66 Chevelle Project

[Mike Holleman]

I'd like to share some pics and build info on this customer's 66 Chevelle I have just spent the better part of a year building.
It started out as a plain 66 2 dr. hardtop with a major case of cancer. The only savable metal from the firewall back was the roof.
The following are brands and suppliers I used, many of which support this site.
ATS, Lokar, Hotchkis, Touring Classics, Newstalgia, Moser, Global West,
Optima
Ron Davis Racing
Detriot Speed
Hot Rod Air
Hydratech
Flaming River

[Mike Holleman]

A couple of more shots.

[dodge]

very nice indeed

[CRCRFT78]

Thats sick. One of my favorite musclecars.

[dropit69]

WOW Mike that came it awesome..my fav year chevelle for sure..are those autometer guages?..

[Mike Holleman]

Yes Darrin, Autometer Carbon Fiber in a Covan dash. And thanks for the nice comments. Both the customer and I are very pleased with the finished product. And it runs and corners like stink. My first use of a GM crate motor and so far I'm impressed.

[Crafty One]

Now that is a clean chevelle......

[dropit69]

Mike how are the guages to read in your opinion ?..i want to use them on my 73 but heard they are hard to read at times?..but i think they look killer..now you can get to your car..lol..

[BobB66SS]

Nice work.

[curly]

Great work! I still need to find a time to go check out your 'elky when I'm in your area.

[WS6]

gorgeous!

[Mike Holleman]

thanks again for the comments. Darrin, the gauges are very easy to read. You may notice that I used 2 5/8 gauges. The customer wanted the big gauges like in my Tempest. It was a tight fit in Covan's dash. The Elky is getting the new Stewart Warner gauges. They are not as pretty as the CF but have a no nonsense look that will fit in with the Elkys build style.

[MarkM66]

Vary Nice!

What size tires and wheels, and backspacing?

What wiper motor?

[Chevrolaine]

What a beautiful car, great job!:eek:

[67SSDan]

That thing is just sweet. I dig it.

Dan

[MrQuick]

Very nice job, I absolutely love the center console. Might be stealing some ideas cause everyone needs cup holders!:twothumbs

[West Texas Z]

That smooth fire wall makes the engine look huge!!! Mad props!

[Mike Holleman]

The console is fiberglass W/upholstery. My son built it with a little supervision from Dad. The rear section is a large storage box under the arm rest. We wanted to keep it clean so the only things mounted to it are the cup holder, shifter and trans temp gauge. The 502 emblem was an afterthought that the owner loves. Also note the little billet vents in the sides. Really nice pieces from Hot Rod Air that open and close and swivel 360 degrees.

[MarkM66]

Mike, don't forget my questions/ :)

[Mike Holleman]

Sorry Mark. I missed em first time round. The wiper is from Detriot Speed. Works great with five delays and two good speeds. The wheels are 18x8 out front and 18x10 rears. 245/40 and 285/35 respectively.
Thanks
Mike

[Rubes]

NIce job Mike.

[hmartin]

Awesome! I especially like the interior.:headbang:

[Mike Holleman]

You guys have seen the afters. Here is a couple of befores.

[Mike Holleman]

And a couple of in betweens.

[dropit69]

holy crap you weren't kidding..hated to seen your bill when it was done..came out awesome !!

[Mike Holleman]

The man spent some serious bucks building it, but mainly because he choose the best available parts and pieces. My son and I billed for less than 600 hours on this build. That is each. Considering we did about 90% of the build that is fairly cheap at least labor wise.
Had the car been in the condition we all thought it was in, he would have come out much better. Once it was stripped, there was strong consideration to ditch it and find another car. It was that bad. When he left my house with it today he was all grins. To quote Mr. Natural, " another job well done."

[Yelcamino]

"Another job well done" is a serious understatement! Awesome job Mike!

