A good friend of Vicent’s had the 1969 Nova in his garage for several years with a plan to build it, but he lost interest. His youngest son wanted to build the car as a tribute to his oldest brother who died in an auto accident in 2008. After getting the car, it was in very sad shape, with rats living in it, rust everywhere, and no front clip.
They stripped the 1969 Nova down to a metal shell and went to town. Almost every piece of metal was replaced and modified to build a big tire ProStreet car. The rear fender openings were stretched 4″, body molding and marker lights were removed and filled, and the bumpers were smoothed. A full box chassis was built to connect the 4-link rear setup with the front subframe and a 16-point cage to add strength and safety.
They decided the car needed a BigBlock, so they got a 454 4-bolt block and worked it to a 496 stroker with tons of big power parts. A 4L80 4-speed with electric delete, manual valve body, billet shafts, hardened gears, and a 3,200 stall billet torque converter feeds the power to a Shortened 9″ with a 5.43 ProGear, full spool, 35-spline axles, and lots of Yukon parts. Wilwood disc brakes help slow the beast, while 33×19.50-15 rears keep it planted. This street beast has won several car shows, was featured in a movie, and was just used for Super Bowl 57 advertising for Cheetos.
The engine is a 454 4-bolt main that has been stretched to a 496 with 13-1 compression, Merlin heads, gear drive, tunnel ram, ARP fasteners, Comp Cams roller valve train parts and matched 650 Holley carbs.
The 1969 Nova is customized from the front bumper to the rear bumper, with every panel modified, including the custom mixed paint colors.
Plans for the future for the 1969 Nova may include upgrading the front suspension and a bigger engine.
