"Squad Rod" '79 Nova

[Can-Con]

This was derived from the 1975-76 pontiac Ventura kit?

Yes. The '77 Ventura Sprint came out then MPC retooled it into a '77 Nova. Same chassis, most of the engine, interior and glass .  Just new body and chrome for the Nova. 

[louie]

Maybe because I was a kid when these came out, but, I have a soft spot for them and I would love to see them all come back. Errors and all! 

Some of these have come back, but not all 

 

absolutely agree with you. I also was a young kid back then too and these kits hold a lot of memories for me and would love to see them all back again with flaws and all. Thanks for posting the MPC catalog page, just love seeing these kits.    Thank you.      Jeff 

[Daddyfink]

absolutely agree with you. I also was a young kid back then too and these kits hold a lot of memories for me and would love to see them all back again with flaws and all. Thanks for posting the MPC catalog page, just love seeing these kits.    Thank you.      Jeff 

You are most welcome! Glad to bring back fond memories!! 

I always thought that the Mean Streak Mustang II looked and awful lot like the Jack Roush Sudden Death Mustang

[stavanzer]

Daddyfink, You are so right about these kits. Some of my first MPC builds were these kits when brand new. I remember how bold the box art was compared to the AMT and Monogram kits of the day. It sold me on 4-5 of these.

I'll take them all back, please.

[gasman]

Kits out now, straight reissue, decal sheets a little updated and they put new tires in the kit, but no changes other then that. 

[stavanzer]

Got any Pics? I wonder what tires they put in? The same as the Fuzz Duster?

[unclescott58]

On 10/9/2016 at 12:49 AM, alexis said:

Got any Pics? I wonder what tires they put in? The same as the Fuzz Duster?

I just got my Mod Squad kit tonight. Sorry to say, the tires in kit are plain. No tampo lettering or stripes. I'm a little disappointed with this one. Being molded in black plastic and plain tires. It can be built "stock." Other than the Pontiac engine and interior. Those parts I don't mind. In general, other than the black plastic and plain tires, the kit looks pretty good overall.

 

Edited February 12, 2019 by unclescott58

[Faust]

When it comes to the Automotive Dark Ages, there are a few certainties you can almost always rely on. One of those is that it was a bad time to be a storied nameplate, because the chances of you surviving with your name intact was pretty much nil. That’s why I love that era, from about 1973 to about 1987 so much; the cars in it were so lacklustre and neutered that people can’t help but want to forget them.

One good example is the Nova. While most people will choose to remember the late ‘60s and early ‘70s muscle-era pocket rockets, the truth is the Nova died a long and slow death, wasting away until replaced by the exciting, modern and much-ballyhooed Citation! (Nevermind it’s resurrection as a badge engineered Corolla…) For me, the thrill isn’t the early Novas that everyone remembers. Nope, it’s the cruddy, wheezy late models, the shadows of their former selves, that turns my crank.

For that reason, I was very excited to finally be able to get my hands on a copy of Round 2’s version of the MPC 1979 Nova – Squad Rod! As if the last Nova wasn’t sad enough, the MPC attempt to create a Police Hot Rod is just, well… disquieting. Check out this loserly last stand at the link below!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/mpc-1-25-1979-nova-squad-rod-out-of-box/

Edited February 6, 2019 by Faust

[Daddy Mack]

I looked at the linked page. The author is obviously an unending fountain of negativity. And that begs the question: Why did the author need to unleash such an attack?

[Mike999]

Thanks for another great review from the Dark Ages of car modeling.  Unlike our White House at Thanksgiving, I'm glad you never spare any turkeys.

This kit is an example, I guess, of MPC's "neither fish nor fowl" policy at this time.  Yes, some police agencies did sponsor full-on racing cars, like the famous LAPD Pro Stock Camaro. This thing is not one of those. 

And there was a real Nova police package offered from 1974-79, the 9C1.  It's not one of those either; for one thing, the 9C1 had a bench seat.  It's a shame MPC didn't include the parts for a real 9C1.  They were running all over Los Angeles in the mid-70s; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. helped Chevy develop the Nova police package in 1974.  But even the LACSD gave up on Novas after a few years, and switched to the bigger and more comfortable Chevy Malibu 9C1 package.

Here's a video of Jay Leno and a retired deputy sheriff who owns a real '78 Nova 9C1.

 http://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10944/ride-along-with-jay-leno-in-an-la-county-sheriffs-office-1978-chevy-nova-9c1

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Mike999
error

[Faust]

I looked at the linked page. The author is obviously an unending fountain of negativity. And that begs the question: Why did the author need to unleash such an attack?

