As much as we love seeing the end result of a full vehicle restoration, it's equally interesting to see where it all began. The process becomes even more special when you're able to talk to the builder whose blood, sweat, and tears turned an unloved shell of a car into something beautiful. In the case of this 1968 Nova, Aram Ayvazian is that builder, and the man who brought this iconic muscle car back to life.

After its release in 1962, the first-gen Chevy II / Nova didn't exactly scream "muscle car". In fact, the first 1963 Super Sport model didn't even officially offer a V8 engine. However, plenty of hot-rodders saw the little Nova as an ideal platform for their high-performance ambitions. Soon, V8 swaps were common, and before long, many dealers were offering to drop small-block engines into their new Novas for an additional fee. These lightweight V8-powered cars became hugely popular among enthusiasts, and thus a muscle-car icon was born.

If you imagine a muscle car, odds are that you picture something with wide tires, a loud exhaust, a huge motor, and aggressive styling cues. Although this traditional interpretation is undoubtedly cool, there are many ways that the idea of a muscle car can be interpreted. Here at Classic Industries, we love muscle cars of all shapes and sizes, and that's why Jack Petitt's refined take on a muscle car is so appealing to us. Jack restored this deep blue '69 Nova with the help of his daughter, and together they created a car that's as sophisticated as it is powerful.

As much as we love time-tested, untouched classics, there's also something to be said for building a car that's truly original. After all, that's the spirit of hot-rodding—putting together something unique with little more than spare parts and ingenuity. It may not be popular with everyone, but it'll certainly turn some heads and raise some eyebrows. Rebelling against the status quo might yield a total failure, or it might yield something that changes the world—you never know until you try.

Mention the Chevy Nova today, and most people will envision a high-performance muscle car. However, the Nova's beginnings were much less glamorous than that—it started out as an optional trim level on the unassuming Chevy II commuter car. The Nova's image has changed so much, most people even forget the car wasn't offered with a V8 engine for the first two years of its production, even in its top-of-the-line Super Sport form. Back in '62, you got to choose between a 153ci four-cylinder or a 194ci inline-six—not particularly exciting.

Certain things in life just seem to naturally go together. Burgers and fries, American cars and V8 engines, country music and pickup trucks. Yet another of these iconic pairings is surfers and station wagons. It has almost become a cultural cliché to see the image of a classic Woodie wagon with a surfboard on top, overlooking the beach and distant waves. With the versatility, roominess, and flat-out cool factor of classic station wagons, it's no wonder why they have become the ride of choice for the surfer subculture.

No matter who you are or what your upbringing was like, it's likely that you remember your first time driving a fast car. It's a feeling of heart-stopping exhilaration to put your foot to the floor, hear the engine roar to life, and feel yourself thrust forward as the tires scream for mercy. The experience is so life-changing that it even transcends generations, as the pursuit of speed passes from parents to their children.

One of our favorite qualities of classic cars is the history and sentimental value they carry. The 1970 Chevy Nova seen here is no exception. Jim Turner, of Van Nuys, California, drove out with his best friend to purchase the car over 30 years ago. Sadly, his friend was killed in a motorcycle accident a year later, but this tragedy brought Jim closer to his friend's family. Soon enough, Jim had married his best friend's sister, and the pair decided to hold onto the Nova and the memories that went along with it.

When Jim pulled into our showroom parking lot in the silver and black SS, we knew we had to get a closer look. The car has been beautifully maintained and restored inside and out, thanks to the addition of a few parts from Classic Industries and plenty of elbow grease. Jim cares deeply about this car, and it shows.

What is the Guldstrand Mod?

Sometimes called the G-Mod or GS-Mod, Guldstrand Mod offers better cornering performance with no other changes to the stock suspension. The Guldstrand Mod is the process of relocating the stock upper control arm pivot by less than an inch, a modification that requires drilling four holes and very little else. It works for 1967-69 Camaro and Firebird, as well as 1968-74 Chevy II/Nova models.

An Enthusiast is Born

You could say I have been in the auto parts business since I was about 10 years old. As a youngster I would often spend the weekends and summers at work with my dad at his salvage yard in Florida. Dad would give me tools and provide a “job” for me to do or he would give me “my own car” as a project and let me tinker away on it to pass the time.