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When Mike and Grace Jennings bought this 1969 Nova, it was in rough shape. But, it was the perfect specimen for their planned upgrades. The car has been in a constant progression of improvement since the Jennings purchased the vehicle, but the final stage is the most prestigious by far.
The original restoration immediately following the car’s purchase entailed a complete rotisserie restoration. The car initially had a freshly rebuilt small-block 350 engine and TH350 transmission. While the car’s body was still spinning on the rotisserie, the back side was treated with a set of mini-tubs, to help fit the widest tires possible. Disc brakes were added at every corner and with the bodywork completed, the car was painted and a complete interior installed.
The bulk of the work done by the team at Prestige Motorsports focused on the new drivetrain. One of the company's 383 stroker engines was built and Detroit Speed's Quadralink rear suspension was added to the back of the car.
The Jennings family enjoyed the nice little 1969 Nova for a few years, taking it to shows and cruise nights. Mike confides that the biggest regret when initially restoring the Nova was not putting a coilover suspension in the rear of the car. To that end, the decision was made to rectify that shortcoming, and the car was sent to Prestige Motorsports in Concord, North Carolina. Mike decided to go big or go home, and ordered up a Detroit Speed Quadralink rear suspension to bring his Nova into the modern age. The Quadralink system replaced those dated leaf springs with a set of single-adjustable QA1 coilovers and a bind-free, yet sturdy rear suspension.
The Quadralink system requires some modification to the trunk and floor area of the vehicle to allow for the new mounting points for the control arms and the upper shock mounts. Prestige carefully performed the necessary modifications and sealed and finished off the modified areas once work was complete.
While the talented team at Prestige worked their magic under the rear of the Nova, Mike also commissioned them to upgrade the car’s driveline for even more power and drivability. To that end, a stroker 383 cubic-inch small-block was assembled and a 4L60e overdrive transmission replaced the aging three-speed auto.
Building A Better 1969 Nova
More power is always an improvement, and at the heart of this build is that sweet-sounding 383 cubic inch small-block Chevy engine. Based on Prestige’s 383 stroker engine, this aluminum-headed beauty kicked out well over the rated 425 horsepower.
The engine uses forged pistons and a steel crankshaft to create a pump-friendly 10:1 compression ratio. A set of Prestige Motorsports heads cap the cylinders and feature 2.02-inch intake valves with 1.60-inch exhaust valves. A set of billet roller rocker arms connect each valve to the appropriate lobe on the custom, COMP Cams camshaft. Mike spec’d the engine with a four-barrel carburetor and an Edelbrock Air Gap intake to keep the air/fuel flowing. The engine was tuned at the Prestige Motorsports engine shop before being installed into the 1969 Nova. You can watch the video below to hear it rage against the dyno.
As mentioned, the folks at Prestige further upgraded the drivetrain with a beefed-up 4L60e automatic overdrive transmission to handle the increased output of the engine. Since this car is running a carburetor, the folks at Prestige installed a stand-alone MSD Atomic automatic transmission controller, along with a Dakota Digital electronic signal to mechanical cable drive adapter to feed the miles driven to the factory speedometer. A TCI Automotive remote throttle position sensor tells the transmission exactly how much throttle Mike is using at any given moment.
The axle housing mounts were welded onto the rearend housing and those QA1 single-adjustable coilover shocks make getting that perfect stance much easier than fighting with leaf springs.
All that additional torque from the new engine has to go somewhere once it leaves the new transmission. That’s where the Detroit Speed Quadralink rear suspension starts to shine. The Quadralink replaces the factory leaf springs and secures the rearend, even under heavy acceleration. Those unforgiving control arms remain bind-free, thanks to Detroit Speed’s exclusive four-link geometry featuring Swivel-Link™ technology.
Because the car was mini-tubbed already, those 295/38-18 tires fit perfectly up into the body.
The Quadralink rear suspension keeps the suspension geometry optimized while providing excellent ride characteristics. The Quadralink allows for simple pinion angle and wheelbase adjustments, and the QA1 single-adjustable coilover shocks provide the perfect ride height and rebound characteristics.
With such prestigious upgrades, we wondered how much of a difference Mike and Grace might feel while out enjoying their 1969 Nova. As soon as the Nova was back in his hands, Mike put a bunch of miles on the build. He summed the entire project up nicely when he replied, “It is sweet! With all the adjustability, the Nova has a smooth ride, and there is a lot more power with the new engine. We love it!” That said, we’d consider this upgrade a complete success.
