John Parson's '67 Nova Project - Too Much To Do

Though John really wanted to do all the bodywork and lay down the paint on his Nova himself, he realized that he didn't have the skills to do the top side justice.

When John Parsons started his '67 Nova project in the spring of 2000, he didn't really expect the car to evolve into what it is today. He just wanted a cool ride, and knew that to get there he would have to do it himself, or do without. Over the years, he learned to do a few things quite well, like welding; but he also learned that he had no future as a paint and body guy. He tried, though, and that's the most fascinating aspect of this build. It's about how one guy managed to build a car of this caliber in his garage through sheer force of will. We asked John what sparked his desire for this project, and he says, "I've owned a lot of cars, and while I can forgive a lack of horsepower, I despise poor road manners in my vehicles. It's always the first thing I change. I've tinkered with springs, shocks, and sway bars, but for this car I wanted to really get into it and build something more challenging. I read various catalogs that sold complete replacement clips for Novas, but thought that would be too easy. I wanted to bend, grind, cut, machine, sand, and weld metal-especially weld. I can't explain why, but welding has always been magical to me. It isn't a huge exaggeration to say that II Much was just a reason to learn to weld."

Cars like II Much don't just pop into existence. The path from brainwaves to pavement is riddled with mistakes, triumphs, and surprises. Anyone who has built a car like this can relate to the experience, and those who have feared to dive into a project of this degree can learn that it's not impossible, it's just hard. Follow along as we touch some of the high (and low) points of John's journey.

Three years ago, John thought his '67 Nova was ready for paint, but it wasn't. What he wanted from the car evolved over time, and that meant reworking most of it.	Don't be fooled by this shot, it was actually taken three years before the Nova was done. The three-link rear suspension replaced this early attempt.	John thought making fuel tanks would be a great way to practice his welding skills.
No fewer than three engines were procured during this build. The first one, which John bought from eBay, turned out to have two spun rod bearings.	Nobody stops by without being pressed into service. John's friend Paul Ruggles helps out bending the stainless lines for the steering.	A lot of effort was put into designing John's pedal arrangement. With the new firewall, steering column, and floor, the factory pedals were a no-go.