Building the Goodguys 1967 Giveaway Nova – Part 3
Interior Assembly and Final Details
The construction home stretch for the 2020 Goodguys Grand Prize Giveaway Nova meant plenty of detail work. Often the important tasks are not easily visible to the casual observer. This hard work takes a car from good to great.
Any ground-up project like this year’s Giveaway Nova involves dozens of steps, both small and large. Like most builds, the final 10 items on the to-do list can often take as long as the first 100. It’s those critical late-stage tasks that pull the whole project together. The Designer Street Rods crew worked with high-quality components from some of the industry’s best suppliers on this project, along with their own creative skills, to produce the final version of the Nova that someone will take home from Columbus in July 2020.
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- Designer Street Rods’ Tanya Beasley works on trimming and installing the sound deadening material from Vibro Solution, which was used to cover the floor, firewall, and other interior surfaces to ensure a quiet ride.
Build Part 1 | Build Part 2
From the Vintage Air climate controls and Kicker stereo systems, to the upholstery and myriad custom touches, the Nova is as slick and comfortable on the inside as it is on the exterior. Much of the interior came from TMI Products, including the seats, door panels, and headliner. Clayton Machine interior handles added a classy finishing touch to the door panels, while Specialty Power Windows provided the means for getting the glass up and down. Specialty also provided the windshield wipers. Front seat belts were supplied by Seatbelts Plus and rear belts came from Classic Industries. Classic Industries also provided the front, rear and side glass, along with sill plates and mirrors.
As the interior neared completion, you could see the result of the planning that went into its design and construction. The materials and color choices perfectly complement the car’s exterior.
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- TMI Products provided many of the interior components, including the seats, door panels, headliner, and more. Here you can see the back of the fiberglass-based door panels being prepared for installation.
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- The rear seat from TMI uses a fiberglass base covered with upholstery. The taller driveshaft tunnel and wider wheel tubs in our Nova required a little modification, but the finished product looks right at home and, just as important, is very comfortable.
Matching TMI bucket seats went in the front. TMI Products does an excellent job of designing seats with contemporary style and comfort that still look at home in vintage vehicles. A variety of upholstery colors and materials are available to coordinate with whatever style of vehicle you’re building. You can also see the new carpet from Auto Custom Carpets in this photo.
The Designer Street Rods team cut and fit the carpet from Auto Custom Carpet as well as the custom-cut floor mats. Designer also built a custom dash extension to hold the air-conditioning ducts and controls. Custom Dakota Digital gauges – complete with Goodguys logos – fit in a modified stock housing. The lucky winner will steer this Nova using a Billet Specialties steering wheel atop a Flaming River tilt steering column.
Dakota Digital built custom gauges that fit in the modified gauge cluster assembly but incorporated a more modern style and many other cool features. The Goodguys logo is a great touch.
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- You’ll find great aftermarket details in every area of the interior. A Flaming River tilt column provides adjustable comfort, while the Billet Specialties steering wheel lends a great grip and cool appearance. The pedals are from Lokar.
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- This shot of the console offers a glimpse at the Bowler Transmissions shifter for the six-speed, the compact round control unit for the Kicker audio system, plus the Vintage Air controls and vents in the dash. And, yes, there are cupholders, too!
While the rumble of the supercharged Edelbrock LS engine will be evident on the outside, the inside will stay quiet thanks to Vibro Solution sound deadening products and Steele Rubber weather stripping. The rear package tray was custom built to house the speakers for the Kicker stereo system, while Quiet Ride provided a trunk mat to help finish off the upholstered trunk. American Autowire supplied the wiring to guarantee that everything in the Nova that needs electric power has it.
The finished engine compartment shows the attention to detail that went into its design and execution. Wiring and plumbing complete, the under-hood detail work is as well done as every other aspect of the Nova.
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- Before the major pieces of the interior were installed, an American Autowire wiring harness was used to supply electricity to all the necessary components.
The Designer Street Rods crew designed and built the custom rear package tray to hold the rear speakers from Kicker.
Once the final components were installed, the PPG Paint that coats the Real Deal Steel Nova body received a thorough cleaning and detailing with products from Griot’s Garage. The Giveaway Nova looks right, sits right, sounds right. And it will look right at home in the winner’s garage. Watch for a more detailed feature on the finished car in an upcoming issue of the Goodguys Gazette.
Click here to enter your name for a chance to win this ride!
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- A paint job is not finished once the car leaves the paint booth. Color sanding and buffing are necessary to bring out the smooth luster and shine. Supplies from 3M and Griot’s Garage were used for color sanding, buffing and final detailing on the two-tone PPG finish.
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- Rodney Beasley makes use of Griot’s Garage products to give the Nova its final detailing and shine.
After months of work with components supplied by some of the hobby’s leading companies, the Goodguys Giveaway Nova is shined up and ready to hit the road to all Goodguys events through the 2020 PPG Nationals in Columbus, when a lucky winner will take it home.
