for that "porcupine semi hemi" with the canted valve heads 👍😜🤘
@@CarsAndZebras I seen your 69, I also have a 69 ,grandpa was original owner, was a 350 car but put a 427 ... still wouldnt mind getting a nova again though... love the show btw
GTO fell on it's face after about the 330ft mark. It hole shotted the Nova, then leaned over a hair. So, yeah, I am going to agree the tri-power wasn't having it that day.
Pontiacs were almost always ran the HARDEST from mid track on. 4.56s are the best gear for high revving Big Blocks in the 1/4 mile. Hard to run down a Nova. 66-67 L79s with 3.31s & 4 spd were especially hard to catch. They were terribly light.
Another awesome race....would have liked to have seen a best 2 out of 3 matchup, instead of just time trial run. I think Royal also dropped some 421s into a few '65 GTOs, if I'm not mistaken....seemed the Novas were a little under the radar, back in the day, overshadowed by the Camaros....didn't quite get the recognition they deserved...but with the big block they were definitely a car to be reckoned with!
I’d like a best of 3 as well, but I don’t think it’d change too much. If I recall, the GTO could usually run a 13.5-13.7, but that Nova was hitting 12.5 pretty easy after he made a few adjustments this run
I've been a professional mechanic since I was 13 years old and I'm 61 now. Built lots of engines and transmissions . The two speed automatic that GM made was called a Power Glide. You could always tell if you knew, when someone drove up with one because of the whining sound it made.
Why do guys like you always feel the need to showcase your credentials in a CZcams comment section? It comes off as insecurity. Speaking of, if you’ve been a mechanic that long you should know GM also made the Super Turbine 2-speed auto transmission....just like the video said. They didn’t only have the powerglide, you couch mechanic.
Love the nova I've owned a 68 SS 350 factory 4speed car now for 20 years and dad has a factory factory big block ss car he got in 79 old school race car and both r still mine one day both will be bad ass
Patrick Duster74 Right. A 6.2 LS3 is 378 ci. The 396 is t much larger and it’s trapping the same speed as a LS3 corvette. It’s about .4 off the time but with tires I’m sure it’s there and then some.
ztwntyn8 you can’t compare modern day tech to 50 year old big blocks haha. There is definitely work done to that 396 with slicks that is an easy 11 second car. The big and bad ls6 454 still ran in the 13s at around 107mph.
@@CarsAndZebras An advantage at this type of racing where traction is limited. I'm a bbc fan, have had a 454 chevelle for 35 years. Grew up and hung around a lot of guys that had L78's and L72's. They were all pretty good runners. Keep the videos coming.
@@firebirdjone Joel Rosen said that 4.56 was the optimal gearing for a BBC. I would concur when it comes to square port headed engines. These days, camshaft technology and round ports make huge torque alongside horsepower so with that, 3.25 gearing is way faster. Seems Pontiac had that part figured out back then. Why everyone wanted to gear their torque monster so deep is because of the narrow torque curve. One factory performance engine comes to mind that had a flat torque peak. If there were any others besides a 327 Fuelie, I would love to know.
The 65 is my favorite GTO but that L78/L89 Nova should be able to beat the Goat. The Nova has both the power and weight advantage. Those solid lifter L78's were good for 425 horses at 6000 rpm on an engine dyno and that's with a generic factory type tune. The Pontiac 389 was definitely no slouch but it's not quite as radical as that L78
That L89 Nova is a monster. I just love a bad 396; they sure could scream. With deep gears and that super close ratio Muncie in a lighter car like a Nova or Camaro, they could beat just about everything else on the road. Seems like it usually took a 440 or Hemi Mopar, a 454 Chevelle, or something else monstrous to beat a 375 hp 396. Someone commented on a different video to never underestimate a 396. Even if you have a Hemi, that finicky thing better be tuned right if you don't want to get embarrassed. Furthermore, Chevrolet actually made a lot of L78 396 cars from 1966 to 1970. So they were very tough and plentiful, unlike 427 Corvettes or Hemi cars.
So it was the storms and barometric pressure that limited the Pump Jack. It looked to me like both cars ran down the 1/4 under the same conditions. Maybe the right lane had a different atmosphere than the right.
