Bitter Sweet

Cary Bawcum's insatiable appetite for cars began with his '41 Coupe, which he built and showed all through high school. Fast-forward several years and Cary's still hanging out at the local car digs and showing off his ride; only now he has his wife Daphne to share his hobby with.

It didn't take long for Daphne to develop her own taste for cars, and together they decided to whip up something new. Cary had a hankerin' to build a Pro Street '67 Chevelle. Daphne preferred something more along the lines of a convertible that could be driven anywhere at any time. So, they compromised (i.e., they went with the convertible).

With this goal in mind, Cary and Daphne scoured the Net and ended up at eBay Motors. The description of a '67 Chevelle got them excited and they placed the winning bid. Unfortunately, Cary says, "The overall condition of the car was much rougher than we anticipated. The more I think about it, we really just purchased a license plate and a VIN."

Cary took delivery and immediately enlisted Jeff Parlow at Palm Coast Rod & Custom (PCRC) in Palm Coast, Florida, to handle the metalwork. They salvaged what little they could, but the fenders, floors, and quarters needed to be replaced. Another unexpected surprise was the rotted frame.

This early in the resto, a lesser man would have succumbed to the frustration and abandoned the project. Cary, however, located a decent sedan frame and had PCRC strengthen it by boxing it to factory-convertible specifications. The end result was a sound body without a single imperfection. With the final prep work complete, PCRC then applied numerous layers of House of Kolor Bittersweet Orange and finished it with faint Tangelo Orange ghost flames. Next, they installed all-new Classic Performance Parts suspension components, and the entire frame and undercarriage was powdercoated orange for aesthetics and to protect it from future corrosion.

With the rolling chassis complete, Cary turned his attention to the drivetrain. He dropped in a brand-new 383ci mill from Wheeler Motorsports and a Turbo 400 from Jackson Racing in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Although the '67 came equipped with a 10-bolt, Cary opted for a new 12-bolt for its brute strength and added 3.42:1 gears for seat-pinning acceleration whenever he steps on the "go" pedal.

Cary farmed out the interior to Schreck's Upholstery (Deland, FL), which crafted a custom dash loaded with Auto Meter Ultra-Lite gauges and a trick center console for some late-model style. The high-quality vinyl chosen for the seats feels very much like leather.

In the end, what amazes us most is the one short year it took to create such a pristine Chevelle. It's not only a fine cruiser, but also a delicious show car that'll stay fresh for years to come.