By Fuelish Media – Images by the Author
How often do you daydream of what you will do during your first few days of retirement? It’s a comforting thought, isn’t it? Leaving long days and micromanagement behind is a vision that gets us through more days than we’d probably like to admit. While a great deal of us can imagine spending our endless off days fishing or golfing as much as possible, there are newfound retirees like John Lambert of San Juan Capistrano, California, who choose to enjoy most of their free time in the garage wrenching the hours away.
John isn’t exactly new to throwing himself underneath an old car. He was raised with cars and trucks all around him from a very early age, so working on older vehicles has become second nature. “I grew up with a family in the auto industry,” he explains. “My grandfather had an auto parts warehouse in L.A., and I started working there when I was young. I enjoyed building models and designing my own cars—heck, I even helped build Model Ts at age 14!”
With that type of upbringing, John was destined to remain a car guy well into adulthood.
“It has always been a lifelong dream to build my own car, and I decided that it would be a great retirement project,” John adds. “I actively searched the Internet for the right car, and I found a nice ’67 Nova listed for $10,000 in Bakersfield—a few hours north of my neighborhood. I liked what I saw in the photos and what I heard from the owner. I took him on his word that the car had ‘zero’ rust, so I made the trip to see it. In person, the Nova appeared to be just as he described. I didn’t see one spot of rust anywhere; however, it wasn’t until I got it home when I discovered that it was loaded with rust. Unfortunately, I had my work cut out for me, but I should’ve made the effort to look at the car closer before I handed over a wad of cash.”
Read More: Pro Touring style 1964 Chevy Nova
Moving forward, John wished to do as much to the car as he could on his own, he then planned to alter the Nova’s factory chassis with plenty of upgrades to sharply increase its handling abilities. Up front, a TCI Pro Touring crossmember package was assembled that included 2-inch drop spindles, tubular upper and lower control arms, and Ridetech coilovers with Stage 2 shocks. In the rear, a TCI suspension system with torque arm was utilized, along with the same coilover setup as the front. Then, it was upgraded with a Wilwood 12-inch, four-piston brake package for both ends, as well as a dual master cylinder. Forgeline 18×9 and 18×11 ZX3 wheels were picked for their sporty appearance, along with 245/40R18 and 315/30R18 Falken Azenis rubber based on the high level of handling and stability.
Things were looking good for the Nova, and to keep the positive momentum rolling, John placed an order for a new ’23 GM LSA 6.2L crate engine to boost his level of excitement. While the fresh powerplant was left largely in factory condition, he did make a few big upgrades in the form of a custom air intake and Church Boys Racing 1-7/8-inch stainless headers that feed into a 3-inch exhaust system finished off with dual SpinTech mufflers. A TREMEC Magnum T56 transmission was then paired to the Chevrolet Performance crate engine and outfitted with a Hurst Blackjack shifter.
John came to the realization that every panel on the car, except for the firewall, would have to be replaced due to the unforeseen rust damage. Once that hurdle was cleared, John then entrusted the assistance of Old Anvil Speed Shop to prep the sheetmetal and Cambra Speed Shop in Orange, California, to take care of the paint portion of the build. The selected hue was a PPG Gray that is clean, classic, and will not be going out of style anytime soon. On the inside, Ron Mangus Interiors joined the project to wrap the ’06 GTO bucket seats and other interior panels with black vinyl to further push the car’s developing timeless vintage aesthetic. Old Anvil Speed Shop also created a steel 1.75-inch rollbar.
Read More: 1967 Chevy Nova SS Restomod
“My retirement project spanned the better part of seven years, but I couldn’t be happier with the result,” John exclaimed. “I’m thankful to my longtime friend Rob Hervey who helped me so much in that time. The car was completed in January 2024, and it won First Place in the Pro Touring class at its very first event: the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California. That was an honor and so was the Top 10 award the car came home with from its second showing three months later at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals.”
Tech Check
Owner: John Lambert, San Juan Capistrano, California
Vehicle: ’67 Chevy Nova SS
Engine
Type: ’23 Chevrolet Performance LSA crate engine
Displacement: 6.2L
Cylinder Heads: Stock aluminum
Camshaft: Stock steel
Induction: Stock supercharger, custom intake tube with air cleaner
Assembly: GM
Exhaust: Church Boys 1-7/8-inch headers, 3-inch exhaust with H-pipe and SpinTech mufflers
Accessory Drive: GM
Fuel Tank: Stock 21-gallon fuel tank with high-volume fuel pump
Cooling: Aluminum radiator with dual electric fans
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC Magnum T56
Driveshaft: Custom
Rear Axle: Currie 9-inch with 3.89 gears and TwinTrac limited-slip differential
Chassis & Suspension
Front Suspension: TCI subframe and crossmember, 2-inch drop spindles, tubular upper and lower control arms, Mustang power steering, and Performance antiroll bar, Ridetech Stage 2 coilovers
Rear Suspension: TCI rear suspension with torque arm, Ridetech Stage 2 coilovers
Brakes: Wilwood master cylinder and 12-inch brake kit with four-piston calipers
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: 18×9 and 18×11 Forgeline ZX3
Tires: 245/40R18 and 315/30R18 Falken Azenis tires
Interior
Seats: ’06 GTO bucket seats with black vinyl upholstery, upholstery by Ron Mangus Interiors
Seatbelts: Simpson seatbelts
Steering: Ididit steering column, Flaming River steering wheel
Instrumentation: Dakota Digital HDX gauges
Shifter: Hurst Blackjack shifter
Climate Control: Vintage Air with control panels
Entertainment System: Alpine Type R head unit, Type S speakers and amps installed by Speaker Works (Orange, CA)
Rollcage: 1.75-inch steel rollbar by Old Anvil Speed Shop
Wiring: Coach Controls
Exterior
Bodywork and Paint: Sheetmetal prepped by Old Anvil Speed Shop, PPG gray paint by Cambra Speed Shop (Orange, CA)
Lighting: NovaStar GX headlights, LED taillights with Eddie Motorsports bezels
Body Mods: Removed all labels and side moldings, flush custom gas door, rear wheeltubs widened by 2½ inches
Bumpers: Tucked
Remainder of Images Below
Click on this issue’s cover to see the enhanced digital version of Pro Touring 1967 Chevy II Nova.