About 30 years ago. I friend of mine had a 65 gto 389 tri pack. Very good machinist and engine builder. He would pull his engine out almost every Monday had it rebuilt by Friday. All weekend long he would Street race it. Take it to 8,000 rpm all 4 gears all weekend....good times
Cars And Zebras Back then I could rebuild a complete 3 speed or 2 speed trans new steels and clutches with shift kits. For $95.00. Where does time go 😀😀😀. That’s why i love your channel. I have built for me or my friends all the old hotrods. I truly miss my 65 malibu ss. 63 impala ss. 68 chevelle ss. 72 torino gt... that is just the top 4 i had so many more 😀😀😀
I understand the L-78 being the better breather, but that 65 shoulda run quicker than that, given the mods, if the driver had it all together. Didn't appear that traction was "too" horrible. My 65 with 66 trips, on a punched out 350, with 389 heads, hedders, muncie, 3.55s and a set of G-60s ran those times. The above Goat shoulda been in the mid 13s at least. P.S. The bodywork on that Nova looked premo. Thanks for posting.
Again, I love the two cars and the concept of ‘pure stock’, but I’m of the age to remember these cars and a 12.88et isn’t representative of what a ‘69 aluminum headed L78 could do. The motor would honest dyno at 425-430hp. Nova’s notoriously did not hook up that well - even with ladder bars. A Bobcat tuned Pontiac was good for ~400hp gross and a 14 flat, 100 mph run probably wasn’t it’s best. The Chevy wins 9/10 races between them, but that car had some extra kick in the pants for 12.88 to light up.
Pontiac Firebird 1967 400 cu.in motor came with the 400 turbo tranys. I know one of my friends bought brand new off the show for $,3,689.00 Yes it had one antiner for the radio on the brack right finder Old Vet Tom
Muscle cars are few and far between that will run with a L78 anything be it Nova, Camaro or Chevelle. Its just a very powerful engine that will rev to 7000 if you push it. No comparison to the other two 396’s namely the 325 & 350 horse versions.
Obviously the fart sounds were coming from the GTO, and the time showed it. Those triple carb setups were hard to tune and that's why pontiac dumped them in 67. I never had a problem beating any 3 deuce, tri power or six pack cars back in the day . You always had a 90% chance they wouldn't work together !
At the question for who wins I surmised the GTO Tri-Power would malfunction and it did. On a good day, this would've been a good race. Pontiacs are tempered friends. Gotta keep 'em cold and race when good money comes knocking. That'll be a race every time. All cars like cool temps and too much burnout will ruin the tire. That Tri-power set up for rich center and all-out when demanded will rip, even L89's. Say?
Godday C & Z, You can't go wrong with a L89 anyway you look at it, flip it anyway you want it's a L89. The Poncho is really nice even with the Royal treatment, even a Ram Air IV would struggle. It was a walk in the park for the Nova. Great video again lots of laughs. Where is the 1969 M Code Cuda, I think I have waited long enough. Please please. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Those are the factory reported gross HP ratings, they are similar to a modern engine dyno with STP correction. Nothing about them was standardized so take them with a grain of salt. With few exceptions like the Corvette in the mid 60's to 70 all manufactures limited the advertised hp to 425. The cars from '72 on are net hp ratings. Net HP is still an engine HP rating but it is mostly standardized which is a as installed configuration. So full exhaust, accessories, air box, standardize operating temp and so on. Manufactures are generally honest but some manufactures seem to be under rating these days. MOPAR in '71 used both ratings the Hemi was rated 425hp gross (450 actual) and the net rating was 350hp. Just to give you an idea of the difference between gross and net on the same engine. Wheel HP is the power as measured through the drive train. This is not a rating manufactures use but aside from dyno machine variances is the closest to real world hp.
