kmakar
Janitor
I bet you could find them on ebay, but they will be pricey no doubt for a genuine GM one, but I like the look.
I see after market ones on ebay and they are pretty cheap at about $35 each.
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- Thread starter Derek69SS
- Start date
I bet you could find them on ebay, but they will be pricey no doubt for a genuine GM one, but I like the look.
I see after market ones on ebay and they are pretty cheap at about $35 each.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
Fall of 2002 I thought this car was "done". It ran great, drove great, and I could see no reason to change it. Being completely satisfied and done with this car, I just knew I would have all sorts of free time, so I started looking for another project car to build.
I bought a '66 El Camino in late September.
One week later, my Chevelle was rear-ended at a stop light.
One week after that, I met my wife Jenna.
A week later, I took her on our first date in this car. She thought I was a dork, but liked the car enough to agree to a 2nd date.
Two weeks after that, the original 350 blew a head gasket or cracked a head (still haven't taken it apart to diagnose) on the way to meet her parents the first time.
So much for the free time and plans not to mess with it.
I bought a used, completely stock '77 400sbc with 200,000 miles on it, and cleaned and painted everything under the hood, and added some chrome. I had the TH350 rebuilt with a shift kit and a used 2400rpm B&M converter, and found a 3.08 posi rear out of a '66 4-4-2.
It was back on the road by July 2003, but the new quarter panel was in primer that whole summer. We repainted the back of the car some time during the winter of 03/04.
I bought a '66 El Camino in late September.
One week later, my Chevelle was rear-ended at a stop light.
One week after that, I met my wife Jenna.
A week later, I took her on our first date in this car. She thought I was a dork, but liked the car enough to agree to a 2nd date.
Two weeks after that, the original 350 blew a head gasket or cracked a head (still haven't taken it apart to diagnose) on the way to meet her parents the first time.
So much for the free time and plans not to mess with it.
I bought a used, completely stock '77 400sbc with 200,000 miles on it, and cleaned and painted everything under the hood, and added some chrome. I had the TH350 rebuilt with a shift kit and a used 2400rpm B&M converter, and found a 3.08 posi rear out of a '66 4-4-2.
It was back on the road by July 2003, but the new quarter panel was in primer that whole summer. We repainted the back of the car some time during the winter of 03/04.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
In 2004 the Chevelle was fixed from the crash, and back to being a great cruiser. I changed wheels again (3rd time) to some 15" Torq-Thrust IIs that I bought used. It wasn't fast, but it made noise and did some decent burnouts.
I was getting bored with it, and thinking about selling it.
That fall, my friend Tony talked me into going drag racing at Rock Falls, WI. I was reluctant, but he reassured me that the car didn't need to be fast to have fun, and I was really no more likely to break things there than I was doing the dumb things on the street that I was doing all the time anyway.
The car ran very consistent, with a best of 15.045 @ 89.9mph. With some beginner's luck, I went multiple rounds, but red-lighted in the final, taking home a 2nd place trophy that was way more satisfying than any car-show trophy I had ever received previously.
The hook was set. Racing restored the fun, and I started planning how to make the car faster.
I was getting bored with it, and thinking about selling it.
That fall, my friend Tony talked me into going drag racing at Rock Falls, WI. I was reluctant, but he reassured me that the car didn't need to be fast to have fun, and I was really no more likely to break things there than I was doing the dumb things on the street that I was doing all the time anyway.
The car ran very consistent, with a best of 15.045 @ 89.9mph. With some beginner's luck, I went multiple rounds, but red-lighted in the final, taking home a 2nd place trophy that was way more satisfying than any car-show trophy I had ever received previously.
The hook was set. Racing restored the fun, and I started planning how to make the car faster.
Great story Derek. Love the fact you've injected a new theme or use for your ride to keep it fun. These a-bodies have so much potential from corners to straights, and look great doing all of them while hauling 4 plus to the events.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
In 2005, I went drag racing a few more times, and the old tired 400sbc was getting slower each time. I was getting interested in "Pro Touring" type car builds, and wanted a more modern drivetrain. LS1/T56 was the dream, but they were still prohibitively expensive at the time. I bought a wrecked 9C1 Caprice and salvaged the LT1 and 4L60e.
