It took 8 years, but I finally finished it.
The story is long, but interesting.
Click on the thumbnails for a few extra pictures. There are some links at the bottom of the page.
The pictures below are of my '98 Fat Boy. It's the red one. The other's are a few bikes I parked with in Weston, MO. while visiting my buddy Zack. Zack is with me in the second picture, standing next to his '95 Fat Boy. He let me ride his bike a few years ago...the rest is history. Thanks Zack!
These are some pictures of the boat I bought here on Kwajalein. It is a 19 foot Rienell hull with a Chevy 350 engine. I use it for skiing, camping or a day at the beach. Click on the picture for a larger view.
I was working at my Step Father's body shop in Walnut Grove, California,
just wasting time before entering the Army, when this guy offered to trade
an old car sitting in his yard for some of the work my Dad was doing for
him. So we jumped in the tow truck and checked it out.
It was a metallic blue, all original '62 2dr hard top Nova with a straight
six engine and blue interior that looked like somebody had taken a weed
eater to. While standing there, picking the weeds out of it so we
could get a better look, my Dad asked me if I wanted it. So we took
it back to the shop, where a high school buddy and I contemplated on whether
or not I should leave it all original or turn it in to a hot rod.
The buddy I am talking to happened to have a slightly hopped up, beautiful 1970 Nova. Needless to say, the 6 cylinder was rebuilt, yanked out and up
for sale as priority one and a spare 350 V8 my Dad had was on the engine stand. I did as much work to it as possible before entering
the Army. I managed to swap the front and rear for a 5 lug set up
and performed a few other minor projects. So I sent my Dad money
whenever possible and he would save it up until there was enough to complete
something. This went on for about 6 years. It was pretty much
finished in 1994, so I picked it up and drove it to Ft Meade, MD.
That was a fun trip! What was I thinking? The car had never
set tire on the ground and I jump in it and drive it completely across
country. I made it, but not without a few glitches. Overheating was the biggest problem. So I put in a 4 row radiator and electric fan. That helped. I actually got 21 MPG with it. Not bad, huh? Keep in mind that this trip was the first time I had even seen the car in 6 years. So there were a
few minor things that I wanted to change and/or update (adding gages, stereo
and speakers, dual mirrors, seat belts, front sump oil pan, electronic
ignition, Holley carb, headers and eventually, get this, I stripped
it down to bare metal and had the paint completely re-done). I was
having some problems with the paint in a couple of areas and didn't feel
like piecing it together. So I took it to a body shop in Catonsville,
MD who tore it apart, stripped it down, screwed me over on the price, LOST,
I'll say that again, LOST pieces to my car and then went bankrupt with
my car sitting there in a million pieces. So some Army buddies and
I took our trucks and a tow truck to the shop and loaded up the car.
We took it to Steve Clemo of Steves Auto Works in Baltimore, MD.
I can't say enough about Steve. He takes his time, so if you want
a car done right, and don't mind waiting for it, Steve is your man.
He helped me with a lot of the minor projects I mentioned above.
The tough part was finding all of those parts that were now missing.
So I went to the internet and found a web site with tons of Nova parts
vendors. Some of the addresses are listed below. Then, just as I finished
it, I got orders for Germany again. So I got to enjoy the car for
about 6 months. Now, I'm out of the Army and on the island of Kwajalein in the south pacific. No cars allowed out here, so I am still without my car. Not to mention my Harley. As for the Nova, in the future, I will change out the rear springs, put a slightly narrowed, posi rear end in it and maybe a couple of other small things.
Here's a couple of links for all of those people trying to restore
an old Nova........like I was.
J & W Nova
Parts
Vintage Parts 411
Chevyland
SUPERNOVA's, Chevy II, Nova Experience
Thanks for visiting. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me a line at the following address. Be sure to put Nova in the subject or it won't make it through my filter.
[email protected]
