Real Deal Steel - Chevy II/Nova Bodies
How does Real Deal Steel build a 1966 or 1967 Chevy II Nova body?
Each body starts with a body-specific steel platform mounted to a heavy-duty rotisserie on which the floor and rear frame rail assembly is built. From there we assemble our custom fixtures that include numerous cam-locks & mounting points that fit into factory tooling holes. Our fixtures are hand crafted with years of refinement and adjustments for the best body every time. The fixtures we use are originally built inside of several original bodies and periodically test-fit in different original bodies for fitment checking. The steel body skeleton and exterior panels are then carefully assembled and fit around our fixtures thus duplicating the original specifications. We use 220-Volt water-cooled spot welders for factory-appearing welds, and we add more welds than original cars for added strength and rigidity. All panels used on our bodies are also sold separately. We only use the latest tooling and molds for the best products available. Many panels available in the marketplace have more than one set of tooling. Some tools can be decades old, so be sure you are buying the latest, best-fitting panels available today. There are other manufacturers that offer steel bodies, but we are proud to say that nobody else works directly with the parts manufacturers and uses the factory-assembly techniques that we do! Our steel bodies are shipped around the world to builders or car owners for a full restoration or resto-mod build, many using original donor parts with our bodies. Many have gone on to become award winning show cars, with some being used to build world-class race cars, including road race and drag race cars.
Our process is simply better:
Not all bodies available in the marketplace are built the same. Real Deal Steel uses a solid heavy steel foundation that ensures a correct, consistent fit. We then assemble each body around our custom jig that has all of the factory mounting points — fitting into original panel tooling holes.
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More About Chevy II/Nova Bodies
Resistance Spot Welding
Our welding process is also crucial to the building process. Our water-cooled resistance spot welders provide a solid weld with a factory-like finish. We actually use more welds than an original car. This adds strength to each body we build. Each jig has been painstakingly built to factory specs for a consistent fit.
Are Real Deal Steel's bodies perfect?
No. We strive for the very best bit and finish with each and every body we build. During the exterior panel fitment process, we often must trim and weld panel edges for a better fit. We do some metal finishing to the areas we have "corrected", but final finishing and filling on your end will always be necessary. We do not fit front end sheet metal, so you should be prepared to handle that. Whether using original or reproduction parts, you will need to spend some time fitting them to your new body. Most customers spend 60-80 hours fitting, adjusting and prepping their new body before initial primer.
All of our bodies are assembled with pride in our Sanford, Florida USA assembly plant. The end result will be a brand-new, rust-free steel 1966-67 Chevy II body that will only make your build process easier and add value to the finished project!