Though Plain Jane has all the makings of a top-tier build, it’s still wearing its original paint. “I bought this ride out of California about 15 years ago,” Doug says. “It was your typical six-cylinder daily driver that had accumulated the typical dings and wear and tear, but the paint has held up nicely for being nearly 60 years old.”

Doug held onto the Nova over the years, while he attended to other cars in his flock. He’s owned several Camaros, Corvettes, and ’32 Fords, and he still has a good-sized collection. He’s been fortunate enough to have won several awards over the years, including Street Rod of the Year and the Ridler Award in 2009.

When the time was right, Doug pulled the dormant Nova out of storage and shipped it to the crew at Dynamic Speed + Custom in Gadsen, Alabama, for its transformation.

The guys at Dynamic Speed went to town, installing several choice pieces from Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE), including the front subframe with rack-and-pinion steering, tubular control arms, and coilover shocks. Out back, a QUADRALink suspension system with coilovers and a 9-inch rear went in. Subframe connectors tie it all together.

Some metalwork was done as well, which included massaging the firewall, fabricating the transmission tunnel, and installing DSE stamped inner fenders. Important add-ons include Wilwood components, starting with their twin master cylinder and electronic e-brake. The front brakes consist of Wilwood 13-inch rotors with black six- piston calipers while the rears feature 12-inch rotors and the black six-piston calipers.

When it came to the motorvation of this mild-looking Nova, it all starts with an LS3, pushing 10.7:1 compression and built with a Borla eight-stack fuel injection setup. Fuel is delivered through a Walbro 255-lph pump, pulling the go-juice from a Rick’s Tanks Restomod fuel tank with a Rick’s Billet Pump hat. Engine management is done with a Holley Terminator X system and the Nova was rewired by Dynamic Speed using a kit from American Autowire. The present powertrain is good for 550 hp at the crank.

Spent gases exit through a set of Ultimate Headers stainless steel headers installed with investment cast stainless steel flanges. This setup feeds a 3-inch Borla stainless steel exhaust system using their mufflers and tailpipes all fabricated in-house at Dynamic Speed.