My Original L-79 Nova

[kwhizz]

Let's go back to March of 1966.....I ordered a Marina Blue L-79 Nova from Hoskin's Chevrolet in Chicago.......Hoskins was about a mile East of Nickey Chevrolet on Irving Park ....Even though I was at Nickey every Saturday to see what was going on......I bought the car from Hoskins because they were $50 cheaper..........Believe it or not......I got a call three weeks after placing the order that the Car came in....I was 19 years old at the time and was my Nova's worst Nightmare.......I was meticulous in keeping it clean, but......I did what any 19 year old with a Muscle Car was supposed to do......LOL.....The tires didn't last long.........that period of Muscle car history in Chicago and the Country was probably the "Ultimate" experience for car guy's to lived thru......and....we thought it would go on forever......How some of these cars lasted thru the Years with Documentation is beyond me.......Two days after I got my L-79 all my paperwork was in the Garbage.......after all....who cared about Paperwork back then........Anyhow.....I had been Married for a year at the time (the Princess snatched me at 18) and drove and raced the car on the street for a year.....one day I heard that some of the local Racers in the area had bought the Bell & Zeliewski Anglia and I drove down the Alley where their garage was the door was open.......I stopped and backed up to park and was looking in the Garage at the Anglia and backed into a Telephone pole and dented the Driver side quarter panel.....I was devastated about the damage and didn't have any Money to get it fixed......So........I did what any Red Blooded 19 year old would do ..........I decided to make it a Race car...........I was an apprentice Tool & Die maker at the time and couldn't rub two Nickles together.....But....That didn't mean anything........
Pulled the Engine out and took it to E & R in Chicago.......Bored it .030 and put in a Sig Erson Camshaft......had a Edelbrock Cross Ram on it and Raced it at the Grove and U.S. 30 in 1967.....ran a best of 11.73.....but ........with the cross ram on I had to run against Tony Christian....and that was a losing proposition (found out later he was cheating big time)....so I installed a single Holley three barrel and the car would run 12.10's all day long.........Problem was that I was racing.....but couldn't pay the Rent, and the time came for the little lady to put her foot down and the Racing career came to a abrupt end....I sold the L-79 engine to a guy that put it in a Studebaker Gasser and moved down south ,never to be seen again.....
So.......here I have a pocket full of Money from the Sale of the Engine ($300)........So I tell her I'm going to fix it up so it can be street driven again......I buy a Big Block and spent the Winter of 67-68 putting it in along building my own Headers (Chassis , didn't want to go out into the fenderwells) with a "Built" turbo 400 trans........It was fun watching the Princess driving it down the street "Chirping" the tires when the trans shifted gears.....
But.....Now I was getting Old and it was time to do the Family stuff......needed to sell the car and get a normal car........I sold the car to a guy in the south west suburbs and never saw it again.....Fast forward twenty years and I am in Florida on vacation and found a 66 Nova for sale in Bradenton and I end up Buying it.........I always wanted another one to Clone my old car...(Before I ruined it)....After gettin the 66 delivered in 1988......I bumped into Tom Migut (The World's L-79 Expert) who lived in Chicago when I originally had my L-79 but I didn't know at the Time (Which I had No pictures of)...and he wanted to see my new purchase, so I drove to Tom's house to show him the All Original Florida car.....while talking to him, he realized that he had a Picture of my L-79 that he had taken at the Grove in 67.........He gave me the Picture and when I got home I mis-placed it........Just found it after 20 years again........Long Story......But I had to explain the Dented Quarter




Ken

[sYc]

[SS427]

You were having a great time telling me this story while on vacation and I could tell it brought back some good memories. Glad to see you found the photo!

[SS427]

You were having a great time telling me this story while on vacation and I could tell it brought back some good memories. Glad to see you found the photo and a cool one at that.

[Mr70]

Now that looks cool!
Maybe it's still out there..

[markjohnson]

Great story! I think everyone already knows what a huge fan I am of the L-79 Chevy II's! Lots of special parts on those cars!

[ORIGLS6]

[mockingbird812]

SAWEEET Ken!

[JJEH]

C l Story and a very nice ride

[Salvatore]

That's a great story Ken! You are 100% correct, those cars NEVER stayed original for more than a weekend and ALL paper was discarded. You are truly the non paper, non numbers guy but one of the best guys to have lived that era! You truly knew what GM had in mind for these cars!