1965 Chevrolet Nova

230 6 Cylinder

115355N106040

Clear

This is an increasingly rare find for this vintage Nova. I remember as a kid being able to find these things in the local newspaper classified ads for $2-3k nearly every week, and those were Super Sport coupes, but that was in the 70's and 80's. I've been amazed at how quickly these things have become "rare" and how the prices have skyrocketed in just a few decades. Now the Super Sports are commanding $20-40K and just keep on climbing in value. That made the four doors and wagons popular because they were still relatively affordable for most people and you could still have the feel of the Nova without the price tag of the Super Sports. Well, nowadays even the four doors and especially the wagons have become harder and harder to find and they are beginning to climb steadily in price as well. Take a look through any available media and you will see that the wagons are getting hard to find in all original condition. Which makes this 1965 Nova Wagon a great find. I will outline it in more detail below: HISTORY: Unfortunately, I don't know much about the history of this car. What I do know is what was told to me from the previous owner. The previous owner had traded some firearms for the Nova several years ago. The person he traded the firearms with was a friend who was an electrician who worked for the local electric company there in Riverside, CA. He was out doing a job at someone's home in Norco, CA. I grew up in Riverside and know the area very well. Norco used to be farm and horse country when I was a kid and there still is quite a bit of horse property out there even though it is getting swallowed up by the surrounding cities. Well there in a barn this electrician saw the wagon covered in dust and cobwebs. The family told him it had been sitting in the barn since the 1980's when they just stopped driving it because their kids were grown and they didn't need a wagon anymore and had newer cars to drive. He asked the owners if they would be willing to sell him the car and they agreed on a price and he took it home. He took all necessary steps to get the car somewhat road worthy again but when he was offered the firearms for trade he accepted. The car was then taken to Murrieta, CA and stayed there for some time before the owner decided to sell it because he son was not interested in driving it to school. That is who I purchased the car from. The car appears to have always been in Southern California based on how clean it is underneath with no signs of rust. That is all I know of the history of the car other than what you can glean from the cowl tag. EXTERIOR: The Nova is wearing almost all of it's original paint. The only areas that I can tell that are not original is the right rear quarter where there has been some body work done in the past but it must have been many years ago because the paint fade matches almost perfectly with the rest of the car. Someone appears to have wet sanded the tailgate at some point so it looks slightly different than the rest of the car but it looks to be the original paint. The car is very straight for being a 48 year old car. Some minor dents but nothing major. The hood is probably the worst part but even that is an easy fix. Right front fender is slightly pushed in on the front bottom of the fender and the eyebrow trim piece is dented on that fender. No rust on the body except surface rust where the paint has chipped or worn away. The paint is has a patina to it as you would expect with 48 year old paint. All trim pieces are there and in good shape. Rear bumper has a dent in it but it did not damage the body of the car and I have another rear bumper that goes with the car. All glass is in very good condition. The tires are all in decent shape but are mismatched. All four original wheel covers plus a fifth on the spare tire inside the car. The top of the car is in beautiful condition with just one very small ding in the top. Overall the exterior of the car is really in good shape and very solid. INTERIOR: The interior is about what you would expect from an original barn find of this vintage. It is all there but worn. The front seat was recovered in plain naugahyde but other than that it seems untouched. Doors all open and close with ease. Weatherstripping is shot. Dash is in great shape with just one tiny crack showing. All gauges and "dummy lights" are working except the temp light which was bypassed in favor of a temp gauge mounted under the dash (which doesn't work and looks like it has been there for eternity, looks very old). Horn works and dash lights all work. Original radio comes on and crackles but no stations probably due to the antenna being broken off. The highlight of the interior is the factory AC unit that seems to work fine and blows hard. Due to the cold weather now, I cannot tell if it is blowing cold or if its just blowing cold air because it's cold outside. I would doubt that it has a drop of freon in it after all these years, but the compressor is still hooked up and seems to be working. Original carpet needs to be replaced. Rear seat is worn but functional and has the original material still in place. Has the original cargo mat still indecent shape, just dirty and a little brittle. Headliner is still there and not torn or sagging. The welt trim pieces are all there but seem to have shrunk up over the years and some of it is no longer fitting like it should. Rear window is a power rear window and it is all there but stuck in the up position (probably window motor). The switch under the dash is there which is a very hard to find part if you have ever had to search for it for a wagon or convertible. So like I said, it is all there which is the important part, but it is worn and needs to be freshened up unless you want to go with the rat rod look. I put a Mexican blanket on the front seat to give it a bit of the rat rod look but the naugahyde is still in good shape. MECHANICAL: The original 230 6 cylinder and powerglide automatic transmission function very well. The hoses and belts were not changed out since it was sitting in the barn all those years so those would need to be changed out for it to be truly road worthy. I have driven it for short distances (20-30 minutes) and it runs great without even a flat spot in the carb. I have had it up to 70 mph and it drives straight and true with no pulling, shaking or shimmying. Stops straight and true. Very smooth riding wagon. It does not smoke or make any funny noises. Trans shifts as it should. This is a power steering wagon and so the steering is nice and easy. Great car to work on because everything is so darn easy to fix on these. SUMMARY: This is just a great car to restore or drive as it is with it needing very little to be a daily driver. Hard to find with the power steering, factory AC and power rear window. Can go in a variety of directions with this car: rat rod, surf wagon or an original restoration. Nothing has been hacked up on this car and it is complete and rust free. I may be listing this car in other media so I do reserve the right to end this auction at any time. I am requiring a $500 deposit due via Paypal within the first 48 hours after the end of the auction. I will be happy to store the car in the garage for a reasonable period of time to allow for shipping arrangements to be made. Check the pictures and check my feedback and bid with confidence, it's a great Nova! Goodluck!