The original frame had a lot of rust, so I bought a better one, boxed it, and started building my first suspension setup with handling in mind, using mostly dirt-track parts and tall balljoints with stock spindles. I started building the new setup while still driving the car.
In the fall, I took the car apart and got to work on the frame swap. I was young, energetic, and didn't have kids yet, so things actually moved forward at a pretty good pace. I had a deadline though, Jenna and I were getting married in May and I wanted to drive it to and from the church on our wedding day.
The original frame had a lot of rust, so I bought a better one, boxed it, and started building my first suspension setup with handling in mind, using mostly dirt-track parts and tall balljoints with stock spindles. I started building the new setup while still driving the car.
In the fall, I took the car apart and got to work on the frame swap. I was young, energetic, and didn't have kids yet, so things actually moved forward at a pretty good pace. I had a deadline though, Jenna and I were getting married in May and I wanted to drive it to and from the church on our wedding day.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
May of 2006, I don't know what motivated me more, the idea of having the car done for our wedding, or my brother Chad telling me that I would never make it.
This first picture is around noon on the day before the wedding. Wiring was pretty much done except power to the fans. I worked on plumbing the fuel system, and Dad, Chad, Carl, and Joe worked on fitting sheet metal, hanging bumpers, and putting the interior back in it. I still hadn't heard it run yet. It was still up on stands when we went to rehearsal. After the rehearsal dinner, I made some coffee and got back to work. Between the caffeine, nerves, excitement, and stress, I was throwing up outside the door of the shop shortly before I test fired it. About 1am, I heard it run for the first time.
The morning of the wedding, we hung exhaust, did a quick string-line alignment and hit the road with only about 30 seconds of run-time on it... About half way to the church, the temp gauge spiked. When I painted the engine I removed the temp sensor from the head and installed a temporary plastic plug just to keep the threads from getting paint on them. When I put the new sender in, I used a different port and forgot about the plastic one, so it dumped the coolant when it warmed up. We towed it to the church the rest of the way behind Joe's Firebird.
My groomsmen fixed the car while I was in for pictures, (and then took a nap on the floor of the church) and another friend took the car to his house and washed it. He reported that the temp gauge still read pretty high, so a temporary fix was made to make the fans run... Jumper leads alligator clipped to the battery.
When we were leaving the church after the wedding, the temporary fan wiring lasted about 10 seconds before it caught fire. That was ripped off, no damage done, and away we went to our reception and all 80s hard-rock wedding dance with my awesome wife Jenna.
This first picture is around noon on the day before the wedding. Wiring was pretty much done except power to the fans. I worked on plumbing the fuel system, and Dad, Chad, Carl, and Joe worked on fitting sheet metal, hanging bumpers, and putting the interior back in it. I still hadn't heard it run yet. It was still up on stands when we went to rehearsal. After the rehearsal dinner, I made some coffee and got back to work. Between the caffeine, nerves, excitement, and stress, I was throwing up outside the door of the shop shortly before I test fired it. About 1am, I heard it run for the first time.
The morning of the wedding, we hung exhaust, did a quick string-line alignment and hit the road with only about 30 seconds of run-time on it... About half way to the church, the temp gauge spiked. When I painted the engine I removed the temp sensor from the head and installed a temporary plastic plug just to keep the threads from getting paint on them. When I put the new sender in, I used a different port and forgot about the plastic one, so it dumped the coolant when it warmed up. We towed it to the church the rest of the way behind Joe's Firebird.
My groomsmen fixed the car while I was in for pictures, (and then took a nap on the floor of the church) and another friend took the car to his house and washed it. He reported that the temp gauge still read pretty high, so a temporary fix was made to make the fans run... Jumper leads alligator clipped to the battery.
When we were leaving the church after the wedding, the temporary fan wiring lasted about 10 seconds before it caught fire. That was ripped off, no damage done, and away we went to our reception and all 80s hard-rock wedding dance with my awesome wife Jenna.
