Corey's 1966 Nova SS
As the sunset gleams from the sharp lines of Corey Petska’s tuxedo black ’66 Nova it screams out: Classic Muscle! Every component has been carefully selected to perform and function at its best with tasteful styling. The stance, 4-inch cowl hood, and Street Lite chrome wheels fit this Chevy II like a glove.
Corey has dreamt of building a 1966-’67 Nova since he was old enough to drive. He’s a Nebraska native who earned his stripes helping his dad (Gary's Hydros) around the shop as a kid. If you grew up around the drag scene in Nebraska prior to 2005, then you’ve probably heard of or raced at Scribner (Nebraska Motorplex). The old repurposed airstrip was THE hot rod sanctuary back in the day… Until it closed in the early 2000s.
The shutdown left guys like Corey in a tough spot. At the time he had been racing his 1970 Nova drag car and wound up selling it after the track closed. Outside of his full-time job, Corey spends his nights rebuilding performance transmissions from his home garage. Which eventually afforded him the extra needed cash for the inclining prices of a ’66/’67 Nova.
It took a few years of searching until Corey found a good shell in Council Bluffs, IA. It was an SS car, which meant top of the line trimmings, and better yet, the body was in decent shape. It was a basket case, but Corey had the vision and talent to give this car a second chance.
It’s a classic shell, but like a lot of modern muscle today, it's powered by a nicely rebuilt LQ9 boasting 430hp at the wheels. Corey spared no expense adding all forged internals, bolted on L92 heads, and thew in a .613-inch lift hydraulic roller cam. The Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake and Fast throttle body setup are a great nod to its roots.
The interior was left mostly factory with new upholstery by McVickers in Lincoln, NE. Most of the exterior was left factory. The original bumpers were re-chromed and the grill and trim were massaged back to life.
Since the car has been finished Corey's survived multiple Drag Week competitions back to back. The results: A streetcar on pump gas with consistent 11-second passes is very worthy of receiving notoriety. Simply put, the end result is solid.