Check all fluids, wash the car, polish the rims, check tire pressures, vacuum the interior, and make any last adjustments to ensure that your trip will be successful. What am I talking about? The car show, of course! When one comes to town, you best be prepared to make it there, come hell or high water.
Now, I have always had the feeling that the shortage of a place to sit, the crowds of people, the lack of shade, and the expense of it all-especially when you add in entrance fees and a bite to eat-would mean that the average car show would begin to lose its appeal. You practically need a show map or a program just to find your favorite section of cars. Like you, we are tried and true car guys who want cars without all the filler. Weighing in those factors, we were ready for something new and innovative, so when we got buzz of a car show in a not-so-common place, we were all for it.
This wasn't the average show put on by sponsors or a huge budget. No, it was a small gathering that's been gaining in popularity through Steve's Nova Site Forum (stevesnovasite.com). Forum members decided that they wanted to be rid of the customary show, to break away from the norm and try something new with a bit more attention to the cars and the people behind them. This time the packed parking lot, the scarcity of shade, the show map, and the hoards of people were completely absent. What better location to have the car show than on a small neighborhood street? That's right, the 3rd annual SoCal Nova BBQ kicked off the festivities on a forum member's very own street. No one was battling for a parking spot, and everyone seemed to know everyone else. It was like a small community, a close-knit family where even the strangers were welcome to hang out.
If you didn't think a full-blown car show is possible on a neighborhood street, think again. The forum members are definitely onto something here, and it may be starting a trend. We like the event so much that we covered it-showing you what was there and that the idea of creating a fun-filled "car" show was still alive.
 We headed East on the 210...  We headed East on the 210 freeway toward San Bernardino, taking it nice and easy in the 100-plus degree heat, but Erich Monteith's Nova wagon was sure to shine in the SoCal sun. Monteith's Nova has a burly ZZ4 350 with an upgraded Hot Cam and a 650 Speed Demon carburetor, which is good for 325 hp to the rear tires. |  Following close behind was...  Following close behind was Steve Rowley in his '64 Chevy II sedan. Obviously a project in the works, Rowley's currently packing a 350ci small-block with TRW pistons, a Blue Racer camshaft, an Edelbrock Performer intake, and an Edelbrock carb. The stock heads have been worked over with larger valves and use Hedman headers to expel the fumes. Transferring the power is a Turbo 350 trans, while rollers of choice are 15-inch American Torq-Thrusts on all four corners. |  During our long trek into...  During our long trek into San Bernardino, the combination of sweltering heat and the sustained speeds of 70-plus mile per hour proved to be a little more than our Nova wanted to deal with. Our fuel pressure was slowly dropping, and the water temp started to rise. After it dropped from 9 pounds of pressure to 1, we had to shut it down. It turns out the fuel was boiling and creating a vaporlock, suffocating our small-block for cool fuel. |
 As a group, we pulled off...  As a group, we pulled off the freeway to gather our bearings. We went over the directions and discussed the fate of our wounded Nova. Letting the others lead on, we limped the rest of the way there-but we made it. |  ill and Roxanne Kress' Red...  ill and Roxanne Kress' Red '63 Super Sport caught our eye. At first glance, you'd never expect the animal it truly is underneath its tame exterior. The SS is outfitted with a California Performance Products (CPP) mini subframe kit, 1-inch drop coils, SSBC disc brakes, Addco sway bars, and KYB shocks. Power comes from a 0.030-over, 9.8:1 compression 383 with Edelbrock Performer RPM heads, while a 750-cfm carb quenches its thirst. |  Bench seats and a 408ci small-block...  Bench seats and a 408ci small-block generating 538 hp just scream coolness. Ed Kaatz's '66 has a CPP mini subframe (a common theme here), CPP front discs, Competition Engineering Slide-A-Links,... |