Midwest Muscle

According to the Oxford dictionary, the internet is, “A global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.” From my perspective, the internet is a study of how different people, from different background and different cultures mesh together to share ideas and information to better society…key words, better society. I use the internet as probably most of you do, to keep up with friends and look at ALLL the cars. Car people on the internet are funny, and are broken down into 2 groups, people who do and people who don’t. The people who don’t are usually the loudest, quickest to give their opinions and talk down on any build that they haven’t ***cough** bought. The doers of the group, like Lil Wayne once said, “move in silence like lasagna,” and are more than willing to help out those in need with great information through actual builds and mistakes. A man by the name of Nate Henry, aka @novanate on instagram, is the latter of the two and over 7 years has built one of the most recognized Novas on the internet. If you want to build a serious old school American muscle car and want to do it yourself this is the man to link up with. You see, I met Nate years ago on the internet because we had similar Novas, taste in cigars and fine adult beverages. Through following him I have become friends with a guy 10 hours away, which back to my original internet rant, is what I use the internet for.

Contrary to internet trolls and 30 min television shows, the process of building a car isn’t plug and play nor is it completed in a reasonable 2 week time frame. As Nate explained on the podcast it takes patience, some uncomfortable moments, failures that all culminate to build not only an American classic but a bond with his father. Building a legendary muscle car goes a little something like this…

Find a car: At 13 years old Nate caught the hotrod bug early through his father who had a few muscle cars while Nate was growing up. Originally Nate wanted to build a split bumper 70’s Camaro however after a friend purchased one knew he had to do something a little different. One day searching through an Auto Trader magazine, yes that’s how we did it before the internet, Nate and his father found a 1972 Nova for $3K and decided check it out. What they found was far from the fire breathing big block monster Nate has now but rather a 6 cylinder, automatic, open differential bench seat granny car. With most of the body they could see looking in good shape Nate and his father decided to purchase the car and settled on going 50/50 on the cost of the build.

Choose a motor: Building on a budget Nate and his father were always on the hunt for a low budget option and found a small block, in a garbage bag, buried in a front yard for free. So they took a chance and literally pulled it out of the ground with a Bobcat! They were told the engine had a fresh rebuild before it was buried and after they put it on an engine stand to their amazement the motor in fact was super clean. There was even still paint from the rebuild! They thought it was a 327 but after running the numbers found it to be a 350. Nates father made a deal with him that he needed to do well in school in order to continue the build. “Get your act together in school if you want to continue to do the hotrod thing,” so Nate did and got a tunnel ram and topped with dual 4 barrels and a vintage scoop as a reward. Through the years the motor was originally meant for the Nova to do a traditional old school 80’s muscle machine build until they received a phone call. Here is the first turn in the story and the reason why builds don’t always go as planned…

Nates father has a friend who chases Impalas and just so happened to run across a 454 big block bored .60 over. The motor was complete from nose to tail with a Saginaw 4 speed, for $2500 in Tenessee that came out of a 1970 Chevelle. Nates father conversed with Nate and they decided to go with the big block and put the small block to the side. Nate reports that minus the motor mounts and the pain of fitting headers on the car, the big block 454 fit really nicely under the hood without modification! The motor is fed by an 800 carb, high rise intake and is exhaled through Hooker Super comp long tube headers to a Summit custom exhaust kit with Super 40 Flowmasters.

Rust repair: When the boys first bought the car it looked to be a a solid with minimal metal repair, however when they dug deeper they found it needed extensive work. The doors, roof, trunk lid and the cowl are the only original metal left on the car while the rest was trash. They did a full back half on the car that include inner and outer trunk drops, wheel wells and tail light panel. They kept it old school by getting some help from an old body guy by leading on the new quarters. The 68 taillights were a complete accident. They received the body panel in the box and only after they grafted on the panel and test fit 70 lights they found that the panel was for another year. However, this mistake couldn’t have turned out better and Nate reports that people always ask how he did the swap. The doors are original metal but after sandblasting them found that they were Swiss cheese. Nates father learned his body working skills in high school and passed along the skills to Nate. They made all their own patch panels for the doors as well as replaced all of the floors. The fenders and 4” cowl hood are reproductions and many hours were taken to ensure that all of the body lines fit perfectly.

