Changin' It Up

With A 1962 Nova Wagon

- Taylor Kempkes

Over the years, Shawn Steeber has had the pleasure of owning a pleasant array of classic muscle cars, including a Mustang, a Camaro, a ’56 Chevy, a Ranchero, and a 1965 two-door Nova. Shawn let out a loud yawn as he listed off all the boring cars he’s owned. Well, not really, but a few years ago he decided it was time to change it up. He wanted “something different than everyone else has out there.” So what did he get? He found himself a four-door 1962 Chevy II Nova station wagon.

Living in Westminster, California, Shawn was smack-dab in the middle of Southern California, giving him plenty of options when looking for his ideal wagon. The Craigslist hunt began and he searched until he found this ’62 Nova just around the corner in Garden Grove, California. The Nova he purchased then was nothing like the one you see now. It was a bone-stock wagon with a straight-six engine and two speed transmission. The car had some rust here and there and was riding on the stock steel wheels with no hubcaps. There was no carpet, no headliner, and the seats were so ratty that they had to be covered with towels. The only good news was that Shawn picked up the running and driving wagon for a mere $3,000.

His intent when purchasing the car was not to go head over heels and dive into a full restoration. He just wanted to clean it up a bit, paint it, and then have a nice station wagon to drive around town in. But once he started working on his Nova, it became clear he wouldn’t stop until it was perfect.