You have to pause and admire (or hate) a serious sleeper like this. I built a few in the early 70’s, but not to this level and to be honest, it was driven by what to spend my coin on. Looks or go-fast parts.
Sniff around and you’ll find other videos of this nasty green Nova at work.
https://youtu.be/tvH7qCWC3M4

How is it a sleeper? Why because it's un-painted with rally wheels?

A sleeper is a car the experienced eye looks over top to bottom and can't come close in estimating what it can run 1/8 or 1/4 mile.

This is a twin turbo car, it's not a sleeper.

This car falls in the twin turbo category.

A sleeper is a car that runs better than it should, based on looking it over front to back, under the hood. That's why it's called a sleeper.

If this Nova was all steel un-painted car with chrome bumpers, roll up windows and rally wheels that dips in the 5's n/a sbc, then it's a sleeper, because looking at you wouldn't think it could run like that.

This is just an un-painted twin turbo car that most likely doesn't run anywhere near what the fast twin turbo cars run in this country, at the same weight.

Un-painted and rusty with rally wheels doesn't make it a sleeper, I don't care what anyone says.

.

Those ole 396/375 Nova's were no sleepers.

quote:

Originally posted by Canted Valve:
Those ole 396/375 Nova's were no sleepers.

Fun to drive or ride in though. A friend had one and he'd bang some gears, it felt like it was flying. There was another guy with a Olds 442 he got the best of pretty regular, the 442 would just keep coming back for more.

On the topic of sleepers though, I'm sure you remember the Chevelle on the Flowmaster poster on the back bumper... well he bought that from a lil ol' lady in the neighborhood, puke green with a 307 sbc.

Back then everyone thought 400 sbc's were junk, because of the steam holes and cast crankshafts, so no body ran them at that time. He bought a 400 short block from Dyck Slaten Rip the automotive school teacher at the local high school, and Dyck Slaten showed him how to do the head gaskets.

That car was a sleeper, because everyone thought it was a 355, and of course he outrun all the 355's. They never had a clue it was a 400 sbc. Never even looked for it on the balancer or flexplate.

1980 for sure, British Steel came out in 1980. The Chevelle had two seats, no headliner, no carpet, Auto meter gauges and a pioneer Super Tuner cassete player, we had British Steel cranked every time we rode to the spot the street racing was happening. Cops never even hassled us, sometimes they'd pull off the road at the stripe, and watch.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mike Rietow,

The car that used to go in the trailer with me to the races is this Ford Contour that I created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xZ-DsEtUEI&t=521s

Not a good drag car, but over 500 HP at the front wheels with a V6 engine.

Start at 7.10 and then I give him a ride at 15 minutes in.

Don, you skeered them!
Nice work! You still have it?

I’ll make it to Jeffs and send the factors page.

Yesterday a red Mustang drove up in front of my friends shop, maybe 85 or so. That thing looked brand new so I go take a look and notice it had a full cage in it very well done. Long story short he took me a ride and that thing was FAST, real fast. opened the hood and just as clean with a pro charger sitting on a 347 Ford motor and It had working AC. Turns out the car with radial street slicks ran 5.90 just as it sits---now that to me is a sleeper, with A/C!

The green Nova is a sleeper and pretty nice.

quote:

Originally posted by Curly1:
The green Nova is a sleeper and pretty nice.

Agreed
Hub caps and no bling is how I remember them from the late 60’s early 70’s. I hade a 65 nova SS I traded for a go kart in 1970. Factory 250 straight 6 blown up. I bought a 65 corvette 327/300 hp from a Brevard junk yard. Put a cam, headers and 4 speed in it. Looked pretty lame but hauled the mail. The good ole days.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Rietow:
How is it a sleeper? Why because it's un-painted with rally wheels?

A sleeper is a car the experienced eye looks over top to bottom and can't come close in estimating what it can run 1/8 or 1/4 mile.

This is a twin turbo car, it's not a sleeper.

This car falls in the twin turbo category.

Ironic that your experienced eye didn't catch that those "twin turbos" are actually centrifugal superchargers.

quote:

Originally posted by adv ET 266:
You have to pause and admire (or hate) a serious sleeper like this. I built a few in the early 70’s, but not to this level and to be honest, it was driven by what to spend my coin on. Looks or go-fast parts.
Sniff around and you’ll find other videos of this nasty green Nova at work.
https://youtu.be/tvH7qCWC3M4

Very cool

Another sleeper. Bas ass bug
https://youtu.be/jzB1Vc1h-Tc

quote:

Originally posted by stk 758 BP!:
Don, you skeered them!
Nice work! You still have it?

I’ll make it to Jeffs and send the factors page.

Yes, I still have it. The video was made a few months ago and I've owned it since 2008.

I alway thought a 72 Pontiac wagon with 455, ram air heads and cam is a sleeper you can acually sleep in at the track.

quote:

Originally posted by Eddie Gotthainer:

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Rietow:
How is it a sleeper? Why because it's un-painted with rally wheels?

A sleeper is a car the experienced eye looks over top to bottom and can't come close in estimating what it can run 1/8 or 1/4 mile.

This is a twin turbo car, it's not a sleeper.

This car falls in the twin turbo category.

Ironic that your experienced eye didn't catch that those "twin turbos" are actually centrifugal superchargers.

LOL that's a big 10-4!