Steve Keefer has been a drag racer since he was a teenager and has tried several different builds and setups at the track. He wanted to try out the LS platform in a lightweight muscle car, like this Chevy Shoebox Nova. At the recent hit event, Holley LS Fest West, Steve was spotted with just this combination hitting the track, and stopped to talk about the build.
Steve is the owner of Easy Bay Muscle Cars in Brentwood, California. This 1967 Chevy Nova is normally run in the 7.60 index division, and Steve wanted to see what it would run when equipped with a LSX crate motor. Powering the smaller statured car is a LSX 454R, a stock crate engine right from the shelves and ready to go, with the addition of an oil pan. It gets its fuel from an 1150 CFM Holley Dominator carb sitting atop the massive engine. Steve credits a Racepak data logger for helping to dial in the build and monitor everything in realtime.
A GM Performance Parts supplied MSD coil controlled ignition box allows for control over programming any kind of timing map Steve wants to use, or use some pre-programmed ones from the factory. Backing the engine is a build Powerglide automatic transmission with 8-inch torque converter in it with insane 5,500 stall. The build has only been running for about 3 or 4 weeks, so there’s still a lot of dialing in and work to do to it.
The motivation behind this build was not just to see what it’d do — the majority of Steve’s customers have cars with LS engines, and he wanted to make them proud and represent them at the LS Fest West. This Nova was out running in the Street King group, a 9.0 index class. It took them to the finals, where a red light sent them to the sidelines.
For next year, this Nova is getting a ProCharger and Steve is looking for mid-7s.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
