In this section, we’ll detail almost all aspects of our trials, tribulations, and triumphs during the teardown and re-engineering/rebuild process!  We’ll talk about the origin and concept behind the Storm Warning AWB Nova, and discuss some of the in’s and out’s we’ve learned along the way!  Let the Games Begin!

How Our 1965 Chevy II Nova Actually Saved My Life – Literally!

In late 2001, we needed to purchase a new vehicle for my wife.  Her daily ride was a 1989 Ford Ranger King Cab that we bought new, but after 12 years and 129,000 miles it was starting to “nickel and dime” us.  I asked Pat, my wife, what she wanted to replace her Ranger with.  She said “I’d like a 1965 Nova”!  Works for me!

So off we went to the huge Pomona California auto Swap Meet in January 2002, and there Pat found our Nova.  She spotted a 1965 2 door hardtop, 283 V8 engine with a 2 barrel carb, Powerglide, power steering and brakes, 89,000 apparent miles, and with a bench seat (non-SS).  The cowl tag showed it came from the Norwood Ohio plant with the following options:  tinted windshield, Powerglide trans, Push Button Radio, Rear Antennae, Padded Dash, Comfort and Convenience package, and Seat Belts!  The original color was Sierra Tan (as it is now) and the interior was Fawn Standard (as it was).  Oh yeah, it also had headers!  Not very big, but headers none the less.  Thanks Pat – great choice!  We happily welcomed it to our home!

This Nova, that we first called “Goldfinger”, literally saved my life, and if we hadn’t bought it that day, I might not be here writing this.  Please read on.

Over the three-day President’s Holiday weekend in February 2002, I decided to polish and wax the new beauty.  My company was closed down on that holiday Monday, but Pat had to go in to work.  Anyway, over the three days, I polished and waxed the heck out of Goldfinger.  By Monday evening, she was looking pretty good!

After Pat left for work the next morning, I thought something wasn’t quite right with my leg.  And when I went to hop in the shower, I saw my right leg was about two times larger than my left leg!  I thought I had a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in my leg.

But no, and here is a VERY long story short.  That night, I was diagnosed in ER with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – cancer.  One of the lymph glands in my lower abdomen had gone bonkers, grown 900%, and was wrapping itself around the blood vessels in my leg, constricting the flow and causing the swelling.  Have a nice day, and call your regular Doctor in the morning!

The MRI’s showed I was very lucky in that the NHL cancer was low grade and grew slowly (Stage 2), and that this disease had actually been in my body for several years.  My oncologist said that polishing and waxing the Nova over those three days, getting up and down, up and down from sitting on the milk crate, caused me to go symptomatic because of all of the pumping movement of my leg.  Without that happening, the cancer would have continued to fester slowly until it may have been too late!

And there is a Happy Ending!  After six cycles of chemotherapy, 23 radiation treatments, and 15 immunotherapy infusions of Rituxan, the cancer went into remission and remains there to this day – 7 ½ years later!  OK – enough of how we got the car and its importance to us – let’s get into the project!

The First Altered Wheelbase Thoughts!

I read voraciously while going through chemotherapy from March to July 2002 and my wife Pat would keep me supplied with books and magazines.  One of the magazines she brought home was the May 2002 issue of Hot Rod magazine.  Unknown to us, it contained an article that would set this project in motion six years later!

The article was about “Tinberg’s Terrible Too”, a 1963 eye-popping straight axle injected AWB Nova!  John had fabricated his own front subframe copied from a 1966 Hot Rod article, "The Novel Nova”, about Bill Thomas’ “Instant Funny Car” kit.  Both Pat and I flipped-out over the looks and the stance of John’s car, and although we only owned our Nova for about three months, we began thinking “Wow – what if?” 

Flash forward – Six years and 9,000 miles later.  The Nova was our only classic car at the time, I was bored and felt like I needed a new project.  It was a fun little driver with some noisy duals and headers and we enjoyed cruising around Southern California .  But the front suspension was shot and the motor was getting a little tired (98,000).  A rack and pinion “modern” front subframe was just not for me.  Plus, if we were going to do anything to our Nova, it had to be a home for a Big Block.  And of course, it had to be old school – just like back in the day!  So in September 2007, we started our search for a Bill Thomas “Instant Funny Car” kit.

