1972 Chevelle build

[InfantryMP]

I thought it may be cool to show you guys a project I have been slowly working on, that has been ramping up as of late. This is my 1972 Chevelle that I purchased back in 2016 from Columbia, SC for about $4,000.  It was parked for a while, and the previous owner was having twins, so it worked out for me.  I lived in Savannah at the time, so a few hours drive and a trailer and I picked her up site unseen except for this one photo. 

 

Specs:

1969 350 motor- Stock build

TH350 trans

 

The first thing on the list once I got her home was to check out the engine. I knew it was not running at all.  The motor turned over, but had no fluids.  I spent three days trying to get it to run decent, but ran in to a ton of issues:

 

 

I decided to pull the motor and do some work:

 

I added new parts:

• fuel pump
• water pump
• timing cover
• carb
• thermostat and housing
• intake
• booster and master cylinder

I also decided to paint the block and change out all the gaskets while I was at it. This is a dirty photo but you get the point.

 

 

 

[InfantryMP]

With the motor out getting refreshed in my home garage, I decided to gut the interior. It smelled horribly because all the seals and weather stripping was gone. I also needed to see what I was working with on the floors. 

 

I want an all black interior, so this blue had to go. Also the seats are bucket out of a late model vehicle, and the most of the blue interior had been spray died a different blue than the factory blue anyway. A few redbulls, and a few beers later the interior was out, and surprisingly enough, it is not that horrible.

 

 

 

 

With the interior out, I still needed to work on the fuel system.  I tried to get a new fuel tank, but there were none in stock anywhere. So I had some race car buddies bring me a fuel cell for temp use. 

 

I installed the fuel cell in the trunk and ran all new fuel lines to the new fuel pump with inline filters before and after the new fuel pump. 

 

I hated doing this because the capacity was stupid low like 5 gallons, but I needed clean fuel before I could fire up again.  I also put in new plugs, and wires before trying to fire it up again. 

 

 

 

[InfantryMP]

Got a deal on some new wheels. $400 for some Torque Thrust knock offs. The original wheels were Camaro rallies I think, and were like 14s. These other wheels were 17's, and I liked that a lot better. 

 

The tires were shot, but I used them anyway. Here I also noticed that the body does not look horrible, but there is a good amount of filler on this car. But overall it looks pretty decent from 8ft out.

 

Body work will come last, as it will be the most expensive, and plus I can drive it as and be fine. Not winning any trophies for sure, but good enough to go to town in!

 

I got the motor in after a couple of days being out getting some work in. I had a few buddies who had old Fords, and stuff and they were kind enough to come help me get the motor in and buttoned up. 

 

I got all the fluids topped off etc, and went to crankin on it. After some initial timing adjustments, I was able to get it fired up. I adjust the carb by ear to get it to idle decent. It ran for a few minutes, but was not building any oil pressure. 

 

That is a huge problem for the A body GM cars because you cannot drop the oil pan without lifting the motor up, or completely out of the car.  So here comes the 2nd time in a week that I was pulling the motor. 

 

(I do not have photos of this portion as I have lost them somewhere)

 

Things I added:

1. New oil pan
2. New oil pain pickup and filter
3. New oil pump
4. New distributor

Got all that added, and put back in the car. Got the timing adjusted again, and fired her up! BOOM! She was idling and building great oil pressure! I let her run for a bit to circulate the all new fluids. Did some carb adjustments (I suck at this), but I got it to idle sounding decent where the timing was set by ear. 

 

The only thing left was to drive it now!

 

 

[InfantryMP]

Driving these old muscle cars that have been neglected and worked on by anyone and everyone is that you really have no idea how bad things are until you start driving them. 

 

The first test drive did not go well. I quickly realized that my timing was off pretty bad as I had 0 power. Also once I did start going, I did not have 3rd gear in the TH 350. 

 

First things first. I towed the Chevelle down to Jacksonville to a great transmission shop, and they had it rebuild in a few days and put back in. I had 3rd gear finally!

 

This is where the pause of work came in. I still could not get the car to run well. Like I mentioned before, I am not good at tuning carbs, and setting timing on these and no one around me could seem to get it done either. I parked the Chevelle.

