TECH
IMAGES BY DENNIS OVERHOLSERhe name Dennis Overholser is familiar to many automotive enthusiasts. He’s one of the founders of Painless Performance Products, which introduced wiring harnesses in 1991. Overholser is also an avid hands-on builder, and his latest project is typical of the unique hot rods he creates. This time around it’s a 1966 Chevy II Nova Wagon gasser build for the street.
Back in October 2019, Andrew Erichsen and Overholser went to Manhattan, Kansas, to get a Nova wagon that had been in a barn for around 30 years. The engine, transmission, fenders, and many other parts were missing. What it did have was four doors, two more than Overholser wanted.
Back in the heart of Texas, the wagon’s transformation began with help from Tom Denny. The stock front suspension was removed and replaced by a straight-axle gasser assembly from Speedway Motors. The new subframe came complete with axle, springs, steering gear, shocks, and brakes.
To power the wagon, Overholser chose a GM 6.0L LQ9 from an Escalade. While the bottom-end remains stock, the engine was treated to head work, a complete Comp Cams valvetrain and was topped with an electronic stack injection system from Inglese. Backing the engine is a GM 4L80E transmission that connects to a Lincoln Versailles rear axle with disc brakes.
With the chassis work taken care of, Overholser turned his attention to making a major modification, changing the four-door wagon into a two-door. Larry Sparks and his son, Cameron, took care of the metalwork by removing the original doors, the B-pillar, and patching the roof section where the original B-pillar attached. New two-door sedan doors from Classic 2 Current Fabrication were installed with replacement two-door–style B-pillars from AMD (they also supplied the glass). What remained of the rear door openings were filled with a combination of the cut-down original doors and AMD patch panels that matched the contour of the new front doors. The final body modification was the installation of new right side rocker panel.
To be a proper straight-axle, nose-high gasser, fenderwell headers are practically mandatory. As none were readily available for this application, Doug’s Headers was called on to build a custom, one-off set. To complete the gasser look, the wagon rolls on Rocket 15×6 10-spoke wheels with Americus 165/80R15 tires up front. In the rear 15×8 U.S. wheels wear M&H Racemaster 245/55R15 “cheater slicks” that are DOT certified and street legal. Overholser added the “pie stripes” to the wheels—the old-school way to watch for tire spin when launching from a standing start.
With patience, persistence, and considerable effort, what was once a forlorn, four-door station wagon sitting in a Kansas barn has been transformed into a tribute to gassers of a bygone era.
It now has everything a proper gasser should have: a big engine poking out of the hood, fenderwell headers, ladder bars, and the right stance—and fewer doors.
