MPC 1979 Chevy Nova

[1972coronet]

1 minute ago, doorsovdoon said:

You might be thinking of 1974 SS. It looks like MPC used the script from the '74 SS which is exactly the same font and scale as what's on the kit, minus the SS.

That's a very real possibility . There were so many garish cars in the 'States in the seventies ---- power levels dropped dramatically , just as ostentatious decals and emblems (and upholstery patterns) were coming in .

[Rockford]

Wasn't the chrome trim across the front of the hood only on the Nova Concourse? The trim levels under that didn't have the chrome.  

[doorsovdoon]

9 minutes ago, Rockford said:

Wasn't the chrome trim across the front of the hood only on the Nova Concourse? The trim levels under that didn't have the chrome.  

I'm not sure. From what I've seen, all round headlight models were plain except the Concourse trim level. All the later square headlight models had the trim. Also, the vinyl roof not being a thing has some truth to it, I haven't seen one hatchback model fitted with a vinyl roof, only the regular booted models.

[Can-Con]

1 hour ago, Rockford said:

Wasn't the chrome trim across the front of the hood only on the Nova Concourse? The trim levels under that didn't have the chrome.  

On the earlier cars, yes but for '79 it was on all Novas. 

My Nova was as base as could be but it did have that chrome.

[Rockford]

You're right, it does have the chrome trim on the front of the hood, just looked at my kit and it's there with a little tiny Chevrolet script on the right hand side. I can't get a photo of it though it's so faint.  I never knew it was a 79 it was depicting because the box for mine just says Nova Street Machine. Must be honest I'd never seen a square headlight car until this thread, until now I'd thought they'd got the grille so wrong in the kit but now I see it's fairly accurate. GM were obviously squaring the car up to get people ready for the Malibu et al with their square designs. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Rockford

[disconovaman]

2 hours ago, Rockford said:

GM were obviously squaring the car up to get people ready for the Malibu

Actually, it was in preparation to kill the Nova and replace it with the Citation, unfortunately. Automakers were constantly evolving and mid-sized cars were being reduced by 1980.

Also the Concours name was discontinued after 1977. It was replaced however with the Custom nameplate that hadn't been used since 1975, but here's the kicker... in an effort to maintain cost all the trim was used from the Concours. "NC" badges that stood for 'Nova Concours" in 77 now stood for "Nova Custom" in 1978. The Nova Concours only ran for two production years (76-77). And in 1979 it became a standard trim level. The 79 Nova is considered a stand alone model in the 4th gen Nova universe because of its cast grill and rectangular headlamps. 

Ok, so if you guys want a more accurate sized Nova script for the fenders you can cast them from the AMT kit. I did so with aluminum foil and resin. Then I sanded the over sized ones off the MPC car and glued the smaller resin casted ones in place. It works really well. Thanks for this thread so I can pass on some knowledge and hopefully get others interested in building the kit. (There isn't alot of interest due to the MPC stigma) It really is a cool kit with alot of potential.

[Spottedlaurel]

16 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

It's a great kit. I finally found that picture of the bronze car I was originally planning on basing it off, you could go with that?

That looks good, but closer to standard than I'm thinking about. I'm not planning anything too crazy, but I won't have to worry about the badges.

By coincidence I did buy some bronze paint last week.......

1 hour ago, disconovaman said:

Thanks for this thread so I can pass on some knowledge and hopefully get others interested in building the kit. (There isn't alot of interest due to the MPC stigma) It really is a cool kit with alot of potential.

Some great info on here from you and others - I hope Gareth doesn't think we've derailed it too much!

I picked up my Street Machine issue of this kit by chance, probably just because it was cheap and something a little bit different. Good to know it has some potential.

[doorsovdoon]

Yes, some great info there. I think I know more about these late 70's Novas now than I do my own car, Lol. Yep, still on track, we'v been talking Novas and vinyl roofs since page one, might as well keep the train rolling, xD

[doorsovdoon]

A couple of pics to show how the front wheels/suspension arrangement is made up. Not a design I've seen before but is a good set up if you want to give the car some easy camber. Just trim the top of this bar where it glues to the inner wheel well. The more you trim, the more it leans in, giving the wheels the amount of camber you want. Not the look I'm going for but I did have to trim the top and bottom of them so I was able to push those hub pins in further. The wheels stuck out too far, probably because of the wheels and tyres I'm using, they're not from this kit, though the wheel back are.

[doorsovdoon]

18 hours ago, disconovaman said:

Thanks for this thread so I can pass on some knowledge and hopefully get others interested in building the kit. (There isn't alot of interest due to the MPC stigma) It really is a cool kit with alot of potential.

 

Anytime. This thread has a wealth of info to anyone wanting to build this kit. Hopefully Round2 will re-issue it someday with some minor changes to make a true '79 Nova. Not holding my breath though, they would probably either have to destroy the Ventura mouldings or make brand new moulds to do that.

[disconovaman]

8 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

destroy the Ventura mouldings

I'm afraid MPC already beat em to that... The Squad Rod (79 Nova) is the original Pontiac tooling modified. They were destroyed around 1976 to create the 1977 Nova. If you look carefully you'll see the changes, note the slightly thicker front fenders and also the 77-78 Nova bodies were modified to the 79 you have here. You can see a sharper edge on the fender extensions from that change also. 