 

I got out of the military in 2017, and moved back to Indiana where I am originally from and let it sit here until the start of the pandemic!

 

Once the pandemic hit, and I stayed at home a lot, I decided to work on it again!

[Mike L]

Good for you!!

Looks like a great driver!

I love seeing old muscle cars brought back to life and restored as I grew up with them. They’re getting rarer as time goes on. 
 

Except for paint, tires and wheels I have an all original ‘65 GTO that I’ve owned for 31 yrs. I restored it as a show/driver but still don’t drive it as much as I’d like. 
 

Stay with it and don’t get discouraged while you get it the way you want. 
 

All it takes is time and money! ??

 

 

 

 

Mike

[InfantryMP]

I found a local shop here that was reputable in muscle cars. The owner is retired out of GM and a ASE certified etc. 

 

I met with him, and he showed me all of his cars, and I finally found a place I could trust to work on things that I could not. 

 

I sent the Chevelle there during the pandemic with a ton of parts, and also issues I was having. 

 

1. I needed it to stay running. Timing, carb adjustments, tune up etc

2. Horrible suspension and steering response

3. Over heat issues

4. Leaks

 

I dropped the car off on a Monday. An hour after the car started being worked on the shop called me and said they got it fired up and running fantastic. I was shocked, but they said they were doing burnouts and doughnuts in the parking lot after 1 hour of working on the timing and carb adjustments. It had power, that I could not unlock.

 

They had the Chevelle for the entire week fixing the suspension, steering, cooling, and leaks and driving it to try to diagnose any other issues. The bill came out to $1200. 

 

Here is what they did:

1. New radiator and electric fans

2. All new steering components

3. Upper ball joints

4. New fuel tank and sending unit (bye bye fuel cell)

5. Fixed all the fluid leaks, and vacuum leaks

6. Got my fuel gauge working (wiring issue)

 

Here she is the day I drove her for home. The longest trip to date:

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/xnlQDpFNQj4?

 

 

[Deephaven]

Love old muscle.

[Mike L]

That’s an excellent price for that work. 
At least for down here it is. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[J Francho]

Looking good! My dad had a '71 Malibu. Fun car. 

[InfantryMP]

7 minutes ago, Mike L said:

That’s an excellent price for that work. 
At least for down here it is. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

It is indeed. The car is actually going back next week for some major suspension upgrade. I will update this build with that info here in a bit!

4 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Looking good! My dad had a '71 Malibu. Fun car. 

I love the 71 and 72. Those round taillights did it for me!

[InfantryMP]

Flash forward to today....

 

I have been driving her around all summer. I moved again, but just 15 miles away so I did have to drive her once this winter...crazy fun in the snow. 

 

The farthest I have drove so far is about 50 miles in a single trip, but I drive every decent day we have in town. No issues whatsoever. However it did prompt me to think about some more upgrades to help with the drivability.

 

The suspension repairs that were completed before were just enough to get it on the road, and that is what I wanted and paid for. But now that will not work. 

 

I bought the BMR Level 2 suspension kit for the Chevelle. This will be the best for me for street use. This is a $2,000 front and rear kit. Best bang for your buck in my opinion.

 

 

 

I am also have new steering components and bushings to tighten up the steering slop. I am also putting in a quick ratio 10:1 2.5 turns to lock steering gear box.  This should make the Chevelle drive and handle like a newer car. This is an $800 upgrade with the gear box and steering components.

 

I also just installed a new to me hood. My original hood had some rot underneath. This came off a 70 Chevelle. It is not a cowl hood, or SS hood, but I do not care about that too much. I paid $100 for it.

 

 

While putting the hood on, I found some more things that will need addressed. This one really sucks, but it is what it is. I was doing some hood adjustments and realized there was some really thin sheet metal around the top of the hood near the wipers. I pealed some of it back to see why it was there, and this is what I found.

 

 

The body work that I know needs done before the normal pre-paint body work is:

• New trunk pan
• Repair patch drivers side floor maybe one on the drivers side
• Upper cowl to windshield
• New rear valance
• New trunk lid

I was quoted at 12K-15K for body and paint without these repairs being completed. I would imagine I will be at 18K-20K for it all to be done professionally.

