Nova Links A Family's Past, Present, And Future

Nova links a family’s past, present, and future

When Charles Pinchak went looking for his first car in 1986, he had a pretty good idea of what it would be. “All my friends had Novas, so that’s what I wanted, but the problem was that my grandfather, Chuck Miller, was a Ford guy. He and I were very close, and he was a talented mechanic that I knew would have a hand in whatever I bought and worked on.”

It may not have been easy, but Charles assures us that his grandfather was able to overlook brand loyalty, and that his fingerprints are all over the car you see here, the 1963 Nova that turned out to be Charles’ first set of wheels.

No doubt the condition of the Nova helped Charles’ grandfather accept a Bowtie in the family. What Charles uncovered all those years ago was an original-owner, twodoor 400 model with 93,000 miles. A V-8 option wasn’t available for the 1962 or 1963 model year, and this one originally sported an anemic 194-inch six and a Powerglide. It had obviously been well cared for, with straight and rust-free metal top to bottom.