Nate and his father chose the most challenging paint color…black. After getting a few quotes from around town and noticing that paint would cost more than what they had in the car, they decided to paint it themselves! They primed, sanded and blocked, and sanded and blocked…and sanded and blocked 5 times. They started by painting it sections and learned a few lessons along the way. Since they painted the car in different stages during different seasons they had to pay close attention to temperature and choose the correct activators. Nate and his father painted the car in a dirty landscaping shop that Nate’s father owned, so careful attention was taken to ensure a clean environment. Even after taking extreme caution with cleanliness the first coat of sealer on the main body came out fisheyed indicating a dirty environment. After sanding and blocking all of their hardworking back to square one the second time was a charm. After sealer they laid down a beautiful black paint job with a borrowed spray gun. As you can see in the photos the paint has been cut and buffed to mirror like and is stunning in person.

How are you going to get those horses to the ground: Luckily for Nate the 454 that was purchased also came with a Saginaw 4 speed attached which made the question of a transmission easy. Since the car was originally an automatic the boys needed so swap everything over to make it a manual car. The transmission is matted to a completely custom 10 bolt 8.5” rear end, stuffed with 4.11” gears and an eaton posi unit (screaming bald eagles) all with upgraded Strange axels. 1970 lower shock brackets were swapped to relocate the shock for better clearance and shims and spacers along with long studs are used to bolt up the question that Nate gets asked the most..the wheel and tire setup. Everyone with a 1972 Nova get your pencils out. Out back Nate runs Weld Pro Stars, 15x8 rims with 5-1/2” of backspacing on a 255/60/15 tire and boy do those meats fit perfectly tucked into the wheel wells! Up front are the same Weld Pro Stars but in skinny versions. Brakes have been upgraded to a dual diaphragm booster to clear the tall valve covers, with drums out back and discs in the front. The 2” drop spindle, small block springs, new bushings all around along with big 1-1/8” front sway bar from a Camaro and rear 1.5” drop leaf springs, adjustable shocks and Hotchkis sway bars ensure the Nova handles as well as it looks.

What are you going to sit on: Nate chose the perfect mix of retro custom and factory original to come up with a timeless interior that will hold the test of time. Originally the car came with a bench seat and Nate rode around for a while with it and reported, “banging gears in a bench seat car is cool!” The new seats however, were inspired from a guy online who Nate met years ago and are covered in tweed, a personal favorite material of mine. The Hurst shifter looks right a home with a custom bend (for all the old school guys it was heated up and bent) to fit Nate perfectly. An upgraded power steering unit replaced the manual system and in true muscle car fashion allows Nate to turn the car with one finger. The gauge package is old school with the big Autometer tach, factory gauge cluster and 3 pod mini gauges that give Nate all the feedback he needs on the health of the motor.

Show off your work: Nate and his father debuted the car in Indianapolis at the Good Guys show at the Speedway with about 2000 entrants and won the “Drivers and builders 25 and younger,” award. Now Nate enjoys cruising around the Chicago area looking for local shows and cruises. Since Nate works installing garage doors in industrial areas he’s always on the lookout for spots where people have small street races and occasionally partakes in stop light to stop light fun. Nate drives it as often as possible and puts in around 500 miles a year. Nate estimates that he has around $25-$30K in the build and from time to time receives offers to buy the car. However with this being a father son build the memories are worth more than any currency.

You do it again: Nate is taking a huge step in his career that involves a big move for him and his girlfriend to Montana. Nate has been accepted to be a Customs and Border Protection agent in Montana to serve our great country and protect the northern border. Before he goes off to serve his community the car will be getting a new headliner to finish off the interior. The car also has an overheating problem. The factory core support is setup for a straight 6 with a small radiator never meant for the big block heat. Nate will be fitting a new core support upgraded radiator and dual electric fans to make sure Sandra stays cool all summer. The rear main seal is starting to leak and will need some attention too. Old car guys will let you know that the job is never done! Along with the Nova, Nate is also working on a cafe racer that has been extensively modified and a gorgeous Harley that has some very nice custom touches that matches his Nova. He also has a 1965 El Camino that he will be building next where the 350 originally built for the Nova will power it. The theme will be gasser style with a straight axel lifted front end with the tunnel ram scoop hanging out of the hood! Oh, and LOTS of nitrous!

Nate and his father have built one of the best Novas in the country the old school way. Over 7 years they went to swap meets, found deals on old school parts, honed their skills and can truly say they built this car by themselves. You can find Nate on instagram @novanate or cruising around Montana later on this year! If you’re into bikes he also has a page dedicated to his cafe racer on instagram @cafekid82. He can also be found answering questions over email n.henry454@yahoo.com. Nate left me with a parting gift of a fantastic bottle of bourbon that I can’t wait to sip on after the podcast is published. Big thanks to him and his father for the hospitality and the warm shop that hosted the podcast. I can’t wait to see what Nate and his father build in the future and can only imagine the greatness that will come out of that shop!