1969 Chevelle Build

[Andy Friar]

Dad and I got our Harleys back together and sold as well as Dad's 67 Olds cruiser, together and sold. Now back to the race car with the other projects out of the way and the cash to fund this one. Yanked the front end to be able to clean it all up, easier to install solid body mounts and to install a torque limiting link setup on the motor. I cut out the old driver's side floor pan and I just about have the new piece from AMD fitted to the hole. Gonna start burning it in this week. Look at the Muncie case ear tab reinforcements that Jim made back in the early 70's, pretty cool stuff. Just a quick check, is our vintage overflow can still legal??

[Greg Barsamian]

Andy, the Muncie ear tabs are "Spot-on"
The patina of "catch can" fits the time-frame, and looks Way-Kool!

Keep the pic's and stories coming.

[Andy Friar]

The forward progress continues. We lifted the body off the frame to swap out the original, wasted, body mounts. We went with a set of hard anodized aluminum mounts from ABC Performance. With the body up we prepped and painted the 'top' of the cage and fixed a torched in hole on the rear passenger frame rail, right where it kicks inboard to clear the wheels. With the body down on the new mounts I set about burning in the new driver's side floor pan. I finished fully welding it all last night and I am going back it today with a grinder to prep for primer/paint.

[Andy Friar]

I missed a few pics on my last reply....

[Andy Friar]

I haven't post a reply on here in a while, but I assure you guys and gals that I have bustin' my tail on this crusty ol hot rod. Got the floor pan fix finished, welds ground, surface rust converter, raw metal primer and multiple coats of chassis satin black.

Underneath of the car cleaned up. Old nasty stick welded in super heavy duty tubes cut off the frame, many boxes of sanding discs and wire wheels later, and a bunch of rust converter on it too. Then multiple coats of satin chassis black.

Engine torque limiting strap build and in place. Dad has been working on a parallel path with the motor. The Turbo 292 heads have a 68cc combustion chamber. Since we are going to run this in a Stock legal configuration, with a bracket motor to get started, we ordered up a set up 13.0:1 Mahle coated pistons and Manley H-Beam rods. We want this to be a wheels-up beast. The stock crank Dad got from Reichert fit good with .010" under bearings. The block and pistons are back at Reichert's getting fitted up.

While I was at it, I cleaned up the trans crossmember. I also metalworked up the steering column closeout panel that someone took a torch too 40 yrs ago. Out of time and energy for tonight. Working on the car tomorrow night and I hope to post 4 or 5 more pics too.

[Run to Rund]

Thanks for sharing. Great history, and an exciting restoration.

[Andy Friar]

With the car stripped back to the firewall, it was time to sand the front frame section and the firewall and clean off 45 years of rust, grease, lacquer paint and. Cut off a few 70's era added brackets on the frame and weld up a bunch of not used or previously added holes on the firewall. I welded up a few holes and fixed some dents in the heater box too since I was there.

Onto the seats and belts. I went with Kirkey 18" width drag seats with vinyl covers, and Gforce camlock belts. I bought the kirkey universal seat mounts and then made 2 steel brackets the bolt to the floor and the aluminum brackets. I am 7" taller than my Dad, but we were able to find a seat position that will work for us both, so at anytime the other one could jump in the car and make a pass, with out unbolting or moving the seat around. On the outboard side I used the existing bench seat mounts on the floor. I used some flanged base weld nuts on the 1" sq tubing to bolt the aluminum brackets too. I pie cut the boxed tubing to follow the floor, rather than make it a full weld joint. On the inboard side steel mount, I poked a hole through the newly installed floor patch reinforced it on the bottom side with a 4" sq pc of .125" thick 4130 fully welded to the floor. I made the 'C' shaped clearance cut to clear the large washers and nut that Jim had welded into the car 40 years to mount a driveshaft loop. Rear 1"sq tube mount ties into the floor crossmember and I will just run a large diameter, hardened washer and grade 8 nyloc on it.

We have the new steering wheel, fuel cell, shifter, shifter cover, fuel cell mount kit and bunch of other parts in a UPS/ Fed Ex pile in the house garage. Always more to do....

[impstocker]

Love the pics on the build. I was wondering since you dropped the frame, is your roll cage welded to the frame? , or the floor? My Impala my roll bar is through the floor into the frame. I did this for strength plus the crossmember where the upper control arms are attached to is the weak link in theses Impalas, they tend to pull out . I used a cross brace from the roll bar to strengthen this area. I guess Chevelles don't have this issue. Using the solid body mounts is a good idea. Just wanted to say great job, keep it up.
Will Lamprecht I/SA 65 Impala in progress- Div 1
(rear end went in yesterday)

[Andy Friar]

Originally Posted by impstocker

Love the pics on the build. I was wondering since you dropped the frame, is your roll cage welded to the frame? , or the floor? My Impala my roll bar is through the floor into the frame. I did this for strength plus the crossmember where the upper control arms are attached to is the weak link in theses Impalas, they tend to pull out . I used a cross brace from the roll bar to strengthen this area. I guess Chevelles don't have this issue. Using the solid body mounts is a good idea. Just wanted to say great job, keep it up.
Will Lamprecht I/SA 65 Impala in progress- Div 1
(rear end went in yesterday)

Thanks Will! Our cage is welded to the frame and to the rear upper suspension crossmember in the back. We only lifted the car 3.5" inches, basically enough the get the mounts swapped and that was the amount were were limited by the cage hitting the floor. The floor was opened up with the tin snips when the cage was put in. I welded those slices closed after we did the body mounts. We are using bolt in stiffeners from Detroit Speed (http://www.detroitspeed.com/1964-197...brace-kit.html) To my knowledge the Chevelles don't have the issue with the crossmember separating from the frame.

[Andy Friar]

Where all the works go down. Everything we need in here, except a bank vault, to go racing.