Prject "Vision" 74 Chevelle Build

[driveit]

Hello everyone. I thought it was time to fill you in on my build so far. It has been a long project that has taken many turns. Everything started when my uncle purchased the car to run in the demolition derby. I saw the car for my first time and fell in love with it. I persuaded him to keep it and at age 11 I got my first car. It was missing many things, the top, the seats, motor and transmission just to list a few. Over the year the car has had 4 engine including the one I just installed. The top has been mostly repaired. The original seats were found at the junkyard of purchase. Now the car is my daily driver.

Now for something a little more interesting. Pics!

Here is how it sat for years.




After sitting in hibernation for about 6 years I put a little work into it and get it to here.













































There was an accident about this same time which in turn totaled the car. It was nothing more than a dented quater panel and broken center cap. I repaired this to the best of my ability and low fundage. I did however get a settlement from the insurance company which allowed me to install a new suspension front to back.

There is now a one inch drop on through the rear springs and a two inch drop in the front thanks to a CPP two inch drop spindle on the front. They don't offer one for a G3 Chevelle so I used one for a 74 Camaro. It seemed to work fine with minor adjustments.

New 18 inch MB Old School wheels and nitto tires were about to be added when a small financial issue stole the last of my cash. I settled for a new set of Cooper Cobra Radial Gts.

These were taken a few weeks ago.










And here are the before and after pics of my latest engines.

Before:



After:



The new engine is a Tri Star Performance Engines 355 ci.
The tranny is a Jegs 450 HP unit.
Pro Torq stall converter

I have more than double in horse power now and I am lovin it. It came with a 750cfm Performer carb, but it seemed to flood too easily so I swapped it out for the 600 from my previous engine. It works great. In a bit I post more about the direction I am going with my build. For now engine the pics and the story of my vision as it unfolds.

Sorry for the attached image. I can't seem to remove it from the bottom.

[Razorhead]

Cool build !

are these rallye wheels ? Are you going to sell them and are they in good shape ?

[driveit]

Cool build !

are these rallye wheels ? Are you going to sell them and are they in good shape ?

I still have the rallies and unfortunately I don't intend to sale them. I think the front ones are a bit warped as I am getting a bit of vibration. I am thinking of switching to a set of Centerline wheels soon if they check out to be good wheels. I will keep the rallies as I have given a 75 model to my son and he may want them some day. I think they could be repaired, but I don't know what that would cost. That is far down the road I am sure so I will have time to think on it.

[driveit]

Ok, so here is the plan. The first image is the actual color scheme I am thinking of.

Here are a couple renderings as an example.






I am definitely wanting to go with a Pro-touring theme. It will be my daily driver so it won't be too radical, but I want it to hang in the curves effortlessly. That will be a challenge as the car is already knocking on 4000 lbs. I want it low, but high enough the I can drive it almost anyone with some consideration.

For the look, the body will be black with red or a reddish orange down the side. Possibly Ghosted Bible verses shaped like rally stripes down the hood. If I do the rally stripe idea it will look just like a normal stripe from a distance, but will be readable from up close. I definitely want to go with all new glass in the car which will be difficult as I don't think anyone makes most of it any more. I do want the glass tinted a bit, but not too dark. Currently I have a 69 camaro spoiler on the back that has not been modified. It fits well considering it was for a completely different car. My goal is to give it a bit more of a nascar feel with the spoiler and go with something custom. I want the adjustable brackets for angle adjustments, not that it will ever really benefit from it. I may drag the car here and there as well, but I still don't think I will see speeds high enough that it will be a noticeable benefit. Here is an example I saw on car they called Project Talladega.



For the front I want a custom air splitter. I did a rendering for another member here with a 74 Firebird, which gave me the idea. I will do a rendering of this soon. Here is the one I did for him so you can see what I am referring to.




I have also been toying with a new idea for my hood. *I have always liked the shaker hoods. *I like the look of the trans am shakers, but I think that it should be larger much larger for my car. I want something different. To stand out a bit in the crowd. As if driving a 74 Chevelle isn't enough!

I keep thinking of something like one of these. *I know these are just scoops, but as a shaker hood this could be an awesome look. I think making one of these styles a bit taller and open up the center for a ram air effect would be awesome. *Any thoughts?




