A LEGACY PROJECT

Gary Veeder's 1966 Nova is a triumph high-performance of detail and understatement.

- STEVE TURNER

From an early age, Gary Veeder knew he loved cars. His father, Ozzie, loved Chevys. He invested time and money buying used Corvettes and working on them. That passion for hot rodding took hold in the youngster and shaped the rest of his life.

"I always tinkered with my dad. He could never afford to buy new ones, but he always bought Corvettes to work on and fix up, Gary explained. "He inspired me to get into the body shop business, which I was in for 45 years, retiring last year."

Not only did Gary carry on his father's gearhead tradition, but he took it a huge step forward. Upgrading those Corvettes with his father also inspired Gary to take that attention to detail into his business. He opened his body shop, Veeder's Collision Center, in Watertown, South Dakota, and thrived for decades because of the fastidiousness he learned from his father's projects.

"I have loved cars all my life. Restoration and working on cars is really the only hobby I have tried that I am truly passionate about," Gary stated. "Seeing something old and making it nice brings me great satisfaction."

There is a saying about the plumber always having leaky pipes, which implies that the customer work usually takes precedence over personal projects. Alas, this is just as true of a body shop. Veeder's focused on collision work, so a one-off build became an after-hours project. Drawn to the muscular lines of the 1966 Chevrolet Nova, he spotted one at a car show, and after more than two years of pursuit, acquired that car for just $3,500.

"After eight years, my dad's dream was to restore and modify the car to a semi-Pro Street, Gary's son Bryan explained. "Mom had reservations, wanting him to leave it stock. It was a 1966 SS-a six-cylinder, automatic car. He decided to restore it, and wanted it to be stock appearing, especially on the inside.