Your first car. Just mentioning that particular memory usually brings back o flood memorable experiences of a time with what many of us feel was the best automobile we have ever owned. If you think I am wrong, just think about how many project cars are recreations of “that first one.” While those grandeur-filled memories might not truthfully coincide with how great that car really was, the reality is, we all remember the fun we had and the laws that may or may not have been broken. Unfortunately, all that many of us have are those memories, as many of those first cars have succumbed to the abuse delivered, were sold, or just rusted away into oblivion. While there are not many that can claim they still have their first car, there are a lucky few, like Shari Doggett, who can. Case in point, her ’64 Nova

According to her husband, Paul, “this is Shari’s first car. Her dad actually bought it for $50.00 in 1973. Even back then, that was cheap. The previous owner was using it to haul hay for his horses.” As you can imagine, life as a utilitarian farm vehicle wreaked more than a little havoc on the small ’64 Nova, and it needed quite a bit of work.

This has to be one of the cleanest engine bays we’ve ever seen. The attention to detail is second to none.

The First Time Around

Back then, the plan was for it to be Shari’s daily driver. With that in mind, her dad took the time to clean it up, do a little bodywork, and even give a paintjob. Once on the road, it did become Shari’s daily transportation to school, work, and filled many Saturday evenings hauling her and her friends around town. In fact, it dutifully served her needs right up until the time she met and ultimately married Paul. Shari jokes that the car was actually a dowery, as it came with her. For the next several years — until 1987 to be exact — the little Nova continued to be a daily driver as Paul got his turn behind the wheel.

When “87 rolled around, life was in full swing for the couple. Paul and Shari were handling priorities like raising a family, working to support that family, and even starting a business. In the interest of better transportation, the Nova was slid into a corner of the garage and nearly forgotten about. That is, until 2015.

“The body and interior were getting to be in rough shape when we parked it,” Paul says. “Finally, when Shari had a milestone birthday coming up, I wanted to surprise her by getting the Nova back on the road.”

Paul is first and foremost, an enthusiast. However, he is also a realist and understood what it would take to bring the car back to better-than-memorable condition. In other words, he knew it was a larger task than he wanted to take on. “I knew I didn’t have the free time or the skills to do the car right, so I worked with Lo-Man Rods in Tipp City, Ohio,” he states. “At first, the plan was to do a simple rebuild with a rebuilt suspension, crate engine, and OE-style interior. But as the saying goes, one thing led to another.”

At first, the plan was to do a simple rebuild with a rebuilt suspension, crate engine, and OE-style interior. – Paul Doggett

Finding More Than Planned

The guys at the shop dug in and realized the metalwork required was extensive, and Paul even mentions the A-, B-, and C-pillars, as well as the roof and passenger door, are the only metal parts left untouched. Although repairing this hot rod’s shell took longer than Paul initially expected, once the sheetmetal was ready, a smooth-as-glass coating of PPG Root Beer was applied. Hence the car’s name, Root Beer Float.

If you think the exterior looks good, you really need to see the chassis. It is just as top-notch as the exterior. The guys at Lo-Man started by adding a Scott’s Hotrods front suspension to the shell and then tying it in to the rear frame rails with round tubing that is tucked-in tight against the inner rockers. Those rear frame rails are from Competition Engineering and are the mounting point for the Scott’s Hotrods four-link supporting a 9-inch with 3.70 gears. Since the build ultimately took an over-the-top theme, the wheels needed to be just as outlandish. Paul nailed it when he chose Billet Specialties Diamondbacks measuring 18×8 and 18×11.

One glance inside, and it’s apparent the interior is a work of art. John Miller of Hide Originals in New London, Ohio, gets all the credit. “The original bench seat was heavily modified, and the seats were covered in an Almond-colored leather with a Deco Bronze woven leather inserts,” Paul says. Tunes are blasted from a hidden Sony radio through Kicker speakers.

The ’64 Nova Gets Motivated

When it came time to decide what would motivate the little ’64 Nova, Paul wanted to keep it simple. He ordered a Blueprint Engines’ 383 small block with a conservative 8.9:1 compression ratio. Spinning between the pistons is a mild hydraulic roller cam with .536/555-inch lift and 224/236 degrees of duration. To give an eye-catching outward appearance, the Blueprint aluminum heads support an Inglese intake manifold with four Weber IDF carburetors. Behind the mild mill is a 200R4 overdrive transmission. Drivability is not a problem. Although the Nova is no longer a daily driver, you can bet it’s as reliable as any.

Large Hoosiers fill the wheel wells, and under those large-by-huge tires are Wilwood brakes.

Paul says the hardest part about rebuilding the ’64 Nova was keeping the project a secret from Shari. And although Paul and the guys at Lo-Man were not able to get the car ready for her “milestone” birthday, we’re certain the final result makes it worth the wait.

For many, first cars come and go, but the memories accumulated remain. For Shari Doggett and her husband Paul, the memorable first car came, is still going strong, and will definitely help the couple keep creating more memories.