Freaky Funny Car Barn Find: Odd Chassis And Configuration Have Us Scratching Our Heads


Freaky Funny Car Barn Find: Odd Chassis And Configuration Have Us Scratching Our Heads

This is truly a case of a story being more than skin deep. Most people would look at this 1969 Nova bodied funny car and think that it was some sort of old match racer or nitro burner from the glory days of the funny car class. Outwardly there are no huge signs that something weird may be going on other than the square 1970s/80s era hood scoop poking through the front of the windshield. Looking under the body however, tells a completely different story because the chassis and overall layout of this car suggest a much more mundane existence than that of a barn storming match racer. This was a bracket car. For how long? We’re not sure but there’s too much evidence to suggest otherwise.

The first thing that grabbed us was the rectangular tubing used in the construction of the frame rails. We’ve not seen many (any?) funny cars with that style of foundation before. The radiator mounted in the front of the car suggests that this was a sportsman car as well. With a radiator and cooling system you could drive it around the pits, to the lanes, etc. Out back the driver’s area of the roll cage protrudes through where the rear window would have otherwise been and it has a light mounted to it. Every track we have ever been to has required sportsman cars to have some sort of working twilight so they could be seen at the top end of the track at night.

The seller says that the car is setup for a big block Chevy and a Powerglide transmission another bracket racing staple combo. Lastly the raft of contingency decals are the other thing that were screaming at us. We are not knocking the car.It is pretty awesome and this could be a cool project for someone. While the chassis may not be all that historic, the body could have some cool secrets right?

Thanks to Chuy Nava for the tip!

Check out the photos and then hit the CL link to see the funny car barn find ad

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CL Ad Link: This 1969 Nova Funny Car Barn Find Is An Oddball


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11 thoughts on “Freaky Funny Car Barn Find: Odd Chassis And Configuration Have Us Scratching Our Heads

  1. Gary Smrtic

    The econo-funny concept from the early ’80’s…modified eliminator stype powertrain in older funnies.

      1. Jay Bodley

        You’re referring to a Vertigate, and the shifter in the car is actually a Powerglide ratchet shifter.

  2. doug gregory

    We saw that at the Cincinnati Cavalcade and a photo ran in our coverage. It looked odd, but the body was not up so we couldn’t tell what was so different about it other than the scoop. Neat piece.

  3. Lynn Minthorne

    NOT worth it.. I would bet the complete chassis would need to be replaced to meet current NHRA specs

  4. Jay Bodley

    My dad said barn find my ass, he raced this car from 1993-2003 and it’s been sitting inside his race shop ever since.

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