This Twin-Turbo ’66 Nova Is One Man’s No-Compromise Dream Machine
At 82 years young, California Jerry Kolby is having the time of his life campaigning a no-expense-spared 1966 Chevy II, which is the end product of a life spent tinkering with cars…and particularly this one, which he’s held onto through thick and thin for the last 31 years. Never did he intend nor think it would become the track-warrior that it is today — or that he could even afford to have such a car — but his unparalleled passion for the sport made it a reality.
“I’ve been interested in cars since I was 13, 14…I think I got my first car when I was 15 and I’ve had a lot of cars ever since. I’ve been on and off drag racing, I’ve tried street-rodding, I just enjoy cars,” Kolby says.
Kolby retired a few years back and had the time to invest in another iteration of his prized Chevy II. He had seen from afar the things chassis builder and accomplished racer Larry Larson had done with this own Chevy II. He initially called Larson about procuring a rear spoiler like the one on his car, but one conversation led to another (and many others to follow) and Kolby was, in due time, headed down the rabbit hole. “I decided if I was ever going to do the twin-turbo thing, the time would be now, not when I’m 100 years old.” Larson took on the project, and among Kolby’s requirements was that it retain the stock look, right down to the factory trim. He still wanted it to look like a car.
Larson installed a 598-inch cast big-block Chevy, with a Brodix block, Bryant crankshaft, Ross pistons, and Oliver billet rods, topped with 12-degree Pro-Filer 12-degree heads and a Hogan’s intake manifold. sporting A COMP camshaft drives the valvetrain, and it’s fueled by an Aeromotive mechanical fuel pump and cooled by a Meziere water pump. A pair of 94mm Precision turbos feed the beast, and a Rossler three-speed Turbo 400 with a two-piece ProTorque converter transfers to the power back to a Mark Williams full floater rearend with a 9.5-inch ring and pinion and M-W brakes, via a PST carbon-fiber driveshaft. Kolby utilizes a FuelTech FT600 ECU to manage his beautiful ride, with much of the tuning support provided remotely by Larson. FuelTech’s FTSpark with eight individual coils provide the spark for ignition.
“I’m not a big budget guy, and I’ve always had to compromise with what I was doing and use used parts, so there was always a weak link. So this time around, everything is first-class so there are no weak links.” Kolby said.
