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Looks like a Muscle Car in a Tuxedo!
How it all Started
Your looking at one of those projects that took more than twenty years to complete. Just out of high school I had an opportunity to leave Wisconsin and spend a week in Modesto, California. My Dad was sent there for a couple months of training for his work. He told me about the cruises every weekend and how the muscle cars were everywhere. He already found and purchased a ’59 T-bird. What could I do but pick up one of those cheap student loans and go west.At the time I was looking for a ’66 or ’67 Chevy II but couldn’t find one. We stumbled onto this Chevelle almost as a last resort. I was only 19 and wasn’t nearly as familiar with them as I am now. Something didn’t look right but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was a ’66 SS 396 with a ’67 front clip. I looked at many other cars but all I had to do is fire up the Big Block and I was in love. The year was ’81 and I paid $1400 for the car including some extra body parts from their donor ‘67 and drove it home.
The road trip across the country was quite the adventure. My younger brother and I packed the car with as many extras parts as we could carry and hit the highway. We actually left a trunk lid and rear bumper behind. It was the last week of October and we found snow in Denver. We soon found that 60 series tires with no tread and posi were a bad combination in snow. At one point I slid across both lanes into the apex of a banked corner. The next thing we found was this car didn’t have the optional flashers. We had to sit there and wait for a plow truck to follow to the next exit. Good time to find a hotel.
The car was driven for the next couple summers with the personalized plates that read “PET RAT”, then disassembled and put away in storage. It moved with me four times over the next 15 years without an engine or front clip. During this time all my money was either going into motorcycle dirt track racing or playing drums in a rock band. It wasn’t till I was married with two kids that I was tired of looking at the car, all dusty and piled with boxes.
The Project
I started with the engine. The 396/325hp had the crank turned and added .030” to the 10.25:1 forged pistons. I used a Crane bumpstick with 228/236 at .050” to open the larger 2.19”/1.88” valves in the small port 702 heads. The rest of it is all stock with port matching intake and ceramic coated exhaust manifolds. The M-21 was freshened with some new synchro’s and a couple bearings. This along with some fresh lube for the 3:55 posi gears completed the drive train.
Before the engine was set in, the suspension was overhauled. I started at the bone yard by dragging home the front end of a ’77 firebird. I was able to use the spindles, brakes, steering box and sway bar. Global West was called on for the upper A-arms and springs. Now that disc brakes were added, I may as well give them a power assist as well as the Line Lock fun button. Poly-bushings were used through out with exeption of the rubber body mounts.
The factory air conditioning was the only thing added that wasn’t a bolt-on item. My Dad found parts from several donor cars in the bone yards of the greater Phoenix area. He even made templates from paper grocery bags so I could cut my firewall for a perfect fit of the larger blower box.
The interior was gutted to completely rebuild the A/C dashboard including new chrome.
At this point the chrome was stripped and the car was taken in for a media blasting, then a trip to the body shop. This is where I chicken out and leave it to the pro’s. After several hours, weeks, months and $, the Ultra Black paint was sprayed and baked for a beautiful finish. The doors, trunk, fenders, hood and bumpers were gingerly set with all new seals and the clean chrome goodies were again added.
The interior assembly was next. Again, I chickened out and had the headliner done by a pro. My Dad and I fought with the back seat covers and one of the front seats but took the other front seat back to the pro who made the whole job look way too easy.
Once the interior was done, complete with a new Stereo, it was time to roll the finished (if that is ever the case) product out of the garage for the first run to the drive-in.
June ‘03 Oh, what a proud day it was!
On The Road 
The first summer was great, with a total of about 800 miles. We always seem to turn heads no matter where we are. Aside from a clutch chatter problem that will go away before the ’04 season, this machine is a joy to drive.
Thanks is Due
I want to give special thanks to my wife Yvonne who doesn’t really get the whole car scene but let me go with many unexpected expenses along the way. In the end when the Rat was road ready she told me “it really looks nice”. If she only knew how much that meant to me.My Dad was my greatest hands-on help through out the project as he ran for parts, helped me wrench, guided me with his endless experience from “back in the day” to present and gave me the genes to enjoy all kinds of motor sports.
In memory of my younger but wiser brother Steve who helped me drive the Rat home from California to Wisconsin, but left us just short of a ride in the finished product.
My immediate family supports FORD, but I Love them anyway.
Proudly,
Scott Mack
Photo Backgrounds of Scott's '66 are available here.
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