Supercharged 1966 Chevy Nova Built By Military Mechanic For Daily Fun: Video

The thing about project cars is that even if they look done, they’re never really done. Project cars are like living, breathing things, and they often need a good amount of attention to keep them running right. That’s certainly the case with this supercharged Chevy Nova, as seen in the following video.

Coming to us from the folks at AutotopiaLA, the video highlights a modified 1966 Chevy Nova owned by Justin, a military mechanic that previously served in Afghanistan. After getting home from Afghanistan, Justin was looking for a fun restoration project of his own, and came across this particular Nova after his buddy sent him a for-sale link on Veteran’s Day.

While the car looked good and the price was right, Justin was reluctant to take the plunge. After all, the car appeared as though it was pretty much done, with a crisp white exterior and full specs that matched what he was after. Nevertheless, Justin decided to take the plunge anyway and had the Nova shipped out.

Despite the nice pictures, Justin quickly discovered that the car needed some work.

“I went to go pull out my driveway, and just, you hear all this noise in the front end. I’m like ‘uh oh, this thing’s not safe at all,’” Justin says.

As it turns out, the suspension needed a full overhaul. Although the components were high-end, they needed replacement, and as such, Justin had a new opportunity to apply his skills.

After replacing the suspension and addressing some safety concerns, Justin then decided to put his family in the car and take it for a drive. It was then that he discovered yet another issue.

“Me and my son are on the 405 [freeway] coming home, all of a sudden I just see just smoke coming out the back. And I’m like, ‘you gotta be kidding me.’ Popped the head gasket.”

Of course, now the engine has been overhauled and everything is to Justin’s liking. But check out the video for the full technical details and the process that Justin underwent to get the car to its current state, plus some driving action on the street:

Subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Nova news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.