Round II reissued the Squad Rod a few years ago, to my knowledge it isn't discontinued yet. So I'm sure another wave will hit the stores agian. I personally hope the car will be molded in white with red or blue glass, maybe a Coke addition... I have a few of the Pontiacs and a few 77-78 Novas too. I could send reference photos if you're interested. If you see any Pontiacs, latch on to them because the moldings dont exsist anymore, sadly.

[Can-Con]

Here's a site with even more info for you Gareth.

You'll be a real expert on them by the time it's done. LOL.

https://www.novaresource.org/

Edited September 29, 2020 by Can-Con

[doorsovdoon]

Sorry, I should have said 'what's left of the Ventura moulding'.. interior, chassis etc, I know the Ventura is long gone. Just updating those parts would make a much more accurate '79.

Edited September 29, 2020 by doorsovdoon

[Can-Con]

5 minutes ago, doorsovdoon said:

Sorry, I should have said 'what's left of the Ventura moulding'.. interior, chassis etc, I know the Ventura is long gone. Just updating those parts would make a much more accurate kit.

The chassis is OK [correct but could be better detailed] 

Just needs updated engine and interior.

[doorsovdoon]

2 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Here's a site with even more info for you Gareth.

You'll be a real expert on them by the time it's done. LOL.

https://novaresource.org/history.htm

Cool. I didn't know the Nova was planned as far back as 1959! I like the '64 Super Nova concept, I'm surprised AMT never made this back in the day, they seemed to like releasing weird concepts back then!

[doorsovdoon]

2 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

The chassis is OK [correct but could be better detailed] 

Just needs updated engine and interior.

Yes, you mentioned the '70 Camaro front chassis legs with the more detailed suspension.  

[doorsovdoon]

Chassis finished. I just need to detail the door cards and other small bits, but it's night time and the light in the room gives bad depth perception which makes detailing look good now but a horror show in the daylight. I always seem to finish my models at night:/  I'm itching to put it together, so I couldn't resist placing the body on the chassis to get a taste of what it'll look like tomorrow:D

[disconovaman]

I'm really enjoying the progress, my favorite wip tread currently...? It looks like the car down the street in 1983 in any subdivided neighborhood in America. ?

 

[doorsovdoon]

4 hours ago, disconovaman said:

I'm really enjoying the progress, my favorite wip thread currently...? It looks like the car down the street in 1983 in any subdivided neighborhood in America. ?

 

haha. Almost, it's not sitting on bricks yet, it still has all four wheels xD

[disconovaman]

That's funny! Our house was in the country but we still lived civilized. No cars on blocks but you're right, for one reason or another it seemed normal when you seen it. 

My brother owned this 75 in highschool and by 1987 it had 3 color changes, 3 transmission swaps,  2 engine swaps, and an interior change. Most of those changes happened before the car was 10 years old. This car was a blast to drive (69 C10 307/4 speed)  It started my love for these style Novas.

GM made a bold move on styling, being the only car for 1975 to have a total styling change. It also holds the record for most units sold in a single model year. 

[Rockford]

Reading the comments here I realise that the Nova was one of those run of the mill cars that everyone had or rode in through family and friends, but was so common it never achieved enough status to warrant preservation. They all quietly wandered off to the scrapyard until all too late we realised theyd disappeared from the streets. You can sense the degree of fondness people feel for them just from this thread! You've rekindled an old love in many people Doors! 

Well done on the kit, appears to sit nicely, not like an off roader like some kits though I noticed you altered the front wheels a little so that might account for this. You have made the best of the basic interior tub too. I've had my kits out a few times this week fiddling about with them. You've got me going again! 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Rockford

[1972coronet]

5 minutes ago, Rockford said:

They all quietly wandered off to the scrapyard until all too late we realised theyd disappeared from the streets.

Oftentimes , failed or failing emissions controls were the demise of these --and countless others-- vehicles . As the 70's 'progressed' , the miles and miles of vacuum hoses ; the sealed , non-adjustable carburetors ; terrible fuel economy with high fuel prices , and ;weak drivetrains ( like the TH-200 trans for an instance ) , all lead this vehicles to an early demise . Quantify those aspects by adding road salt to the mix , and there they go . Certainly 'Cap & Trade' and 'Clunker' programmes also were instrumental in salvage yards filling-up with these cars .

Now when one finds a decent example or a well-preserved example , they fetch a high price . This is in direct opposition to the "no-car-built-after-1970-is-worth-anything" mentality during the 90's and earlier .Back in the 80's through the mid-90's , 1971 & newer vehicles could be had on-the-cheap...

...I miss those days. 

[Can-Con]

Rust got mine. 

By '94 it was too far gone.  15 year lifespan. My T/A is over twice as old. 

If you jacked the rear of the car by the bumper, the back 1/4 would fold up on itself.  The front subframe mounts were going and the rear end was shot. 

All things I could easily fix now but I just didn't have the knowledge, tools and cash back then.

[TimJ]

Great work so far Gareth, I'm liking the green with the vinyl roof. 

[doorsovdoon]

Yes, for something built in the late 70's there's a lot of love for this car it seems. It's definitely one of the better looking products to come out of that time. The lines aren't too different from what was being produced in the late 60's. I'm glad this thread has rekindled so many fond memories. Thanks, guys, I've seriously enjoyed this thread, from the build being unusually trouble free, to everyone's input, knowledge, and memories of this car, it's been quite a journey! Anyway, she's all done and looking the part, one of my better builds I think, and definitely one of my top ten kits:) I'll post the rest of the pictures in completed section.