Rusted ragtop rebuilt into a cool cruiser
Twenty-five years ago, Rich Black walked into a Wisconsin field to look at a 1962 Chevy Nova he had thoughts of buying. Upon arrival, he found the vintage drop-top was so rusted, it appeared the whole vehicle might collapse if he ventured to open the doors.
At a ghastly sight such as this, most people would run the other way. Rich, on the other hand, wasn't fazed. The craftsman was prepared and knew just what he needed to do.
A co-worker named Cap had spied the listing in an advertising mailer and tipped off Rich about its location. “I had just finished a '64 Chevy pickup,” recalls the Crystal Lake resident, “and wanted something smaller to work on.”
The convertible had been sitting unmoved for 10 years, exposed to the crushingly cruel elements. “I knew it was going to be rough,” Rich laughs now. He made the purchase but the Nova's poor condition almost prevented him from getting it home.
“The car nearly broke in two getting loaded onto my trailer,” Rich says. “Despite how bad it was, what was important to me was it had stuff like all the windows, knobs and chrome. It was a good starting point.”
Once the hot mess of a heap was home, Rich began work. His first step was creating a whole new frame and tub to serve as the Nova's foundation. With that complete, he started moving forward. Most of the sheet metal was replaced, along with the interior upholstery, which had succumbed to nasty mold and rot. Miraculously, the original field-fresh top was able to be salvaged and retained. The back seat is also original but reupholstered.
When it came to exterior hues, Rich chose to coat the car in its original aqua-colored paint. “A lot of Novas get bright, bold colors but I wanted something you don't regularly see,” he says.
Under hood, he yanked the original inline six-cylinder and in its place installed a 468-cubic-inch V-8 that he'd been collecting parts for and rebuilding since he was in high school. “I knew I was going to use it for a project car one day and this just happened to be it,” Rich says.
He paired the rumbling engine to a three-speed automatic transmission. Out back is a Ford 9-inch rear end that Rich narrowed himself. The vehicle's rear disc brakes are from a Lincoln Continental while up front are Camaro spindles and brakes. This manufacturer mix-and-matching is rounded out with Ford Pinto rack-and-pinion steering.
The project took 11 years to compete but thanks to Rich's determination, the Nova has come a long way from that once miserable mess. Now, it's one cool cruiser.
“This is exactly what I was shooting for,” Rich says. “I was looking to make it reliable, fun and something I could start up and enjoy.”
• Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com or COPOthebook.com.