By Scotty Lachenauer – Images by the Author
Muscle car lovers find their dream rides in all sorts of ways. Maybe it was through an online want ad or Internet site (which has now become the norm). It was possibly discovered by attending an auction, estate sale, or even by passing it parked along the roadside or at a car cruise with a For Sale sign in the window. There’s also the hand-me-down scenario—a family possession that somehow made its way to a friend or relative’s garage. That’s always a plus.
Joe Horne of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, found his special ride in a much different way. “This 1965 Nova SS was owned by my good friend Kevin Gildea. For years I stored the car in my garage for him because he didn’t have the room at his place,” Joe tells. “I used to walk by it daily and ask myself ‘What would I do to it if it were mine?’ Finally, one day I broke down and asked him if I could buy it off him, and Gildea surprisingly said ‘Yes.’ Before I knew what happened, it was a done deal.”
Joe admits he doesn’t really know where his love for cool vintage cars and trucks came from. “I come from a family that wasn’t into cars, per se,” Joe confesses. “Somehow, I found a love for these rides and have enjoyed the hobby most of my adult life.” The 1965 model year, in particular, is near and dear to him for one very good reason: He was born in 1965 and is happy to own a car from his birth year! “I’m just thankful I was born in the ’60s as that’s the era when all the cool cars came out,” Joe says.
After purchasing the Nova, Joe kept it “as-is” for about a year before devising a game plan. Part of that plan included finding a shop to handle the heavy lifting and execute the work needed. “I found MAD Customs in nearby Boyertown, Pennsylvania, to do the job. I heard great things about them and knew that they were the right shop for the job,” Joe excitedly says. “I then worked with owner Mark Denlinger and shared with him what I had in mind for the Nova.”
The ’65 was the perfect canvas for a complete makeover. He bought the car with no engine or transmission, so he had no qualms about doing a restomod build with it. He wanted a more modern powertrain for reliability, but he also wanted it to keep the Nova’s classic style. MAD Customs was the perfect fit for this type of build, as the crew is well-versed at adding modern powerplants and drivelines to vintage rides.
“Joe rolled into my shop out of nowhere,” Denlinger explains. “I’d never met him, but he dove straight into telling me about his Nova project—said he wanted to drop in a new 383ci crate engine. Nothing wrong with that, but around here we’ve mastered the craft of taking modern LS engines and dressing them up with a killer retro vibe. I knew that setup would give Joe everything he wanted—power, reliability, and just the right edge. Still, he was fixated on that 383, but at least he was thinking five-speed, Wilwood brakes, and Vintage Air. So, we rolled with it—for a bit.”
Once the build plans were locked in, Denlinger brought Joe into the paint booth where the crew had just finished assembling an LS3—fully painted and mocked up to look like a classic small-block. Joe asked, “What exactly am I looking at here?” Denlinger grinned and said, “That’s actually an LS.” Without missing a beat, Joe said, “Yeah, I want that one in my car.”
From there the build fell right into place. The Nova was recently painted, so the skin just needed a good buff to get it looking in tip-top shape.
The front suspension was rebuilt using a front clip from Martz Engineering out of Bedford, Pennsylvania, and consists of a bolt-on subframe that comes with upper and lower control arms. Denlinger fine-tuned it by adding QA1 coilover shocks into the mix. Out back, a Chassis Engineering universal four-link system was installed along with another pair of QA1 coilovers to get the box Chevy to sit properly. For modern braking performance, 13-inch Wilwood disc brakes were placed at the corners—six-piston calipers up front and four-pistons units out back. Finishing touches include American Racing TorqThrust wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport tires, 225/45R17 and 255/45R17 respectively.
While the MAD Customs crew was finishing up the chassis, Denlinger readied the firepower for this little beast. The restyled LS3 was the perfect addition to the mid ’60s restomod. With 495 hp on tap, the crate engine puts out plenty of power to guide the Chevy along any course Joe decides to take. Matched up with a TREMEC TKX five-speed, Hanlon Motorsports short-throw shifter, and a Ford 9-inch rearend with Truetrac Posi and 3.70 gears, the combination makes the perfect setup for pavement-pounding fun.
The interior was in good shape when it showed up in the shop, so just a little bit of tweaking was performed to get it up to snuff. The stock bucket seats and door panels were left alone as they had been redone at some point.
Next, the team installed the dashpad and tucked a set of modern Classic Instruments gauges into the original bezels. A vintage 1966 Corvette steering wheel keeps the ride pointed true, while a Vintage Air system takes care of the cabin climate. To finish things off inside, Bux Customs of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, handled the fresh headliner and carpet install.
The finished product speaks for itself. It’s a beefed up and modernized version of the classic box Nova. It’s a ride that you can strap in and drive across country without a second thought. As far as Joe’s concerned, he couldn’t be happier. “Mark Denlinger and the crew at MAD Customs do top-notch work, hands down.”
Check out this story in our digital edition here
Tech Check
Owner: Joe Horne, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania
Vehicle: 1965 Chevrolet Nova SS
Engine
Type: LS3
Assembly: MAD Customs
Displacement: 376 ci
Compression Ratio: 10.7:1
Bore: 4.065 inches
Stroke: 3.622 inches
Rotating Assembly: Hypereutectic cast-aluminum alloy pistons, powdered metal rods, forged crank
Cylinder Heads: Aluminum rectangle port
Valvetrain: Stock beehive springs, roller fulcrum rocker arms, hydraulic roller lifters
Camshaft: Stock GM hydraulic roller cam
Induction: Holley Intake, 90mm throttle body with psi adaptor
Fuel Injection: Holley
Valve Covers: Billet Specialties
Exhaust: Hooker cast-iron manifolds, custom 2.5-inch exhaust, Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers
Ancillaries: Entropy aluminum radiator and dual fans, coil pack bracket to mimic distributor, Billet Specialties serpentine kit
Horsepower: 495 hp
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC TKX five-speed
Rear Axle: Ford 9-inch, Truetrac Posi and 3.70 gears
Chassis
Front Suspension: Martz Engineering front clip with rack-and-pinion, QA1 coilover shocks
Rear Suspension: Chassis Engineering four-link, QA1 coilover shocks
Brakes: Wilwood 13-inch rotors, six-piston calipers front, four-piston rear
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: American Racing TorqThrust 17×7 front, 17×8 rear
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 225/45R17 front, 255/45R17 rear
Interior
Upholstery: Stock GM vinyl
Steering: Stock column with 1966 Corvette steering wheel
Shifter: Hanlon short throw shifter mechanism, Hurst chrome handle and knob
Instrumentation: Classic Instruments
Wiring: PSI harness
HVAC: Vintage Air
Sound System: Sony with Bluetooth and satellite radio, amp, and sub installed in trunk
Stereo Installation: MAD Customs
Exterior
Bodywork & Paint: N/A
Paint: GM Madeira Maroon with added pearl and metallic
