1970 Dodge Challenger RT HEMI vs 1969 Chevy Nova SS396 | STOCK DRAG RACE

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi vs 1969 Chevrolet Nova Super Sport. PURE STOCK MUSCLE CAR DRAG RACE. FACTORY STOCK DRAG RACE.
First car is a 1970 Dodge Challenger RT. The other a 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS. The Challenger R/T has a 426 Hemi V8, while the Nova has a L78 396 V8. The 426 hemi was rated 425 horsepower, and the L78 396 was rated 375 horsepower. The 1970 Challenger has a 4-speed manual transmission. The 1969 Chevy Nova has a TH400 3-speed automatic transmission. Rear gearing in the Nova is 4.10, while the Challenger Hemi has a much more conservative 3.54. The Challenger R/T hemi is heavy, coming in at 4078 pounds including the driver. The Nova is much lighter, weighing 3620 pounds with driver included. There were only 287 R/T hemi challengers produced in 1970, and only 1411 total automatic equipped L78 Novas in 1969. Car Crafted tested a '70 hemi challenger with a 4-speed and 4.10 gears and it ran 13.10 seconds @ 107.12 mph. Hot Rod tested a L78 Nova in 1969 and it ran 13.87 seconds @ 105.14 mph with a set of 3.55 rear gears.
Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race (PSMCDR). FAST Factory Appearing Stock Tire factory stock. Super Car Drag Race.
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The rules for PSMCDR are listed below:

For 1955 to 1979 musclecars built in United States and Canadian assembly plants with a minimum warranty of 12 months and 12,000 miles.
Any car running faster than 11.50 will be disqualified and will not have a qualifying time recorded.
Any convertible running faster than 13.50 will be disqualified and will not have a qualifying time recorded.
Casting numbers must be correct for the year and horsepower claimed including intake manifold, heads, and exhaust manifolds. Blocks do not have to be "numbers matching," but they must be the correct displacement. Overbores up to .070" are allowed. Stock cranks only.
All Engines –CR 1.5 extra points allowed over advertised.
The camshaft must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed for the type of lifter (hydraulic or solid). Roller cams NOT allowed.
The valve train must be factory stock for the year, make, and horsepower claimed.
The ignition system must be stock, including the distributor, cap, coil, and wires. Points may be replaced with any electronic conversion that fits under the stock distributor cap.
The carburetor must be correct for the year, make, and horsepower claimed. Jetting and metering changes are permitted. THE CHOKE ASSEMBLY MUST BE IN PLACE AND FUNCTIONAL!
Cast-iron exhaust manifolds are mandatory and must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed. Internal modifications to the exhaust manifolds are NOT allowed. Under no circumstances will headers be allowed, including those cars that came with headers delivered in the trunk. Pipes must be routed as they were originally for the year, make, model, and engine combination. Mufflers must be stock looking in design, that is, oval in shape. No glasspacks or straight pipes allowed unless installed as original equipment. Maximum muffler inlet and outlet size is 2.5 inches. X & H pipes allowed.
The radiator must be correct for the year, make, model, and horsepower claimed. No lightweight, aluminum radiators allowed.
The camshaft must be correct for the year, model, and horsepower claimed for the type of lifter (hydraulic or solid). Roller cams NOT allowed. Duration at .050" lobe lift must be within 1% of factory specs. Lift at the valve must be within 2% of factory specs. Maximum stall limited to 2200 rpm.
The transmission must be correct for year, make, model and engine of the car. 3-speed manuals may be upgraded to the correct 4-speed if originally available.
The rear axle must be of the same manufacturer as the car. Any gear ratio is allowed.
Reproduction tires or radial tires only.You are allowed to run tires one size over stock.
Factory wheels only.

Disclaimer: The Cars And Zebras YouTube channel is a news channel bringing results/news of drag racing with added history of automobiles. All footage/pictures used were either captured by the Cars And Zebras channel, or used for critique purposes under Fair Use.

[CarsAndZebras]

Who is taking home the win in this monster of a race??? Leave a comment!

[davethewave]

Back in 1995 I almost bought a '70 Hemi Challenger that was almost identical to the car in this video. It was a 4 speed, blue on blue but had a regular R/T hood. It was in really nice shape and they wanted $10k for it. I bought a 70 Corvette with a 454, 4 speed and 3.70 gears instead. It was $11k. To this day one of my biggest mistakes, well that and wives #1 and #2.

[geraldlafleur]

Ya, that gearing really held the Challenger back, and a 4, 000 lb weight.
Those Nova 396 were the weapon of choice for the street racing crowd when I was in high school. That L78 had all the good stuff from the factory. Obviously this one is easily capable of running in the 12's since he was backpedaling so bad at the end.

[markw]

I give the hemi owner alot of credit for thrashing on his 6 figure car, but that L78 was just playing with him.

[chriswells]

I remember around 1985 my step dads ex-wife had a silver 69 Nova 396 4 spd. I'd see her driving it around not taking care of it. She trade it for a riding lawnmower because her grass was tall. That's when kids rode bicycles all over the place with other kids.

[carpartsink]

One of the faster cars back in the late 70's, in my home town, was a beat up Nova. It wasn't pretty, real sleeper, that beat a lot of expensive muscle cars in it's day

[livewire]

1965 Corvette L78 - 425 hp
Chevelle, Nova, etc... L78 - 375 hp
The only difference was exhaust manifolds which weren't even on the engines when tested. Anyone who believes what GM told us back then about hp ratings is naive to say the least.

[charlesdalton]

That Nova is a real Q-Ship, even with the L78, it’s still a sleeper. Hemi laid down some true numbers. I can’t write it enough - thank you! These are funny, entertaining, and I greatly enjoy the racing. 🌮 🌮

[mrhospeed]

Always loved the Nova and that L78 engine is putting out more than 375 horses!

[dpcss]

I love Novas. My first car was a 72 Nova with a built 400 SBC.

[jamescalvin]

C&Z, thanks for your postings. Humor, nostalgia, and the best from Detroit's golden era are welcome distractions from our current madness.

[johndeeregreen]

I had a 396ci Nova years ago, it takes very little work to get them into the high 11s. I love Mopars, but the Nova's weight makes them hard to beat -- literally and figuratively -- with a big block.

[rickbullock]

I think the Nova owner was sandbagging it, I think it’s got a lot more in it for sure. The Hemis were always ooohed and awed over back in the day ( I owned a ‘69 Charger with one) but they did have competition out there. The 396 375 h.p. engine was a beast. I think the engine that was in the Vette and rated 425 h.p. was actually the same engine. The real Chevy guys would know for sure.

[missshikahgo]

This car was originally a 383 RT 4-speed. During the 2019 shootout, the poor Hemi was hurt. But at least we gave Jeff a good matchup, so he wasn’t racing alone!
🚙💨

[impala]

My uncle had an L78 Nova SS 4 speed standard. He changed the rear end and put drag slicks on...easily a 12 second car and a big-time sleeper.

[iggyfritz]

An ex-girlfriend of mine her brother won the Grand Nationals at Detroit Dragway with a 396 Nova had to hold the engine in place with turnbuckles because it kept breaking motor mounts.

[danhillman]

That Nova is slammin. We had a 1970? Plain Jane Nova with a 350 and it was fast for a 2bbl one wheeler. It dog tracked like hell though after I drove it for a while.

[ghaasl]

That is one quick Nova. A lot to be said for a well tuned "puny" 396.

[donaldhollums]

There ain’t much to be said for the newer Chevies, but I will always like the older ones. For this match the rat was stronger than the elephant!

[larrydenney]

Back in the day 70 Nova similar setup with L88 cam and 4:56 gears headers w/F60 14 tires
Squeezed a 12.20 out of her