Chevelle updates

[ANDY M]

Eric, just think "Rat Rod", and drive it like one.

[VintageMusclecar]

That look wasn't so bad 25 years ago, but I don't want to leave it looking like that any longer than I absolutely have to now.

I'm going to put a 30 day tag on it (while I'll be waiting for personalized plates to come in), and the goal is to have it dialed in before the 30 day tag expires. Besides, it'll be scheduled for de-uglification soon anyhow, so no matter how I slice it, any road time this year will be severely limited.

Were it not for several delays in getting some parts in and a significant amount of time which was wasted trying to re-engineer several garbage repop parts (`gennies could NOT be located), I would've been at this point in the project at least 3-4 months ago.

Eh...such is life.

Eric

[VintageMusclecar]

Since it's been almost a year since I last posted about the car, I figured it was time for another update.

Despite several valiant efforts to get my ducks in a row, the de-uglification of the car has yet to take place. So rather than let this expensive hunk of cosmetically challenged garage art sit any longer, I finally broke down and admitted defeat...I bought new tags and reinstated the insurance and got the car road-legal.

Up until today, I had driven the car for but one brief lap around the block. Needless to say there were numerous small glitches that were revealed in that little jaunt, but as of today all but three relatively minor issues appear to be resolved. (too-fast speedo, mis-adjusted shifter and the wipers aren't working for some reason)

To summarize;

It's been a while since I've driven a car that has this kind'a steam. Whew!

540-ish HP combined with bias plys, manual steering, a wide ratio Muncie and a 4.56 screw in the back makes for some lively jockeying in the front seat even during around-town driving. My daily driver ([`95] Sub)urban assault vehicle has apparently left me somewhat spoiled.

Smooth take-offs from an intersection are somewhat difficult to perform w/o chirping the tires through 1st gear...even moreso when going around a corner. Gonn'a take some practice there.

Once on the road and settled down at 35 mph or so, it rolls along quite pleasantly considering the archaic rolling stock and squishy CE drag shocks.

In the interest of keeping both the car and my drivers license intact, I only lightly got after the throttle one time. A quick 1st gear rolling blip to ~1/2 throttle immediately sent the tach to 6K and the L60's up in a haze, and a quick shift into 2nd resulted in more of the same.

Traction??? Pfffttt....yeah, right. I've got my work cut out for me in that department.

In a nutshell, this thing's an animal.

As of now the battery is on the charger getting topped off and I'm on the hunt for a solution to the speedo issue. I may take it out again some tonight or tomorrow, and there's a local cruise-in on wednesdays that I haven't been to in ages, so I might take the car out to that.

But it'll get parked on the outskirts of the parking lot.

More eventually...
Eric

[markinnaples]

pics? or does it look exactly the same?

sounds like a fun and exciting ride.

[VintageMusclecar]

Go back one page, there's several pics there.

[Xplantdad]

Good deal Eric...get out and drive it!

[72-SS-L48]

Eric,

Looking great. Keep us posted. BTW I love the Stef's oil pan. Joe is a family friend.

-Dave

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
Good deal Eric...get out and drive it!

[/ QUOTE ]


yup, you've got to drive 'em !!

[427.060]

How much is the speed-o-meter off? A lot of the driven gears are still available at your local Chevy dealership parts department.
James

[VintageMusclecar]

The speedo reads about 50 at an actual 35. I have a speedo reduction box that my trans builder gave me with the trans, but I don't have the keyed stub shaft to drive it. I'll dig into it and try to find the right gear(s) tuesday.