There's a great chance that if you looked up to your big brother when you were growing up, and your older brother was a gearhead, you may well become a motorhead too. Especially if your older bro owns an American muscle machine that he uses to drive you to school - that's a sure-fire recipe for imprinting in the muscle car section of your brain an ambition to own a similar vehicle someday.

"Get used to my tail lights, because they're the only thing you'll be able to see in this race." This bit of friendly trash talk has been used in the muscle car community for as long as we can remember, but there's more truth to it than the joke implies. Whether it's in traffic or on the drag strip, the rear of your vehicle is often the first and last thing people see. So, it makes sense to keep it looking good. Knowing this, the guys at All Chevy Performance recently restored the bumper and tail panel on their '77 Nova project car with parts from Classic Industries.

Though we spend our five- and six-day work weeks catering to the needs of our honored customers who own and are working on, driving, showing, and enjoying American muscle machines, many Classic Industries employees are wrenching away, driving, and enjoying our own vintage vehicles in our free time. Some of us drive our old cars daily. 

When it comes time to purchase a project car, restorers always hope that everything is as it seems and that there are no expensive surprises awaiting. However, Murphy's Law still applies, and sometimes you get more than what you bargained for. Such was the case for Justin Brown, the owner of this '66 Nova SS that was recently featured on the AutotopiaLA YouTube channel. He did his homework and spoke to the previous owner, but after taking delivery of the car, things started to go wrong. Thankfully, he was ready to make lemonade from the lemons life had given him.

Since October 1986, this car has been a part of my life. It was my first car, even before I had my driver's license. I remember taking my test in this car, despite its less-than-impressive condition at the time. After passing all the inspections and tests, I finally earned my ticket to freedom - my driver's license.

"It was never supposed to be this full build... One thing led to another, and it just kept going and going. And eventually I said 'you know what, let's just go all-in like we're in Vegas at the tables,'" said James Harris, the owner of this '66 Nova. The car was recently featured in a video by YouTube channel AutotopiaLA that gives us a closer look at some of its intricate details. It's powered by a 454ci LSX engine that's currently making about 800 horsepower at the crank.

Every gearhead knows the importance of regular oil changes, but when was the last time you considered the condition of your vehicle's fuel system? Over the years, sediment and debris can accumulate inside the gas tank, and while the fuel filter should stop it from entering the engine, it can cause other kinds of havoc. Such was the case for All Chevy Performance's 1977 Nova project — rust inside the tank had clogged up the fuel gauge sending unit, causing the car to run out of gas unexpectedly.

Classic looks, modern handling, and a whole lot of horsepower — that's a wonderful combination. Pro-touring builds like this '66 Nova preserve the timeless style of a classic car while adding track-ready handling, braking, and acceleration. Tony, the owner and builder of this car, originally built his Nova with a 430hp V8, but learned that he still wanted more power. So, he swapped in an LS3 engine with a TVS 2650 supercharger that produces approximately 1,000 horsepower.

While browsing our favorite classic car channels on YouTube, we recently came across this 1972 Chevy Nova in a video from AutotopiaLA. With its 550-horsepower LS3 V8, 6-speed manual transmission, and autocross-oriented suspension setup, it's a very cool build. However, it also has a memorable story behind it. This Nova has been in owner Mike's family for nearly 50 years, and was previously owned by his mother, father, and older brother. "My brother and I basically grew up in the backseat of this car," he recalls.