CC:What made you choose a Nova for this project?
DN: I've always liked the '66-'67 Chevy II, and it seemed like the perfect size for me now-not too big and heavy, but not so small that my wife and daughter can't come along. This car had to be a stick, but I didn't think it would be a six-speed when I started.
The Details
Car: '67 Chevrolet Nova SS
Owner: Doug Nichols, Statesville, NC
Engine: '99 GM LS1 Gen III aluminum small-block, 5.7L/346ci
Heads: '99 LS1, aluminum castings with 2.00/1.55-inch valves and 66cc chambers
Induction: Weiand/Lingenfelter aluminum manifold with stock injectors and throttle-body
Ignition: Stock GM coil-per-cylinder
Electronics: Stock '99 Trans Am PCM and harness modified by owner and programmed by Street & Performance
Camshaft: Stock '99 Camaro/Firebird spec: 0.500-inch lift, 209/198 degrees duration at 0.050-inch lift
Exhaust: Custom 151/48-inch headers by Street & Performance modified by owner, feeding custom 211/42-inch dual exhaust with Flowmaster two-chamber mufflers
Transmission: Borg Warner/Tremec T56 six-speed manual (F-body spec) with stock GM clutch and flywheel and Hurst Billet-Plus shifter
Rearend: Ford 9-inch housing sized to accommodate 8-inch wheels with 4-inch backspacing fitted with 4.11:1 gears, Detroit Locker differential, and 31-spline Moser axles
Front suspension: Custom-fabricated by owner using stock lower control arms that are boxed and fitted with Chevelle ball joints with Global West adapters and spherical bearings in place of bushings; upper control arms use Global West Del-A-Lum bushings; a custom rack-and-pinion steering unit is mounted on a fabricated crossmember connected to '70 Chevelle spindles; sway bar is 111/44-inch Winston Cup-style
Rear suspension: Global West leaf springs (four-leaf) and Del-A-Lum bushings, heavy-duty shackles, and PST 31/44-inch sway bar and polyurethane bushings
Brakes: ECI Narrow-Track 11-inch front disc; ECI 11-inch rear disc
Wheels & tires: Polished American Racing Torq-Thrust II; 16x7 w/311/44-inch backspacing front, 17x8 w/4-inch backspacing rear; Dunlop SP9000 P225R45-16 front, P255/45R17 rear
Body mods: None-restored to stock
Paint: Ebony Black using R&M two-stage system, 14 coats total
Cost to build: A lot more than originally anticipated
Special thanks: "My mom, wife, and daughter for their support, and for sacrificing a lot of time and vacations to make the car possible"