How about sticking a buddy with a camera down at track level, midway through the strip and you in the stands. Then run the same race from two vantage points. More interesting. Buck
A friend of mine had a cortez silver 1969 Chevy Nova SS-396.. His Dad bought it in Lafayette GA in 1972 for him to drive to classes at UTC from Jasper TN ( Lafayette GA is about 15 miles from Chattanooga & Jasper TN is about 40 miles from UTC in Chattanooga ) Ready for the $ that his dad bought the mint 1969 Nova SS-396 for........... Wait for it............................................ A little longer............................................... Okay ready to shit yourself? His Dad paid $1000 cash at a used car lot that was about 2 miles from where the Nova was purchased new at Jackson Chevrolet.. He traded it in 2 years later because of the Oil embargo ( For the younger generation that was when gas became worth it's weight in gold when you could find it at gas stations because a lot of them stayed sold out of fuel & the ones that did have fuel you had to wait in mile long lines to get some hoping your car or the fuel station didn't run out of gas before you got to the Pump..Why did this happen you might ask? We were punished for helping Israel ) So he traded in the Nova for a 1974 Mustang Ghia 6 cylinder... :- ( sad i know, but almost all muscle cars were traded in for other cars with better fuel economy during that time ( It really sucked to wait in a line to get fuel for what could be 3+ hours only to find out once you got close to pump that the fuel stations tanks had ran out ) Daily driven muscle cars suffered this fate & nobody wanted them because of GAS BEING TOO EXPENSIVE & UNABLE TO FIND! BTW the Nova was an automatic and it had a black vinyl roof
68 nova was one of the first "fuselage" style that would dominate the 1970s....and thus it was one of the first cars that entered "The Suck Zone" as far as style.
Had a major computer failure last week, so that’s why there was no video. Maybe I’ll get back on track now? Meh
I enjoy your videos very much & usually watch as soon as I get the notification... I crank up the sound system on the first expulsion of gaseous materials... 😂😂
Hate it when that happens! Just rebuilt this laptop six months back? Had catastrophic HD failure. Replaced it with an SSD.
No big deal.. Stuff happens..
Shoulda used forged rods.:D
GTO. Get your Tools Out
It's funny how the L78 was rated at 425 hp in the 65 Vette, but 375 in every other Chevy model after that. Thank you, insurance companies and Chevrolet.
That's what GM did back then, most of their Chevys and Pontiac all of the V 8's were only rated at 75% HP that these motors were putting out. As they had to meet government standards back then. Old Vet Tom
It was rated 375 at 5000 rpm I believe while the one yr only 1965 396 Vette was 425 at 6000 if memory serves me
1965 GTO is sweet! My favorite year ! And its a Royal ! Great videos!
‘65 was a great year for the GTO! The Royal Pontiacs are all pretty cool! 👍
65 GTO is one of my favorite bodies, that year was SO unique. I'm a Ford guy but ya gotta respect Pontiac through the muscle car era.
Keep these great videos coming brother...Thanks much!
About the race though,the GTO is considered a mid-sized car,while the Nova was considered a small car...to be fair, you'd have to run a 65 GTO against a 65 Chevelle...just sayin...
I like the 1965 models as well, but I don’t think I’d want to deal with the tripower set up 👍
Knew a guy that had 3 65 convertibles in a boneyard,2 were tri-power cars
Regardless,14's is a sick time for a showroom stock, geared tri-power GTO.This Royal prepped Goat is about 1.5 seconds off of its capability.
agreed, Chevy II weighs a few hundred pounds less I would guess. Not apples for apples comparison
@@CarsAndZebras I bought a 65 GTO tri-power new from the factory with all performance options available in 65. It would do 14:01 on street tires and with mufflers connected. The carbs were never a problem. Keeping syncros in the transmission was a big problem, and I did break the motor mounts. 4:33 gears did stress the drivetrain. Lots of fun to drive.
So my vote was for the car I wanted to win.... pretty sure it’s not going to now that I see 396 with aluminum heads and 11:1. Great videos!!! Keep it up.
Thanks for watching!
I'll never forget the first time I saw the GTO at the drags. Pretty sure it was a 1964 but I recall that the Falcon ( 260 and 289" ) sprints were the top dogs at the time possibly "C" stock ? The 389 wowed everybody by beating the Falcons by three and four car lengths. Later in years I owned an L78 Nova 69 model that I sold for 3,000 bucks, yeah, I regret it.
@@413x398 The point was that the GTO was so new no body knew what class they belonged in. The first GTO was a" Tempest" GTO and that was a compact that ran against the compacts ie: Falcons etc. Since the Tempest GTO (even with a 389") was considered a compact they pitted them against the 260 and 289" Falcons. Confusing I know.
