September 2007 Feature Car:
George Lyons' 1969 Yenko Chevelle
| Engine: | L-72 (427/425hp) |
| Trans: | THM400 automatic |
| Rear (factory): | 4.10 posi |
| Exterior color: | Monoco Orange |
| Interior color: | Black - standard |
| Options: | Vinyl top, bucket seats, power steering, Hurst auto-stick |
| Selling Dealer: | Minneman Chevrolet - Youngstown, OH |
[Info & pictures courtesy George Lyons]
"I just recently completed the least amount of restoration I could do on the '69 Yenko Chevelle that I first talked about on this site in February, 2005, shortly after my purchase. This is car #408293, sold new by Minneman Chevrolet of Youngstown, Ohio, a Hugger Orange/Black Top, Automatic, Bucket Seat car that has been off the road since the fall of 1977. If you recall from my previous posting, I found and purchased the car with 26,000 miles from its 26 year previous owner who put a total of less than 50 miles on in all those years. It is truly a "Survivor" with incredibly nice original paint except for hood, all original glass, trim, bumpers, and weatherstripping and all original interior except for front only bucket seat covers and carpet. Every bit of the Yenko stiping is original but for the hood and yes, the hood stripes start farther back than you ordinarily see but I chose to put them back exactly in the spot they showed up on as I removed a previous repaint on the hood panel. I redid the hood in PPG acrylic lacquer striving to get it to look like the rest of the car.
We lifted the body to do a needed chassis and driveline restoration. Body and trim was not dismantled, just cleaned, detailed and polished. The bulk of the interior was not removed but I did find a mostly complete build sheet in the rear seat cushion. Original block was long gone but most all other driveline components, like the KQ and CX were with the car and a properly dated bare block was located to be built for the car. Mechanically everything was restored and chassis finishes and plating were redone only as needed. While the frame was cruddy and lightly surface rusty, undercoat removal on floors gave up an awesome condition find. The car runs, feels, sounds, smells and drives as one must have when it left Canonsburg nearly 40 years ago. I did just what it took to bring this car back.........no more and no less. I added the wheels for my own satisfaction but I do have 3 of the original match dated rally wheels. Having searched out rare cars for many years, this discovery and the finished product is my best find to date.
Thank You for letting me share this all with you."
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