35 Hot Classic Chevy Muscle Cars...
Quite unlike some popular car buff magazines, Chevy High Performance tends to follow the owner as builder, his piece-the issue of his own hands, not a prize built by anyone else. We've seen cases of "owners" who, beyond the conceptual rendering, never laid eyes on their hot rod until it rolled off a transporter in the guy's driveway. Your penchants and whims show through brilliantly and personalize your car as an extension of yourselves. You are doers, not consumers, and for that you deserve the recognition and our way of saying thank you is by presenting your rides in the pages of CHP. -Henry D
Welcome Return To Normalcy
'73 Camaro
Brandon Hancock
Louisville, KY
Without a doubt, the flowing lines of Brandon's (2009 Lotus) Graphite Grey Camaro juxtaposed with the machined positive offset of its rims create a lasting image because they complement one another so well. They are further enhanced by the peaks and valleys of the L88-inspired carbon-fiber hood, the absence of door handles and side marker lights and the custom RS lighting that combines amicably with the air dam from an '81 Camaro. Few but pertinent entries inside the car only add to the whole: an '81 Camaro dash, distinctive Sparco seats, and Equus gauges. Obviously, Brandon kept a conservative head when planning what would be underneath the carbon flat. The 350ci engine was augmented by KB 0.040-inch over pistons, Vortec cylinder heads, and a Carter 650-cfm four-pot on one of Uncle Vic's intakes. Torque is transferred by a 2,500-rpm stall converter to the Turbo 350 (with B&M Trans Pack) thence to the Positraction differential. Our guy's got a real stunner here and one that didn't cost him his soul. Nice work, Brandon.
Royal Purple's
Royal Purple has been kind enough to award a $200 gift certificate and a cool limited edition neon clock to our Readers' Ride of the month! The certificate can be redeemed for any of the company's products.
That's right, if we pick you as the centerspread car, we'll let you know in advance and send your contact information to Royal Purple directly!
In order to be eligible, all you have to do is submit a large-format image with a detailed list of specs to: chevyhi@sorc.com. So get off the computer, snap a photo, and send it in today!
Camino Pedigree
'72 El camino
Mark Stephens
Fairhaven, MA
This cool, crisp Elky, save for its period-correct Cragar S/S rims and raised-white-letter skins, is all original and all the numbers that are supposed to match do. Says Mark, a self-admitted old guy: "Even though it is original, it's been personalized with a bit of shiny stuff." The 350 motor was rebuilt with a performance tilt and is backed by a Turbo 350 with a similar muscle-building agenda and a shift kit. The 12-bolt, too, has been stuffed with new internals, an Eaton differential and Richmond 3.73s. To Mark, his El Camino is more about socializing and cruising than going fast and being loud. He's a member of the National El Camino Owners Association (#6423). He also digs his relationship with the Downshifters of New England Car Club. Mark, just keep on truckin'.
Sanctifyin' Chevelle
'70 Chevelle
Zach Cole
Forsyth, GA
Three years ago, we included Zach's ride in our "Young Guns" section. Lookee here, now old man Cole is 19! He drove his pet Malibu all through those sweaty high school years, working on and restoring it with his dad all the while. They finished round one and did all the work except those nasty parts about the paint and metal refinishing. According to Zach, his favorite part about the car is that it's NEVER DONE. "There's always something to upgrade, repair, or wrench on." To elaborate: a 408ci small-block pumps 10:1 compression with its AFR Eliminator cylinder heads. A Lunati Voodoo cam bumps the valves. The mix occurs in an Edelbrock Air-Gap manifold. Torque resultant goes against a Hughes 2,500-stall converter (just the ticket for the street) and sends the guff through a Turbo 400 to the 3.55-stocked 12-bolt.