I had a 1969 SS Chevelle 396, 350 HP with the Turbo 400 transmission and use to eat goats for breakfast, lunch and supper, and yes even beat a '69 GTO "The Judge" with ram air. Gas mileage was around 9/10 but when you punched it I swear the fuel gauge hand and the speedometer hand would race each other to see which one could disappear the fastest.
Goats are tasty... I showed a few my taillights from afar back in the day
My torquey '65 GTO tripower beat overcammed 396 Chevelles street light to street light... they needed full 1/4 or more to rev out... plus GTO averaged 17 MPG in easy driving...
czcams.com/video/SJIRitKQYrM/video.html
Now,Now I Love all these real muscle cars. But i Had a 66 GTO with a 1968 $)) HO engine MW-TW 6- 4-speed with 355 gears in the rear that would eat 396 Chevys all day long not only that see would all most pull the left front tire off the ground when i pulled 2nd gear She would go by any thing but a gas station How do like that. Ha Hat. 73 year old Vietnam Combat VET.
Yes I can relate , I had a nova SS with the same motor.
My neighbor had a 65 GTO Hurst Edition. It was triple black. Hurst wheels and all the badges. What a beautiful car. I'd see the car, then I wouldn't then I'd see it, then nothing. I asked him where his car was and he said he recovered it twice from being stolen and the 3rd time never to be seen again. That was back in 65. Those tri power setups were hard to adjust and this GTOs time shows it. Now I know where you got your FART sounds when announcing the weight of the cars .
Thank you John Delorean for giving us the GTO. What a beautiful car! Keep up the content too. Really enjoy the channel.
Nice! I've always liked the Novas, even the clapped out ones w/truck 454s & living room carpeting on the floor boards because that's all the builder had, but this one is definitely top shelf!
The video really can’t even show the quality of that day. Definitely high-dollar! 💵
396 has was a beast on the drag strip in fact ex-girlfriends brother won the Grand Nationals with a 396 Nova. But nothing but love for the GTO a high school friend restored an original 389 tri-power and I got to drive it when it was weak and it would still lay rubber for a whole city block.
This red Nova is my dream car!!! The most overlooked Muscle Cars of their day and I love them!!! This one is perfect!!!...well almost lol. If I had it, there'd be a set of L-50s on the back, of course, Goodyear Eagle Wingfoots, (block letter) with a set of air shocks. But that's it. Other than that, it's perfect.
I think that's the best video I've saw on your channel I once owned a 68 Chevy 2 SS and it brought back some good memories...Thank You.!!!
The Nova had some traction issues at the tree but still handed that Poncho its lunch. The right lane at Stanton has always been the better lane...
That seems to be true. I believe that Nova typically runs in the 12.5 range
@@CarsAndZebras i thought I saw some mist on the track as the cars ran, was it wet?
@@billwilliamson9842 no, it had rained earlier in the day but by that point was very hot and dry. Perhaps they had just sprayed the track shortly before this run.
I love my GTOS especially this one 4:56 gears does alot but just how sweet are the trips and the Royal treatment let us not forget the H2O in the Nova.
I've always been a Pontiac and Oldsmobile guy, but that Nova is pretty sweet too. Thumb up.
I wouldn’t complain if either car was in my garage! 😎
I've seen many a 442 romp over all the competition at the illegal street drags... 🏁... I love Olds-mo-bubbles myself
@@gearmeister I've owned 2 67 442's, one had a 455 with 4 spd, a 1970 W30 with 4 spd, even had a Vista Cruiser like in that 70's show. Then there were my Pontiacs.....
@@Ballenxj As heavy as 442's were, like 69 & 70, once they got rolling, the 455 torque monster didn't take any prisoners
0:32 thank you for explaining your professionalism.
It's top notch and I can smell it from here !
Here for the "sound effects" and some cool cars !!!
I swear I can smell tires burning as well as my eyes during a C&Z video... 😅
I like the Pontiac more.
I think I like both the same.... but I have a problem with liking muscle cars
You are fired....
Why?
@@scringe1 Señior Zebra has gone mute on us
I bet Larry Tate came up with the tiger on the hood gimmick for the GTO ad.
lol..... yeah and Darren gave that "ok, but you're stupid look"!!!... 😂😂😂
How many of yinz remember Larry Tate and his advertising gig with Darrin?
