Menu

Shop

Garage

Cart

Account

Products to Compare (max of 3)
X
Compare These Parts

Corey's 1966 Nova SS

8/10/2020
Add Article To List
Who hasn't dreamed of owning a Chevy II?

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.

BFGoodrich 155/80 front tires and 255/60 MT ET Street Radials wrap the 15" Street Lite wheels perfectly.

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.

It's clean, it's simple, and there is no bad angle on this car.

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.

It's best time was 11.42 at 118mph - about as fast as you can go without a roll cage.

Related Articles

"Gangrene" '36 Willys Sedan by The Tin Man's Garage
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
10/24/2022
This year, the Speedway Motors SEMA booth will host Ron Ernsberger's radical Willys built by the Tin Man's Garage. It's a Hemi-powered hot rod with some classic street rod elegance thrown in, and there's much more going on here than meets the eye...
Built With Speedway Motors: Bob's 1936 Chevy Coupe
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
7/22/2022
After being stored away for decades, Bob finally finished his big block powered '36 Chevy coupe...
2021 Goodguys Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven Winners
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
4/8/2022
The Goodguys Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven award is all about showing off what can be done in the home garage. This pair of '34 Fords show that just about anything is possible, from mild to wild!
Charlie's 1939 Ford Pickup Hotrod: Built With Speedway Motors
by Katie Bennett - Posted in News
3/21/2022
Charlie and his brother come from a multigenerational family of hot rodders. They both enjoy building projects that are a little unique, and this '39 Ford Pickup Hotrod is no exception.
Charlie's 1930 Model A Coupe
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
1/4/2022
This Model A hot rod stopped us in our tracks, and the story of how it came to be is just as good as the finished product!
The Speedway Motors G-Comp Nova
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
8/31/2021
This little Nova is loaded with G-Comp suspension, big tires, and a nasty LS engine. It's a mean autocross machine, even if it seems like an unlikely candidate.
Jason’s Model A Coupe
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
8/2/2021
Jason’s Holland’s Model A coupe is loud, unruly, and refuses to apologize to anyone. It was pieced together from a few clapped-out bodies, one of which was so mangled that Jason’s buddies made fun of him for dragging it out of the swap meet.
Nick’s Model A Roadster
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
8/2/2021
Nick Hoesing built a do-it-all hot rod in the one car garage attached to his house. He's since logged almost 50,000 miles and quite a few dragstrip passes in his cool little Model A roadster.
Historic Drag Cars from the Museum of American Speed
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
6/24/2021
The '21 season marks the 70th year of NHRA drag racing. Here's look at a few great drag cars from that 70 year history from the Museum of American Speed.
Mike Earley's '69 Chevelle
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
6/2/2021
Mike Earley fell in love with Chevelles when he was a little kid. Now he's lucky enough to own one of his own with a few unexpected tricks under the hood.