| Brian got the Chevelle bug when he was fifteen. Brian's dream car was a 1967 Mustang fastback. He had always dreamed of owning one until that first ride in a Chevelle. Brian's friend, Tom, had a 68 Chevelle with a 542 Big Block in it and one day Tom took Brian for his first ride. Right then the Chevelle became his dream car and he could not live without one. At that point it became Brian's all consuming goal to own a Chevelle... a fast Chevelle. Brian started hunting the Internet on eBay and CraigsList and went to see a few cars but everything that fit his dream was gone by the time he got there. A couple were actually sold while he was on the way to look at the car. |  |
 |
After seeing thousands of
Chevelles on the web, Brian narrowed his search to the 1971
Chevelle Super Sport. This was the year that most caught his eye. He wanted
the SS wheels and rear circular tail lights That make the 71 and 72
Chevelles stand alone in their class. After about two years of
searching, Brian found everything he wanted in one car: all black,
no stripes, bucket seats, console with shifter, and those beautiful
SS wheels. The car was
on eBay, in Monroeville, Alabama. After a few heart pounding
days of watching the ad, Brian decided to bid on the car.
I think Brian described it best when he said "Next thing you know, I'm 17 with my own 1971 Chevelle SS."
|
| The first summer he spent
driving the car every day, as his daily driver. After all, it WAS
his FIRST CAR! Near the beginning of his senior year the engine
blew (funny how that can happen when you're in High School) and it was
time for a new motor. Brian and his Dad started taking apart all
the accessories to get the engine ready to pull. When they finally
got the engine out they discovered that the crank shaft had literally
snapped in half.
"It wasn't me!" Brian could be heard shouting to anyone who would listen. "It wasn't me!" |
 |
 |
Brian told us "A few
months later we got the engine back from Gromm Racing Heads in San
Jose, CA. What started as a 350 cubic inch engine in 1971
came back as a 383 stroker". They put it back in the car
and got it running with a lot of help from all of of his buddies. Here
are some of the facts: 383 stroker with 450 hp, Holley 750
carb, Edelbrock rpm air gap intake manifold, the heads were ported
to 2.02 and Patriot headers were added with three inch exhaust all
the way back. The new stroker hooks up to a 700r4 transmission with a
stage II shift kit, all leading back to a 12 bolt read end with a
3.73:1 Eaton posi-traction.
Brian says "I have owned the car now for two and a half years and I plan to keep it as long as I can. I have many plans for it down the road but for now I am very happy with it." Me too, Brian! I love those 71 / 72 tail lights. |