Samantha did, and made it look like Darren’s idea, but Larry took credit for it.
i really like this channel. God uses you guys to get us through this coronavirus quarantine thing. i appreciate you guys and thank God for creating you and using you guys to give us entertainment.
thanks! that’s a very nice thing to say 👍
thank God, not me.
I'll probably crap the bed, but I'm a 375 horse 396 guy.... lolololololol phttttt 🤣...
boom, Super Nova spank
Can’t go wrong (usually) in choosing a L78/L89 👍
@@CarsAndZebras I guess I "cheat" in a way when trying to choose which car looks like the likely winner... but I vote immediately after hearing just a few words about the 2nd car... after owning & building a 396, I'm usually going to vote for that "porcupine semi hemi" with the canted valve heads 👍😜🤘
the 350 hp 327 was a much better engine.
68 to 72 novas.... best street racing sleepers ever
Yeah, I’ve always been a huge fan. I’d even be happy with a ‘68 SS with the 350! Still could be a good runner!
@@CarsAndZebras I seen your 69, I also have a 69 ,grandpa was original owner, was a 350 car but put a 427 ... still wouldnt mind getting a nova again though... love the show btw
To be fair to the GTO that Nova probably weighs 300lbs less or more
GTO fell on it's face after about the 330ft mark. It hole shotted the Nova, then leaned over a hair. So, yeah, I am going to agree the tri-power wasn't having it that day.
A lot of cars were having issues that day. There were lightning storms not even 2 hours prior to this run
Pontiacs were almost always ran the HARDEST from mid track on. 4.56s are the best gear for high revving Big Blocks in the 1/4 mile. Hard to run down a Nova. 66-67 L79s with 3.31s & 4 spd were especially hard to catch. They were terribly light.
great Vid!! my 65 has the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award Sticker on the Passenger Wing Window still.. and a dead tiger for a headliner : )
Another awesome race....would have liked to have seen a best 2 out of 3 matchup, instead of just time trial run. I think Royal also dropped some 421s into a few '65 GTOs, if I'm not mistaken....seemed the Novas were a little under the radar, back in the day, overshadowed by the Camaros....didn't quite get the recognition they deserved...but with the big block they were definitely a car to be reckoned with!
I’d like a best of 3 as well, but I don’t think it’d change too much. If I recall, the GTO could usually run a 13.5-13.7, but that Nova was hitting 12.5 pretty easy after he made a few adjustments this run
The '64 GTO Motor Trend tested (07:30) secretly had a 480 HP Super Duty 421" under it's tripower intake... czcams.com/video/gNg569agwiU/video.html
Guys at Royal Pontiac were the greatest of all, There no there PMD/Pontiac's😄
I believe the complete Bobcat package (there were several levels of Bobcatting) would have been the dealer swap to 421.
@@jackmehoff4613 Thanks Jack!
I had a 69 ss 396 nova only 365 hp 4 speed and 4:11 gears , it ran rather well and was a lot of fun.!!!!!
I've been a professional mechanic since I was 13 years old and I'm 61 now. Built lots of engines and transmissions . The two speed automatic that GM made was called a Power Glide. You could always tell if you knew, when someone drove up with one because of the whining sound it made.
Why do guys like you always feel the need to showcase your credentials in a CZcams comment section? It comes off as insecurity. Speaking of, if you’ve been a mechanic that long you should know GM also made the Super Turbine 2-speed auto transmission....just like the video said. They didn’t only have the powerglide, you couch mechanic.
@@therealhonestabe7839 I had a 64 Impala SS, 327 w/powerglide. I don't remember it whining.
I swear Triggly Puff was screaming "GET YOUR CHEVY OFF MY CAMPUS!"
HA! I was wondering if anyone would comment, “Triggly Puff.” 🤣
You see the front end lift up on that Nova that 375hp 396 in a Nova is a real runner 12 second car 👍
Love the nova I've owned a 68 SS 350 factory 4speed car now for 20 years and dad has a factory factory big block ss car he got in 79 old school race car and both r still mine one day both will be bad ass
Yeah not a stock 396.
