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By: Sue Elliot-Sink
Photography: Courtesy of Overhaulin'
Reprint from OVERHAULIN' The Magazine, July 2006
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Page Two
k, so it's a cliché. The cobbler's kids have no shoes, and the mechanic who owns a repair shop
and does some work with Jay Leno has no time to work on his own '56 Chevy Nomad. Because Leno's
such a cool car guy, he helped set up David Killackey to be Overhauled, with serious help from
his son David Jr.The beauty of the Overhaulin' show is that Chip Foose and the team aim to craft each car the way its owner has always wanted, but even better. In this case, David had dreamed of transforming his Nomad into a hot rod—still pretty stock-looking but motivated by a stout 572ci big-block Chevy engine under the hood. In fact, Chip had more insight that normal into this mark's wishes because David had just gone to Hot August Nights in Reno with this son, where he'd pointed out all the things he liked on various Nomads. David Jr. relayed the info, and Chip penned a design for this Nomad that retained much of its fabulous '50s style but with a cleaner look. |
You can feel the difference between a stock Nomad and this car right
away. But if we didn't point out the subtle changes that were made, you might spend hours
poring over the before and after photos to spot them. For instance, the door locks have been
shaved, as have most of the emblems, including the big bird and the Chevy emblem on the nose.
The bumper bolt holes have been shaved and filled, the bumpers have been moved closer to the
body, and rear Nomad bumper guards were used both front and rear (they're smaller than the
factory front bullets). Other subtle changes include the addition of air conditioning and a
hidden custom audio system; the transformation of the firewall (to look pretty and to
accommodate the bigger engine); and the absence of a battery under the hood. Clearly, transforming this Tri-Five Chevy from rust bucket to red-hot beauty was no easy task. Co-Host A.J. literally filled up a cart at C.A.R.S. Inc. with practically one of everything to replace the car's damaged |
sheetmetal. All that metalwork continued until nearly 9 p.m. on Day 4, when the body was finally
ready to get ready for paint. It took two more days of applying body filler, blocking, and sanding
before the car hit the paint booth—with two team members squirting it simultaneously on the
evening of Day 6. The good news is other work could be done while the body was being beautified. A&M Auto Upholstery used that time to re-cover the original seats and get them ready for installation. Gemtech powdercoated the frame. The suspension, engine, trans, and custom exhaust all were put in their place. And the Golden Customs audio guys had the sound system prepped and ready to install for the final tweaking. Even with all the multitasking, the build continued after midnight on Day 7—officially D-Day. But the end result is a clean, updated Nomad that not only looks unique and sounds great but also most definitely gets out of its own way. |
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> She's a rusty old girl, but she's got good bones. (The broken exhaust tip is a particularly nice touch.) > The seats may look ugly, but al least the frames were salvageable. Absolutely everything else inside this car had to be replaced, including the window glass. |
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THE CAST OF CHARACTERS |
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> The happy mark, David Killackey St., enjoys his Overhauled Nomad with the show's most famous insider, Jay Leno. |
 > Chip Foose, Co-Host A.J., David, Jay, and Co-Host Chris Jacobs pose in front of the Nomad with the car's build team (from left): Dirk Binder (in white shirt), Ed Golden, Colm Derasmo, Dwayne Clark, Darryl Nance, Andrew Babish, Jerry Bermudez, Jeff Binder, Shane Boulay, Craig "Captain" Watts, Ben Bright, Jeff Van Klaveren, Project Manager Craig Chaffers, Shawn Hengstebeck, Ryan Ellis, Tony Ixcoy, David's son and Overhaulin's accomplice David Killackey Jr., Jake Bailey, Josh Franklin, David's son Dean Killackey, Mike Hamm, and David's son James Killackey. Other members of the build team include David Arroyo, Sal Arroyo, Chris Bassett, Dan Borunda, Ryan Borunda, Nick Cetrangolo, Rafael Devora, Alen Edwards, Jack Fields, Piti Martinez, Nick Nance, Pt Nance, Luciano Nunes, and Tom O'Donnell. |
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Chips Words of Wisdom "I don't like to build something that looks like it's customized," says Chip. "I like to build something that looks like it came from the factory." |
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 > Deconstruction on Day 1 opened up the engine compartment to reveal the ugly, old 265ci V-8. |
 > Holy floorboards, Batman! Ben Bright had better watch his step. This thing had rust everywhere—except where there was no metal left. |
Page Five
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| SHEETMETAL This rusty ride received a boatload of replacement sheetmetal from C.A.R.S. Inc.,
including a complete floorpan (with braces), one full quarter-panel, a quarter patch panel,
and replacement sections to go around each taillight. The Overhaulin' team also
swapped on a used tailgate that was in better shape, plus D&P Classic Chevy came through
with a pair of used fenders.
BRIGHTWORK This car is definitely shiny, thanks to quite a few replacement trim parts from
C.A.R.S. Inc. Original pieces that were salvageable were polished by California Polishing
or chromed by Artistic Silver Plating and Cal Bumper.
