LT4-Powered 1970 Chevy Nova Pro Touring Street Machine
Though it looks it, John Gentry’s X-body sure ain’t done yetNo matter what, you can’t escape the past. Like trying to get away from sand in the Sahara. It can’t be done. Just like if you posted on social media or put up an email, it stays out there forever. And somebody else will always remember. First cars are like that, too. You lust after something long enough and it soon becomes a part of you, and then one day the mark becomes indelible.
The car-dawn was breaking for John Gentry 35 years ago. He was a high school kid with his first ride: a 1972 Nova with a green and white exterior, and that was memorable. The 307/’Glide sandwich shaking between its fenders was not, but if he didn’t know it then, his lot was a foregone conclusion. In 1989, John sold the Nova ... and joined the Navy. Along about 1992, he discovered his current project slouching against a garage in Niles Canyon, California, and for $1,700 he was allowed to drag it away and into a secure, structured environment.
Right away, though, there was some contention: His best friend Jim declared that he’d been ripped off but John couldn’t see it. “It wasn’t perfect,” he defended, “but was in very good shape for a car that was 20 years old. It was original except for the Turbo-Hydro transmission swap.” He promptly blew the engine up and swapped out the mangled junk for a 400-cubic-inch small-block.
“It was my daily driver … until it started needing things like, you know, parts, gas, and money, all of which were non-existent in my early days. What I really needed was a reliable everyday driver. The Nova went in the garage [several of them, actually] and never moved.”
Forward the motion a decade or so and John was 7,500 miles away working in Iraq. He had time to think about stuff that had nothing to do with his livelihood. So he went into his head and built his dream car there. He ordered lots of parts. “I found Detroit Speed while trying to figure out how to put bigger tires on without it looking all chopped up. Retaining the factory look was very important to me.”
2013 was a big year for John Dog. Goodguys had a show in Nashville, right there in John’s neighborhood, really. While he was there, he wangled an autocross ride in Dan Ballard’s ’72 Nova. Had a blast, he said. What could be better than being able to experience the fruit of his goals before he actually jumped in it with both bare feet? It was an auspicious occasion. “I met Jesse Greening [Greening Auto Company, Cullman, Alabama] and we decided that we could work together. I decided then to build my ultimate street car.
