For an old timer who came of age in the 1970's, no mention of "starship Nova" can be complete without including one of these

I wanted to photoshop it onto a stellar background, but I'm too lazy tonight





Doug

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YORF member #11

Very cool! 350? 400? 454?

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Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

I just pulled that pic off the web That said, by 1974 - that car's year - it would have had nothing bigger than a 350. (I think the Pontiac version mighta gone up to 400.)

Doug

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YORF member #11

Even with a 350 I bet it would pass just about anything.............

..................except a gas pump.

__________________
Never trust an atom. They make up everything.

4 out of 3 people struggle with math.

Chemically, alcohol IS a solution.

NAR# 94042
SAM# 0078

You could get all the way up to a 455 in the 1974 Pontiac Ventura (Pontiac's version of the Nova). If you could get it in a Firebird/Trans Am back then, you could get it in virtually any other Pontiac including all the full-sized models. Many don't know it, but you could get the mighty 455-SD in the Pontiac Lemans/Can-Am back then. That was the one engine that was restricted to only a few models. You could not get a 455-SD with a shaker scoop in a Grandville Wagon.
Pontiac stopped the full-engine-line across all models in either 75 or 76.

Chevrolet was far stingier with their engine selections across their product line than Pontiac/Buick/Oldsmobile were.

My current daily-driven vehicle has MORE cubic inches than an old school 350 Chevy and gets over 30mpg on the freeway at over 80mph. Premium fuel required.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

My neighbor had the Can-Am with the 400 in it, as I recall, circa 1976. I'm pretty sure he still has it

My sister had the 1974 GTO, which was built on the Ventura/Nova platform rather than the larger A-bodies as before. I swear hers had the 400 in it, but the Wiki article only documents a 350 in it. I checked with my BIL, and he agrees it was a 400.

Anyway, two things I really look forward to doing with my grandsons are model rocketry and a bit of hot rodding someday

Doug

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YORF member #11

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Bill Eichelberger
NAR 79563

http://wallyum.blogspot.com/

I miss being SAM 0058

Build floor: Centuri Design Contest F-150 Hurricane Estes - Low Boom SST Semroc - Marauder, Shrike, SST Shuttle

In paint: Canaroc Starfighter Scorpion Estes F-22 Air Superiority Fighter, Multi-Roc, Solar Sailer II Semroc Cyber III

Ready to fly: Estes - Solar Sailer II Semroc - Earmark, Groonie Der V 1/2

The BASE engine in virtually all Pontiacs but the Trans Am was down to a 350 by 1974, but the 455 was available still in all of them through 1976. A few models were limited to a maximum 400 for 1975 and 1976, but those were very few.
An uncle of mine had a 1976 Grand Safari wagon with a 455, and another uncle special-ordered a Base Firebird with a 455 in 1976 as well.

I never gave up "hot rodding" no matter the price of gas.
My first car was a 1976 Thunderbird (size of a Lincoln) with a 550+hp 460 Big Block. Had 11:1 pistons in it with Cobra-Jet Heads. Needed 5 gallons of AV100LL mixed in with 20 gallons of pump premium 92.

I have only owned ONE car without a V8 my entire life...that was my HHR SS Turbo 2.0L SIDI CVVT DOHC 16V 4cyl that had 260 hp in stock tune and over 300hp with the tune/exhaust kit it had.

Back in a V8. Has been slightly modded to have almost as much HP as a Z06 for 1/3 the extra price. 0-60 in around 4 secs, 1/4mi in 11's, and top speed over 190mph. THAT'S decent daily transportation. 6sp manual trans. Gets over 30mpg on freeway at 80+mph.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !

That's what's cool about modern EFI. Efficiency, power, no choke, no smoke. If only the EPA would leave well enough alone so that the manufacturers would make both a power and economy tune standard for any decent vehicle.

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I love sanding.

Actually the engine in my '11 Vette is far less "modern" than the engine in my '08 HHR SS.
The Corvette has a pushrod-valve 2-valve/cylinder V8 with "regular" sequential EFI induction.
The older HHR has dual-overhead camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder, Direct-injection, continuously variable valve timing with an intercooled two-stage turbocharger making 21lbs of boost .

Probably why my HHR makes 150hp/litre (61 cubic inches) and the 6.2L in my Corvette only makes around 75hp/litre.

__________________
When in doubt, WHACK the GAS and DITCH the brake !!!

Yes, there is such a thing as NORMAL, if you have to ask what is "NORMAL" , you probably aren't !
Failure may not be an OPTION, but it is ALWAYS a POSSIBILITY.
ALL systems are GO for MAYHEM, CHAOS, and HAVOC !