Us Chevy guys are always saying "It's bone stock, see the pot lid hubcaps?" 😂
Patrick Duster74
Right. A 6.2 LS3 is 378 ci.
The 396 is t much larger and it’s trapping the same speed as a LS3 corvette. It’s about .4 off the time but with tires I’m sure it’s there and then some.
ztwntyn8 you can’t compare modern day tech to 50 year old big blocks haha. There is definitely work done to that 396 with slicks that is an easy 11 second car. The big and bad ls6 454 still ran in the 13s at around 107mph.
@@thatred704 On stock bias ply street tires.... 😁
Always a great way to start my Mondays. Thanks you, sir!
Thanks for watching!
Ha, I knew the nova had this one. I like Pontiacs but the L78's and L89's are tough to beat, I figured he would drive right around.
Those L78/89s are no joke! Crazy how they really take off at mid track!
@@CarsAndZebras An advantage at this type of racing where traction is limited. I'm a bbc fan, have had a 454 chevelle for 35 years. Grew up and hung around a lot of guys that had L78's and L72's. They were all pretty good runners. Keep the videos coming.
@@firebirdjone Joel Rosen said that 4.56 was the optimal gearing for a BBC. I would concur when it comes to square port headed engines. These days, camshaft technology and round ports make huge torque alongside horsepower so with that, 3.25 gearing is way faster. Seems Pontiac had that part figured out back then. Why everyone wanted to gear their torque monster so deep is because of the narrow torque curve. One factory performance engine comes to mind that had a flat torque peak. If there were any others besides a 327 Fuelie, I would love to know.
That's a 11 second car.
The 65 is my favorite GTO but that L78/L89 Nova should be able to beat the Goat. The Nova has both the power and weight advantage. Those solid lifter L78's were good for 425 horses at 6000 rpm on an engine dyno and that's with a generic factory type tune. The Pontiac 389 was definitely no slouch but it's not quite as radical as that L78
That is one sweet looking Nova! I understand it is even faster now.
Royal Bobcat GTO cars were no joke. A few had 428 engines and later 455 engines.
That L89 Nova is a monster. I just love a bad 396; they sure could scream. With deep gears and that super close ratio Muncie in a lighter car like a Nova or Camaro, they could beat just about everything else on the road. Seems like it usually took a 440 or Hemi Mopar, a 454 Chevelle, or something else monstrous to beat a 375 hp 396. Someone commented on a different video to never underestimate a 396. Even if you have a Hemi, that finicky thing better be tuned right if you don't want to get embarrassed. Furthermore, Chevrolet actually made a lot of L78 396 cars from 1966 to 1970. So they were very tough and plentiful, unlike 427 Corvettes or Hemi cars.
Love the Pontiac :) even tho have had a Big Block Nova was alot of fun
I’ll take either if given to me!
My l-78 Nova went 13-1 at 108 mph no. Headers 3:55 gears no traction first gear street tires!!!!!!
Good time in that configuration
Beautiful cars and awesome video!
Both very cool
👍
I owned 2 camaros and 1 nova I liked them all, wish I had 1 now.
My dad bought a 68 Chevy II. Had everything the SS had, minus the high insurance. Ran like a bat out of hell!!
Great video
Thanks for watching! 👍
That GTO looks great!
65 gto for me it's the more pure design for the muscle car of this years
So it was the storms and barometric pressure that limited the Pump Jack. It looked to me like both cars ran down the 1/4 under the same conditions. Maybe the right lane had a different atmosphere than the right.
Our high schools drivers training car was a yellow straight 6 automatic Nova. Too bad it wasn't like this one, things could have been a lot more fun!!
The 396 is so under rated
My dude your channel makes me happy during this shit show quarantine.
thanks for watching 👍
About 30 years ago. I friend of mine had a 65 gto 389 tri pack. Very good machinist and engine builder. He would pull his engine out almost every Monday had it rebuilt by Friday. All weekend long he would Street race it. Take it to 8,000 rpm all 4 gears all weekend....good times
I wish I was that good.... or at least had the time!
