SP Rides: A Sight For Sore Eyes
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Bobby Kaawaloa
Age: 69
Occupation: Retired
Hobbies: Cars
Year/Make/Model: 1964 Chevrolet Nova
Color: Tangerine Orange with Silver Flames (Rainbow Flake)
Engine: 383 Chevrolet engine bored .30 over, Edelbrock valve covers, MSD ignition, AFR cylinder heads, Hooker Super Competition headers, Griffin Performance radiator, March Billet Alternator & Bracket, CSR Performance water pump, Turbo 400 Transmission, side-exit exhausts
Exterior: Aluminum billet grille insert, chrome bumper with inlaid Chevrolet emblem, cowl induction hood, hood pins, various chrome and billet parts
Interior: Custom carpeted dash, door panels, roof, seats, Autometer gauges and tachometer, Painless Wiring Toggle Panel, Quarter Stick shifter, re-carpeted floor
Wheels and Tires: 18-inch Weld Racing wheels, Firestone F-560 front, Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro 29×15.50-15LT rear
Every automotive enthusiast has a story, and every so often the story’s backstory is extra special.
In Bobby Kaawaloa’s case, the Vietnam veteran spent years performing combat assaults as an AH-1 Cobra pilot — the kind that ultimately got him shot out of the sky three times. Fortunately, he would survive each near-disaster.
Following his tour in Southeast Asia, Kaawaloa fell in love with a machine that roamed the earth rather than the skies. The machine, a 1964 Chevrolet Nova, was more of a stocker, but Kaawaloa felt a strong attachment to it. Eventually, however, his career and lifestyle prompted him to sell the automobile, and it wouldn’t be until his retirement years that he would allow a hot rod back into his life again.
Found in a barn in Colorado and covered in hay was another 1964 Chevrolet Nova, which for Kaawaloa was a sight for sore eyes. A fellow Vietnam vet had owned the Nova, but he, unfortunately, would never come back from the war. His prized hot rod sat idle for more than 20 years, his father deciding to keep it around for sentimental reasons, but ultimately decided to pass it on to Kaawaloa following a pledge: “I promised him that I would get it restored and that he would be the first one I’d show it to,” Kaawaloa explained.
With the help of Kaawaloa’s friend, the vehicle was prepared for its re-birth. But this wouldn’t be a simple makeover; rather, it would require a full body restoration, in which everything on the Chevy was to be removed, sandblasted, painted, modified and given the complete workover.
The end result is a fully built Pro Street Nova. The rear-end has been tubbed to allow wider 18-inch Weld rollers. The car also features a 383 stroker bored .30 over that’s fully loaded in and out along with a fully re-wired electrical setup. Additionally, a Turbo 400 transmission has been installed to handle the power that goes to those meaty tires. And dual side exhausts grace the lower sides with the help of fender well headers, which help create a mighty aggressive look.
Obviously, this car stands out with a majority of that due to the absolutely stunning Tangerine Orange paint job that has been applied to every sumptuous bodyline. The hot rod look is cemented further with silver and rainbow flake aflame all over the front end.
The interior is gorgeous while everything, from the door panels to the main dash and console, was rebuilt. A huge switchboard of toggles provides a really fantastic cockpit appeal while a quarter stick shifter allows some serious switches. Autometer gauges line the freshly carpeted dash along with a set of comfortable yet supportive racing seats hold the driver and passengers in place.
It took four years to complete the rebuild, and Kaawaloa is more than satisfied with the look and performance of his Nova. Not only has the ride been able to pass the test to become classified as a street rod, but it moved the former car owner’s father to tears.
“He told me, ‘I didn’t think you could make a car look that good after 20 years,’” Kaawaloa said.
