The Chevelle needed quarter-panels and a new SS hood, but the rest of the factory sheetmetal just needed to be curried, combed, and straightened by D&Z. They stretched the wheeltubs 3 inches, smoothed the firewall, sanded the floors, and painted the underside in satin black. Randy Johnson created and positioned the tasteful minimal air spoiler. From the guns at Midwest Muscle Car Restoration in Slinger, Wisconsin, came the PPG Chevrolet Mist Blue.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the build, the IRS undercarriage extends to the outermost regions of the body shell. The structure is web-like and some of its structural runners extend far beneath the Chevelle, ensuring torsional and bending stiffness that no other construction could. The rigidity it imparts is quiet enough to preclude a rollcage that would normally be required for such support. Car weight is a hefty 3,740 pounds now, but still lighter than the original combo, which was at 3,850. The Fast Track frame is imbued with ’11 C6 Corvette spindles and hubs, nearly vertical AFCO PT Elite double-adjustable dampers fitted with 450-lb/in coil springs, and a Roadster Shop splined antisway bar. At the other end, Roadster installed its IRS composed of a Ford 9-inch aluminum chunk mounted in a steel cradle assembly. The cradle also serves as the mounting for the upper and lower control arms as well as a splined track bar. AFCO Elites mimic the front setup but employ 500-lb/in coils. Remote reservoirs attend both the front and the rear assemblies. RS retained the original 15:1 AGR steering rack. CHP