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My first muscle car

3K views 41 replies 26 participants last post by  427L88 
#1 ·
Hi there, my name's Ben, and I'm an 18 year old college freshman, studying mechanical engineering. Just today, my 1971 Chevelle SS 454 arrived. It was passed down to me from my grandfather, who owned it since 2001. My grandparents were downsizing to a retirement home, and as a result my grandfather (a fan of classic cars) was forced to reduce his number of vehicles from eight or so down to two. He sold most all of his cars, but since I had always loved his Chevelle as a young boy, he said he would rather it go to me than a stranger. It's in driving condition, and I'm looking forward to learning about how to maintain it and care for it. I'll never sell the car, so I want to make sure I keep it running well and keep it looking its best. I'd appreciate any tips or information that could help me, since I really have no experience working on automobiles.
Thanks!
 

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#3 ·
Welcome Wolfpack. How cool is that for your grandfather to pass down that car. Looks very nice and its a 71 so I'm a fan. Best way to keep a car nice in N.J. is to keep it garaged. Not sure how your weather is in Nevada. I would just drive it and when you have a question about anything just ask on here. Enjoy it.

Don
 
#8 ·
Welcome to Team Chevelle, and to the world of Chevelle's!

I love to hear stories like yours where you received your ride from family - Congrats!

This site is very useful with questions about your SS, and the search function is your friend. I have found that using the search function for answers usually teaches me other things about my Chevelle besides the answer I was searching for!
 
#9 ·
Nevada means NOT using a car cover as the wind flaps it about and damages the paint.
Nevada means trying to keep your car out of the direct sun in summer and the snow in winter.
Nevada means stay well back from other vehicles or plan on replacing your windshield often due to sand-pitting.
Nevada means ALWAYS being vigilant for drunks/tourist who have never learned to drive outside the urban bubble they came from.
Southern Nevada means you want AC if you do not already have it.

Nevada also means HAN, a fair number of race tracks to play on, and no "Smog" checks in most counties.
Sad that the Fed. black-mailed our state legislature into doing away with the sane speed limit we used to enjoy.
 
#11 ·
Welcome Ben, to Team Chevelle.....:waving:

Kudos to your grandfather for passing one of his cars along to you. My Grampa did the same for me back in 1966 with his '55 Chevy. My first car!

Do you have a friend or relative that you could borrow some garage space from?
 
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#13 ·
Welcome to Team Chevelle Ben, Your Grandfather has excellent taste in muscle cars and a big :thumbsup: to him for passing that beautiful 71 to you, I keep my Malibu in a gated storage/shop facility with cameras, I agree on getting Agreed Value insurance and a GPS hidden tracker, you might want to post a few pics in the "What's it Worth" section, is it numbers matching? I really like the color combo it screams muscle car! :thumbsup:
 
#14 ·
Gorgeous!!! So many times it gets handed down then fire saled, kudos on keeping it. Ibet it makes him happy

Call Adam Boca at NCM insurance its affordable...you need good coverage. Its not much at all!

Like the GPS idea but yeah locking the hood and taking the battery out for sure Id do now.

You are one lucky 18 yr old....30 yrs down the road youll look back on every time you drove it with a smile. Memories are made behind the wheel not in a garage.
 
#22 ·
Welcome aboard Ben. Get yourself a Hanes repair manaul specific on Chevelles. They can be purchased on the net. There are some good youtube videos on many car topics. There are also some terrible ones too. But do some searches on youtube. Don't be discouraged either. I didn't perform my first tune up until I was 22 yrs old, and since then, I've performed things like camshaft changes, ring and pinion rear end gear changes, cylinder head swaps, intake manifolds,Holley carb rebuilds, brakes, starters, alternators, header installs, etc., etc

Educate yourself on here and through internet and youtube searches on any given topic before you dive in and you'll do fine. And never be satisfied with merely reading from any one source. Absorb different articles, videos, and car board posts on any given topic before you take someone's word that they know what they're talking about. You'll do great.

Also, decide early on what you intend on doing with the car and exactly how you want to use it, (ie. street only, street/strip, road course racing, etc etc) and stay with that original plan at least for a while. Otherwise you'll end up with a car that's a jack of all trades, but master of none, and you'll waste a whole lot of money in the process.
 
#37 ·
Don't be discouraged either. I didn't perform my first tune up until I was 22 yrs old, and since then, I've performed things like camshaft changes, ring and pinion rear end gear changes, cylinder head swaps, intake manifolds,Holley carb rebuilds, brakes, starters, alternators, header installs, etc., etc

Thanks! I really appreciate all that input. Fortunately it came with a fair number of manuals and things and I'll make sure to use those.
 
#26 ·
Congratulations and Welcome to TC.Your Grandfather did one of the best things you can do with a Chevelle SuperSport,he made you a classic car owner :hurray: let's hope your not going to park it on campus and expect it not to get F'd up.
 
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