By Fuelish Media – Images by the Author
When you hear the term “dream car,” what do you envision? While many of us would aimlessly shuffle through our top 10 makes and models when asked this question, someone like Chris Deppe of Orange, California, could respond right away with zero hesitation. The car of his dreams has always been a 1967 Chevy Nova SS. Chris’ love of cars started back in the 1980s when he was in high school. He has owned some incredible classics over the years, but it wasn’t until recently that he was able to secure his holy grail—thanks to his awesome wife, Erin.
Chris and Erin had a 1957 Chevy Task Force truck they would drive to local Orange County, California–based car shows. Erin began to pick up on the cars Chris would talk about and pay the most attention to. She even began noticing that he was searching daily through online car sites. It was obvious that he was after a ’67 Nova, mainly because it’s a timeless American muscle car, but also because Chris was born in 1967. Not one to let a perfect gift-giving opportunity pass her by, Erin figured out which exact listing Chris had his eye on. After she tracked it down, she bought the car for his 55th birthday. It was transported across the country from Saratoga, New York, to the Deppes’ driveway in sunny SoCal—just before he blew out his birthday candles.
Of course, Chris was surprised beyond belief to finally own the car he had always coveted. He and Erin continued to visit the same local shows, but they now arrived in a different kind of vehicle—a major upgrade in Chris’ opinion. In May 2023, the two ran into another local couple, Paul and Jenna Bosserman of Old Anvil Speed Shop, who were out promoting their business. Chris approached Paul about the possibility of having a few things done to the car soon. He ended up dropping the car off with Old Anvil the very next morning.
What started out as a quick visit for a simple hood modification and a couple of new parts turned into an intensive rebuild except for fresh paintwork. Paul and crew went through the entire suspension system, made a few tweaks, and added double-adjustable QA1 coilover shocks at each corner. A custom set of wheels was then constructed on Old Anvil’s in-house CNC machine, which are special one-off prototypes that should be available for sale at some point soon. Until then, you’ll just have to envy the ones on Chris’ car.
Remember that hood modification we mentioned? Well, the Old Anvil crew did make a sizable hole in the hood, eventually. When Chris delivered the car, it was equipped with an old-school 383 stroker small-block that was just too rowdy to handle on the streets. Plus, it was almost impossible to tune for some reason. In its place is a new 525hp LS3 crate engine outfitted with a Holley High Ram intake, dual 450-cfm carbs that act as throttle bodies, topped off with a custom scoop hand-crafted by Old Anvil, naturally. Backing all that is a five-speed TREMEC TKX transmission that harnesses the impressive power and torque the LS3 puts out.
Watching the Nova getting tuned at KP Fab & Tune in Riverside, California, was one of Chris’ favorite experiences with the car so far. Before the Nova was let loose onto the Orange County streets, however, the interior had to be properly updated. Bosserman and company replaced the steering wheel and front buckets, reimagined the rear seating area, and installed Old Anvil’s own set of gauges to round out the list of signature touches that have been peppered throughout the build.
Although Chris didn’t expect to be investing this much into this car, he didn’t even know he was going to be blessed with it in the first place, so its time with Old Anvil has been a sort of celebration of dream car ownership. That experience alone is priceless.
Chris’ ’67 goes by the name “Novacaine,” and it gets driven daily. The Deppes treat every day as if it were a show day, and they aren’t about to break tradition any time soon—except for when it’s a show day. In that case, they’ll be ready to party.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
Tech Check
Owner: Chris and Erin Deppe
Vehicle: 1967 Chevy Nova SS
Builder: Old Anvil Speed Shop (Orange, CA)
Engine
Type: Chevrolet Performance LS3 crate engine
Cylinder Heads: GM
Camshaft: GM
Induction: Holley High Ram intake with two 450-cfm carbs, custom air scoop
Assembly: Old Anvil Speed Shop
Exhaust: Old Anvil 3-inch stainless system with Borla mufflers
Accessory Drive: Holley mid-mount
Dress Up: Old Anvil valve covers, Ringbrothers hood hinges
Cooling: Matson’s aluminum radiator with dual electric fans
Output: 525 hp
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC TKX five-speed
Driveshaft: Custom, Inland Empire Driveline
Rearend: GM 12-bolt with 4.56 gears, and Truetrac limited-slip differential
Chassis
Chassis: Factory
Front Suspension: Mustang II–style, QA1 coilover shocks
Rear Suspension: Ladder bar, QA1 coilover shocks
Brakes: Wilwood 12-inch disc, four-piston calipers, Wilwood master cylinder
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Custom Old Anvil Speed Shop 15×5 and 15×12
Tires: 26.0/4.5-15 M&H Racemaster front, 390/45R15 drag radial rear
Interior
Upholstery: Old Anvil Speed Shop
Seats: Custom buckets
Seatbelts: RetroBelt
Steering: Camaro steering wheel, Ididit column
Instrumentation: Old Anvil Speed Shop
Shifter: Hurst
Climate Control: Redneck Air Conditioning
Audio: Pioneer head unit, Kenwood speakers and amps
Rollcage: 1.75-inch steel
Wiring: Coach Controls
Exterior
Bodywork & Paint: PPF wrap by Ricky Regalado at Lux Films (Orange, CA)
Lighting: Holley RetroBright headlights
Body Mods: Modified hood, custom rear wheeltubs
