Three weeks later the car was ready to hit the track. Matt then enlisted another friend to paint all the trim black, which cut down on costly chroming and metal trim restoration. But it was no small feat to bring this ride up to snuff. “D&S Fabrication in Kenton, Delaware, took care of the rust problems and painted it Oxford White,” Matt says.

It was time to handle the quarters and paint. The Nova’s nagging rust issue once again reared its ugly head. A Holley throttle body and an Aeromotive A1000 in-tank pump help keep this beast fed the “juice” it needs. A GM LS7 carb-based intake was drilled for multi-port fuel injection. Mahle pistons and LS7 heads, modified by Bill Ceralli Racing Engines, pushed the compression to a healthy 11:1. Still wanting more power, Matt continued to refine the LS7. He built that engine up with whatever he could get his hands on, and in return that powerplant pushed the Nova into the 10s in the quarter-mile. Matt sold off the remains of the small-block and put that cash toward a 427 LSX block. A built 355 was then installed, which had a very short lifespan under Matt’s right foot. Matt had beaten the hell out of the 350 till it formed a knock. Subframe connectors were installed as well. Up front, the Nova received a pair of QA1 coilovers while retaining the stock control arms. A Moser 12-bolt rear with 3.73s made its way in, along with Calvert split monoleafs and a set of low-profile CalTracs. It started with the rear and then progressed through the powertrain.

The basic idea was to make the Nova a dependable, powerful street car that was worthy of being a daily driver. However, Matt still needed a game plan to bring the Nova up to snuff. Getting it street-ready went so smooth that they even got to take it to the Cruisin’ Ocean City event that year. “I was so excited I immediately jumped in and got the brakes working,” Matt says. Not wanting to see the 1970 Nova escape his son’s grasp, Matt’s dad ponied up a small loan to ensure the Nova made it back to Matt’s garage.

70s nova