If you had the choice when your were a kid, would you have picked a baseball glove and bat, or a car project? Many young kids surely would pick a good game of baseball and hanging with friends in the summer over long greasy hours in the garage. But for some, the bug catches on early, and this is how many of the best car builders in the world got started. A lot of the legends were tinkering on projects long before they could even drive. Like they say, “start ’em young!”.
With Bobby G., he was lucky enough to have a family of car nuts that started him when he was very young. Bobby and his dad picked up a ’65 Chevy Nova 4 door from a little old lady close to 10 years ago. He managed to haggle her down at a yard sale for quite a good price, and the love affair started the moment he got it. The little Nova was in runnable-condition when he got it, and Bobby learned to drive on it, and also honed his mechanical skills on it.
As with any original classic, the car began to show its age, and the Father-Son duo began ripping into the project to bring her back to her former glory. They found the typical east coast-car rust and ended up replacing the floors, lower quarters, doors, and even the trunk! They were lucky enough to find a parts car to give up many of these items and keep the majority of the metal on the car OEM. While Bobby was “in there”, he decided to install a fresh 194 straight-6 and a 4 speed transmission.
After about 3 years of work, the car is finished in Mist Blue and Bobby is enjoying the fruits of his labor at just 18 years of age! I know many of us would have killed to have a restored classic when we were only a senior in high school! Now after 10 years of ownership, Bobby is looking to the horizon and who knows what he builds next, will he take this car to the next level and make it a concours car? Or will he start building one of the other family Nova projects they have waiting in the wings? Time will only tell, but I have a feeling Bobby is on the path to becoming a great car builder if he continues at the rate he is currently at!
This is a well deserved write-up on Bobby and his Nova project. I am Bobby’s Aunt Cindy, and I have been impressed by his early on desire to get a job, so that he could earn the money needed for his car restoration. He did what ever it took to make his dream come true. And now he reaps the benefits and satisfaction of being a fine, hardworking young man. I am very proud to have him as my Nephew. I am sure that he will carry his Love and Passion with him well into his adult hood for his classic car restorations. Love You! Aunt Cindy