Tag Archives: Restomod

SEMA 2023: 1966 Chevrolet Nova ReNOVAtor by The Custom Shop

Posted on by
Reply

I have featured The Custom Shop in Flanagan, Illinois before on this site, so I was pleased to see a new custom car build from them at the 2023 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

In the North Hall at the SONY car audio booth was this bright red ’66 Chevy Nova called “ReNOVAtor.” Though the car is almost 60 years old, you would not guess that based on its appearance! From every angle, the car looked stunning.
The Custom Shop has pulled off several tricks with this build that set them apart from the crowd. First, most of the chrome is blacked out, which I think makes for a very cool look. Second, the car has been completely upgraded to modern day with LED taillights, a digital dash, and a carbon fiber driveshaft.

I was surprised when I peeked under the hood and saw a small block Chevrolet engine under the hood, NOT an LS engine! The Hixson-built 427 SBC makes an estimated 750 hp at 8500 rpm. The engine choice is unique when every other builder has the same GM crate engine under the hood these days.

The engine has a Holley EFI setup with Imagine Injection stacks. It flows through a set of Hooker headers into a Pypes stainless steel exhaust with cutouts for when you want that extra sound.
This Nova features a full flip cowl hood, which is a neat touch that once again sets this car apart from other builds. The moldings have been shaved and the firewall, trunk floor and belly pan have all been smoothed.

Up front, the laser cut grille has sort of a stock car vibe, and I’m not sure how I feel about it on this car. The LED headlights are a big improvement over the stock ones.

The interior is a complete renovation as well, with the Holley EFI digital dashboard taking center stage in the instrument cluster. The LED accent lights look cool, and illuminate the floor-mounted brake pedal. The interior is from TMI Upholstery and features Apex leather on the seats and door panels. And of course, it has a bangin’ Sony stereo system!

The Custom Shop has done it once again with their ’66 Nova “ReNOVAtor” and created a restomod car that their client is sure to love.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Pontiac GTO by Detroit Speed

Posted on by
Reply

Founded in 2002 by Kyle Tucker, Detroit Speed and Engineering has grown into a manufacturer of performance suspension parts and kits for American muscle cars and trucks. Indeed, it seems that every other car at SEMA has some part on it made by DSE.

But the Mooresville, North Carolina company does more than just make parts – they are alsoa full hot rod shop that does custom cars for clients. At the 2023 SEMA Show, DSE showed off this gorgeous 1969 Pontiac GTO restomod owned by actor and comedian Kevin Hart.
The Detroit Speed website has 6 galleries of build photos of this car, and they are well worth a look. This is an all-star build using the best components available.

The A-body chassis has been upgraded with a Detroit Speed X-Gen 595 suspension up front and a custom DSE QuadraLink suspension in the rear. Ride comfort is achieved through JRi adjustable coilover shocks at all four corners.

The GTO rides on a set of HRE Wheels “Valkyrja” that measure 20×9.5 up front and 20×12 in the rear. They are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tires. The wheels look great with gold spokes behind the polished lip.
When it comes to performance, the original GTO was no slouch! It was offered with a 350-horsepower or 360 horsepower engine back in 1969, and could hit 370 horsepower with the Ram Air IV option package. This GTO has been upgraded with a Chevrolet Performance LT5 6.2L supercharged crate engine producing a whopping 755 horsepower! It is coupled to a Bowler Performance T-56 six-speed manual gearbox with a Hurst shifter. It’s more than you could have imagined back in 1969.

Additional performance upgrades include a Holley premium mid mount accessory drive system, Baer disc brakes with massive 15″ R-Spec rotors and Baer XRT 6-piston calipers, and an aluminum battery mount from DSE.

The team at Detroit Speed spent a lot of time getting the body of the car just right. Nearly every panel has been modified including the front and rear bumpers, hood, front valence, spoiler, and much more! The car was painted in Mercedes Mystic Brown Metallic, which is a unique choice. I know it doesn’t fully come across in pictures, but it really looks great in person.
The car’s stunning custom interior was the work of Avant-Garde Design in Palm City, Florida. The car received a full interior treatment with Recaro Specialist seats upholstered in two tone white and brown to match the exterior of the car. Additional driver comforts include an Ididit steering column, Classic Instruments Gauges, and a VintageAir GenIV HVAC system for heating and air conditioned comfort.

The car is a real head-turner and great showcase of the top-tier work that Detroit Speed and Engineering and their partners are capable of.

