I like my classic cars as stock as possible. Owning a classic car is like owning a capsule from the past, and I feel you have to take the good with the bad. Many modern cars have 20 inch wheels, but mounting them on a car that came standard with 14-inchers feels disingenuous. I love listening to music from my iPhone in my car, but ripping out an original stereo unit to put in a modern one with USB and AUX jacks just doesn’t sit right with me. Sometimes, though, an enthusiast adds some modern enhancements to their ride and the end result just works. This gorgeous 1970-72 Chevrolet Chevelle is one example.
Nothing here looks over-the-top. The silver paint is beautifully applied and lustrous. The wheels aren’t oversized, and their chrome finish has visual pizzazz and ties in nicely with the original chrome bumpers.
This generation of A-Bodies were less visually distinguished from each other than their Colonnade successors were, but the coupes have a classic shape regardless of the brand. While I prefer the front of the ’68-69 Chevelle to the 70+ models, the latter still had attractive and clean detailing. It would have been too easy for an owner to take a base coupe and turn it into a striped SS396 clone – I saw a ’72-74 Challenger recently that was unfortunately tarted up to look like a ’70 R/T – but instead they chose to take this quite tasteful and original route.
And hey, anything is better than donks.
I think it looks great too. However, that oversized bowtie on the back that probably came off a Silverado needs to go.
+1
I agree. I’ve seen emblems that either look too big for the car it’s supposed to be on, or too small. The oversized Chevrolet bowtie looks way too big to go anywhere on the car. I’m like “what the hell is this?!” It’s one thing to install a logo on the trunk lid of the car, but does it really need to be this big? You kidding me?
Bowtie too big, rearview mirrors too small. But hey, if he likes it, why not, that’s easy enough to change.
I agree.
yep, agree on the bow tie and the mirrors look weird. especially because there are repro period mirrors and emblems easily available for these cars. if he had a 52 Nash, for example, there might be an excuse.: )
I guess the mirrors and “bow tie” are what happens when you pick and choose from what’s available at the local auto parts store instead of planning how a car should look….even if it means sticking with stock parts.
The past week I’ve been watching Mannix re-runs and find it jarring to see chrome mirrors on an early 70s Barracuda, and now with later episodes, on a Challenger. Body colored mirrors would look better and not be a source of stray light reflections. The Challenger used supposedly had every possible factory option on it so it purposely used the chrome mirrors?
My brother got a lot of flack in the 80’s about his 66 Mustang. It was upgraded by us witha 500 CI chevy engine, funny car slicks, 4 speed, and 3 stages of nutrus. It runs 8’s on pump gas, street legal (even passed emissions) and we drove it everywhere, even to the races. So many said how evil it was to chop up a beautiful Mustang, open up the wheel wells, and even put disc brakes on it. In reality, it was a $50 hulk when we started. Most of what we cut out on the wheel wells was rust, the auto trans and engine were gone.
Nice find and write-up, William. I think this Chevelle is a ’71, if the grille is an indicator (two horizontal bar dividers in the grille for ’72). I like this lots, even with the wheels. It doesn’t look abused. Rather, it looks like a current, full-scale adaptation of some kids Matchbox car – in the best way. Agree with BunkerMan that the oversized bow-tie is not my jam, but I like the rest of it, which I think is nicely done.
It is a ’71. Two park lights per side for ’71 and 1 for ’72. 1970 had quad headlights.
“One is two, and two is one”. The front turn signals are the key indicator. It’s a 71. Assuming the turn signals haven’t been swapped for some reason.
I totally agree. I like original survivors as well. I’ve seen restomods that look like it was never meant to be on the car. I’ve seen aftermarket gauges that hang below the dash, instead of being installed where the original warning lights used to be. Most of the mods should be mechanical, and should be to improve the performance and, if possible driveability.
I too like a car in as close to factory stock as it can be. About the only exception would be air conditioning. If a vintage car has aftermarket air or an under the dash unit,thats OK as long as the unit matches the vehicles timeline and, of course,if it works. No oversized tires or rims for me.The radio is not an issue for me since I do not like-or listen to contemporary music. I`m OK with an AM radio because I generally listen to news or conservative talk shows.
I totally agree. No over-sized wheels, no over-sized tires. I don’t mind mag wheels, as long as it goes well with the sporting personality of the car. I’ve seen mag wheels on more conservative looking cars, and they just look tacky.
> I’ve seen mag wheels on more conservative looking cars, and they just look tacky.