PAINT Overhaulin' build-team members Shawn Hengsterbeck, Josh Franklin, and Tony Ixcoy
squirted the Nomad with R-M Diamont Carizzma ... From BASF two-stage paint in creamy white and
a dark metallic red. Underneath, Gemtech powdercoated the frame black.
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BRAKES Baer provided a Track front system with 13-inch rotors and two-piston calipers;
all components bolt on to the stock spindle without modification. The Sport system in the
rear includes 12-inch rotors with single-piston calipers. Baer also supplied steel braided
hoses, new parking-brake cables, the master cylinder required for the conversion, and an
adjustable proportioning valve to balance the front and rear systems.
SUSPENSION Heidi's 2-inch dropped spindles for the front give the Nomad a nice rake. These are
full-steel spindles, just like the factory pieces, and they work with the stock steering
arms with no loss of turning radius.
WHEELS Chip Foose designed a unique, polished, one-off wheel for the Nomad, custom-built
at MHT Wheels in two sizes: 19x8 inches for the front and 20x10 for the rear.
TIRES The big wheels are wrapped in BFGoodrich g-Force T/A ultra-high-performance tire,
225/40-19s up front and 255/40-20s out back. They provide amazing traction, even in
rain and snow, plus a smooth, quite ride.
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Page Six
> A trip to the media blaster on Day 1 revealed the full extent of the rust damage. |
> Then the rust repair began, inside and out. By the time she was ready for paint, the body looked like a patchwork quilt. Aside from the roof and the hood, pretty much every panel had to be either patched or replaced. |
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 > Dennis Rickless of DR Design Stripped the car and lettered it with 572 Air "badges." |
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> The Deluxe version of the ZZ 572 crate engine includes an 850-cfm Demon Carburetor, an aluminum water pump, an HEI distributor, a single-plane intake manifold, a flexplate, and plug wires. |
| ENGINE Guaranty Chevrolet provided the new ZZ 572 GM Performance Parts crate engine.
The pump-gas-friendly Gen IV tall-deck big-block is good for 620 hp at 5,500 rpm
and 650 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The firewall took a beating to accommodate
those massive rectangular-port aluminum heads.
ENGINE-SWAP PARTS D&P Classic Chevy kicked in plenty of parts to make this engine swap possible,
including motor mounts and a special Milodon oil pan.
HEADERS Mike Hamm spent two days custom-building a set of headers to fit these tight
quarters without choking the engine. According to Chip Foose, they're probably the
most intricately fabricated parts on the car.
EXHAUST Magna Flow's team built the stainless exhaust system on-
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site, from the headers
back through 3-inch collectors into a 3-inch Tru-X pipe, then on through two 5x8x14
offset-center stainless mufflers, exiting through 21/2-inch mandrel-bent dual
exhaust pipes.
PERFORMANCE PARTS Summit Racing supplied a variety of performance parts to make this Nomad run
like a champ, including the Powermater starter, air cleaner, Billet Specialties
pulley setup, fuel pump, Be Cool radiator, and Currie-built Ford 9-inch rearend
with 3.73:1 gears.
TRANSMISSION Bowler Performance Transmissions stepped up with a Turbo 3400 with premium
clutches, heavy-duty bands, all-new bearings, an upgraded heavy-duty 34-element
intermediate sprag, Teflon sealing rings, a new Low roller sprag, and a shift-improver
kit. It's fitted with a 2,000-stall-speed converter, plus Bowler smoothed and
custom-painted the transmission case.
Gear Vendors Overdrive! Installed after the show. |
Page Eight
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> The nose looks far cleaner without the bird hood ornament and the Chevy badge. Chip Foose smoothed the hood and continued the factory ridgeline down the center—all by hand. Plus, he and Captain Watts filled the bolt holes on the bumpers and installed a set of rear Nomad bumper guards up front. |
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| INTERIOR C.A.R.S. Inc. provided new door panels, kick panels, sunvisors, carpet, gauges,
door handles, and window cranks—basically, everything needed to make this
interior look new again—and A&M Auto Upholstery installed it all.
SEATS A&M covered the original Nomad seat frames with new foam and new seat covers
from C.A.R.S. Inc. The black and ivory vinyl/cloth combo provides some serious '50s
style.
STEERING COLUMN Ididit's '55-'57 Chevy tilt column shift steering column works with the original
in-dash gear indicator, and it includes knobs and handles, self-canceling turn signals,
fur-way flashers, and its own wiring harness. It works with either a three- or
four-speed automatic.
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SOUND DEADENING Under all the factory-look interior components is a layer of Dynamax Xtreme sound-
and temperature-reducing material, making this Nomad far more comfortable than it was
in 1956.
SOUND SYSTEM Golden Customs' team hid the head unit inside the glovebox to retain the stocklook
of this stunning dash. The rear seat folds flat for cargo space, just as it did from the
factory, so the guys couldn't build a typical amp/speaker box to go behind it; instead,
they tucked two Kicker amps inside the spare-tire well and stashed speakers behind the
back seat and in the front kick panels.