 

[InfantryMP]

I have decided to try to tackle bodywork myself. I have 2 years of college technical welding experience from a while back. 

 

With the way the market is right now, body shops are backed up around me for at least a year. Also I believe I can save a ton of cash doing it myself. In the trunk area I am not worried about how the weld specifically looks as I will be coating the trunk in a splatter paint so it will probably be covered decent. 

 

I am buying a MIG welder and all the supplies needed to weld Sheetmetal. I will practice a ton before actually starting on the car, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. 

[J Francho]

42 minutes ago, InfantryMP said:

I think it will be worth it in the long run.

That's a skill I'd love to have.

[Jigfishn10]

6 minutes ago, J Francho said:

That's a skill I'd love to have.

I agree. I did structural welding in college which would have gotten me certified, but mig welding is something I would have loved to have learned.

 

@InfantryMP, that looks great! Wish you nothing but the best of luck!

[Hammer 4]

Thats really looking good. I sure miss my 1966 Chevelle SS 396.

[Bankbeater]

That is really looking sharp.

[Mike L]

29 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

Thats really looking good. I sure miss my 1966 Chevelle SS 396.

I bet you do!

I’m sure you know what that thing is worth now !

?

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Hammer 4]

6 minutes ago, Mike L said:

I bet you do!

I’m sure you know what that thing is worth now !

?

 

 

 

 

Mike

Yup, but not as much as my old 1969 GTO Judge is..

[Mike L]

19 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

Yup, but not as much as my old 1969 GTO Judge is..

OH MAN!

I feel bad for you!

?

 

 

A friend of mine just bought one he found in West Virginia. 
He paid almost as much as I paid for my first house. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Hammer 4]

8 minutes ago, Mike L said:

OH MAN!

I feel bad for you!

?

 

 

A friend of mine just bought one he found in West Virginia. 
He paid almost as much as I paid for my first house. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

I checked a few years ago about the going rate for the Judge, over 150k, I'm sure it's gone up even more nowadays.

[Catt]

[Mike L]

14 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

I checked a few years ago about the going rate for the Judge, over 150k, I'm sure it's gone up even more nowadays.

That’s About right.

 

 

 

Mike

[slonezp]

Was never a Chevelle fan but I am a muscle car fan. I went to high school with NHRA legend Tony Schumacher. Great Lakes drag strip in Wisconsin hosted high school drag nights on Fridays and Tony was running a 9 second Chevelle at 17 years old. I was an acquaintance of his... friends of friends. Had no idea when I was hanging out in his garage after school that he would reach the heights that he did.   

 

If I ever get the means, 67-69 Camaro, 72 Cutlass convertible, 72 Pontiac Catalina convertible, or a 64 Nova would be on my bucket list. Also, Chevy Nomads, Pontiac Safari's and an old pick up or two.

 

1 hour ago, Hammer 4 said:

Yup, but not as much as my old 1969 GTO Judge is..

A buddy had a 1970 Judge. I remember going sideways around corners with him. Funny thing is, his daily driver in Chicago was a Honda Civic 3 door. Had both cars parked in front of his house (Late 80's) and the Honda got stolen. The Honda was worth more to the thieves in parts than the Goat.

[Mobasser]

I'm a GM muscle car fan. Your Chevelle is a nice old car. GM 350 is a great engine also. Easy to maintain, and parts available  I've had a couple over the years. I like Chevelle, Nova, and most Pontiac models from the 60s also.

[InfantryMP]

Small update on the Chevelle. 

 

The level 2 suspension kit is getting installed today and tomorrow. I am surprising the shop with a couple of additional add ons later today. 

 

I ordered a new quick ratio power steering gear box with new PS lines. It should be a lot tighter and more like a newer vehicle in regards to steering. That will be a huge increase along with the suspension kit

 

The front passenger side wheel bearing blew out at the shop after they drove it around to diagnose some other things. So those will be new as well!

 

I will post some pics once I get the car back this week!