[Mike Holleman]

Thanks Herb,
I'm always glad when they are finished and gone.
Now to get serious about an El Camino.
Mike

[Mike Holleman]

A sad update on this 66 Chevelle build. Today the customer called me sobbing, I could barely make out what he was trying to tell me. He was standing in front of his car watching it burn. Not sure exactly what happened yet, but it was an engine fire and gas related. I rushed to the scene and damn near cried myself. What a horrible sight. The engine will survive but most everything else under the hood is trash. Melted the bowl off the back of the Holley. Said it knocked off, he rolled to a stop and saw flames. It had a safety pressure switch for the fuel pump, but it looks to me that the fuel pump was feeding the fire. I'll know more when I can break it down.
Mike:crying:

[dropit69]

:barf: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: oh my Mike i dont know what to say that just sucks hard..such a awesome car..

[Yelcamino]

You ain't kidding! That sucks!

[Mike Holleman]

You ain't kidding! That sucks!
You guys are right, but sucks put's it mildly. Here is a reminder of what it looked like mere hours ago. It will return, but did I mention it is not insured.
Mike

[jackfrost]

i just put a fire extinguisher on my parts list. :scared:

[Mike Holleman]

i just put a fire extinguisher on my parts list. :scared:
The owner has already told me a fire system is a given on the rebuild. I put a fire system in my Elky, but it only sprays inside the car. I might now consider adding an engine nozzle.
Mike

[Mike Holleman]

You guys may remember this post from last fall. My customers 66 Chevelle had an engine fire and was nearly destroyed. Well, It is nearly back on the road. I have tried to improve everything on the car. The 502 now has Accel's Thruster DFI. Should pick up 60 to 70 HP. I did the engine compartment even cleaner. Went to black paint on items that had finish damage but were still good. Believe it or not that is the same valve covers. I built him a custom dash. Just a little nicer than the Covan stuff that burned. The car is at the paint shop getting a Cortez Silver and Gun Metal Gray paint job. And man am I glad to be nearly finished. Seems like I have been working on this car since fall of 2006. Except for the nine months he had it, I have.
Mike
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/01/burntup001-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/05/secondcoming001-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/05/secondcoming004-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/05/secondcoming006-1.jpg

[jackfrost]

what caused the fire?

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

awwwww man that sucks!!


but thats good to see it back out looking better than ever.

[Yelcamino]

Mike, it looked great the first time around, but it's even better this time! Nice job.

[Mike Holleman]

what caused the fire?

He had a sticking secondary float. It backfired and a little fire started. If he would have restarted it would have gone out. He panicked jumped out leaving the switch on and fuel pump running plus two big Spal fans adding O2. Fire lasted about two minutes.

[Mike Holleman]

Mike, it looked great the first time around, but it's even better this time! Nice job.
Thanks Herb. It did turn out nice. It is a whole bunch more work to recover one from a fire than to just build one. Tom has it now for the paint and I will only need a day to finish afterwards. And there is still a little fine tuning on the EFI. Most likely Ryan at RPM will get it for a dyno tune. It is quick but the Elky has him covered.
Mike

[dropit69]

hey Mike car looks sweet i see you went back with a filter top air cleaner..i thought i remember you saying you didnt like them for the backfire reason..so are they safe you think?..i am wanting to run one on my car..

[Mike Holleman]

hey Mike car looks sweet i see you went back with a filter top air cleaner..i thought i remember you saying you didnt like them for the backfire reason..so are they safe you think?..i am wanting to run one on my car..

Darrin,
The customer likes this filter. We had a discussion about the potential of this style filter burning,but with the EFI it is a non issue. No fuel in stored in a throttle body. They certainly don't cause fire but also do little to supress one. The fire Roger had was a "perfect storm" scenario. Everything that could go wrong did. I would not hesitate to use one again on a carb. But adding a fire system really gives a better sense of comfort. Will I be seeing you at the MSC?
Mike

[dropit69]

yep ill be there ..and thanks for the info..

[Mike Holleman]

yep ill be there ..and thanks for the info..
See you in a couple of weeks.
Mike