Cars And Zebras
Back then I could rebuild a complete 3 speed or 2 speed trans new steels and clutches with shift kits. For $95.00. Where does time go 😀😀😀. That’s why i love your channel. I have built for me or my friends all the old hotrods. I truly miss my 65 malibu ss. 63 impala ss. 68 chevelle ss. 72 torino gt... that is just the top 4 i had so many more 😀😀😀
With the right gearing the 396-375hp Novas were hard to Beat
I understand the L-78 being the better breather, but that 65 shoulda run quicker than that, given the mods, if the driver had it all together. Didn't appear that traction was "too" horrible. My 65 with 66 trips, on a punched out 350, with 389 heads, hedders, muncie, 3.55s and a set of G-60s ran those times. The above Goat shoulda been in the mid 13s at least.
P.S. The bodywork on that Nova looked premo. Thanks for posting.
The Nova SS is posessed. Stupid fast.
Again, I love the two cars and the concept of ‘pure stock’, but I’m of the age to remember these cars and a 12.88et isn’t representative of what a ‘69 aluminum headed L78 could do. The motor would honest dyno at 425-430hp. Nova’s notoriously did not hook up that well - even with ladder bars. A Bobcat tuned Pontiac was good for ~400hp gross and a 14 flat, 100 mph run probably wasn’t it’s best. The Chevy wins 9/10 races between them, but that car had some extra kick in the pants for 12.88 to light up.
Great video good 2 hear u speak
That Nova is Awesome..
I don't think the guy in the G.T.O knew how to drag race.
I had a 1970 SS Nova with a 427 in it and it did 11s in the quarter mile 🔥🔥😎😎😎😎😎😎🔥🔥
The Big Block Novas when tuned just right were nearly unbeatable
Wasn't 68 the first year of the turbo 400 ? or the turbo 350 ?...i had a 69 chevelle with the THM 400..396 .. 350 HP....miss it..
Pontiac Firebird 1967 400 cu.in motor came with the 400 turbo tranys. I know one of my friends bought brand new off the show for $,3,689.00 Yes it had one antiner for the radio on the brack right finder Old Vet Tom
Don't know about you guys but that Chevrolet Nova never stood a chance 😏
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Those dinky air filters on the Pontiac probably hurt it more than the barometric pressure.
Still rather have the 65 GTO anyway…. Take them on the highway and see what happens
yes, both this goat and this nova will be spinnin the motor with those steep gears!
Had a 68 Nova!
My dad has a 1965 Pontiac GTO with a 389
Of the two, I'd rather have the '65 GTO. Nova is a unibody car. The GTO has a full frame.
Muscle cars are few and far between that will run with a L78 anything be it Nova, Camaro or Chevelle. Its just a very powerful engine that will rev to 7000 if you push it. No comparison to the other two 396’s namely the 325 & 350 horse versions.
The nova for the win my guess
I seriously doubt it is factory L89 heads
L89 heads were available over the counter from 1968 through 1976
AtAc Wilson’s Royal Pontiac Pontiac hey would swap the 389 for the 421 dual Quads . But unless you could tell the difference.
Ooooh,ooohh,
Oh oh, excuse me
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GTO Greatest of all time. GOAT
IM HERE FOR THE FARTS....And i was in heaven..
I love my Pontiac's, but that Nova is fast. Impressive car that is well driven. Kudos to Chevrolet they made a bad machine.
I have a factory L78 70 nova ss rotting in my garage since 1986
Clearly you knew the Nova was going to win. What with it’s better fart sound effect. Lol
Obviously the fart sounds were coming from the GTO, and the time showed it. Those triple carb setups were hard to tune and that's why pontiac dumped them in 67. I never had a problem beating any 3 deuce, tri power or six pack cars back in the day . You always had a 90% chance they wouldn't work together !
Hey...... I show no favoritism with the fart sounds. Plenty to go around.
"Special" suspension on the Nova $4.75 that's ridiculously expensive
At the question for who wins I surmised the GTO Tri-Power would malfunction and it did. On a good day, this would've been a good race. Pontiacs are tempered friends. Gotta keep 'em cold and race when good money comes knocking. That'll be a race every time. All cars like cool temps and too much burnout will ruin the tire. That Tri-power set up for rich center and all-out when demanded will rip, even L89's. Say?
Novas are my favorite muscle car
Godday C & Z,
You can't go wrong with a L89 anyway you look at it, flip it anyway you want it's a L89.
