Classic Chevy Muscle Cars Readers Rides - In The Spotlight

10-Second Snowman
2000 Z28
Alex Esperon
Harlingen, TX
Alex bumped the motor up with bolt-on components and centered the power swap on a Texas Speed camshaft (231/237 duration, 0.595/0.595 lift with a 112-degree centerline). In preparation for the fatter cam, he added an LS6 intake manifold to the stock-displacement engine as well as an ASP crank pulley, 85mm Z06 MAF, Shaner S2 throttle body, and a Texas Speed carbon-fiber lid. With bigger fuel/air he needed a larger diameter exhaust system so on went the Hooker LT headers with a 3-inch cross-pipe and 3-inch system following it. Alex amended the drivetrain for the torque he knew would quickly incinerate the original parts. A worked Turbo 350 went in place of the 700-R4 and a Moser 12-bolt with 4.11:1 gears replaced the toothpicks at the back of the car. Terror begins with a TNT F2 nitrous kit and to get all the parameters straight before applying the throttle, he laid on some Monster Motorsports custom tuning. Alex's "100% street car" has run 11.60/116 normally aspirated. With squirt, it goes 10.30 at 131 mph. Yup, the power of nitrous oxide never ceases to amaze.

Driveway-Built Jimmy
'85 GMC Pickup
Wayne Sparks
Cleveland, OH
Wayne's wonderful tale: "This is a daily driver. I bought it from the original owner. It was originally a V-6, but I trashed it for a 350 bored 0.030-over. I added a mild cam. It has double-hump heads, an Edelbrock intake, Holley Street Avenger 4150, and Hedmans that dump into some humpin' Flowmasters. I put a shift kit in the Turbo 400 and preceded it with a Saturday night special 2,200-stall converter. The rear has an Auburn differential with 3.73 gears." What is not immediately apparent is that the doors, front fenders, and the bed have been replaced with solid renditions. Wayne just finished up the interior-all new, all complete. "I just finished painting it this past March." The really slick thing about all this is that Sparks did every bit of the transformation in a one-car garage and out in his driveway, just like we all did back in the day. Cool deal, Wayne.

Hosty Posty
'57 Bel Air Sedan
Jim Hughes
Calabasas, CA
We've always preferred post cars to ones without them more for practical reasons than aesthetic ones, in that they tend to be a bit more rigid than their airier siblings. Hughes had the car restored from rocker to roof and instilled with most modern equipment available. He began with tubular upper control arms and an Air Ride four-link, but without air shocks; instead he posted Koni adjustable coilovers all around. All-wheel disc brakes are in there, too, prompted by an offset booster and master cylinder. The steering is power-assisted close-ratio. He set up the roller-chassis with 9-inch strength, adding a Detroit Trutrac differential along with 3.50:1 gears. Torque munches its way through a six-speed Richmond ROD. The power pod is a ZZ383 crate sucking sustenance through a Demon 750 and a Mallory sparker. It's dressed with a GM serpentine accessory drive as well. The motor stays temperate via the Griffin core and dual puller fans. Tuxedo-sharp in its Onyx Black and Black/Silver livery, the posty holds modern bucket seats in OE fabric, Auto Meter gauges in the OE dash pod, and a Sun tach strapped on the column (just like back in the day). Since the Bel Air's an original radio-delete car, Jim hid the Kenwood audio in the glovebox, sunk the speakers in the dash and kick panels, and put the subwoofer in the trunk.

$1,700 Wonder
'68 Chevelle ss
Ted Boyette
Kenly, NC
Imagine paying $1,700 for this car? If it was 1982 you would. Teddy was just 14 when his parents sprung for it. Lucky boy was he. He drove it through his tussling high school years, but it eventually wound up in storage from 1991 until 2007. Then it went to Ben Batts at Carolina Concepts in Wilson, North Carolina, for a full body-off restoration. That plan included a 427ci engine with 450 hp and 455 lb-ft of grunt and it was built by H & F Performance, also in Wilson. At the time, Ted hastened to bolt up an M20 four-speed transmission as well as an Auburn differential carrying 3.42s. The exhaust system was handbuilt with 3-inch pipe to the Flowmasters and terminates with 2 1/2-inch tubing to the rear of the car in the factory location. The chassis and suspension components are all basically stock but powdercoated. "I wanted to keep the car stock appearing with a little more engine and little more shine. I just competed at my first Super Chevy event in Richmond, Virginia and won my class."

Low-Mileage Loper
'77 El Camino ss
Jeff Adema
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
Though it might not appear so, Jeff just may be onto something here. This year El Camino was the last of the admittedly edgy sheetmetal and fat-lip bumpers, but its odometer registers just 25,000 miles. Adema was in high school in the early '80s and continued into a career as an auto technician at the local GM dealership. He's since reversed roles and teaches high school in his old neighborhood. The Z15 package Elky is original, save for the paint, and came off the Arlington Texas, assembly line. It was a Z15 SS build with Buckskin Metallic paint and a 350 four-barrel engine.

The Once & Future Malibu
'69 Chevelle Malibu
Dave Murdoch
San Marcos, TX
Murdoch bought his 'Velle from a little old lady (not even from Pasadena, TX) in 2003. It was bone-stock, so that certainly would have to change. Currently it's stoked with a rebuilt 350 wearing AFR 180 heads, Scorpion 1.6:1 rockers, a Comp 268 cam, and an Edelbrock 600 mechanical-secondary carb on an RPM intake. Spark jumps from an HEI distributor/ignition. Flowtech ceramic-coated headers huff into a cross-pipe and through DynoMax Super Turbo muffs. The combo's good for about 350 hp and 400 lb-ft. To enact it, Dave installed a Turbo 350 with a sensible 2,200-rpm stall that sends the torque to a Positraction carrier turning 3.42s. UMI adjustable upper and lower rear control arms work with No Hop bars, just the ticket for keeping those 255/60s flat on the pavement. Dave redid the interior in stock form including a new dashpad, dash bezel, A/C bezel, vents, and that good ol' make-out bench seat. In street trim, the car weighs 3,660 pounds with him and a 1/4 tank of gas on board. Plans include an M20 four-gear, a 406 small-block, and Cortez Silver paint. "Thanks for looking." You're, welcome Dave.