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AIR CONDITIONING Vintage Air's Tri-Five Chevy Sure Fit air conditioning, heater, and defroster system
is mounted completely behind the dash, and it ensures David Killackey feels as cool—and
as hot—as he looks while driving his Nomad.
ALARM Protek Resources wired up the alarm, which includes a shock sensor and a motion sensor,
as well as a remote key-less-entry system and power door locks.
BATTERY An Optima YellowTop SpiralCell battery provides extra performance and deep-cycling
capacity. It's hidden away inside a door in one of the quarter-panels.
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A&M AUTO UPHOSTERY Norwalk, CA 562/404-4016 ARTISTIC SILVER PLATING Signal Hill, CA 877/427-0113 www.artisticsilverplating.com BAER BRAKE SYSTEMS Phoenix, AZ 602/233-1411 www.baer.com BFGOODRICH Greenville, SC 877/788-8899 www.bfgoodrichtires.com BOWLER PERFORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS Lawrenceville, IL 618/943-4856 www.bowlertransmissions.com BURR KING Warsaw, MO 800/621-2748 www.burrking.com Grinders and polishers CAL BUMPER Long Beach, CA 568/436-1203 CALIFORNIA POLISHING Huntington Beach, CA 714/847-2166 CALTIME METALS Hunting Beach, CA 714/892-3307 www.caltimemetals.com CARIZZMA ... FROM BASF 800/825-3000 www.carizzmacolors.com |
C.A.R.S. INC. Rohester Hills, MI 800/CARS-INC www.carsinc.com CENTURY TOWING West Hills, CA 818/993-7555 CLASSIC AUTO APPRAISER Mission Viejo, CA 800/454-1313 www.classicautoappraiser.com D&P CLASSIC CHEVY Huntington Beach, CA 714/375-0889 DR DESIGN Murrieta, CA 951/600-9493 DRIFTMODE Bend, OR 541/322-9184 www.driftmode.com Automotive service covers DYNAMAT Hamilton, OH 513/860-5094 www.dynamat.com FIVE STAR GAS AND GEAR Los Nietos, CA 888/885-STAR www.fivestargas.com FOOSE DESIGN Huntington Beach, CA www.foosedesign.com GEAR VENDORS El Cajon, CA 800/999-9555 www.gearvendors.com |
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GEMTECH POWDER COATING Huntington Beach, CA 714/848-2517 www.gemtechpowder.com GM PERFORMANCE PARTS 800/577-6888 www.gmgoodwrench.com/ perfparts GOLDEN CUSTOMS PRO AUDIO ACCESSORIES Nanuet, NY 845/624-1591 GUARANTY CHEVROLET Santa Ana, CA 800/569-4708 www.guarantychevrolet.com HEIDI'S HOT ROD SHOP www.heidts.com 800/841-8188 IRON CLAD GLOVES El Segundo, CA 888/314-3197 www.ironclad.com KAESER COMPRESSORS Fredericksburg, VA 540/898-5550 us.kaesser.com LINCOLN ELECTRIC Cleveland, OH 216/481-8100 www.lincolnelectric.com Welding equipment MAC TOOLS Westerville, OH 800/MAC-TOOLS www.mactools.com |
MAGNAFLOW PERFORMANCE EXHAUST Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 800/824-8664 www.magnaflow.com MHT WHEELS La Palma, CA 800/378-0007 www.mhtwheels.com MITTLER BROS. MACHINE & TOOL CO. Wright City, MO 800/467-2464 www.mittlerbros.com Metal-fabrication tools MOTHERS POLISHES • WAXES • CLEANERS Huntington Beach, CA 714/891-3364 www.mothers.com NORDIC TRADE Huntington Beach, CA 714/847-9954 www.nordictrade.com Coffee OAKLEY Foothill Ranch, CA 800/403-7449 www.oakley.com Safety glasses OPTIMA BATTERIES Aurora, CO 888/8-OPTIMA www.optimabatteries.com PERFORMANCE BEVERAGES Byrdstwon, TN 877/742-3278 www.drinkthebeast.com The Beast energy drink |
PERFORMANCE STAINLESS STEEL Scotts Valley, CA 831/335-7901 www.performancesst.com Stainless steel fittings PROTEK RESOURCES Irvine, CA 323/382-3808 ROYAL PURPLE Portex, TX 281/354-8600 www.royalpurple.com Synthetic lubricants SAL'S BODY & PAINT SHOP Inglewood, CA 310/674-5450 SATA Spring Valley, MN 507/346-7102 www.satausa.com Spray equipment (primer and paint guns) STEADY CLOTHING www.steadyclothing.com SUMMIT RACING Akron, OH 800/230-3030 www.summitracing.com 3M AUTOMOTIVE DIVISION St. Paul, MN 888/364-3577 www.3mautomotivetape.com Body supplies (tape, masking paper, sandpaper) VINTAGE AIR San Antonio, TX 800/TO-COOL-U www.vintageair.com |