The Poncho is really nice even with the Royal treatment, even a Ram Air IV would struggle.
It was a walk in the park for the Nova.
Great video again lots of laughs.
Where is the 1969 M Code Cuda, I think I have waited long enough.
Please please.
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Getting closer to doing the Cuda video. Just wanted to get some different cars out there first.... maybe another 3 weeks or so?
@@CarsAndZebras
Hope you are well & keeping your chin up fighting this virus.
Can't wait to see the Cuda, take care of yourself.
we put that 396 in my friend 55 chevy in 1970
I have a question on all the cars the horsepower ratings is that the motor or at the wheels
Those are the factory reported gross HP ratings, they are similar to a modern engine dyno with STP correction. Nothing about them was standardized so take them with a grain of salt. With few exceptions like the Corvette in the mid 60's to 70 all manufactures limited the advertised hp to 425.
The cars from '72 on are net hp ratings. Net HP is still an engine HP rating but it is mostly standardized which is a as installed configuration. So full exhaust, accessories, air box, standardize operating temp and so on. Manufactures are generally honest but some manufactures seem to be under rating these days. MOPAR in '71 used both ratings the Hemi was rated 425hp gross (450 actual) and the net rating was 350hp. Just to give you an idea of the difference between gross and net on the same engine.
Wheel HP is the power as measured through the drive train. This is not a rating manufactures use but aside from dyno machine variances is the closest to real world hp.
Any bets on how high the tach read going thru the traps??? I'm saying 7k+
Bet my 1970 Challenger RT 440 six pack convertible will run it
Heath said GTO. Head said Nova.
I think the Dodge is going to win 🏆
wich stock musclecar has been the fastest so far and what time did it get ? i start to subscribe know. love this content
Prolly L88 Vette?
I think Ive picked everyone of these races beforehand. this one was easy.
1966 SAME ENGINE WAS 425 HP THEM CAME 1967 D.O.T GM CHANGED THE STICKER TO 375HP THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS CHANGED
I didn't watch the race yet but I think that nobody's gonna skin that Bob cat's ass
This aint fair in My country we have the argentinian versión of the Nova and it didnt came with a v8..
How about sticking a buddy with a camera down at track level, midway through the strip and you in the stands. Then run the same race from two vantage points. More interesting. Buck
i dont see why it matters if some gearhead in his garage or a uaw dood on an assembly line puts the head on. it's b/s
Are you Craig Cole from 'Road Show' ( CNet ) ? Otherwise your voice is so similar .
#TeamChevy #ChevyGuy 🏁🛠
Nova all day!
A friend of mine had a cortez silver 1969 Chevy Nova SS-396.. His Dad bought it in Lafayette GA in 1972 for him to drive to classes at UTC from Jasper TN ( Lafayette GA is about 15 miles from Chattanooga & Jasper TN is about 40 miles from UTC in Chattanooga ) Ready for the $ that his dad bought the mint 1969 Nova SS-396 for........... Wait for it............................................ A little longer............................................... Okay ready to shit yourself? His Dad paid $1000 cash at a used car lot that was about 2 miles from where the Nova was purchased new at Jackson Chevrolet.. He traded it in 2 years later because of the Oil embargo ( For the younger generation that was when gas became worth it's weight in gold when you could find it at gas stations because a lot of them stayed sold out of fuel & the ones that did have fuel you had to wait in mile long lines to get some hoping your car or the fuel station didn't run out of gas before you got to the Pump..Why did this happen you might ask? We were punished for helping Israel ) So he traded in the Nova for a 1974 Mustang Ghia 6 cylinder... :- ( sad i know, but almost all muscle cars were traded in for other cars with better fuel economy during that time ( It really sucked to wait in a line to get fuel for what could be 3+ hours only to find out once you got close to pump that the fuel stations tanks had ran out ) Daily driven muscle cars suffered this fate & nobody wanted them because of GAS BEING TOO EXPENSIVE & UNABLE TO FIND! BTW the Nova was an automatic and it had a black vinyl roof
68 nova was one of the first "fuselage" style that would dominate the 1970s....and thus it was one of the first cars that entered "The Suck Zone" as far as style.