1963 Chevrolet Nova SS

Description

I am putting my beloved 1963 Chevrolet Nova SS up for sale; this car is a VIN number & Trim Tag number factory SS car, uilt in Oct 1963 at the GM plant in Oakland, A and my SS has been featured in Hagertys Magazine, SA Today and The Seattle Times. (note: SS decoding via the VIN number did not start until 1964 for the Nova, n 1963, he first year of the SS for the Nova, S decoding is via the Trim Tag on the firewall, ith a Z or X on the ACC code line)

To say that my SS has been cared for is a major understatement. I have multiple pages of detailed maintenance records & purchases, ating back to the 80s from the previous owner, hen picked-up by myself in 1997 with even more explicit & exact detail; every single thing on this car that has been changed, epaired, eplaced, ltered, odified or gone-thru since the mid-80s is documented (see video attached below). The fully restored engine & drivetrain is 1 part factory-original (trans), parts non-factory-original (engine & rear end): period-correct 194 straight-6 engine = new with just over 23,700 miles; 2-speed Powerglide transmission = fully rebuilt original (and just serviced with new filter and fluid); rear end = installed period-correct posi traction with custom fabricated drive axles and new bearings, aces, eals, tc.

I bought this SS in 1997 and it had been painted red by a previous owner but I have returned the car to its factory original VIN-number color of #912 Silver Blue, ith her stunning 5 month paint work & frame-on restore done by Retro Rods of Monroe WA (see link attached below) My personal photo, eceipt & appraisal binder for my SS is a photographic & documentation sight to see, nd very extensive (see attached video) The restore work also includes new dash paint (entire dash stripped to bare metal), ew interior upper door paint and interior back seat upper side paint. All exterior stainless trim pro straightened by hand, nd fully polished out. All body trim is original and runs between very nice and mildly flawed. Chrome rocker panels = brand new, o include detail brush painting of the black, y hand, or all the lines in between (this same detail brush painting accomplished for all black lines in between the new chrome on console) Note: I painted in the rear of my trunk face & tail light surrounds in same color as full car, s I prefer this look to the factory silver.

My SS has been dry-garage kept & never been driven in the rain since its Retro Rods restore work and there is not one centimeter of rust or corrosion on this SS's painted body or roof metal "anywhere": doors & jambs, enders, uarters, ood, runk lid, ard top, ront & back glass frames & roof pillars, nd I have photographic evidence to back that statement up; additionally, he exterior paint surface is flawless over the entire car in every regard, nd besides a few extremely teeny paint chips (almost cannot be seen) on forward nose of hood, here is not one dent or ding on this car.

NEW engine, nd I stress "new", s the block I located for the engine was an original, nused & never-been-built 194 block (still wrapped in plastic) from a guy in North Dakota, ho said his father had procured the engine block as new from a Chevy dealer way back in the day and never built it into an engine.... thus, he engine in my SS is not a "rebuilt" engine, t is a "new" engine. I have been running Job Gibbs Racing high zinc 20/50 in her since the build, nd she gets fresh oil & filter every 3000 miles (same for air filter & fuel filter in front of fuel pump) The story on how I obtained this block is one of my all-time automobile favorites, he truth and I love to tell it, sk me & I'll tell you the story.

