The Chevelle: tear down and clean up begins

[camarojoe]

Moral of the story... Don't buy a car off the internet (project car OR show car) from a few pics without physically going to look at it in person. Hopefully the floorpans will be the only "surprise" you find that you couldn't see from pics but can easily see in person. Keep us updated, looks like a major project you are about to undertake. Good luck!

PS... did you get the "lightning rods" in the back seat? Might be able to hock them for a few bucks.

[Schonyenko2]

Nice, lightning rods. Pro stocker. They removed the shifter hump, and hogged the hole for the rods installation. I believe you'll need to replace the hump. The outline is still visible at the front edge of the tunnel. Usually the worst areas on that year chevelle is behind the front, and rear tires. The frame takes a beating in those areas, and the body mts are right there. The rears collect dirt, and moisture and tend to be a trouble area. If the floor pans are seedy,ie; lots of small pin holes, I'd seriously consider replacing them.

[VintageMusclecar]

Wilma;

You got that right! I was a gunk-scrapin' fool today! More of the same tomorrow.

As far as my plans for the car...

Mainly a long-term project/investment.

For the time being, it will get a rolling resto...i.e. interior, drivetrain, suspension rebuild, paint & cosmetics. Perhaps over next winter I *might* pull the body off and do the frame & floors the way they should be.

Still kicking around paint choices...the car was originally Marina blue, but I've just seen WAY too many Marina blue `67's. Don't have anything against the color, just want something a LOT less mainstream. Strong possibilities are Butternut Yellow, Capri Cream, Black (doubtful, P.I.T.A. to keep clean), or perhaps...Grape.

Underhood items will most likely "look" stock (including exhaust manifolds), but it certainly isn't gonna run like stock.

Schon;

Amazingly enough, the frame & body mounts on this thing are nice. The only rust issues I've found so far have been the footwells and some minor scaling in the trunk...no big deal. It's even solid at the base of the windshield & rear window.

I did find the remnants of 2 mice nests in the kick panel vent wells though.

[Schonyenko2]

You are lucky on that lower rear window area. Water tends to run towards the inner corners rather than away leading to rust problems. Good deal.