SOLAR FLAIR
COOPER ZAHABI’S SUNRISE PEARL CHEVY NOVA IS SO HOT IT’LL SINGE YOUR EYEBROWS!
Cooper Zahabi is but a teenager, and he crafted this masterpiece with his bare hands
AT 16, most young blokes with their head screwed on are just starting to think about what sort of car they want. Not Cooper Zahabi. Having spent bulk hours working beside his dad, Rides By Kam owner Rob Zahabi, on Rob’s stunning black-on-black Kam Nova (SM, Nov ’14), at 16 Cooper had not only settled on his dream car, the build was already well underway. And this stunning Chevy Nova is it!
A few short years later, the finished car was good enough to take pride of place next to his dad’s jaw-dropping Dodge Challenger, HAVOC, in this year’s Great Meguiar’s Uncover at Summernats 32. Debuting your first build at Summernats – and taking out 2nd Top Coupe to boot – at age 18 is damn impressive!
And if you’re thinking Zahabi Sr did most of the hard yakka, you’d be wrong.
“We built the cars [HAVOC and RBK70] sideby-side,” says proud dad Rob. “Sure, I helped him some, but I was too busy on HAVOC – the Nova is all Cooper.”
For three gruelling years, every morning, every afternoon and every weekend Cooper toiled on his beast. As a youngster living on the Gold Coast (aka Party Central), that was a mighty ask.
“It was a challenge juggling building my future while trying to maintain a social life,” says Cooper. “I was always first to leave the party, as I had to get up at five to work on the car. Luckily, I’ve got a good group of supportive and understanding mates. They even came ’round and gave me a hand and kept me company.”
DEBUTING YOUR FIRST BUILD AT SUMMERNATS – AND TAKING OUT 2ND TOP COUPE TO BOOT – AT AGE 18 IS DAMN IMPRESSIVE!
So how did such a young bloke build such an epic car?
“I built and sold a few go-karts, plus saved up a good bit of money from helping around the shop since I was a kid,” Cooper says. “At 15, I bought a Skyline – just a roller to turn into a drift car. We got an RB25 front cut, fixed it all up, added coil-overs, made it look schmick, and sold it off for good dollars. Only being 15, I never even got to drive it! Dad and I worked well together on the project. He suggested we do it again – but this time on a muscle car.”
With the money Cooper had made on the Skyline, combined with his other savings, he and Rob reached out to a US friend to scout out a secondgen Nova. Craigslist answered the call with what looked like a good deal – a 1970 six-cylinder car out of Reno for US$3800.
“It was a complete, driving car,” says Cooper. “However, the photos hid a lot. I was gutted when I started grinding into the rear quarters, only to find five kilos of bog, as well as more bog and chicken wire hiding rust elsewhere. It was a basket case. We pretty much cut the bottom six inches off and started again. Stuff like sills, floors and half-quarters we could buy – the rest I had to make.”
Cooper is true to his word when he says he made these pieces himself. Day-to-day, he works at his dad’s shop Rides By Kam, famed for creating highend, turn-key builds. Fabrication, bodywork, paint, engine building, motor trimming – they do it all! And while Cooper’s just finished his panel-beating apprenticeship, he’s proud to be following in his father’s footsteps by becoming mighty proficient at all aspects of car building. That said, custom fabrication is his main bread and butter.
The MIG wasn’t packed away once the Nova was cancer-free; a ton of hours were then invested in tidying up myriad awkward bits. The side markers went AWOL; so too all the factory badges and moulds. Camaro driving lights were grafted into the tucked-in bars, all seams were welded and smoothed, the drip rails were shaved, plus loads more. This 70s muscle car is now a whole lot smoother and more refined.
I WAS GUTTED WHEN I STARTED GRINDING INTO THE REAR QUARTERS, ONLY TO FIND FIVE KILOS OF BOG, AS WELL AS MORE BOG AND CHICKEN WIRE HIDING RUST ELSEWHERE
Cooper knows that stance is everything, so RBK70 was going to be airbagged from day one. To accommodate the four Ridetech Shockwaves (complete with e-level system), a four-link displaced the factory rear leaves, while at the opposite end, Ridetech Strongarms get the job done. Aired out, the 20x8 and 22x10 billets tuck way up high, with the reworked inner guards providing plenty of room up front. However, even with mini-tubs out back, the 305 rear hides are mighty tight.
Spinning the rolling stock is 468 cubic inches
of big-block Chevy. Considering the sizeable mill was pieced together by the horsepower heroes at Jake’s Performance and is filled with loads of go-fast gear, the claimed 500hp rating would appear a tad conservative.
“It’s ready to be Procharged later on,” Cooper explains. “Besides, 500hp is plenty for the street – it stops me from going stupid.”
Rather than a slushbox, Cooper swaps cogs via a Magnum six-speed – a carry-over from his drift days. “I like changing gears with a clutch,” he says. “It makes the car so much more driveable.”
Laying down the blazing HOK Sunrise Pearl was one area of the build where Zahabi Sr took over. “I did all the bodywork and most of the prep, and when it was ready, Dad stepped in and did the gun work,” Cooper says. “He reckons it’s the hardest colour he’s ever had to spray.”
Despite putting in all those hard yards, Cooper is still coming to terms with what he’s created. “To be honest, I’m still blown away,” he admits. “Unveiling next to the old man’s Challenger was pretty amazing. It didn’t really sink in until the Thursday night when setting up the two cars sideby-side. Then Friday night with all the people – wow! Even afterwards, everyone – including a lot of people I respect as builders – coming up and congratulating me was very humbling.”
And just in case you’re wondering what Zahabi Jr’s daily is, it’s a shitty old Hilux – the ultimate parts-chaser. I’m betting the ’Lux will be called upon for some time, as I highly doubt RBK70 will be the last high-end street machine we’ll see from this talented youngster.