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Nova goes from family wagon to fast wheels

A chopped '30 Model A doesn't offer a whole lot of room. After building and driving one himself, Dave Burke found that to be quite true, so he was ready for a change.

When you need some space and love being on the road, jumping into a station wagon is almost always a safe bet. That's where the Pingree Grove resident focused his search in 2014 when starting the hunt.

Dave Burke found his 1966 Chevy Nova for sale near Rock Island.

What turned up was a 1966 Chevrolet Nova. The seller was in Milan, a small town in western Illinois near Rock Island. Dave and his wife Ann rode out to see it and it didn't take long for Dave's heart to know he had found the right one.

"We crested the hill and saw the car out front," Dave recalls. "Right then I was in love."

The seller had rebuilt the Nova from the ground up, starting when it was just a bone stock, faded blue derelict. The car originally came from Kansas City and was devoid of rust. Everything was stripped to the frame and rebuilt into one mean, head-turning, machine.

A big part of that eye-catching flair is its paint job. The color is a Toyota Supra red. The Chevy gets up and goes thanks to a 350-cubic-inch V-8 and stops courtesy of Baer four-piston disc brakes, complete with slotted and drilled rotors.

The previous owner rebuilt the 1966 Nova, giving it a powerful V-8 engine and new disc brakes. Courtesy of Burke family

Inside the spacious cabin, the interior got a full redo and features black leather and air conditioning for those long road trips. Another slick element are the accents in the door panels and seat inserts and console - all of which come from a first-generation Camaro.

Drop the tailgate and there's plenty of cargo room, complete with covered side storage, a hidden spare tire and aftermarket audio necessities. While the vehicle was complete when Dave got it, the gearhead couldn't resist making his own modifications.

Dave took the Nova back down to the frame and upgraded the front and rear suspension, adding an AirRide system. Another change was swapping out the carb for fuel injection.

"It's wonderful," Dave says. "On cold starts you can reach your hand in, turn the key and it starts right up."

The interior has black leather seats. Interior door panel accents were sourced from an early Chevy Camaro.

The Burkes do that often, logging lots of miles with their stellar Nova. They've motored to shows in Knoxville, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, and to St. Paul, Minnesota.

More trips are on the books for this summer and Dave is happy not only with the room the vehicle affords, but also the reliability. Besides that Model A, he's had lots of other wicked machines, including another Nova that was a 700-horsepower beast. That one was fast and fun but also cantankerous. This wagon is way different.

"Plain and simple, this is a cruiser," Dave says. "There's no doubt we'll make it where we're going - no matter how far it is."

• Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.

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