Check out the 1969 GTO build gallery: https://www.detroitspeed.com/blog/post/kevin_s_gto_assembly_and_fitment/

SEMA 2023: 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup NautiD by Weaver Customs

Posted on by
Reply

The Las Vegas Convention Center encompasses more than 4.6 million square feet of floor space spread across multiple buildings. When the SEMA Convention comes to town, they occupy the entire facility. To say that the SEMA Show is big is an understatement. It is so big that it’s hard to see everything, even over multiple days.

If you spend all of your time in the convention halls, you might miss a great vehicle in one of the outdoor displays. At the 2023 SEMA Show, I saw this amazing custom Chevy pickup truck in the Adam’s Polishes booth in front of the Central Hall.

The truck is a 1949 Chevrolet 3100 pickup nicknamed “NautiD.” The truck was built by Weaver Customs in West Jordan, Utah.
The crisp body lines of the “Advance Design” styling really come through in this truck, which has shaved trim, drip rails, wipers, and mirrors. The non-metallic gray color is also eye catching, which is actually Axalta Chalk Grey. I spent a few minutes admiring the truck up close.

The truck has a ton of custom touches including a custom bed, flush mount glass, shaved and smoothed body, and a restyled front and rear end. There are more than 100 custom billet machined pieces on the truck.
Under the hood, the original straight-6 engine has been replaced with a 6.6-liter Duramax LLM diesel engine with twin turbochargers! This is coupled to an Allison 6-speed transmission. A custom Flowmaster exhaust keeps the power flowing smoothly. The Duramax engine is an interesting choice for a build, but it fits the spirit of the truck as a workhorse.

The custom-built chassis has an independent front suspension with a 4-link rear suspension with Ridetech components. A narrowed 9-inch rear end puts the power to the rear wheels. Speaking of which, the wheels are one-off designed which are 18×8 in the front and 20×12 in the rear with Michelin tires.

The interior has a minimalist design aesthetic blended with modern amenities. The truck has air conditioning, a Kicker stereo, power windows, and even 2 cup holders in the center console. A pair of custom Dakota Digital gauges provide essential information to the driver. The interior was done by Innovation Custom Interiors in Ogden, Utah who wrapped the seats and console in Guinness Hydes leather.

This Chevy 3100 is a 74 year old truck that has been completely reimagined with modern power, handling, and amenities. With this full restoration and upgrade, I’d say the truck is ready to take on the next 70 years and beyond.

Be sure to give them a follow @weavercustoms on Facebook and Instagram.

SEMA 2023: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro ARDUOUS by Tyler Nelson

Posted on by
Reply

Based on how many amazing cars are at the SEMA Show, you might think that restoring a classic car is easy. Just order the parts and put it together! But the truth is that when it comes to parts and labor, it costs a lot to get quality work. If you ask Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods & Rides, he might say that building a car is an arduous process.

His 1968 Chevrolet Camaro is nicknamed “Arduous,” which is defined as: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. I think that is an accurate description of the work that goes into building a top-tier car for SEMA.

With any project, there are always unforseen problems and challenges. Parts don’t fit, dealing with back orders and shipping delays, things break during removal and installation, and introducing custom-made parts adds a whole world of new challenges. Such is the case with this 1968 Camaro. At his shop in Rapid City, South Dakota, this Camaro was completely taken apart and rebuilt using new parts and plenty of upgrades as well.

The Camaro’s original chassis has been replaced with an Art Morrison chassis with a fully independent rear suspension. Under the hood is a GM Performance LT376/535 crate engine producing 535 horsepower, coupled to a GM 8L90E 8-speed transmission. The engine is hidden beneath a custom made air intake and engine cover that were fabricated for this car, giving it that show car look when the custom built hood is open. Everything from the fender liners to the radiator support was custom made for this car, then painted to match the exterior body color, which is a custom mixed BASF Refinish blue with accent stripes.

The interior is completely custom with the dashboard, center console and door panels made out of aluminum and wrapped in two-tone Hydes leather. While I am not generally a fan of white seats, I think that the contrasting gray and white interior looks really sharp for this car.

The car also features tons of one-off machined parts. Look closely and you will see a hexagon pattern, which is repeated in the front grille, the brake reservoir cover, the machined AC vents, the hood cowl vents, the speaker grilles in the rear dash and even the inserts of the front bucket seats. Even the gauge cluster has a subtle 6-sided surround to it.