Um... do you know me?  That's what I do. It's kind of my stock in trade. Look at any of the other reviews of loser cars (there are lots). I pretty much slag them all. 

(P.S. Isn't your negativity about my negativity kind of negative? Just saying...)

I honestly, truly love the cars (and the kits of them) from the "Automotive Dark Ages" for a few reasons. I grew up with them, but I also understand that they are sad, sad shadows of just how much fun and excitement cars embodied only a short time before. 

Why did I need to unleash such an attack? Why did American car makers need to unleash such substandard, poorly-built, unreliable and stylistically stagnant cars on a public that clearly wanted more? If you don't like what I have to say, remember - I only say it because the cars themselves are there.

And that, my friends, is another reason I focus on the losers. We, as automotive enthusiasts, can't allow these things to be forgotten. We can't allow car makers to get content and offer low-performing, mediocre, boring, soulless and uninteresting cars ever again. When people at shows (or online) see one of these, and go "Oh, man, that thing's a <insert famous nameplate here>?", then I've done my job. 

I also like to have a museum of these cars as they were originally, before they all rusted away!  It's all for fun, tongue-in-cheek style. 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Faust

[Richard Bartrop]

What I find amusing is just how long people have been singing that particular tune, and how every so often they bump up the date for when they stopped building "real" cars.

[Snake45]

I WISH these would show up at my Hobby Lobby. I've been wanting (at least) one. I have some very fond memories of the late '70s Novas. 

[Faust]

14 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I WISH these would show up at my Hobby Lobby. I've been wanting (at least) one. I have some very fond memories of the late '70s Novas. 

Yeah, I got this at my LHS. I never did see one at Hobby Lobby. I never saw the Pinto wagon at Hobby Lobby either. 

It seems that the Round 2 reissues hit hard, and then fade fast. Does anyone else seem to notice this? It's like, if you don't get it in the first couple of months, your chances drop significantly. At least for some things. The Datsun pickup is an exception, it seems. 

32 minutes ago, Mike999 said:

Thanks for another great review from the Dark Ages of car modeling.  Unlike our White House at Thanksgiving, I'm glad you never spare any turkeys.

This kit is an example, I guess, of MPC's "neither fish nor fowl" policy at this time.  Yes, some police agencies did sponsor full-on racing cars, like the famous LAPD Pro Stock Camaro. This thing is not one of those. 

And there was a real Nova police package offered from 1974-79, the 9C1.  It's not one of those either; for one thing, the 9C1 had a bench seat.  It's a shame MPC didn't include the parts for a real 9C1.  They were running all over Los Angeles in the mid-70s; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. helped Chevy develop the Nova police package in 1974.  But even the LACSD gave up on Novas after a few years, and switched to the bigger and more comfortable Chevy Malibu 9C1 package.

Here's a video of Jay Leno and a retired deputy sheriff who owns a real '78 Nova 9C1.

 http://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/10944/ride-along-with-jay-leno-in-an-la-county-sheriffs-office-1978-chevy-nova-9c1

 

Mike: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I cannot tell a lie: a loser is a loser, and while I love 'em, I also love to roast 'em!

[tim08]

Ahh, the late 70s novas that rode sideways down the road. thanx faust

[Can-Con]

I really miss my '79 Nova coupe.

Very plain car, not even a light in the glove box but it did have all the suspension goodies and a strong strait 6. 

An odd combination but it handled as well and was almost as fast as my Trans Am. No options except power steering means relatively light weight. 

Anyway, I liked it.

and Adam, pay no mind to our friend with no concept of sarcasm.  A new guy who seems to want to show how much more he knows than we do. 

[stavanzer]

Great Review! I have one of these and two Fuzz Dusters. Just a huge pool of Malaise Era Goodness. 

[stavanzer]

To answer Adam's question about the Engine in this kit. It is not a 305 Chevy.

It is a Poncho.  The chassis, engine and running gear from the Squad Rod Nova, were originally a Pontiac Ventura. MPC worked up the Nova body later. Note that the Ventura is a 1977.

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/mpc-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/pontiac/1971-1980/mpc77pontiacventura7703/?view=roll#1

If you are not TOO worried about period correctness the Small Block from the Old Pro Nova, is molded in black and could look like a 305.

[pack rat]

1 hour ago, Tim08 said:

Ahh, the late 70s novas that rode sideways down the road. thanx faust

Yup....you could spot those sidewinders coming at you from a mile away.  I never knew why.

Edited February 7, 2019 by pack rat

[Snake45]

50 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

I really miss my '79 Nova coupe.

Very plain car, not even a light in the glove box but it did have all the suspension goodies and a strong strait 6. 