1969chevmalibu1969
Well-Known Member
Interesting way to put your body back on. I can’t tell is it two cherry pickers? I like you story.
Great story! 
When I started dating my wife I had my ‘67 Chevelle SS L78. My future father-in-law (a farmer) said he could hear me coming! Ha!
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
yes, 2 cherry pickers with a steel tube running through the windows. The tube isn't touching anything, I have chains bolted to the seatbelt anchors, and studs welded onto the steel bar to keep the chain from slipping. It balanced out really well, and I lifted it off by myself. I did have help putting it back on the new frame.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
After the wedding, we had planned to drive the Chevelle to Tennessee for our honeymoon, but it had a few small mechanical gremlins I didn't figure out in time for the trip, and wasn't confident in its ability to make a long road-trip yet, so we took a daily driver instead.
Once sorted, with the LT1/4L60e and 3.08 gears, it ran a best of 13.8 at 97mph, and got 22mpg on 87 octane. It did everything respectably, but fell a little short of my expectations, hoping for a 13.5 or better.
We bought a 66 Chevelle wagon for Jenna that needed suspension and brakes, and there were some cool new things coming onto the market, so in 2007 I swapped most of the setup from my Chevelle onto hers, and I bought the new ATS AFX tall spindle, SPC A-arms, upgraded to C5 Corvette front brakes, and 98-02 Camaro rear brakes on a used 12-bolt with 4.10 posi. The new brakes required new wheels, and I scored a deal on some 17x7 and 17x8 from Billet Specialties.
With the change to 4.10 gears and stickier tires, I improved my 1/4-mile ET to 13.62 at 98mph. I was losing interest in drag racing though, and focusing way more on making it handle.
Once sorted, with the LT1/4L60e and 3.08 gears, it ran a best of 13.8 at 97mph, and got 22mpg on 87 octane. It did everything respectably, but fell a little short of my expectations, hoping for a 13.5 or better.
We bought a 66 Chevelle wagon for Jenna that needed suspension and brakes, and there were some cool new things coming onto the market, so in 2007 I swapped most of the setup from my Chevelle onto hers, and I bought the new ATS AFX tall spindle, SPC A-arms, upgraded to C5 Corvette front brakes, and 98-02 Camaro rear brakes on a used 12-bolt with 4.10 posi. The new brakes required new wheels, and I scored a deal on some 17x7 and 17x8 from Billet Specialties.
With the change to 4.10 gears and stickier tires, I improved my 1/4-mile ET to 13.62 at 98mph. I was losing interest in drag racing though, and focusing way more on making it handle.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
We sold it after a few years. We were house-hunting and needed to free up some money. Wish I still had it, we sold when the market was real soft.
kmakar
Janitor
Housing ALWAYS takes precedence over hobby. Smart move, but I understand. I did the same with a '70 Buick GS so we could buy our house and I wish I didn't have to, but when you have a family, they come first.
Derek69SS
Veteran Member
Worst part was we sold to try paying off our house that we were having trouble selling and I didn't want 2 mortgages.
Less than a month later, our house finally sold after 2yrs on market, so other than keeping a little reserve in the bank after down-payment on the new place, we really didn't need to sell it.
Less than a month later, our house finally sold after 2yrs on market, so other than keeping a little reserve in the bank after down-payment on the new place, we really didn't need to sell it.
kmakar
Janitor
Worst part was we sold to try paying off our house that we were having trouble selling and I didn't want 2 mortgages.
Less than a month later, our house finally sold after 2yrs on market, so other than keeping a little reserve in the bank after down-payment on the new place, we really didn't need to sell it.
Hindsight, but you did the right thing for the moment. I sold a 2000 Excursion 7.3 and 2 VW Jetta TDI's for money to put down when I custom built my current house.
Kids were pretty much all grown and moving out (we were downsizing). My wife loved her Excursion, but it wasn't practical anymore as a "run around town" vehicle, and my kids wanted newer cars, so the VW Jettas were just sitting anyways.