As you browse the pages of this issue, you might notice a common thread in what we have presented-high technology incorporated into great Chevys that bring these cars into the 21st Century so they can be enjoyed to the fullest. We still have respect for the classic styling and design of these cars, but underneath the builders have been paying attention to state-of-the art in the aftermarket. Super Chevys that look good, go fast, stop on a dime, go around corners like they're on a rail, are reliable, and can be driven anywhere in the country are examples of what we are seeing in the industry and at car events today. Let's talk about how this came to be.
A few hundred years ago when this whole hot rod thing got started, the only way to build a car was to start by taking off all the things that didn't help it go fast, and then continue to bolt, weld, tape, or wire on all the things that DID (maybe) help it go fast. As we know, about the only way for many car builders to get their hands on go-fast parts was to scavenge junkyards for wheels, tires, motors, and anything else that might add a mile or two an hour. Of course, that's how the speed equipment industry got started because not all of these parts were bolt-ons; most had to be machined, drilled, ground down, or modified in some way to make them fit. The average guy could take a stab at throwing a Duesenberg engine in a Model-T, but that didn't mean it would fit or run when all was said and done. The experts who founded aftermarket companies still existing today were the ones who made these junk parts fit, and then invented their own stuff.
Those of us who spent quality time in a junkyard miss the myriad sights, smells, and overall ambiance of being in the midst of several hundred wasted vehicles, all of them offering parts for us to make them live, just a little bit, again.
Now that we've waxed romantic about junkyards-now known as recycling centers-let's get current. There may be reasons to visit scrap yards or recycling centers but why? What we used to strip off old cars and then try to make usable for our project cars, can pretty much be found in the catalogs of aftermarket companies that offer new material, new technology, and tech help lines. The prices are favorable when one considers the time and effort of locating an old part, stripping, it, cleaning, refurbishing it, and then worrying if it will actually work and last on the project. From sheetmetal to suspension, inside and out, paint to rubber, powerplants to gas tanks, if you can't find it in catalogs or on the Web, you're probably not driving one of the more popular Chevys.
Impetus for this state of the car world began in the street rodding world. As little as about 30 years ago, magazines devoted to street rods dedicated quite a few pages to what could be done with whole front suspension clips from Corvairs and Mustang IIs. Steering boxes and columns, rearends, gauges, and interiors are examples of what yesterday's tech editors gathered up at junkyards and adapted for use on street rods destined for the street and show. If it was a street machine, parts were painted; if it was for the show, they were chromed. Look closely at many of the components now being sold on the aftermarket, and you might see some of the design influences of these old parts on the new technology. The difference is that the new ones work, and work right; the scrap parts were worn-out when the builders got them.
After a few years and when the aftermarket caught on, many wondered if there would come a time when a builder could make a complete car with brand-new parts. As we now know, that is quite possible and is being done with street rods and classic Chevys. What began with an all-steel brand-new '32 roadster body has spread, and we can now get an all-steel brand-new Camaro body, and all the new parts we need to make it a "real" car. Even if a builder doesn't want a complete brand-new car, there are quality replacement sheetmetal panels, trim, interiors, tires, decals, engines and accessories, tires, and wheels available that will make an old car like a factory-new machine again. That's a help to the restorer and the "muscle"car folks alike. For the Chevy fans who will be going with recent technology, there is such a variety of suspensions, drivetrains, wheels, and tires available that it makes your head spin. You want coilovers, air suspension, tubs, mini-tubs, five-speed and six-speed sticks, electronic-controlled automatic trannys, big carbs and little carbs, fuel-injection, big-blocks or small blocks from a shop or a crate, A/C, and electric windows? We could go on, but you get the idea. Cars like this are made for fun in today's world with the yesterday look that we'll never see again, even when the factories try to do retro.
This is what's happening now, and we're happy to bring it to you, courtesy of all the owners and builders who have cars on the following pages.