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65 Chevelle Drag Car Build

17K views 82 replies 21 participants last post by  JBoggs 
#1 ·
I've been posting pics and such in other threads so I thought I'd start one and not pollute others..

New to the site, no really new to drag racing.. BUT I will be the first to say there's always something to learn..

After owning a fox chassis mustang 13 years, and getting VERY tire of it.. I sold it to a friend of mine,and have decided to do another car..

I had a buddy who street raced a 65 El Co many many years ago.. and I've always loved the front ends, but wasn't too into the truck thing.. SO I went out a found a good base to start another build.

I guess I'll keep this running as I progress through its stages.

current config:

136 car, nothing overly special.But had a solid frame underneath it, and was a race car that hadn't been hack up with some backyard 4 link or ladder bar..

Fiber glass:
Fenders
Doors
Hood
Bumpers

Windows:
All Lexan

Front suspension:
All stock with a manual disk conversion

Rear suspension:
Jegs non adjustable control arms
Air bag
Unknown type shocks

Rear:
Narrowed 12 bolt 35 spline axles w/ wilwood brakes

Cage:
10pt mild steel. I believe should cert to 8.50

When I sold my mustang I kept all the electronics, the entire drive train (BBC/2spd th400) and the rear coilovers. So I have those for this car.

Plans are to go 25.3 with the car.. keeping it stock suspension.

So I guess this can be a running thing as I progress.
 
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#7 ·
Thanks! they very well may be.. I think I am going to buy some vikings doubles in the mean time.

Looks like you have a very decent base to start with. Of course there are some things that should be changed (like the brake lines), but the body looks good and you can now make it yours.
And a thank you to you as well! The body was "ok" but there was some filler in there.. I didn't even make it home with the car. I bought the car from a guy in TN, and the guy that painted my mustang is between home and where the guy was in TN. So once I had given the guy a deposit, I went and bought all brand new rear sheet metal for the car, and dropped the car off to get it all hung on the car on my way home. I've only had the car in my presence for like 4 hours... lol

The suspension is something that's going to be gone through first (onc I ge tit back) There are things I can buy that I can use for the long run. I've actually already bought most of the stuff I'll be running from TRZ, a-arms, rear upper and lowers, aftermarket column, stange hub for the wheel. My buddy picked them up while he was at SGMP for the race this past weekend.

A Chevelle, since it has a factory frame is required to have the rollbar attached to the frame. Unfortunately we can't attach plates to the sheetmetal with bolts as can be done with non framed cars.:frown2:
BTW, nice car!!!
And a thank you again.. lol

Yes, I know the cage needs to be on the frame itself, and the main bars do actually go through the floor to the frame, but I don't know what's going with those inner ones?? But since all that is going to cut out anyway, I'm not going to worry too much about it. About the only real issue will be putting in a window net for now.

Hell it isn't even bolted to sheet metal.. that's all alum!! lol

When the time comes, all those bars will come out, and I'll have the body taken off so the frame can be blasted and painted, then I'll have the cage done..
 
#5 ·
Looks like you have a very decent base to start with. Of course there are some things that should be changed (like the brake lines), but the body looks good and you can now make it yours.
 
#6 ·
A Chevelle, since it has a factory frame is required to have the rollbar attached to the frame. Unfortunately we can't attach plates to the sheetmetal with bolts as can be done with non framed cars.:frown2:
BTW, nice car!!!
 
#10 ·
I also have vikings DA rear shocks, so far only used them on the street at street settings. Replaced summit 3 ways and at least it rides much nicer. Couldnt relly find any bad about Vikings before I bought them?
I would be buying the vikings as a stop gap.. They are inexpensive, and I would imagine offer more control than what's already on the car. I have a set of menscer nitrogen mono-tubes I pulled off the mustang, but I don't want to put in a cross bar to run them right now.

These are on a shelf right now..

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#9 ·
I also have vikings DA rear shocks, so far only used them on the street at street settings. Replaced summit 3 ways and at least it rides much nicer. Couldnt relly find any bad about Vikings before I bought them?
 
#15 ·
I believe they are.. I didn't do it, that's how it was when I bought it. I'll be putting a 9" in it at some point.

Whoever built that car sure liked aluminum and pop rivets!

Are you going to give it more of a street car look? Like headlights and original floors etc?
The guy I bought it from was a retired army helo mechanic.. lol He brought his work home with him!! lol

I'm going to get the dash straightened out and cleaned up. I'm going to get a blank insert. I have a racepak UDX dash I'm going to run.

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Could ya consider going NA with a production engine?
Nah..

It will have either this:

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Or this:

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And that little peanut did this at 3000lbs on a 275 radial.. (I'm car 562)

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Looks nice! A good platform to build from.

Keep the updates coming as you build it up!

Do you know what it weighs now?
Thanks!

I TOTALLY wish I did... I have zero clue what she weighs at the moment. When I get it back, that's one of the first things I do is going to be get it on a set of scales.
 
#26 ·
No sidetracking at all!! I mean, hell, it's through the build process that I learn, and documenting it helps give ideas to others.. at least that how I get some of mine!! lol

But as far as the racepak goes, I HIGHLY recommend getting a datalogger on any race car. I don't know how I raced without it now that I have it. I don't just have the dash though, I have a V300SD, and the dash is only a display. Racepak does make a logger dash, but I don't think it has a g-meter in it, and really, that's 33% of what I look at after a run.. At the track, what I pay most attention to are:

1: Engine RPM
2: Driveshaft RPM
3: G-meter

BUT with all that said.. I think you'd be very happy with it
 
#32 ·
^^^What he said^^^^ Man you started with a nice "project", we're doin' ours from the ground up, we need a sponsor :D:D
I'll be watchin' this one !
 
#34 ·
Call it having walked the path once already, I had a REALLY good idea of what I was looking for this time around! lol

The green car was the end result of a 13 year trek with that car.. I also kept 70% from the car when I sold it, so I have a huge head start as far as projects go. So I kind of "cheated" on this one!

Thanks for checking in
 
#33 ·
The green car is very clean. Where did the bulkhead grommet on the fender come from?
 
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