I didn't want to use this as I had not gotten permission, but hopefully the owner will not mind. I am a huge fan of this car and the whole build. He is a member here as well. For the front end I plan on painting the grill black, taking out the center and replacing it with a black honeycomb design. The before mention grill below is a 73 Laguna grill. The grill I am envisioning will be similar, but with the honeycomb design in the back, no lights on the sides and the two horizontal lines will be chrome or polished stainless bent to match the angle of the grill. I will try to make a rendering of this as well.




All chrome down the sides will be removed and the final stance will be something l




I am thinking of a more modern looking mirror for the side that resembles the sport mirror that is already on the car, but maybe it bit larger. I am even thinking of going with a 2010 Camaro mirror like the one below. I think I would like to get the signals in the mirrors to work as well.



For the lights I will be going all led for efficiency, longevity and brightness. ( I am blind at night!) I am also considering going with a halo headlight with a red halo to it.

I definitely want to go with a adjustable front and rear coil overs to get the perfect stance. I am tired of swapping springs!!! (If you want a certain look or stance, get adjustable coil overs and don't spend the time and money fooling with cutting, swapping and modifying everything else. They are expensive to me, but well worth it. I am saving up now! Drop spindle are awesome as well to keep the original geometry of your car that is if you are not going full on custom for the front end.)


I am thinking of wheels like these. Drilled and slotted rotors and at least 4 pistons on all four corners.







I think that is enough for now. I will try to get some renderings together and post when I have time.

[LUV2XLR8]

i dig the blue... and good idea to break it up with a mopar stripe... it fits

[driveit]

That rendering was actually for someone else. I can't take credit for the idea as it was not mine. I really did like the idea though. I did a few different ones for him and they are on one of the featured pages from my website. You are welcome to check them out if you like. http://newsightdesigns.wix.com/home For mine it will be the red and black, but I am considering doing something similar to separate the colors.

[driveit]

A member suggested the following when I was looking for wheel options. I love this wheel that they suggested.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/su...mml6/overview/

I love this wheel just looking at it and it seems to be a perfect fit. I was still deciding whether I wanted to go with 17s or 18s, but it looks like they don't offer it in a 17. 18s it is.

How do you guys think they would look on a 74 Chevelle?







Was thinking of these tires. They are about 167/tire.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rik-34089/overview/

[Later-A-body]

I think you have a lot of great ideas for your Chevelle. I like the wheels you are looking at and think they will look great on the car. Hopefully they come in a decent width. You will want to put at least a 10" inch rim in back if available. it's good to see another '73-'77 A-body build. There are a decent amount of parts availalble for these cars if you know where to look. I would be happy to help out on questions if needed.

[driveit]

I think you have a lot of great ideas for your Chevelle. I like the wheels you are looking at and think they will look great on the car. Hopefully they come in a decent width. You will want to put at least a 10" inch rim in back if available. it's good to see another '73-'77 A-body build. There are a decent amount of parts availalble for these cars if you know where to look. I would be happy to help out on questions if needed.

Thanks. I appreciate that. Just found your build thread. I had been there before, but had lost it. I subscribed now. Love that car! Do you have any updated photos?

[driveit]

I wanted to do a mock up rendering, but havn't had time due to family issues. *Had a few minutes here to try something quick. *What do you guys think? *I like it, with maybe a bit more sidewall.

[Auto Rod Technologies]

Could be a cool project... good luck!!

[SPLATT71MC]

While my all time favorite Chevelle has always been the 70 model, this generation has always appealed to me. I think it's the old school NASCAR look from when they were still factory bodies. It looks like you have a great start and good ideas to come.

[driveit]

Thanks. I can't wait to find some more time to work on it. The next few things I want to start on is repairing the leaks around my windsheild. I also have a leak in my trunk that has now caused a small hole. I think that is the only hole in the floor at all, but still makes me mad. Then I will be removing most of the chrome trim from the car and repairing any hidden damage. Once I get my leaks fixed maybe I can actually put some insulation and carpet in the floor and maybe get a headliner. Get s hot in there when there is just metal on the top and bottom.

