'72 Chevelle
John & MatThew Thornton
Fort Worth, TX
Father & Son Special
John thought that acquiring an old musclecar and totally restoring it (via rotisserie) would be a great father-son project to teach Matthew about tools, responsibility, and how to do it right! "We both have tremendous pride and a feeling of great accomplishment," says Thornton Sr. Matthew drives the Chevelle to school only on nice days. The mild 356ci motor has equipment from Comp Cams, Keith Black, Edelbrock, Hooker, and Flowmaster. Amenities include Classic Auto Air and JVC hi-def audio/iPod/CD. The 700R4 was rebuilt by Eagle Transmission, and has a Bow Tie Overdrives TV cable system and lock-up converter. The 12-bolt holds 2.73:1 gears and Yukon axles. This 'Velle rides on Eibach springs, Edelbrock shocks and upper and lower rear control arms, and CPP disc brakes on 2-inch drop spindles. Cragar S/S 61s host 17-inch BFG KDWS tires. Perfection Auto Body in Fort Worth applied the PPG Light Grey Metallic and Otter Metallic stripes.
'76 Monte Carlo
Ken Kornele
Georgetown, TX
One Man's Erotica
I bought this car in November, 1980," says Ken. "It came with the 4-bbl, 400ci small-block, Turbo 350, 2.73:1 limited slip differential, and all RPO options, including a sunroof. The bodywork took about two years of evenings and weekends. I painted it Firethorn Red in my garage. With the exception of the custom dash pod I built, the refurbished interior looks just like it did when it came off the line in '76. I put PST bushings in the suspension, new springs all around, and cinched it all up with KYB shocks. The motor has a Comp HE268 cam, an Edelbrock Performer intake, a rebuilt Edelbrock carb, reworked heads, Pertronix ignition, and a dual exhaust. I added 3.42:1 gears and a 700R4 by Greg Decato at Phoenix Transmissions [Weatherford, Texas] with a Hughes 2,400-stall converter (chirps in Third gear, too). My gas mileage went from 13 to 18 mpg and I cruise at 70 mph while turning about 2,000 rpm."
'67 Nova SS
Jeff Reynolds
Big Island, VA
Double Nut
The Nova isn't going anywhere and it won't be restored because it's already nearly perfect. All the numbers match. It has the gas-miser Blue Flame Six, 'Glide, and original rearend. Same goes for the all-original body panels, bucket seat interior, trim, and chrome. Just like having money in the bank.
'70 Chevelle Malibu
Wes Colby
Houston, TX
Ain't No Sleeper
While Colby's 'Bu looks like the revenge of Pro Street, it's actually a street and 'strip defiler filled with more goodies than Santa's bag. That bitchin' BDS 8-71 works 6.5 psi over an 8.6:1 compression ratio and puts out 791 hp and 780 lb-ft. A heavily modified 2004R, built by Mike Kurtz, has a billet input shaft and drum, a 2,800-stall converter, and a custom deep sump pan. It's backed by a steel driveshaft, Tom's Differential 12-bolt, Stage 3 Eaton carrier, 4.10:1 gears, and Moser 33-spline axles. Monocoque Racing Wheels measure 15x8 and 15x10 and carry BFG 2 35/60 and 325-50-15 Drag Radials. Wes put lots of Year One restoration stuff inside and Ty Thomas (Kustom Paint and Body) applied the single-stage urethane. Hard bushings, QA1 coilovers, and a 1.25-inch antisway bar up front juxtapose factory coils tempered by KYB shocks and Malibu Performance lower control arms. Pro Street was never like this.