Kevin Goddard is not the kind of guy who wants a numbers-matching car. Neither is he the type to take a very nice numbers-matching piece, and modify it, which makes him a friend to purists and restorers alike. When he found this very nice '70 SS (not numbers matching), it belonged to a police officer who was selling it to finish building a house. Kevin, who is in construction, certainly understood that dilemma, so he paid a fair price, and drove this nice car home.
The Chevelle already had a new interior, and new sheetmetal, so it could have been a good driver for a while, but no! Goddard picked the car up on Friday, and by Sunday it was completely disassembled. On Monday, Kevin ordered the motor, trans, and other drivetrain components, and went to work on the rest of the Bowtie. When you want a musclecar, and you want it now, there's no time to mess around.
Making it a family deal, Goddard and his sons, Keith and Matthew, did the teardown, sandblasted and smoothed the frame, and put the car together as parts arrived. The GM Performance Parts RamJet 502 took about six weeks to arrive, but there was plenty to do while they waited. The Goodards got valuable help from brother-in-law Milton Shows, and friend Mike Brawner on the car's paint and bodywork.
What's really interesting is we see very few builders put nitrous on a 502 crate motor, and then have an Air Ride suspension. It's a great combination and mates the best in power with great ride and handling.
The Goodards preserved a lot of the original Chevelle features. The interior is stock, and the factory shifter was attached to the 700R4 with a Shiftworks adapter. The exterior is stock with the exception of the 17-inch Cragars, and the PPG Black paint with silver SS stripes.
There's a lot to discover when you dig a bit under the surface of this car-just don't go looking for matching numbers.
Owner
Kevin Goddard
Vehicle
1970 Chevelle SS
Engine
2005 GM Performance Parts 502 RamJet, with NOS 100 h.p. nitrous system, 2.5- inch aluminum coated Hooker headers, Flowmaster 2.5-inch exhaust with crossover pipe, March pulley system with serpentine belt, and Be Cool 4 row aluminum radiator.
Transmission
1990 700-R4 trans, by Advanced Transmissions of Naples, Fla., B&M 2800 stall speed torque converter, Strange balanced chrome-moly driveshaft.
Rear End
GM 12-bolt Positraction, 3.73:1 ratio by Milton Shows
SUSPENSION
Front
Air Ride Technologies tubular A-arms and airbags, 5-inch drop, Stainless Steel Brake Company discs with 11-inch rotors.
Rear
Air Ride Technologies airbags, 5-inch drop
WHEELS
Front
Cragar SS, 17X8, 4-inch backspace
Rear
Cragar SS, 17X9, 4-inch backspace
TIRES
Front
BFG, G-Force TA 245/45/ZR17
Rear
BFG, G-Force TA 285/40/ZR17
BODY
Color/Paint
Black/PPG, Silver SS stripes.
Painter
Mike Brawner
Interior
Stock
Stereo
Eclipse CD4000, JL Audio Amp. Model 500/1.
Speakers
Front, 5 1/4-inch MB Quart, rear 6 x 9-inch MB Quart.