Let’s face it, times are tough and scrapping together enough coin just to fill your tank is becoming more of a daily occurrence for most. Unfortunately, this means that our beloved project cars are going to the back burner. For some, this even means liquidating the project completely. Fortunately, Barrett-Jackson, an auction house known for displaying and auctioning off some rare and unique vehicles has not lost sight of what’s most important; giving back. 

Barrett-Jackson features some of the world’s greatest collection of vehicles; raising money in the process for national and local charities this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 20-22. While most of us probably won’t be attending, thankfully, Barrett-Jackson’s efforts will be televised and broadcast on SPEED channel, showcasing 20 hours of live, high-definition coverage for us to enjoy. “This year’s Barrett-Jackson charity vehicles support some of the nation’s most active and worthy causes,” said Barrett-Jackson Chairman and CEO Craig Jackson. “One-hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction for these six vehicles will help both people and animals that so desperately need it.”

We couldn’t help but showcase one very special 1970 Nova up for auction at this weekends Barrett-Jackson auction this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, all proceeds are going to charity and will be sold approximately at 3:00PM on Saturday, September 22, 2012.

1970 Pro-Touring Nova

Featuring a completely restored Nova, the body was soda blasted to bare metal. From there, all rusted areas were replaced with new metal.  Up front, the firewall was smoothed as well as the inner fender wells.  Finally, the exterior was painted Wild Black Cherry and new trim and bumpers were also added. The vinyl top was also replaced with a fresh skin.

Inside, the Nova features a Covans dash complete with an Autometer gauge set, Alpine head unit and custom-built center console. Driver and passenger are rewarded with a race-ready set of Corbeau LG-1 leather seats.

A custom rear package tray, door panels, sub enclosures with amp display were also added to complete the custom theme. For that modern touch, a complete Vintage Air system was also added.

Front suspension consists of Detroit Speed & Engineering coilover kit, featuring upper and lower tubular A-arms, bump-steer kit and power steering box. The rear gets a new subframe including a Detroit Speed 4-inch drop multi-leaf spring with billet offset shackles also benefits from a mini tub kit. A set of Cal Tracs bars keep the tires planted to the ground. To further strengthen the chassis, the front and rear were stiffened with a Hotchkis subframe connector. To combat body roll, Hotchkis front and rear sway bars were also added. All suspension components were outfitted with Grade 8 bolts.

For reliable power, a Pat Musi/Edelbrock 555ci. big-block crate engine was dropped between the front fenders. It  features 650hp and a tree-pulling 650 lb-ft of torque. To fuel the thirsty mill, an Aeromotive A-1000 fuel pump was installed along with a custom built fuel tank. To expel the fumes, a set of Lemons headers were installed along with 3-inch Flowmaster exhaust system. For cooling, the Nova relies on a BeCool aluminum radiator. Front accessories benefit from a Concept One serpentine system, complete with power steering, air conditioning and high output alternator.

Pat Musci crate engine features 650hp and 650 lb-ft.

Getting power to rear demands a hearty transmission. Naturally, the Nova gets a Tremec TKO 5-speed transmission featuring a McLeod RSC dual friction clutch, SFI scatter shield and Billet flywheel.

Moving on to the rest of the this well-built Nova; the rearend. Rounding out the package, a custom built 3-inch aluminum driveshaft with 1350 yokes, 12-bolt rearend with 3.73 gears along with a Detroit Trutrac locker and 32-spline Moser axles was also installed.

Not stopping there, a heavy-duty set of brakes was alson installed. Front brakes consist of SSBC 14-inch rotors with 4-piston calipers while the rear gets a slightly smaller set of 13-inch rotors. Stance is achieved using a Forgiato custom-built 3-piece wheels wrapped in Toyo Proxes rubber.