The "Funny Car" Front End

John Tinberg fabricated his own front subframe copied from the 1966 Hot Rod article about Bill Thomas' "Novel Nova", but I certainly didn't have those skills!  Tom Medlock with Specialty Cars in Artesia California used to sell the complete kits, but they were no longer in business.  But then in November 2007, I spotted an ad in Hemmings for -- a Bill Thomas subframe now being manufactured and sold by Nickey Chicago!

Nickey (with a backward "K") was a major high performance Chevrolet dealership in the '60's and '70's in Chicago, and they sold the Funny Car kit in cahoots with Bill Thomas.  Several investors, headed by Steve Bimbi, have resurrected the old company and they are back in business, even having some of the former employees join them.  So I contacted Steve about the Hemmings ad and he said he would send me some info, but after about 3 months of hearing nothing I was a little nervous.

After Googling daily for a front subframe, lo and behold, a Specialty Cars brand new kit popped up on Racing Junk's website.  The kit was unassembled but had all of the components for the complete front end.  The seller's ad said he paid $3,300 but he would take $2,800.  My wife said go for it, so I called the seller in St. Louis.  I couldn't believe it - he had just sold the kit 2 hours earlier, and it was a done deal.  We were really, really bummed!  But its funny how some thing turn out!

Then in April 2008, I received an email from Nickey letting me know their shop was now up and running, and they could supply the entire front subframe to me assembled.  Happy days are here again!  And, as luck would have it, John Tinberg was now working with Nickey and fabbing up the front subframes!

The subframe is a duplicate of the Bill Thomas unit, complete with disc brakes, Vega steering box, leaf springs and straight axle.  I happily placed our order and received the complete front end in June 2008, ready to bolt on!  Here is a link to the Nickey website:

http://www.nickeychicago.net

This front subframe was the key component for our Street/FX, and now the Project really picked up steam!

Time to Take the Old Baby Apart

We started the disassembly on June 10, 2008.  We sold the motor and transmission, seats, heater, and radiator on eBay.  The biggest hassle was removing the entire front subframe - we didn't know the steering column shaft was 4' long!  But when I took of the nut holding the steering wheel - BANG - the rest of the front fell off!.  We took a torch to the unit and took it to the dump.  It was shot!

Then we stripped the interior - no big deal (they always come apart easy, don't they)!  Next was "diving" time -- under the car.  I removed the mufflers and pipes, gas tank, fuel lines and all brake lines.  Then I cleaned the bottom - by hand - with about 14,000 paper towels, Scrubby Bubbles, Blue Dawn, and Brakleen!  We didn't want to wash all that stuff down the driveway into the storm drains and out into the ocean.  Then we powerwashed it after 99% of the stuff was gone underneath.  It turned out very nice.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

What motor to install; what tranny to run; what rear and gearing; how about tires?  The list went on and on.  But step One, here's the deal on our transmission.

We originally wanted to put in an Automatic like Steve Magnante did with the "Wilshire Shaker", but so many of our friends poo-pooh'd it that we decided to go with a manual trans.  Now folks, this car is being built to be driven and we didn't want to beat up the engine while cruising.  We had a 1962 Impala convertible 4 speed with a solid lifter dual quad 409 running a 4:11 Positraction.  At 55 MPH in 4th gear, we'd be tacking 3,000 RPM and it felt like we were beating it to death!  So we stated scoping out Overdrive transmissions.

For starters, we'll be running a period 396 with iron heads and dual quads with a mechanical roller COMP cam, and we'll be pushing close to 560 HP.  We have friends that had the Tremec 5 speed, but they later switched them for beefier units.  John Tinberg recommended the Richmond Super Street 5 Speed with Overdrive since he has one in his '55 blown Gasser.  We settled on a 3.06 first gear ( options are 2.89, 3.06, or 3.33), with a standard Richmond 2nd gear of 1.85, 3rd gear of 1.31, 4th gear at 1.1, and 5th gear at .77.  With this setup, the car will launch like it has a 2.20 first gear and 4.88's in the rear, but it will only tach about 1,950 RPM in 5th gear at 65 MPH!

That's how this all began, and you can follow along step by step as we do the build of Storm Warning!