Today, I bought a '70 Chevelle for my son (okay, it's for me, but he's driving it). It's a lot different from my '68 elky.

Anyway, the car is REAL clean inside & out, body straight, paint good, tires very good. I got it from the original owner who is retiring, and wants to travel (cars and home for sale).

The car has 129,000 miles on it, and I would guess that the engine (350) and tranny (T350) are getting tired. It has a 2 barrel on it.

I think the 215R75x 14 are a pain. Any suggestions in terms of 15" or 16" tires? I'm thinking spokes or maybe rallye wheels / trim rings. Any suggestions here?

The front driver side of the seat is getting tired, even though the upholstery is in good shape. Where would I find a new seat? I actually need one for the '68 elky, too - and they both appear to have the same seat.

Any thoughts on the motor/tranny? How much can I do without re-building both?

I think the rear end is 3.73? Not good gas mileage on the 200 mile trip home.

Thanks!

To Start, do a compression test on the engine. Pull the valve covers and look inside, ie, sludge build up Etc. Get a Edelbrock Performer intake and a rebuilt Qjet or Edelbrock carb. Add an Hei distrib. While your at it, a good tune up and oil change, too. As for the seat, find a local auto upholstrey shop and buy some seat foam to fix the seat. I don't think stock 350 2bl's came with 3.73 gears. Were they installed by the previous owner? Check the trans fluid. If its burnt smelling, you need a rebuild cause the clutch materials are toast. Hope it helps.

Tino

On type of wheels I think really look good on the early Chevelles is the IROC 5 spoke from the late 80s Camaro. These are 16 inch and would run great with a set of touring radials, help gearing a little too. Bolt on swap. Reasonable cost if you get lucky. Most guys here won't agree with me, but I'd suggest a dose of STP with each oil change in the engine. If your son is anything like mine, you'll find out how strong that drivetrain is real quick. tom

change the oil drive it for about 3-500 miles and change it again this will help clean out some of the sludge that may be floating around, deffinetly go to hei dist new plugs wires ,flush cooling system! go with the ralley type wheels 15 inch will drop the work load on the engine!and they look great, fined a set at a swap meet! i think my brother in law has a set of 15x7 inch ralley wheels in his shed they are used but not in to bad shape email me polarbear @tsf.net and i`ll fined out if he wants to unload them!! graemlins/thumbsup.gif