The humble beginnings of what...
The humble beginnings of what will be, for all intents and purposes, a brand-new '70 Chevelle. Although most of the rust is not evident in this photo, some serious quarter-panel damage is. Don't break out the hammer and dolly set just yet, the dents are only a small part of the problem. With severe cancer invading the inner panels, the first step will be to remove the quarter-panel and assess the structural damage.
Project car! Boy, if ever a term were to elicit emotions from an egotistical staff of magazine gearheads. Whenever we hear those words lumped together there's an immediate heightening of the senses. First and foremost it's for the excitement of getting to build a car (hey, that's what we live for), but then that's quickly followed by a pall triggered by the reality of what goes into making it all come to fruition.
The caution flag is a worthy one, however. As you know, we've built more than our share of machines over the years: Marvelous Malibu, Sedan Delivery, Speedwagon, 30th Anniversary Camaro, Silverstreak. Then there's those that sort of fall into the same category: Rusty Ragtop, Classical Resurrection, and the mega-project of them all, Saturday Night Nova. We love 'em, and at the same time, hate 'em. And for good reason. They were (and still are) a lot of work.
But the latest machine to be labeled with those heralded words may very well be one of the easiest-to-build project vehicles we've ever embarked on. The Super Chevy/Goodmark Industries Chevelle represents a modern mix of parts, using state-of-the-art components from a virtual smorgasbord of aftermarket manufacturers.
Because both quarter-panels...
Because both quarter-panels have to be replaced, we will be showing photos from both sides of the car. Instead of cutting the quarter-panel off at the seams, it's a better idea to cut a half inch, or so, away from the factory seams. This will leave material to line up the new quarter with.
It's a combination of restored classic, real street machine, custom cruiser, and bulging musclecar. But perhaps what will ultimately make this undertaking so much more fun for us is the fact that we won't be doing the work ourselves.
Instead, Goodmark Industries, the manufacturer of reproduction sheetmetal, is spearheading the buildup of this eventual giveaway machine, and all we have to do is bring you-in detail-the different segments of it all coming together. Heck, we can do that! Taking this position doesn't mean that we haven't had our hands in the mix, though. The truth is, we've played a pivotal role in determining what type of car Goodmark is building (not to mention, making sure many of the project's contributors follow through). In the end, what we'll all have is a cool street car that some lucky magazine reader will get to drive home.
From the beginning, the car everyone agreed upon was a '70-ish Chevelle or Malibu. (Why not go for the big bang all at once?) These musclecars shout popularity, not to mention ageless design. What we (I guess I should say the folks at Goodmark) started with was a pretty warmed-over '70 SS. But what you'll see emerge will be one of the straightest 3rd-Generation G-Bodies with all of the correct go-fast and look-good pieces.
After the factory lead is...
After the factory lead is ground out of the roof-to-quarter panel seam, it will become evident where the cut will need to be. Here again, leaving some of the old quarter attached will help with lining-up the new one. Make sure not to cut through the inner structure. The body will become weak if the roof is cut off.
If you ever flip through channels on your TV, you've probably run across a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney musical. It seems like each of these begins with "We've got a barn, we've got the talent, so let's put on a show!" That's how the Goodmark Chevelle got started.
A casual conversation amongst the folks at Goodmark about how easy it is these days to rebody a car or truck using the company's reproduction sheetmetal and trim soon became a conservative "Let's do it!" We at SUPER CHEVY were approached with the idea of Goodmark's building a "giveaway car," and the next thing we knew, it was a done deal! (The idea, that is!)