Chevy II Stunner: Brian Hennessy’s Nitrous-Fed 1963 Chevy II

By Brian Wagner August 21, 2019
When a racer begins a project there’s a goal that exists in the back of their mind guiding them toward the final product. Five years ago, Michigan native Brian Hennessy decided he wanted to build the killer 1963 Chevy II that he was dreaming of. After a long and winding road, the Nova he envisioned came to life with 632 cubic-inches of nitrous-fed power under the hood.

Brian’s career in racing began like so many others: with shenanigans on the streets with his friends. When he realized how much he enjoyed automobiles and the thrills they can provide, the decision was made to step up what he was racing and where he was doing it.

“I did start out street racing, but that eventually wasn’t enough so I started doing some grudge racing at local tracks. Soon, I was traveling to different events all over the country to race. A friend of mine talked me into trying class racing and after one event I was hooked,” Brian says.

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After owning at least 10 Mustang, Brian had the itch to try something different, and he wanted to build a Chevrolet. In 2015, he began the search for his next ride and found the Nova as a bare roller in Ohio and knew that’s exactly what he wanted. Brian made the decision to pull the trigger on the car and kick off a new and exciting project.

“My dad was on vacation and I sent him out with a pocket full of cash and an address to get the car, sight unseen. When he got there and took a look at the car he called and informed me that it was in pretty rough shape overall. I told him that was fine and the car was what I wanted for this build. He paid the man and brought the car home for me,” Brian explains.

To continue his class racing journey in Outlaw 632, Brian wanted to make sure he had plenty of power under the hood. Fulton Competition Race Engines got the call to build a stout engine filled with great parts from Gibtech and GRP. Dart Big Chief heads that got a full massage from Fulton were bolted to the short block. A custom Fulton intake manifold that features a Fulton-plumbed nitrous system work with a pair of CFM carburetors to bring, air, fuel, and nitrous into the engine. The task of sending the nitrous-fed power to the rear tires is handled by a JCR-built turboglide and Cameron’s Torque Converter Services converter.