Yes Lynn, and thanks for understanding and posting that. Both Camaro and Chevelle share that 311 number. Not Nova. Which makes L78/L89 cars somewhat scarce and very tuff to prove.
Mike

I thought there was a different code for a Nova L89??

CHK? (Memory is a terrible thing to waste so I will post without checking facts :-)

Ryan W31

I think you just thanked me for understanding something I do not understand. Although I think I do understant that the 311 was total production of the L89 engines (coded JJ and JM) at Tonawanda.

What would have precluded ordering a Nova with the L89 option? Wouldn't it have the exact same engine code suffix as a Camaro? After all and HA coded 350 could have ended up in EITHER a Camaro or a Nova? So what would have precluded a JJ coded L89 engine from ending up in a Nova? I understand that there MAY have been no way to order it in a Nova, but has this been researched?

Lynn
I don't know the answers, other than it was not a option on Nova ?
Mike

Chevrolet did weird things:

- Skipped L72 for 1967
- Skipped L79 for 1966 Chevelle
- Didn't offer 396/350 for 1967 Camaro
- Didn't offer 396/325 for Nova SS

So, yeah, I get that some things don't make sense. But a lot doesn't make sense.

Also, I don't think the Chevelle and Camaro share the 311 number. The number for Chevelles is 400.

L89's
 

1969 Nova production does not show any L89's being produced. 1969 Camaro production shows 311 units, 309 through the end of September and the other 2 after that date. 1969 Chevelle L89 production shows: 400 units. Corvette production shows: 364 units.

Paul

Schmidt Chevrolet Ohio
 

The L89 laid on the parts room floor in favor of L-88

All L89 motors used closed chamber 842 heads, only the L88 vettes and the 69 ZL1 camaro and 2 vets used the open chamber 074 heads.

The Black 70 had 074 heads on it...….. And, there is a much easier way to tell a real L-89 Nova apart from the others..... LOL..... This is one of those you had to be there stories... while looking at the Black car back after it was completed at the Nova Nationals.... Legendary Motor cars in Canada built the car and the owner put it in for Judging...
The Judge (can't remember his name, but he is a expert in the 68-70 Nova world) went to the owner and told him it would probably be a good idea to take his car out of the Judging area as it probably wouldn't get 900 points, the owner pulled the car out and wasn't too Happy ( I don't think he was a real car guy anyway) and parked it in the Show area...… There was me and about 6 of the members here that were walking thru area looking at the cars (I had the Gold 70 L-89 Clone car there) …… we stopped to look at the Black car and were talking about the engine.... The owner was sitting behind the car and heard us...… He wasn't too happy and told us what is our problem.... All you have to do is look at the distributor cap..... It's Brown.... "Only L-89 cars came with Brown Caps"......LOL.... There'[s a lot more to the story but it would take pages to tell it all...… So......Just look at the Cap color...… End of Story !!!

Was the Black 70 clearly a re-stamp? I realize it cant be real but how are they all so convinced its is? POP? Paper?