Time for a Nova update!

I realized that it has been awhile since I did any updates about what is going on with my Nova. If you didn't even know that I had a Nova, you need to go back and read this post.

Since it has been pretty cold around here, I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked to do, but when it is 30 degrees outside and your garage is barely making it past 55 degrees, there is only so much you can do. That is until my darling wife bought be a heater for the garage. In combination with adding a couple extra flood lights to the garage for both lighting and warmth, I am now up to about 60 degrees inside. And that has made a big difference in what I can do.

So what have I been doing you ask? Mostly I have been working on detailing. I went ahead gave the car a coat of polish to prep it for the wax. In case you didn't know, there is a difference between polish and wax for a car. If you really want to know, you can read about it here.

I also gave the inside dash and seats a good cleaning. And while the dash is still cracked pretty bad in a couple spots, it looks a lot better than it did when I first received the car. Since yesterday was a day full of sunshine, I pulled it out to take some pictures. I only wish that I would have taken some before pictures of the paint so you could see how much dirt was ground into the body. Oh well, at least I know how bad it really was.

Long side view of the Nova.

I love how it looks all shiny now.

I took of the hubcaps and gave them a quick polish job. I need to do it one more time and they will look even better.

I really like this shot, because the front end of this car is one of my favorite features. In fact, if you go back to my first Nova post you can compare the pics on there to the ones now. I think you will see a big difference. (At least I do!)

I would have loved to keep the old blue California plates on, but it wasn't working out.

The green interior has really grown on me. The photo doesn't do all the cleaning I have done to these seats justice.

As goes for the dashboard and speedometer cluster. The photo doesn't show how clean it looks. These were filthy and now look brand new! (Well, other than the cracks!)

In the next month or so I am going to be doing some serious cleaning in the engine compartment. The first local car show is in March I believe, and I want to have her all ready to go by then. From what I have heard from people who have seen my Nova, it sounds like it will do great in the Original category at the shows. Hopefully next month I will have some trophies to go along with her!

A Dream Come True

For a long time now, I have wanted to buy an older car that I could work on in my spare time. I didn’t really care what make or model it was. I just wanted one. Maybe it is because my dad has an old Buick that he has been working on over the years. (Much to the disgust of my mother I might add.) In fact, every time Lisa and I are out and about, I will see an older car for sale, and I always make the comment to Lisa how nice that car would look in our driveway.

Well my friends, the day has come that I am going to get myself a project car. And the best part is that I wasn’t even expecting it! It all started with Lisa talking to her mom on the phone on Friday. Her mom was trying to think of ways that she could save some money. The one thing that she thought of was the storage unit that she had. It was costing her a lot of money each month to store things in it. If she cancelled it and moved the stuff into her garage, then she could save that money.

The problem that she was running into was the car parked in the part of the garage she wanted to use. It stored the 1971 Chevy Nova that Lisa’s sweet Grandmother Tamblyn had purchased brand new back then. Since Lisa’s mother is very sentimental about things, she has been keeping it all of these years, not having the heart to sell it. But in order to save a little dough, she was going to have to part with it.

Then Lisa had a brilliant idea. What if her mother sent it up here and we could keep it? That way it would stay in the family. On top of that, her mother has always wanted to see that Nova restored and either be in parades, or entered into car shows. Luckily for me, Holly thought that was a fine idea, and agreed to let us have the Nova.

It really is a win win situation all round. First, Holly gets to save a good chunk of cash each month. Second, the Nova was the car that Lisa drove to High School, so it has some sentimental value to her too. And third, I get what I have wanted for a long time. A car that I can work on, and turn it into something that Holly has wanted to see done to it. As you can see from the pics, it is in pretty good shape already. I will be sure to update you with anything I have done with it.

I can’t wait until next week when this baby arrives. Let the fun begin!

As you can see, it has been well cared for

Only 66,249 original miles
It might not be a V8, but I can work with it
Back view with the classic California blue plates
I love the 70's green. Very groovy!
So if you live here in the TC, feel free to stop on by and have a look for yourself. And notice the giddy grin that I have plastered on my face when you visit. I have a feeling the grin is going to be there for awhile.