Inspired by a Big Brother - 1967 Chevy II Nova Restomodded

Inspired by a Big Brother - 1967 Chevy II Nova Restomodded

Posted by D. Brian Smith on Nov 19th 2024

There's a great chance that if you looked up to your big brother when you were growing up, and your older brother was a gearhead, you may well become a motorhead too. Especially if your older bro owns an American muscle machine that he uses to drive you to school - that's a sure-fire recipe for imprinting in the muscle car section of your brain an ambition to own a similar vehicle someday.

1966 Chevy II Nova Seared into the Brain

Surf City USA resident Rick Katz remembers the day as if it was yesterday, when his eight-year older brother sold a Marina Blue 1966 Chevy II Nova to a local filling station owner. The gas station owner revved up the engine, dropped the clutch, and smoked the tires all the way down the road on that fateful day, thus searing such an atrocity into young Rick's noggin some 50 years ago.

That very day Rick promised himself that sometime in the near future he would own a Chevy II Nova.

Near Future Becomes 50 Years Later

Some 50 years passed and a street rod buddy of Rick's phoned him proclaiming that he found a perfect Nova in Hemmings Motor News that was advertised for sale in Nashville, TN. Time flies when you're living life. So, before he would let this Nova get away, Rick rounded up his wife and that same big brother and traveled to Nashville to check out a jet-black 1967 Chevy II Nova.

Test Drive Nixed Due to Nashville Rain

With the rain a pouring that wonderful day in Nashville, the car's owner forbid a test drive for the restored jet-black Chevy II. Fortunately, the car was on a lift at a shop, so the Katz clan could thoroughly inspect the Nova. 

Up on the lift, Rick was impressed with the workmanship of the old Chevy. He asked to see the registration and title of the car, which the Nova's then current caretaker produced straightaway. As bad luck might have it, the title had an extra digit that wasn't found on the car's VIN tag. Rick instructed the Nova's owner that the title error would need to be corrected so he could legally register the car in California once it shipped from Nashville to the west coast.

Registered in California at Quick Plates

The Nova's then current caretaker in Nashville must have corrected the car's title, since Rick spent less than 30 minutes at Quick Plates in Huntington Beach (located at the same shopping center as the famous Donut Derelicts) to have the title inspected and get the gold on black California plates and DMV tags for the Chevy II.

Above: The Nova's owner, Rick Katz, is signing the photo release page, so that the photos and article can be published.

Now CA Legal - Time to Make the Nova Rick's

With all the legalities taken care of, Rick wanted to personalize the Nova to his taste. He hired Mark Boyce at Scarred Shiftless in Santa Ana to replace the three by two-barrel carburetor setup for the 383-cubic inch V8 Chevy stroker mill with a Fast Fuel EFI stacked fuel injection system. The engine's backed by a Tremec five-speed manual trans. Rick replaced some of the original windows and purchased a center console and rubber mats from Classic Industries.

Not yet finished with the interior, Rick removed the digital gauge cluster and replaced the cluster with some Stewart-Warner instruments that are period correct. He placed a small sheet of plexiglass over the gauges to achieve the period correct, original appearance. 

American Racing Wheels Replaced with U.S. Wheels

Since five-spoke American Racing wheels of the Torq-Thrust D and T-T Two variety are very commonplace on 1960's era American pony and muscle cars, Rick sought some sort of rolling stock that was more exotic for his Nova. He sourced some U.S. Wheels that are five-spoke dished mags that look like Halibrands and had them ceramic powder coated in Gold. When he first picked the wheels up from the powder coater, Rick felt as though he had made a huge mistake. Not mounted with tires yet and on the car, he thought they looked 'very ghetto.'

Rick's Wife Gives Her Seal of Approval for the Gold Wheels

When Rick's wife first spied the garish gold wheels, she said, "It looks weird, just like you are." That's when Rick knew that he had the perfect wheel combination for his 1967 Chevy II Nova. Even though it took 50 years, Rick's 1967 American dream machine came into being better late than never. What about your American muscle machine?

Parts Unlimited Interiors & the Chevy II Nova - Interior Items Abound

Whether you have a Chevy II Nova, some other American time machine like a Mopar, or a Ford, you'll find an enormous assortment of automotive interior products available at Parts Unlimited Interiors, Inc. What's more, most of these components are manufactured right here in the U.S.A.