Last week, we featured a '65 C10 big window conversion DIY video from our friends at Old Anvil Speed Shop in Orange, California. The truck in that video was built for comfortable cruising with air suspension, but if you're looking for a more exciting driving experience, the Old Anvil team can do that too. Their '67 Nova SS recently appeared on the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel, and founder Paul Bosserman discussed all of its details, including the 525hp LS3 V8 under the hood.
Modernizing a Pro Street Nova
As with many classic cars on the road today, this one had already been modified when it arrived at Old Anvil. It had a 383ci stroker small block with a 6-71 supercharger on top, as well as a large hood scoop that the owner wasn't especially fond of.
The initial plan was for Old Anvil to simply cut off the scoop and send the car on its way, but that proved to only be the tip of the iceberg for this project.
The car was fast with its supercharged V8, but also squirrely and hard to control. Old Anvil swapped the motor out for a powerful naturally-aspirated LS3, and installed a tunnel ram intake with dual Holley carburetors that only serve as throttle bodies. This way, the LS engine still has EFI for reliability, but maintains the classic pro street appearance.
Old Anvil also built a custom set of stainless headers to allow the new LS3 to breathe freely.
The suspension was addressed to make the car more stable, installing QA1 coilovers with a more appropriate spring rate. Brakes were switched from an unreliable electric-assisted system to a tried-and-true manual Wilwood setup.
The Nova previously had Budnik billet wheels with stretched tires in the rear, and these were swapped for a set of custom Torq-Thrust-style wheels that were machined in-house by Old Anvil. The 12-inch wide rear wheels are now clad in massive 445 drag radials that make this Nova much easier to keep under control.
The interior was also redone with custom-upholstered Corbeau bucket seats, custom-machined pedals, and new factory-style parts such as the steering wheel. A Hurst shifter is connected to the Tremec TKX 5-speed manual transmission.
"We really tried to take it back to traditional. I want to put some Motley Crue on the stereo — that's what this car should have," said Bosserman with a laugh. Check out the full video from AutotopiaLA below:
Looking for Chevy II / Nova Parts?
Classic Industries offers thousands of restoration parts for the 1962-1979 Chevy II and Nova, including many of the parts used by Old Anvil Speed Shop in this article. Whether you're doing a factory-style restoration or a wild pro-street or pro-touring build, we've got what you need. Click the button below to get a free full-color Chevy II / Nova restoration parts catalog:
