Bryan Millhouse tells it from the heart. No hesitation, no stumble, no searching for words. It's mantra. It's gospel. He's lived every minute of this and it is part of him. His entire hot rodding career has been no different. And this is a good story, too. A family story, a story with a very happy ending.inline_mediumwraptextright25809473/featuredvehicles/1001chp_1972_chevy_nova1001chp_01_z+1966_chevy_nova+front_view.jpgTrue

THE BEAUTY OF PLAN B
AL JIMENEZ
'73 Camaro
Pacoima, CA
Featured	June, Page 70
POWERTRAIN
Engine	Supercharged 515ci big-block
Transmission	Mike's Transmissions Powerglide
Rearend	Moser 9-inch, 3.70:1
Wheels	Weld Racing Magnum 15x3.5, 15x10
Tires	M/T ET Front Runners 26x4.50, M/T ET Street Drag Radial P275/60R
Built for	Track only, 7.56 at 188.8 mph

Fifty-one-year-old Scott Maki had envisioned doing a body-off resto on his latest Camaro, one of several second-gen cars he's had over the years. Maki's like most of us: got the tools and the savvy but definitely not able to throw every living dollar at a wanton, insatiable desire. He has five kids to look after. No, he'd be doing it the way real hot rodders take ownership, just him, a few close friends, and the skin off their bones.inline_mediumwraptextright26520352/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1973_chevy_camaro0912chp_01_z+1973_chevy_camaro+on_the_road.jpgTrue

Rick Matthews owns a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership in Brooksville, Florida, and his business success has afforded him many cars, some of them exotics, all of them expensive to buy or restore, but none quite as hellacious as this '69 SS Camaro. In his modest office, we talked about the ones that used to do it for him, and why he'll never do them again.inline_mediumwraptextright30728259/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1969_chevy_camaro_ss0912chp_01_z+1969_chevy_camaro_ss+side_shot.jpgTrue

'65 Impala
Scott Liggett
Los Angeles, CA

We take a lot of heat for the lack of Impalas and what better way of turning that around than by showcasing a California-grown B-body. Within a budget friendly state of mind, Liggett pieced together a 4-bolt-main small-block and added a stroker crank to create a 9.8:1 compression 383ci. It's no slouch either with a set of Edelbrock Victor Jr. cylinder heads and a Comp valvetrain, including an XE288HR camshaft. Scott slams a four-speed NP440 with a Hurst shifter and 11-inch clutch to a 10-bolt with an Eaton posi unit. A CPP front disc conversion hangs on each corner as well as Energy Suspension components and KYB shocks. Scott boxed the A-arms for strength and added an adjustable UMI Panhard bar for additional suspension tuning.inline_mediumwraptextright30731199/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1965_chevy_impala_ss0912chp_01_z+1965_chevy_impala_ss+aftermarket_head_lights.jpgTrue

'70 Chevelle SS
Stuart Goldman
Lindenhurst, Il

Following through on your dreams is what it's all about. Take for example Stuart Goldman's Cranberry Red '70 Chevelle convertible. Stuart found his pride and joy in Arizona and had it immediately shipped to Illinois where the rebuild began. Powering the Chevelle is an L34 small-block with a rebuilt M21 four-speed transmission. Stuart refurbished the interior with bucket seats and even replaced the aging dash. As for the paint, the red was overhauled and buffed out to perfection. Now fully restored, the Chevelle runs strong and Stuart loves cruising the local digs to show off his dream come true.inline_mediumwraptextright30809670/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1970_chevy_chevelle_ss0912chp_01_z+1970_chevy_chevelle_ss+l34_small_block_engine.jpgTrue

'78 Malibu
Bobby Orr
East Northport, NY

Is a late-'70s G-body considered a muscle car? You betcha, and with 625 hp on tap with a nitrous unit, it more than satisfies the requirements. Even though Orr was a Ford guy, he's swapped back over to the right side of things. The 360ci small-block sports 10.5:1 compression through the use of forged internals and domed pistons with a set of massaged cast-iron cylinder heads. Orr's keeping the cam specs secretive, but he did tell us that the power gets transferred through a Turbo 350 that's ratcheted with a Hurst shifter. Out back a 9-inch Moser takes the rest of the abuse and is paired to a set of 31-spline axles and an Eaton posi unit.inline_mediumwraptextright25374227/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1978_chevy_malibu0912chp_01_z+1978_chevy_malibu+advanced_nitrous_system.jpgTrue

1971 Nova
Mike Cosculluela
Vandalia, OH

Mike Cosculluela and friends began a four-year project to create a one-off Nova from one that had only 40,000 miles on the clock. Mike still has the original GM paperwork and grease pencil markings. To set his ride apart from the rest, he added a 383ci stroker motor and carbon fiber throughout the Nova. Does the hood look familiar? It's a custom designed L88-styled carbon-fiber piece. Mike continued the carbon-fiber theme into the interior, and shaved numerous pieces off the Nova for a sleeker look. The signal lights were donated from a '69 Camaro and mounted into a custom fiberglass front bumper. Towards the end a Zendergruen Green was applied along with a Yenko SS matte black stripe to create a truly great looking street car.inline_mediumwraptextright26522407/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1971_chevy_nova_ss0912chp_01_z+1971_chevy_nova_ss+front_grill.jpgTrue

'68 Camaro
Jason Olivers
Corona, CA

Remember your first project car? Luckily for Jason, his Camaro has a great stance and for the time being, he's kept his Camaro mostly stock. For power, Jason added the basic bolt-ons, namely a high-rise Edelbrock intake manifold along with a matching 700-cfm carburetor. To keep things cool in the SoCal heat, he opted for an aftermarket electric fan. Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dog wheels roll in with 17x8/17x9 front/rear combo with Kumho rubber filling each fenderwell. Jason hasn't had the opportunity to run down the tarmac yet, but says he has an Edelbrock Performer cam waiting to be installed for a bit more power.inline_mediumwraptextright30733671/featuredvehicles/0912chp_1968_chevy_camaro0912chp_01_o+1968_chevy_camaro+side_shot.jpgTrue

35 Hot Classic Chevy Muscle Cars...

"I purchased the vehicle ... in Virginia Beach, Virginia, thinking I was going to restore the car to original condition. I later found that any numbers the car had either disappeared or didn't match," confesses Joe Frole. "I was crushed! No harm done, though, I thought. The car was still worth the $6,000 I had paid. At that point, I had to find something to make the car respectable. My vision needed to change drastically. Actually, I was a little worried."

Instead of hammering on the copy for this story, I'm on the lanai absorbing the frenzied antics of my youngest grandson (9 months) in the pool. Grammy's right next to him, of course, to steady and encourage. A simple domestic scene. A simple occurrence that is perhaps the essence of adulthood. All your life you give to your children. Now with this one simple experience and the kid's pure, subjective glee, he's giving life back to me.

Mr. R is a 47-year-old software configuration manager from San Diego, a real smart cookie, or so it would seem. Naturally, his $69,000 plan was highly detailed and was always in sight. Here he gives us the cogent reasons for what he's accomplished and how he did it. "I wanted to build it rock-solid and with a bitchin' but not overly flashy or overstated appearance inside and out," he explains. "I wanted there to be some modern touches but no modifications that took away from the classic look of the '69. It had to be blue because I'm a surfer and a fisherman and the deep blue color of the ocean has been a constant part of my life. I used my computer and digital skills to visualize different paint schemes, graphics, and stripes for the car and determined that modifications to a solid blue base only looked different, but not better, so I stayed with a solid blue scheme.

Beginning with this issue, Royal Purple has been kind enough to award a $200 gift certificate and a cool limited edition neon clock to our Reader's Ride of the month! The certificate can be redeemed for any of the company's products.

The closer you get to all this hot rodding stuff, the more it becomes apparent that car freaks like us do it just as much for rekindling that old-time spirit-the days that will never be again-as for making the thing perform to our liking. It's like a film negative in the heart that the mind can print anytime. Personal history is infused with current situations. Things are often not what they appear. Pat McNeil's Chevelle is one such example. He built his $5,000 fixer-upper with a street-and-strip vibe, mostly race car but something that would function ably on Main Street. The fact is that his '69 Chevelle would do the straight cruise well but it would be far from agile on a road course. Pat couldn't care less. He's got the car he wants.

Late-Model Tricks
'63 Impala SS
Justin Frederick
Gresham, OR

Justin has done well with his recently restored Impala SS. So what did he choose to power this old-school sled? A very unusual 6.0L LQ4 truck block is now nestled in the engine bay with a 4L80E transmission and transbrake. The LQ4 sports S&P headers and a homemade intake with a K&N filter. Tuning parameters were personally handled with HP Tuners software, producing 315 hp and 335 lb-ft to the tires. Budnik Tiller 18-inch wheels fill the wells, while the binders of choice is a complete set of SSBC big-brake assembly

Coupe De Thrill
'67 Camaro
Corey Whitaker
Smithfield, KY

It all started when Corey Whitaker was 14 years old, driving the Camaro up and down the driveway, and the itch has stuck with him ever since. The 327 small-block generates 400 hp, and Whitaker keeps it old-school with a rock-crushing Muncie four-speed and a posi rearend with 3.73s. Cragar rims fill the wheelwells front and back. If you are in the Louisville area, he'll be eating up the backroads, so watch out.