Imagine finding a one-owner, six-cylinder Chevy II that is original right down to its body panels and Powerglide transmission. What would you do if you were lucky enough to buy it? Keep it stock? Modify it with a V8 perhaps? Flip it for a quick profit? The owner of this Chevy II named ‘Plain Jane’ was lucky enough to figure out the correct answer to those questions.

Doug Cooper found this Deuce in California some 19 years ago. He drove it as-is for a while, then put it away for over a decade. He’s built and owned several great vehicles over the years, including a ’55 Chevy that was one of the first “patina’d” street machines, and he had serious plans for this ’66 Chevrolet compact. But they took a while to formulate.

When it comes to street muscle, few cars have been built in as many styles as the venerable Chevrolet Chevy II Nova. This is remarkable for a vehicle with such pedestrian roots. It was born in ‘62 as a more conventional companion to the Corvair to take on the small-car market. It offered typical Chevy values, like reliability and an economical ownership experience., but without the Corvair’s perceived eccentricities—namely rear engine placement and air cooling.

A V8 came along in ’63 for the Deuce, but it was nothing special. Finally, in ’66 came the Corvette’s L79 327/350 horsepower engine. Things would never be the same again for this humble little economy car. By ’68, the L78 396 with 375 horsepower became an option and the Chevy II has been a favorite with hot rodders ever since.

While modified and restored ’68-72 versions are everywhere, nothing can touch the ’66-67 models for pure reverential treatment. They have been put on a pedestal for decades and prices have climbed accordingly.

These Chevy IIs have been built in every style imaginable, from gasser and street machines to show cars and pro touring. This feature car fits into the latter two categories.

It’s got the best bits from Detroit Speed underneath, an LS3 with Borla stack injection up top and a show-winning appearance, despite wearing virtually all the paint it left the assembly line with during the Lyndon Johnson administration.

Doug calls this build, “Plain Jane” and we understand why. The Forgeline wheels are way bigger than the factory offered, but they don’t announce their presence with a lot of bling. They measure 18×11.5 rear and 18×8.5 front but mimic the style of factory black steelies with dog dish hubcaps. He wrapped them in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires (315/30 rear and 265/30 up front).

No way you are fitting those monsters in a stock Chevy II body. Detroit Speed Deep Tubs accommodate the rears and a Detroit Speed front clip not only removes dead weight and gives room for the big rollers, but it delivers the type of road holding and sure-footedness that Chevrolet’s engineers never dreamed of. Ask anyone who ever drove a new L79 car and they will tell you they were terrifying at speeds over 80 mph. Not this car! At 80, it is just getting turned on.

Behind the rolling stock hide some of the best brakes Wilwood has to offer. Six-piston calipers are squeezing the 13-inch rotors up front and 12.2 rotors are out back. In keeping with the Wilwood theme are an electric parking brake, pedals, and master cylinder.

The white paint and understated interior would have some onlookers say, “What’s the big deal?” At least at first glance. Open the hood, doors, and/or decklid and they might say, “Holy … !” Under the 58-year-old stock hood is a Chevrolet Performance LS3 525-horse crate engine—with one exception. Up top is a Borla eight-stack fuel injection system powered by a Holley Terminator X computer. Not something you’d expect to find on your usual LS-swapped hot rod. Ultimate Headers feed a Borla exhaust system. Doug guesses the way it sits the car should make 550 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. An American Autowire harness ensures everything lights, fires up, and turns on and off like it should.

The LS3 is backed by a Bowler-prepped Tremec T-56 gearbox with a Centerforce dual-disc clutch and Detroit Speed 9-inch rear housing 3.70 gears. Detroit Speed’s Quadralink suspension ensures the back of the car faithfully follows the front’s lead.

In this day and age of giant wings, splitters, and ground effects on most Pro Touring builds, Plain Jane is a paragon of restraint. I mean, it’s hard to be “Plain” with ground effects and a two-foot wing on the trunk. But just as Doug was satisfied with the factory hood, this car when viewed from certain angles will fool you into thinking, “There’s not much going on here.” To which we can only chuckle.

TMI supplied the Pro-Classic Sport SS low-back bucket seats, not to mention the carpet and headliner kit, dash pad door panels.

Dakota Digital gauges monitor everything and Seat Belt Plaint was sourced for the belts and shoulder harnesses.

The trunk of ‘Plain Jane’ has been customized. All the work on the vehicle, by the day, was done by Dynamic Speed & Custom in Gadsden, Alabama. This is not the first project Doug’s called on them for. The first of which was the aforementioned ’55. Doug said he made the mistake of clear coating the patina’d body for protection, which led to many thinking they’d faked the originality.

“I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with this car,” he said of Plain Jane. He left it alone, drive it and scratches be damned.

Doug has owned more than his share of outstanding rides over the years, including multiple Chevys, a ’Cuda, and a ’32 Ford that was a 2009 Riddler award winner. What started as a drag racing hobby as a kid has turned into a complete obsession as an adult.

That’s okay, as someone once said, “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever.”