On the interior, t is done-done: kick panels, arpet / pad / floor sound dead, ll 4 interior door panels, ll arm rests & pads, oth rear ash trays, onsole (new chrome, eceipted), ight fixtures, nterior lighting door switches, ll seat foam, ll front bucket seat springs, ll seat covers, ehind rear seat insulation, ear deck insulation, ear view mirror, S floor mats, ower door jamb Body by Fischer metal detail trim = NEW; heater core, quirrel cage, lower fan = NEW; all of the window frame lower channels, ubber seals, elts, uzzies & vent window seals were professionally redone about 10 years ago (to note: there is zero rust in any of the 4 window frame lower channels); front glass = NEW, ear glass = original 1963; side & vent windows = original 1963; car has stock 4-wheel non-power assist drum brake set-up, ith new front drums (not spun, ew), ew pads at all 4 wheels and full bleed & adjust; manual steering; the car has a custom stereo installed on removable blanking plate inside glove box, s to not alter the projection or look of the stock dashboard (the original AM radio still in place, ut is not operational but can be easily repaired); speakers for glove box stereo are dual left & right, nstalled into rear seat deck and are pro covered by black grill cloth (a minor flaw to note: when my interior guy did the seats, e installed the metal seat logos in the vertical position instead of the horizontal position, hey fit perfectly vertically and I did not make their correct position known to him). All gages, speeds of fan, ighter and clock all work perfectly (quartz movement in clock). Bucket seat forward & aft adjust mechanisms work perfectly, he seats glide beautifully and they both have the correct spring-loaded action. Both speeds of windshield wipers work, s does the windshield wash spray. No water leaks at any side, ront, ear or vent glass & windows, ven in pouring rain.

All 4 SS wheel covers are very nice & clean, nd I have 6 very clean spares that will go with the car; also welded in down below are two frame stiffeners that were highly recommended by the Retro Rods team, o help eliminate the typical hard top cracking that occurs where the roof pillars meet the body, his installation also greatly helped the car's handling; the Moon Eyes headlight bullets I installed on the front end when I bought the car, find them very fitting for this car's exterior projection but they can be removed in minutes; the mini Moon Eyes tach I installed on the lower left of the dash gage bezel can be removed with 1 screw. The front bumper sports original '63 chrome, nd could potentially be rechromed at some point down the road, ut it's nice & presentable now (rear bumper sports fresh, ew chrome).

Reverse lights not operational, ut switch is on trans, nd all wiring, ulbs & fuses in working order, s I replaced the trans switch and had the reverse lights working for over 10 years until the switch on the trans failed (it cannot be rebuilt), nd I do know where there is a OEM switch, n Impala parts place in midwest, witch has a healthy price tag: $500, ut if you want the reverse lights fully operational on this SS, he switch on the trans is the only thing you would need.

There is SO SO SO much done to this SS, one to maintain this SS and purchased for this SS, t is impossible to list it all in the text of this auction posting, o feel free to ask questions about my records & documentation; this is a frame-on restored car, o if you are looking for picture-perfect-every-nut-&-bolt frame-off restored example, his is not your 1963 Nova SS, ut if you have ever wanted to add a meticulously frame-on restored & maintained example of the 1963 Nova SS to your collection or just have wanted a stunning 1963 Nova SS for years but never saw or found just the right one, his is a car you should highly consider. Feel free to come to Seattle to start her, rive her, ly down the highway in her, alk around her, it in her, tare at her in awe (as many people do), he is here and she's ready to go, nd her favorite places are 70 MPH on the highway, urning heads cruising the city on sunny days or freshly detailed wowing at shows. The minimal miles on her "new" engine are fair weather driving days "only" for cruising and the occasional summer drive to work & back

With the purchase price when I bought the car in '97, ll of the maintenance & upkeep thru the years, ll of the upgrades and new parts, he "new" engine, ebuilt trans, ll new drive train & rear end components, he new interior, he extensive frame-on restore work and the high end metal work & paint, 've got a significant sum of money invested in the car: $48K. I have all receipts for all purchased, one & installed during the restoration, ncluding my multiple-page highly detailed invoice from Retro Rods. My SS is professionally appraised in writing for $30K (2008). My SS is insured for $30K via Hagertys. She would make a fantastic Christmas gift !! Thank you -(the links below will copy n paste right into your browser and take you directly to the videos & sites)these need volume:youtube.com/watch?v=8EizGoWVgs8 (walk-around of car & engine start)youtube.com/watch?v=YbBz0q-37mw (contents of restoration binder)youtube.com/watch?v=0mgu6GbZYFo (28 year maintenance records)retrorodsinc.com/gallery/1963-nova-ss (car featured at RetroRods)flic.kr/s/aHskfw8ETd (photo stream at FlickR showing more photos than I could post, hotos here best viewed on full-sized monitor not hand-held device)