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Don, Lori and Jared Moore's '72 |
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Car info: This is our 1972 Chevelle Father and Son Project.
THE GOOD: We bought our car off E-Bay in 2004 in Topeka, KS. The grandson was selling it for his grandmother who was the original owner. The car had not been started in 2 years and not driven in 5 years. It had 48,000 and change on the clock. Believe it or not, the original dealer installed plastic seat covers front and back (the front mostly gone) were still in place, owners manual and protecto plate in the glove box, and in the trunk the original belted bias ply was bolted in place.
THE BAD: After setting outside for nearly 40 years and the fact that grandma didn't miss a thing on her outings, the body was NOT in the same condition as the interior (you get the picture)! As we discovered later, it had been undercoated when new, and they had done a good job. When we removed the 1/2" of thirty-year-old rock dust and mud, the floor pans and trunk looked like new. I installed a new battery, cleaned the mouse nest out of the air cleaner and dumped a shot of fresh gas in the carb, and it started on the third try. After a run to the local parts store for misc. fluids and a new coil wire, we drove it around town for a while, and decided to try and drive it home, if it would make it. With the muffler shot, and the radio not working, it was a long noisy drive, but the old girl made it all the way home with no trouble.
THE PLAN: We decided to clean up the car, touch it up and make it safe for Jared to drive to school when he turned 16. But as they do, one thing led to another, and in the fall of 2005 I started to buy parts, replacing some items as needed. Before long though, we were in full resto mode. I did as much of the work myself as possible, with a lot of help from friends. With the mechanical, Steve at Steve's Service in Omaha; and Paint and body work by Bob Krejci in Elkhorn, Ne. We had the car back together in late spring and sporting new Sequoia green paint with black stripes and black interior. A new stance provided by new shocks, springs, bushings, brakes, and new 15" wheels and tires. To the stock 350 we added a Holly four-barrel carb and manifold, HEI distributor, Headers with 2"duel out the back and misc. shinny parts. After many late nights and weekends it was ready to show off.
THE PRIZE: To Jared's disappointment, it was not going to be his school car - we had gone too far for that, although he was able to take it to prom, and other activities: Hockey, Homecoming, and cruising nightly with friends. The car was built to be driven and it is. As with most projects, there's always something to repair or update, so we will never be done.
Model: Chevelle Malibu
Type: 2 door Sport Coupe
Engine: 350 C.I.D.
Transmission: 350
Rear End: 10 Bolt
Paint:Sequoia Green W/ Black SS Stripes
Interior: Black