By Chuck Vranas – Images by the Author
Without a doubt, one of the most iconic vehicles to roll off the assembly line and onto our roadways has to be the station wagon. Fueling a passion of exploring America through its expansive panoramic highways, it allowed families to experience travel like never before. Serving as a backbone for our culture for decades, it’s seen service as a family hauler, grocery getter, load-in for drive-in movies, a business support vehicle, and even taken down dragstrips. The 1966 Chevy II 100-Series wagon laid out across our pages, owned by Don Fardie of Lakeville, Massachusetts, showcases plenty of Day Two style along with a great story to tell about its creation.
For Don, stepping into the deep end of the performance world began as early as he can remember, starting in the home garage helping his older brother, Ken, wrench on his sleeper, big-block–powered 1969 Chevy Nova. From there the pair spent plenty of time running the ’strip in downtown Brockton, which was a hotbed for late-night street racing, looking for challengers as well as at the eighth-mile drags in Norwood. By the time Don earned his license, the first set of wheels he landed was a 1957 Chevy two-door station wagon purchased for $75 to serve as his high school ride, creating a fascination with long roofs. From there, several hop-ups passed through the shop, including a wicked 1967 Chevy Nova that he originally built to compete in NHRA F/S Stock Eliminator class with a 327/275hp four-speed combination. After holding the National Record from 2007-2009, he updated the car to run as a Nostalgic Gasser with a Shafiroff 427ci small-block linked to a Jerico four-speed besting the quarter-mile at 10.0 at 130 mph.
Inspiration for the current build harkens back to his early teens when he would regularly help his grandfather on Saturday mornings by delivering eggs to merchants in downtown Boston. The treat was that they would cruise out and back in a Mist Blue 1966 Chevy II Wagon while sharing endless stories and jokes, forever creating a bond between them. He always remembered these special times and wanted to build a tribute to honor him with a Day Two twist of how he imagined modifying the wagon back in the day. Fate works in mysterious ways and not long after making the decision to start looking for a suitable base, he stumbled upon one languishing in a town nearby. With the scarcity of what’s left of 1966 Chevy II 100-Series wagons in general, the odds of locating one so close in the exact color you’re hoping for can leave you awestruck. Without wasting a second, he struck a deal and hauled the remains back to his shop for review.
Initially, he had hoped to do a simple patina build, however once discovering that the car had been thrashed within an inch of its life, the job morphed into a full rotisserie restoration. After disassembly, Don outlined the path to recovery starting with the entire body structure and related parts being sent out for blasting. What returned was not for the faint of heart, showing the amount of abuse was indeed extreme. Working with a great team of friends, including Dennis Plogger, Jason Enos, and Phil Sherman, they started by restoring the factory unibody where areas had deteriorated due to extreme rust.
Concentrating underhood, various sections of the doghouse were fabricated to repair the structure as well as focusing out back on the unibody. From there a call went to Ground Up Motors for a replacement floorpan as well as rockers and driver side lower quarter-panel. A new driver side rain gutter was fabricated, along with repairs done to the lower tailgate and surrounding areas. The body was then metal finished with all gaps set to perfection and sent over to Sutherland Auto Body in Chicopee, Massachusetts, to make everything razor-sharp before laying down the immaculate PPG 1966 GM Mist Blue vibe. The final update was crafted by Brian Chainay (late) of Chainay Kustoms who designed a Class 4 trailer hitch hidden behind the license plate so he could tow his Nova gasser to nostalgia drag race events.
With all the rough fabrication completed, Don focused on refreshing the suspension. Out back, he rebuilt the original GM 10-bolt rearend and packed it with 3.73 gears spinning through an Auburn Gear Grip-N-Loc posi to stock axles. It’s suspended in place through the original leaf springs matched to Gabriel HiJackers air shocks and ¾-inch sway bar, both sourced through GM Classics. Up front, a fresh IFS was sourced through GM Classics, including upper and lower control arms, coil springs, tube shocks, 1-inch sway bar, and all related steering components. When it’s time to shave speed, a GM dual master with proportioning valve moves fluid through stainless lines to front Aerospace Components 11-inch discs with four-piston calipers and factory rear 9.5-inch drums. For the perfect stance and nostalgic look, a set of American Racing Torq Thrust D wheels, sized 15×6 front and 15×8 rear, wear Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 195/60R15 and Cooper Cobra 235/60R15, respectively.
