Better Than New - Kowalski's Fresh Paint Masterpiece

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Nick knows that his Challenger needed lots of work to become the thing of beauty that he has always craved. But he also knows that his body man is capable of miraculous work. Today, the results are here for everyone to see.. a flawless, white 1970 Challenger is lighting up Nick's Garage like the masterpiece that it is.

[yambo]

Hi Nick - I dont imagine you have time to read comments, but im from Illinois, and at almost 60 years old now I wanted to share a special set of memories with you and anyone interested here. Though I was a mechanic for a few years and did a lot of car work myself over the years, I was never fortunate enough to be able to own one of these iconic cars, but I want to tell you about my high school years and 40+ year friend Mark who is no longer here. He owned an excellent runnning 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner that was originally dark green and someone had painted it lime green ("sublime"?) - The original engine, a 383 magnum with factory 4 speed was still in place, and it still had the original working Roadrunner horn - we were told it was built and upgraded internally by a highly respected mopar guy who raced at the track, and we believed it because it was the stoutest running 383 we had ever seen. Well, while still in high school in the mid 70's or so when my friend ended up buying that car it was the beginning of a very memorable chapter in both our lives. He and i spent many many hours both working on it to keep it in good mechanical shape and many more memorable hours listening to its awesome sounds as he ran it through the gears and constantly tried to keep the bias ply tires from going up in smoke-lol Even with a total brake system rebuild the four wheel manual drum brakes were of little use above 60 mph-lol We took many a white knuckle ride from 0 to 100 enjoying its torque and HP yet always knowing our lives were trusted to what were essentially taxi cab brakes, so most of our "playtime" was in remote areas. One of your videos I just saw recently I forget which one, really brought back the exact sounds, feel and motions of what it was like going through the 4 gears in that iconic machine. Its the closest ive been to that car and those memories with my old friend since he passed. Though the car was his, we cared for it as if it belonged to both of us, even then we knew it was a special car. One day decades later with age and Illinois road salt taking its toll, he had to face the choice of restoring it or selling it. Unable to sell it yet he put it up on stands and in storage to preserve the body and suspension. I wanted to buy it but had neither the money or proper place to store/restore and care for it due to other life issues, so one day it was sold to a Mopar lover who wanted this exact car, and he had the money to have it professionally restored which he did. Almost a year later he sent us pictures of the finished car. His body man had expertly replaced many panels & restored it back to its original dark green color and in fact the entire car was now back to original appearance right down to the factory steel wheels and plymouth baby moon type hubcaps. It was the straightest roadrunner I had ever seen, and the panel fit was exemplary, after it was done the bodyman found it hard to part with the car and he tried desparately to buy it from his customer but it was his dream car so of course he kept it. The interior was so clean it didnt even need work except for a bit of stitching on the drivers seat, even the original carpet was complete and undamaged. There are many other stories I could tell about this car and a few of the weekend street races we found ourselves in, but im proud to say we never lost a single one. Today as a car guy, its hard for me to say what I miss more, my friend or that amazing car--LOL But, in the end theyre both part of the same memories and must be thought of that way. Thank you Nick for the video that brought back this flood of memories from my youth, ill never know those years again or ride in that car again, but you have brought me back to some of the best times in my life and for that I thank you. Your channel is one of THE best on youtube for us car guys, and I wish you all the best and good health - thanks again, Mike from Illinois.

[darrenkastl]

I have never even sniffed at a Mopar in my life! But since I ran a across you Mr.Nick, I can now hold my own at cocktail partys, when the Mopar subject comes up during conversations! Lol! Thanks Nick!!

[JohnCareyJag]

I have always loved the Challenger 440 6-pack. It is a dream that I wont ever get to own but I am enjoying your journey very much.

[BgHagar]

Wow. That is one beautiful paint job. Thing almost looks like a dipped car.

[takisressel]

Yassou Nick from Kelowna B.C. The body and paint on kawalski looks incredible, Can’t wait to see the progress 👍

[kirktroescher]

Awesome to see the license plate on the car! Thank you for sharing that, it was an honor to send you a set and I'm looking forward to seeing the rebuild step by step. I could never have a car that nice but it makes me happy to see some people able to rebuild them to better than factory and enjoy them. My GTO will always be a blacked out fun car and that's alright with me. Congrats Nick!

[toddprifogle]

@ 9:20 the look in Nicks eyes says it all . Truly the Hemi Orange in that Alpine White engine bay is simply beautiful .
At times when I get a bit depressed by the condition the world is in today I can turn on some Nicks Garage and in short order a smile comes back as my tension levels go down . I for one am glad Nick and his exceptional crew and professional camera and editing man make themselves available to us all.
I'm proud of Nick and that feels good.
Thanks man .

[adammiller]

The Kawalski car already looks amazing. Nick, your a dream builder and we salute you...

[ClockFixer]

Living in Colorado close to the Interstate {I-70} Where a lot of video footage was shot on the movie Vanishing Point, this car Calls to me !

[briggsquantum]

The bodyman is obviously smart, skilled, honest, and dedicated. Just like you Nick! Great car - it will be one of the best Challengers in the world. Congrats from the West Coast.

[eddiekilby]

So nice to see a classic mopar being restored. That body man did an excellent job.

[a]

An absolutely amazing transformation - There won't be many ( If at all) like this around.
It's thanks to people like you that there are some survivors left !!

[charger]

It's gonna be a beauty Nick! Take good care of her.

[andrewhallett-patterson]

The workmanship of your bodyman is absolutely incredable. Just the panning camera indicate true panels, equal panel fitting, beautifully fabrication, (I suspect old school handiwork) and immaculate paint. I understand he many not want his business published but I hope he will have future recognition. Great vid Nick. 👍👍

[richardfulmer]

The more details on the project the better!! Show every step.
Your YT success could be a good reason for a brand new garage 10 times as big!

[jamesjohnson]

Ur page makes me dream again thks for that

[mickfoil]

The bodywork and paint quality is a thing of pure beauty. WOW.

[Diddley-jslf]

Now Nick i just started following you and that car done right, now my Neihbor is a Car Builder with Units in the FEMA magazine as well as front page and center fold in HotRod Magazine, my point is i have seen some very nice Restorations but my friend that Body is the very best i have ever came across, to me it looked as if it was just pulled from the Factory line at the Plant.

[areidskyraider]

Nick, You are a Godsend, I can't wait to see The Vanishing Point Challenger all finish and you are driving her on the road. You bring a tears in my eyes. Thank you!

[stunes]

Hey Nick, Magnifique! A friend of mine had that exact car in high school back in the 70s, U code 1970 Challenger 4 Speed, he had put a 484 lift cam, headers and collectors and header mufflers. Ever since the movie vanishing point whenever I see these cars of course always that memory. Thanks for sharing this gorgeous build with the rest of us it looks incredible! From your neighbor in Michigan! Have a great day