1962 Nova Build

[Steven B]

Some of you may know me, but for those who do not allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steven Bunker and I am the associate editor of the Goodguys Gazette magazine. 2015 was my first year working for Goodguys and man do I feel like I learned a lot. A lot about cars, a lot about the people within the industry but most importantly I learned about the hobby itself and the passion surrounding classic cars.

Growing up in a drag racing family cars have always been a staple in my life. From being just a few months old and in a crib at the drag races while my grandpa raced his Pro Gas '55 Chevy to learning how to mig weld at my dad’s shop on tubing racks and miscellaneous “stuff” around the shop after he would pick me up from school.

It didn't take long after I got my drivers permit to want a classic car, of course it was a '62 Nova. A straight 6 car, cracked seats that cut the back of my legs, a leaky radiator and sun faded red paint with cracked tires to go along with it. It was far from perfect and at first it was perfect for me. Then the time came to buy new tires, replace the radiator and a small list things here and there that would nickel and dime me at 16 years old. I had a job but the paychecks didn't come close to what I needed.

Looking back now I admit I took the easy route and sold the car for a more reliable driver. Fast forward 11 years and at 27 I got the gig with Goodguys after working for my dad for some 5-6 years building 5-second, 250+ MPH Pro Mod cars and just about everything else that runs a quarter mile at a time. I learned how to tig weld chromolly, aluminum, stainless and titanium, bend tubing, work the mill and lathe, do sheet metal and (some) body work and just about everything else needed when building a racecar from the ground up.

I kicked off the Goodguys 2015 season in Scottsdale, went to Pleasanton, then Del Mar, Pleasanton again and by Nashville I was hooked and searching the swap meets at every show from there on out looking for a 62-64 Nova. Not only at Goodguys shows but local meets, Craigslist, you name it. Nothing was within my budget or would come together. At that point I knew I was going to be building a car down the road so I made it a priority to continue to drop by my dads shop when I had free time and put in some hours just to keep up on the invaluable skills I learned from him over the years.

Working for Goodguys I obviously got to know the man himself Gary Meadors a little better than I had before. I spent a day with him at the fall Scottsdale show in 2015 cruising his Ford Galaxie Sunliner around Arizona on the Thursday shop tour. That is a day I will never forget and something that really opened my eyes about the hot rodding hobby. I told him about my searches for a Nova and we talked about cars, where to look for one and what my plans were to do with it. He gave me tips for wheel & tire size for comfort, interior necessities, how to be prepared for anything on the road and most of all that I better drive it! I've thought about that day many times since his passing and how at the time I had no idea how much his words of wisdom and advice would impact me with my new endeavor.

While in Pomona at the GNRS earlier this year I was chatting it up with a fellow drag racing friend of mine who knew of a '62 Nova for sale. It was gutted, basically just a body, and exactly what I had been searching for. He passed the sellers information to me and low and behold the car was located in Dinuba, CA - the small town between Fresno and Bakersfield where Gary Meadors grew up. The day after Gary's celebration of life in mid-February I hooked up my dad’s trailer and headed south from Sacramento with my girlfriend and one of my buddies to go pick it up.

On the drive down, while we were loading it on the trailer and on the drive back (as my two helpers slept in my truck) I thought about Gary a lot and the conversations we had that November day in Arizona. I think during this build and in the years to come as I enjoy my car on the road I will be reminded of Gary and those conversations we had, after all his company is what introduced me into this world of cars that I knew almost nothing about but has become a major part of my life and where I’ve met many great people from all over the country.



I apologize for the long intro, here's the car and what I’ve done so far. Right now it’s a slow process and my estimated time to build is looking like 2-3 years. My plan is to first and foremost have a driver, something I can hop in and cruise for hours down the highway. Drive to work on any given week day and ultimately join everyone on one of the Goodguys Hall of Fame road tours where I won’t be driving the rental car haha.

When I say the car was gutted I meant it - floors cut out, stock front frame removed, no rear end, no interior. Just the body and some trim and glass

We unbolted what we could, stuffed it in the bed of my truck and carried what was left the car onto the trailer. In the second picture you'll see the worst of the rust that's on the car...but the seller had patch panels for both sides that came with it purchase.

It wasn't long until I found out that original '62 Nova grills were next to impossible to find. I lucked out and got the phone number of a guy in my area who had a good sized Nova collection. The phone number came with the words "If this guy doesn't have one you're outta luck". Luckily he did and although I wasn't planning on buying the grill just yet I felt I couldn't let the opportunity pass me...so I picked it up and other than the car this was my first purchase for it.A couple ding marks but it should all clean up nicely.

The stock firewall is in excellent condition as well as the mounting locations for the bolt on front frame. I decided to go with a Detroit Speed front end and at my dads shop we'll build a chassis from the firewall back as well as the full 9" 4-link rear end setup to tie it all together. I should have my hands on the front end by late May so June is looking like the month where we'll get the body mocked up on a jig table and start setting the ride height and laying some new tubing underneath!

In the meantime I've stripped the trim, door and window components off the body and we've blasted and powder coat primed the panels to prevent them from rusting. No major rot spots other than the lower rear quarter panels that will be replaced. A few dints and dings but that wont be too hard to fix.

My plan is to combine what I've learned / seen around the country traveling to the Goodguys shows and add in what we've done on race cars in the past. It will have a full cage inside but nicely tucked up and hidden as much as possible. Like I said I want a driver but I also want to AutoCross and even make some passes down the drag strip. It's a tall order to expect one car to manage all of that, we'll see how it works out. It might be a slow build and a while before I update again but come summer the plan is to get going on it pretty hard. Thanks for reading!

[xsboost90]

looks like a cool project- wish i had your expertise at fab work. Im learning everything the hard way. Always loved the chevy2 but they were never meant for much power- replacing the whole frame would do it!

[Martin71RS]

Nice score on the grille! I'll be watching this project...building a 62 myself even though it's a 4 door... ( see www.pro-touring.nl )

Good luck!

[Steven B]

Nice score on the grille! I'll be watching this project...building a 62 myself even though it's a 4 door... ( see www.pro-touring.nl )

Good luck!

Thanks, Ill be keeping an eye out on yours as well!

Thankfully my dad has a customer that recently built a '62 Nova into a drag car. He didnt want to use the trim or glass and he got carbon fiber bumpers so that left me with some more parts I was looking for - misc. trim, front and rear bumpers, wing windows, rear taillights, etc. The small stuff is building up.

[Ben@SpeedTech]

Wow! Now there's a great project, not only are early Novas ultra cool but you really get to start from scratch with this one and make it your own! I had a 65 Nova wagon in my early 20s I really wanted to build but moving out of state forced the sale. Glad to see you're getting the chance to build a Chevy II, and with your experience and background I think we all look forward to the project unfolding. -Ben

[1968CamaroSS_Sam]

I love these, my dad had a '64 when I was about 16. It had a 283 and 4 spd in it. Was such a fun car.

[RMMiller]

I had a 63 in the early 90's, bought it cheap and ended up giving it to my brother when I was done with it. So many cars I wish I had kept but what do you do?

[GRNOVA]

Welcome to the site. Looks like a great find. I have been stuck on Novas ever since I saw my first one 27+ years ago. Good luck with the build. You'll find a lot of great information in here that will get you in all kinds of trouble...it's an addiction!!! Enjoy

[Wraith]

Welcome to the site! You aren't helping the fact that I found a 62' for sale a few weeks ago....