Leaks
Chrome Trim Removed
Interior

Wish me luck.

[driveit]

Playing around in my down time.
Blacked out grill, Red halo headlights, Red LEDs behind the grill, Air splitter, stingray scoop, Satin black paint, Tinted windows.

[driveit]

Ok, so im guessing by now you know I want to go with a pro-touring daily driver theme. Ideally I would like to get a custom built chassis, but that is just a dream, so I have been thinking of borrowing the chassis from the 75 I plan to give my son down the road. The car is in very rough shape and needs to get out of the rain anyway so I am thinking of pulling the body off the frame and putting the body in my moms barn up off the ground instead of back in her field rotting away.

I don't have a garage yet and can't afford to build one so I want to get some cheap lumber from my brother in law who owns a saw mill and build something just large enough to hide the frame in and keep it dry. I plan to work on the frame this winter. Sand it, clean it, re-weld it where needed maybe add some extra bracing here and there. I want to get serious on the hunt for some upgraded front and rear brakes. I am tired of this thing not wanting to stop! I want to add a posi now that I have upgraded the power and have need for it. I also need to find a rear sway bar.

Ok, so now that you kinda have the low down of what I am thinking of doing do you have any tips for me as to where to start. I know absolutely nothing about building frames and such, but thought I would give it a shot.

[driveit]

Doesn't anyone have any frame upgrade suggestions? Keep in mind I have only basic hand tools and randomly have access to a wire welder.

[Later-A-body]

The best advice I could give is to seek out a reputable chassis builder in your area and discuss with them a plan for the frame. I had my work done by Rob at No Limit Engineering, which is one of the PT sponsors. I explained to Rob that I wanted to increase the overall stiffness of the frame to do autocrossing. Since you have a second frame, you can take your time and figure out exactly what to do. There are many different ways to improve the frame, but I would imagine that each builder has their own preferences as to how to accomplish this. One thing you should consider is closing up the C-channel on each side of the frame. This will require a new transmission crossmember though, which I now have. The front framerails on my project were tied together with large 2" tubing. The rear was also reinforced....see the pictures earlier on the site. I dont think you should be required to spend big money on this, but you should have it done by a professional. The frame will need to be measured for any imperfections such as twist, sway, diamond, etc. prior to any modifications. Realistically, it will most likely cost at least $1,000.00 to get the work done, but when compared to an aftermarket frame, that is worth the investment. I hope this helps some.

[Later-A-body]

In regard to the renderings, I really like the factory two tone black/silver version the best. I think GM did a nice job on the two tone, and with the right wheels, and stance it would look great. I'm not really digging the blue, a little too busy, but that just my opinion.

[driveit]

Thanks for the advise. I think I could have the frame checked and straightened if needed for free, I know that I couldn't afford to pay someone to build it for me. Maybe I could at least get some tips though from a shop somewhere nearby. I don't know anyone local that does any kind of work like that. It will take some research. I can do that. Thanks again.

Current project for the Chevelle is to get some rear brakes on that thing. I resolved a tire rubbing issue where it was hitting my exhaust tips by cutting of a few feet of pipe. I have get that re-routed, but I found that the wheel cylinders were bad and the shoes need replacing. I am on the search for rear discs, but and also looking to just rebuild the rear drums in the mean time. The drums will stay on the current frame. If I can find a disc rearend, hopefully with posi, it will go on the other frame I plan to start on.

[driveit]

So, a little update. I converted all of my tail lights over to LED's. They seemed to work well and were bright, but not as bright as I had hoped for. I was happy enough for them and they did not put off the heat that the old style bulbs did. However after a few months in the car all of the bulbs have stopped working. I even replaced them all and the replacements have stopped working. I am still using the factory wiring harness from 74 I wonder if this could be the issue. I am going back to the old style bulbs for now until I can upgrade my wiring.

If it is nice Saturday I plan to do the following:

Thorough cleaning of the car,
Replacing all bulbs.
Replace Wiper Blades.
Replace Headlight Switch.
Rewire Stereo and relocate hidden antenna.
Diagnose Brake Pedal problem.
Check all fluids.
Tuck rear bumper.