The drip rails have been shaved and the glass is flush mounted, giving the car a more modern look. It rides on Billet Specialties wheels.
The car was a Top 12 finalist in the Battle of the Builders at the 2023 SEMA Show, and a Top 3 finalist in the Hot Rod category. Arduous has received plenty of recognition including Meguiar’s Magnificent Masterpiece and GM IRON Builder of the Year finalist at the GoodGuys Heartland Nationals in 2024.

This car was truly a labor of love for the clients, Mary & Clayton Graham who own this beautiful Camaro. It really was a treat seeing it in person at the SEMA Show. Congratulations on your well-deserved success! I can’t wait to see what comes next from the talented team at Revision Rods & Rides.

SEMA 2023: 1969 Dodge Charger TUSK by Ringbrothers

Posted on by
Reply

One of the most prominent custom car builders at the SEMA Show are the Ringbrothers, Mike and Jim Ring from Wisconsin. They show up not once in a while, but every year consistently with multiple wild custom builds that take advantage of composite materials, 3D printing, CNC machining, and some truly unique design ideas. The Ringbrothers have captured numerous top awards including the overall winner at Battle of the Builders in 2022. For 2023, they returned to the SEMA Show with a completely resto-modded 1969 Dodge Charger nicknamed “TUSK.”

The car is a complete re-imagining of the classic Charger with modern materials and performance. It is not to be confused with the ’69 Charger “Defector” that the Ringbrothers built in 2020. The “TUSK” Charger has a beautiful black and gold paint scheme that really looks great. The paint is BASF’s Glasurit Waterborne and the color is GM WA8555 Black.

Under the hood is an all-aluminum supercharged 426 / 7.0L Hemi V8 “Hellephant” crate motor producing 1,000 horsepower and 950 lb-ft of torque. Just 100 units of this engine were produced as a crate motor. Coupled to that is a Bowler Performance TREMEC T-56 Magnum six-speed manual gearbox with the classic “pistol grip” shifter that the Charger is known for.

The original B-body chassis has been replaced by a Roadster Shop Fast Track chassis. This not only provides a lower stance, it completely strengthens and upgrades the car’s performance and handling to modern standards.

Other improvements include an independent rear suspension, Baer Brakes Extreme 6S six-piston calipers. The car rides on a set of Ringbrothers “TUSK” Edition HRE Wheels which measure 19×10.5 in the front and 20×13 in the rear. The wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires for maximum grip in the corners.


At this point, people have come to expect the very best work from the Ringbrothers. They say that more than 5,000 man hours of labor went into this car. From the sheet metal to the paint work to the engine bay and interior, “TUSK” is a full custom built car done to the very highest standard possible – as only they can do it.

SEMA 2023: 1961 Chevrolet Impala TymeleSS by Maharaj Customs

Posted on by
Reply

On the surface, the SEMA Show is where people from all corners of the automotive world converge to do business. But we all know why we are really there: to see amazing custom built cars.

Walking the show floow, I came across this incredible 1961 bubble top Chevrolet Impala in the Powerbass Audio booth. The car, which is nicknamed “TymeleSS” was built by Maharaj Customs with custom metal fab by Nickell’s Customs in Lodi, California.
The light minty green custom paint looks fresh and clean, and every inch of chrome was polished to perfection. There are so many custom touches to take in, like the billet hood hinges from Eddie Motorsports.

Under the hood is an LS3 engine with a dual intake setup that produces approximately 600 horsepower. It’s visible through a cutout in the hood that looks absolutely crazy. The car rides on a full custom tube chassis that was made from scratch. It does use Ridetech suspension components and rides on a set of Forgiato wheels.
The white interior really pops thanks to the upholstery by @davescustoms5441 who did the custom seats and carpet. The front bucket seats are 11-way power seats out of a Lexus that have been restyled for this car. An Ididit steering column and custom center console round out the interior.

The audio setup in this car is also very impressive. The stereo was done by Zamz Audio in Visalia, CA using all Powerbass components. There are three XMA 4250 IR 4-channel amps running a pair of L3H horn tweeters and speakers, and a PBX-DSP8 32-bit processor. The bass consists of three XMA 2000.1 Monoblock amps driving three 3XL Powerbass 15-inch subwoofers, all mounted in a custom 2-piece enclosure. This thing will be sounding good at cruise night!
The owner spent 3 years on this full custom build and restoration. Really impressed with this great car from Maharaj Customs!