This is the story of how a sweet, retired Florida educator gets to drive one of the coolest restomod 1966 Chevy II Super Sports on the planet!
Growing up poor in rural Mantachie, Mississippi, childhood was different from the big cities or even the ‘burbs. With parents off at work, older siblings had to take care of the younger ones. Often, it leads to a special bond between the two that lasts a lifetime, no matter where life takes them.
Betty Poteet literally grew up in the shadow of her 18-month older brother, George (yes, that George). Having only one car, Betty had to go where he went if she wanted to go anywhere. Of course, that meant she was probably going to something involving cars. Betty wasn’t really into cars to start with, but osmosis eventually set in, and she began to lust after the same vehicles as her brother.
Go Your Own Way
One car that caught young Betty’s eye in the high school parking lot was a Marina Blue 1966 Chevy II. It never left her mind, but it would be many years until she realized the dream of owning one. Betty went on to attend college at Ole Miss then became a teacher, eventually moving away to Florida to teach and coach volleyball and basketball. Cars took a seat on the backburner as career, marriage, and family took priority, but Betty always kept in touch with her brother’s exploits.
After retirement, Betty returned to the Mid-South and found herself helping to keep George’s car collection in order. Being around all those old vehicles rekindled her fire to drive her dream car. George has plenty of connections and found a perfect candidate at an auction — a remarkably low-mileage, blue-on-blue ’66, just like she wanted. Having the Poteet gene, you knew Betty couldn’t leave it stock. She drove many of the cars in George’s corral and knew she wanted something that performed like a modern car.
The Build Begins
The Nova was sent to the hot-rodding geniuses at Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama, to work their magic. With the car receiving a partial restoration in the not-so-distant past, Alan Johnson and his team didn’t have to worry about the body, paint, or interior. Instead, they were able to concentrate on power, performance, and drivability.
The Chevy Nova wasn’t known for having good handling capabilities from the factory — actually, they were abysmal. Johnson’s first thought was to install a full Roadster Shop chassis under the uni-body, but that would mean cutting the floor, which was not an option for the pristine body. Instead, Johnson worked with Roadster Shop to develop an independent front suspension subframe based around C5 spindles and a fabricated four-link rear subframe with a John’s Industries 9-inch Ford Tru-Trac Posi differential. Ridetech adjustable coilovers are employed to control the rise and fall of the suspension. With the foundation set, it was time to start hanging components and connecting the dots.
Wilwood four-piston disc brakes planted on all four corners are connected together with Brakequip tubing custom bent to fit the chassis’ contours. Completing the rolling stock are Michelin tires (215/55R17 Front, 255/55-17 Rear) on Circle Racing Style 108 Wheels with the Nova dog-dish hubcaps to give it a sleeper look. Trust us, this thing rides better than most modern cars, just like Betty wanted!
Now, it was time for the drivetrain. Betty wanted dependable horsepower — nothing too crazy, but something with some pep to make sure the little Nova could hang with her big brother on Goodguys tours. Johnson’s crew knew exactly what she needed and called up LS Classic for an LS3 crate engine. The LS is a dependable platform, but most would agree it’s not as pretty as a small-block, so they made it hard as hell to tell it wasn’t a good old-fashioned L79 sitting in front of the smoothed firewall.
Old School With Modern Power
The chromed stock Chevrolet dual-snorkel air cleaner and factory steel “327” valve covers draw your eye away from the fuel rails shooting straight down into the Holley intake manifold. The fuel is fed from a Rick’s Tanks stainless steel in-tank EFI pump by Earl’s Ultra-Flex high-temp Teflon fuel line. The LS coil packs now reside behind the Detroit Speed inner fender panels to further enhance the vintage small-block appearance.
To look old-school, it couldn’t have a bunch of bling, so Powermaster Performance provided a stock-appearing GM-style alternator and PowerMax starter. Vintage Air supplied the factory-looking Nova SureFit air-conditioning system. Meanwhile, engine cooling is complements of a black Walker Radiator with a Cooling Components fan and shroud. A set of Hooker Blackheart exhaust manifolds (coated black) dump into 2.5-inch Borla stainless steel exhaust with Pro XS Mufflers custom-built by JHRS.
An Optima Yellowtop battery sends electrical power forward to a Holley EFI Terminator X Max engine management system, which also controls the shifts on the Bowler Performance 4L65E automatic transmission. An American Autowire Highway 22 kit manages all of the new electronics including the much brighter and safer LED lighting.
The Restomod Secret
The big trick to pulling off a good restomod is to make things look like they did in the ’60s yet still provide modern amenities. Inside, this Nova looks just as you think it would — bone stock — but with subtle hints of modern upgrades. For instance, the reworked seat foam provides a little extra bolstering and cushioning while hiding seat heaters to keep Betty toasty. Another update we take for granted in the modern world is cruise-control, which you will see from Dakota Digital on the turn-signal stalk.
Beyond that, everything inside looks factory fresh. Yes, there’s Vintage Air we mentioned earlier, but you wouldn’t even know it from looking at the controls. Ok, a purist would notice the ididit RetroFit steering column and CON2R Gazelle two-spoke steering wheel adorned with the factory Nova horn button, but they both look right at home. Speaking of looking like it belongs, this dash houses the prototype of Classic Instruments new 66-67 Nova Direct-Fit instrument panel. It looks stock but has modern touches. How cool is that!
Finally, there are other little things you don’t see that push this car subtly toward high-end. DEI Boom Mat sound deadening makes it incredibly quiet on those long journeys, while utilizing ARP Fasteners throughout the build means Betty won’t have fenders falling off down the road. She also won’t have paint falling off, seeing Johnson used Axalta wherever he had to apply paint.
After shakedown runs from Alan Johnson and her big brother, Betty finally took possession of her lifelong obsession. She’s not afraid to put miles on it or drive it hard, for that matter, but she definitely tries to keep it out of her brother’s hands (Betty’s seen what he can do behind the wheel). So, if you’re in the South and see an elegant Southern Belle behind the wheel of a ‘66 Marina Blue Nova, you might want to think twice before trying to pass. Word is she has a heck of a pedigree!