An odd combination but it handled as well and was almost as fast as my Trans Am. No options except power steering means relatively light weight. 

Anyway, I liked it.

and Adam, pay no mind to our friend with no concept of sarcasm.  A new guy who seems to want to show how much more he knows than we do. 

For several years in the 90s I drove a '77 Olds Omega with a 305 Chev in it. I actually thought it was a 350 until I sold it and the guy said no it's a 305. It sure had the heart of a 350, and I actually beat a '67 396 Chevelle away from a stoplight one day. Really fun car I enjoyed a lot and to this day I wouldn't mind finding a nice, driveable Nova or Pontiac Ventura of this vintage. 

The cops in my hometown AND the place where I lived in the late '70s were both driving 9-C-1 Novas and they seemed to love them. I heard 'em called "4-door Z/28s" more than once. 

[tbill]

1 hour ago, Can-Con said:

I really miss my '79 Nova coupe.

Very plain car, not even a light in the glove box but it did have all the suspension goodies and a strong strait 6. 

An odd combination but it handled as well and was almost as fast as my Trans Am. No options except power steering means relatively light weight. 

Anyway, I liked it.

and Adam, pay no mind to our friend with no concept of sarcasm.  A new guy who seems to want to show how much more he knows than we do. 

You want an odd combo of options, I had a 77 olds f-85 ( nova body style), odd fire V6, 3 on the tree, radio delete, car was white with either a black or gold stripe along the bottom, and a black and white bench seat interior with houndstooth insert in the seats. I have yet to see another one like it. Odd car, but ran like a champ, and had the famous dog track to it.

[larman]

I normally don't stick up for much in the late 70's to 80's, but my experience with this era Nova was positive. A friend of mine in high school's parents had a 1971 Malibu and a '77 or '78 Nova  2 door as their main cars. This was circa 1985 and both cars were stone stock. I rode in both, many  times with my friend driving and both handled pretty well for daily drivers and were pretty quick. That Nova was stronger than the Chevelle,  both had V8s. The Malibu had a 307 and I always thought the Nova was a 305, but it could have been a 350. It pulled hard for what it was, I was surprised and somewhat impressed. There was an older guy who was a meat cutter at the grocery store I worked at that had a '77 or so with a 350 and 4 speed transmission that he had special ordered,  that one ran well too.They were also popular with kids in my high school and I don't remember any of them being doggy compared to the other stuff that was around at the time. Certainly, by today's standards it was a dark time for cars.  But,  It seems to me that style Nova was better than a lot of other offerings of the time.  - Larry

[Faust]

Okay, quick question: What's with the "sideways" thing? I don't really remember anything like that, but I wasn't driving these cars. 

With what everyone is saying, it sounds like the Novas were not much different from other cars of the Era. On paper, they sucked, and they weren't as good or powerful as what came before, but they all seem to have had some examples that were at least solid, competent cars. That seems fair!

My Dad's '76 Torino was the same; big, slow and woefully underpowered compared to only 6 years previous, but those big bumpers could (and did) take a pounding, and it would go through any snow without question. It never let us down, until the trunk floor rotted out and the body fell off of it, in 1991! Not bad for a Malaise car. 

I remember lots of these Novas around when I was young, and a TONNE were hot rodded in some way. 

Alan: I'm not sure about the engine. I know the Ventura kit came first, and I can't talk to the chassis, but looking at a '78/'79 305 and the valve covers on the Squad Rod, and they look identical. Poncho covers are bigger, and don't have the "step" in them, from what I can tell. Still, regardless of what it is, once it's blue, it'll be fine.

 

 

[pack rat]

8 hours ago, Faust said:

Okay, quick question: What's with the "sideways" thing? I don't really remember anything like that, but I wasn't driving these cars. 

 

Back in the day when these cars were commonly seen on the road a lot of them "dog-tracked",  like a car that had been seriously hit and poorly repaired..  For some reason it was very common on the X-bodies.     

[1972coronet]

A high school friend's dad had a '78 Nova Hatchback , and that thing was FUN ! 

It was ordered new with the trailer towing package ; that meant that the LM1 350 was backed by the indestructible TH-400 and some numerically-bigger gear / posi . Had the F-41 suspension as well .Silver with cranberry red interior .

Even with all of the California emissions garbage hooked-up and functioning , that car was quick ! I can still hear the secondaries opening on the Rochester !

The weather took its toll on the car's cosmetics --- paint faded-through to the primer coats ; dash pad had a couple of cracks ; seatbelt shoulder 'looms' decayed ; and the seats were sun-bleached ... and the car was less-than 10 years old !

I've long loved the '68 - '79 X-bodies , in each of their generational iterations . Would love to have a 9C1 some day !