To source the perfect combination of parts for that era-correct punch underhood, Don looked to Ray Helger of Helger Bros. Speed Shop (HBSS) in Little Compton, Rhode Island, for help in rebuilding the original 283. Over the course of many conversations, there were a multitude of options for combining the right vintage parts to make the engine a stout performer as well as a looker from parts available in many of the display cases at the shop. As fate would have it though, the completed 283ci mill would get sidelined thanks to a call from good friend, John Broaden, who recently attended an estate sale and offered up a true crown jewel for the project that couldn’t be passed up. It arrived in the form of an NOS L76; still in the crate, a 327/365hp C2 Corvette CE (Counter Exchange) warranty short-block that had been sitting on a shelf since 1969. Talk about the holy grail, you’d have a better chance of finding a diamond in a mountain of sand, so without skipping a beat a deal was made and the engine was delivered to Helger Bros.
The pair got started by freshening up the short-block with new bearings, rings, and ARP bolts. A forged steel crank links to pink rods wearing 11.1 forged pistons getting bumped by a Duntov 30-30 solid lift cam. Up top, a set of Speedway Motors aluminum Double Hump Series 461 heads generate seamless power, especially when matched to a vintage 1957 Corvette aluminum dual-quad intake sourced from HBSS, crowned with a pair of Edelbrock 500-cfm carbs. It all sparks to life through an MSD Pro Billet distributor with hot gases flowing through original GM Ram Horns headers to a custom 2¼-inch exhaust with MagnaFlow mufflers, all by Paul’s Custom Exhaust of Taunton, Massachusetts. Other neat bits include 1965 Corvette valve covers, Powermaster starter, and plenty of attention to detail underhood. A BorgWarner Super T10 four-speed packed with a McLeod Racing Soft Lok clutch assembly and Ram 25-pound steel flywheel move the goods through a custom driveshaft by Long Plain Service of Acushnet, Massachusetts.
The base interior of the 100-Series was basic and spartan as compared to the upper model trim levels. Here, the factory dash was treated to fresh paint and a new top pad from GM Classics, while the original gauges were restored, then complemented by Stewart-Warner dials and a column-mounted tach. The factory column was modified to mimic a standard trans unit, topped by a GM Comfort Grip wheel, while shifts move through a Hurst Competition/Plus shifter. Don had Hot Rod Interiors by Drew of Hanover, Massachusetts, modify the original bench and freshen up the front and back seating with black vinyl while also adding new side panels, black loop carpet, and headliner from GM Classics to complete the restoration.
This is one wicked Day Two wagon that we’re sure Granddad would give his seal of approval as it cruises through town.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
TECH CHECK
Owner: Don Fardie, Lakeville, Massachusetts
Vehicle: 1966 Chevy II Nova Wagon
Engine
Type: Small-block Chevy
Displacement: 327 ci
Compression: 11:1
Bore: 4.001
Stroke: 3.25
Cylinder Heads: Speedway Motors reproduction aluminum Double Hump Series 461
Rotating Assembly: GM forged iron crank, pink rods, 11:1 pistons
Camshaft: GM Duntov 30-30 solid lift
Induction: 1957 Corvette aluminum dual-quad, Edelbrock 500-cfm x 2
Ignition: MSD Pro Billet distributor, MSD 6AL box, Blaster coil
Exhaust: OEM GM Ram Horns, Custom 2¼-inch exhaust, MagnaFlow mufflers
Output: 365 hp at 6,200 rpm, 350 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm
Drivetrain
Transmission: BorgWarner Super T10
Rear Axle: GM 10-bolt, Auburn Gear Grip-N-Loc Posi, 3.73 gears, stock axles
Chassis
Front Suspension: OEM IFS, coil springs, tube shocks
Rear Suspension: OEM leaf springs, tube shocks
Brakes: Aerospace Components 11-inch disc, four-piston calipers front, OEM 9.5-inch drum rear, GM dual master, proportioning valve
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: American Racing Torq Thrust D, 15×6 front, 15×8 rear
Tires: Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 195/60R15 front, 235/60R15 rear
Interior
Seats: Factory bench, modified
Upholstery: Black vinyl by Hot Rod Interiors by Drew
Gauges: Factory, Stewart-Warner
Steering: Factory column, GM Comfort Grip wheel
Carpet: Black loop
Shifter: Hurst Competition-Plus, Line-Loc
Exterior
Bodywork: Dennis Plogger, Jason Enos, Phil Sherman, owner
Paint: PPG 1966 GM Mist Blue
Painter: Sutherland Auto Body
