Destiny or Chance - A 1966 Chevy II Nova Acquisition Tale

Searching several years in states like Texas, California, and Arizona, Pedro Villa looked for a turnkey 1966 Chevy II Nova that he could purchase and customize to make his own. Years prior he had owned a '66 Chevy II station wagon that had planted the seed for a sporty coupe in his Bowtie loving brain. Low and behold, in 2018 Pedro went to a car show in Whittier, California that was just four miles from his home in Pico Rivera. There he spied the burgundy beauty of his Chevy II Nova loving dreams. 

No For Sale Sign in the Windshield

Above: A 400-cubic inch Chevy Small block V8 is dressed to impress and built to provide miles of reliable power and enjoyment. The owner fabricated and then had chromed the engine's air cleaner and various engine brackets. A GM 700 R4 overdrive automatic transmission backs the mill.

The Bowtie was the correct year, the desired marque, the preferred hue, and even had the beginnings of how Pedro would be embarking upon his desired custom/restomod personalization path that had been percolating in his own noggin for those several years of daydreaming and searching. Alas, there wasn't a for sale sign in the windshield. So, Pedro thought he might just be seeing a mirage. He even phoned his wife and told her that he saw the Nova of his dreams, but it wasn't for sale.

Some thirty minutes later he walked back to the burgundy beauty and found someone sitting behind the Chevy. Must be the owner, he mused. And as fate and destiny had it - the Nova was for sale for the right money.

This was for a solid stock Nova that already had a great body and paint job with a bench seat in the front and back. 

Above: The owner submitted this photo of his customized interior showing just how well restomodded and comfortable the Nova's cabin is now. Pedro wishes to thank his wife Olga for her support during this fun family old car project. He also extends those thanks to his sons - Carlos, Gerardo, Pedro Jr., and Armando, who helped with the build.

Installed Air Conditioning

For the first year, Pedro installed an A/C system from Southern Air. He made a custom aluminum control panel for the dash that housed the knobs for the HVAC system. Later that same year, he installed chrome parts in the engine bay and a 160-amp chrome alternator.

New Suspension Fore and Aft

For Mr. Villa's second year of Chevy II ownership, he addressed the underpinnings by having Bobby Galvan, owner of G Rod's Garage, in Fontana, California, install two-inch drop spindles in the front and replace the rear stock leaf spring suspended subframe with a four-link set up with coilover shocks suspending a Ford nine-inch differential/rear axle. Later this same year, G Rod's installed a complete air bag suspension kit and narrowed the Ford nine-inch to accommodate wider rear wheels. 

G Rod's Garage also installed a Dakota Digital gauge cluster for the ever-improving interior.

Year Three - More Enhancements Inside and Out

Lexus fully electric, custom leather wrapped by Henry Upholstery front bucket seats replaced the Nova's stock vinyl bench seat. Mr. Villa fabricated a custom center console, trimmed in leather again by Henry, that houses a new Pioneer Bluetooth stereo with six- by nine-inch Pioneer speakers for the front and rear passengers. He later expanded the center console to extend up the back bench seat (in 2025) and had Henry trim the bench seat in leather to match the front seat, thus transforming the rear bench into rear faux buckets.

Giving the Nova a sleek look, especially when the air suspension is lowered for repose - Ridlers black chrome wheels, 17x7 inches in the front and 18x10 inches in the rear are shod with Otani radial tires that are 205/45/17 in the front and 245/40/18 in the back. 

Out with the Drums - In with the Wilwood Discs

By now you realize that Mr. Villa's goal all along was to take his nice, stock '66 Chevy II Nova with the sweet burgundy paint scheme and transform it into a stunning restomod pro-touring street machine. With that sort of end result in mind, it's hard to imagine a pro-touring Bowtie with drum brakes. Pedro sourced some drilled and slotted Wilwood 13-inch rotors with six-piston calipers for the front brakes and 12-inch drilled and slotted discs and four-piston calipers for the rear, a Wilwood master cylinder and proportioning valve, and replaced the brake lines with 3/16-inch brake lines and stainless steel braided brake hoses. He renewed the Chevy's exhaust system with some Sanderson headers, stainless steel exhaust pipes, and Flowmaster mufflers with side exit stainless steel exhaust tips.

Above: Proving these American pony and muscle car projects are never quite finished, the owner submitted this photo that he took of his trunk after we published the article about his sweet 1966 Chevy II Nova.

Reworking the Bumpers in 2024

Pedro deinstalled the front and rear bumpers, narrowed them, shaved off the bolt heads, smoothed them, and had the bumpers re-chromed, which rounded out the highly sought after sleek, pro-touring stance, and full-on custom exterior restomod appearance.

48 Show Car Awards and Counting

Attesting to the build quality of Mr. Pedro Villa and his hired co-conspirators handiwork and success, his '66 burgundy Bowtie beauty has garnered 48 awards so far in the Pro-Touring Class at Southern California car shows, including: Best of Show, Best Chrome, Best Top Ten, Best Top Award, Best Engine, Best Interior, and Best Muscle Car. 

Parts Unlimited Interiors - Cockpit Components Aplenty for the Chevy II Nova

Did you know that the vast majority of interior items that Parts Unlimited Interiors manufactures are made right here in the United States of America? And what's more, if you also have a 1966 Chevy II Nova, there are an abundance of components for your Chevrolet.