You’ve hit on one of my big beefs with new cars. Why does everything today, including econoboxes, minivans and CUVs, come with 5 or 6-spoke aluminum wheels as factory equipment? That’s just wrong.
You’re not wrong: Luxury becomes Standard, that’s the trend that’s been going on for decades (accelerated by the Japanese), & why my Civic has power windows & locks, which I used to think of as luxury-car features. But it still doesn’t have aluminum wheels, & that’s OK with me. They’re just another shiny bit to worry about scratching, another target for thieves.
Our 2004 Sienna LE does have aluminum wheels; we would’ve preferred the downmarket CE trim level which lacks them, but we would’ve had to drive to Phoenix to buy one, as none were available locally.
My complaint isn’t about aluminum wheels as much as the style of wheels. 5-spoke mags look totally wrong on a minivan, for example. That style belongs on hot rods and muscle cars. What ever happened to turbine-style, lace-style, or mostly solid types?
Simple, big-spoked types are easier to clean than frilly turbine or lattice ones. and solid ones don’t show off the size of the brakes. Minivan buyers don’t have a lot of time to devote to car care and are concerned about safety.
I had those lace alloy wheels on my ’90 Sable that were so commonly used by Ford. They looked great but were a real pain to keep clean.
The 5-spoke 17-inch alloys on our current Prius look pretty silly with their 45-series tires, but they are a snap to clean!
I beg to differ. Aluminum OEM wheels are so common anymore, thieves do not seem to target them anymore. I am more worried about the 15 inch black steel spoke rims, with my $900 worth of brand new (early April) 31-10.50 tires on my truck getting jacked.
I totally agree. I’ve seen some wheels that look so huge in proportion to the wheel wells, it’s any wonder one is able to drive the car. I’m also not a fan of lowriders with the car lowered so much that it’d be difficult, to almost impossible, to drive onto a driveway. What is that?
According to Wiki, the 1958 CA vehicle code outlawed such low ride heights. As is often the case with such laws, enthusiasts responded by adding hydraulic pumps (cf. Citroën DS) to raise/lower height at will. They can even make them hop. There, that’ll fool the Gringos.
I try to look at such peculiar hobbies according to the Scottish proverb: “Better busy hands than handcuffed.”
I love an original classic, but I do understand when someone puts in a modern head unit to replace the factory radio. Because tunes man, they are important.
Yeah I did that I have a semi modern CD player in my Hillman, while I may have been able to revive the original accesory radio we have no AM stations.
Yeah… Tool or Queens Of The Stone Age don’t play on tape decks or 8-tracks…
How about having the 8 track player removed, and then have a cd player installed in its place. Either that or an MP3 player.
I like it overall, with the exception of the chrome wheels. I’m surprised you like the ’68-’69 style Chevelle better than the ’70-’72. I feel Chevy reached Peak Chevelle here, for the 2-door hardtop and convertible, anyway. The lines were just perfect.
I prefer as stock as possible, though I do appreciate things such as disc brakes, power steering, and nice radios. If it’s blended seemlessly, that’s the way to go.
I agree. Some mods need to be made in order for a classic car, if nothing else to be driven safely in today’s traffic situation. If it’s possible, if a car doesn’t have 3 pt. seat belts for all outboard occupants, they damn well should be installed.
Fully function seat, too, might have to sacrifice the bench seat.
I don’t mind bench seats, as long as there’s some support, not only for your butt, but also for your back. I’ve sat on bench seats that have plenty butt support, but no back support, and some bench seats that have none of each. Neither are very comfortable. It’s like sitting on a park bench.
Fan of highback buckets myself; bench seats might work, I wouldn’t picture them going well with 3 point belts. I would go for something split, easier to set and get comfortable, all without taking the passenger along with me.
I agree. I like bucket seats for that reason, they usually have a high back, and, if designed correctly, has an integrated head rest, to reduce whiplash.
apparently modernish paint n wheels = “resto mod”
The majority of classic cars seen out here in California fit that description.
To people that are in the hobby true resto modding involves a lot more.
With my 68 Electra there is ZERO need to cut up the dash to use a fancy new stereo. I kept the stock set up but moved the head unit to my trunk and am able to use control everything from my phone.
As far as wheel size go there are benefits to larger diameter. In a perfect world I would prefer my stock style wheel but with an 18″ diameter. Larger (not insane) wheels fill up the wheel well a lot better than the standard 14 and 15″ ones of days gone by.
@ Snucks
I was going to post something similar.
There’s a heck of a lot more to a “Restomod” than shiny paint, larger rims and an aftermarket stereo.
That Chevelle looks like 60% of the cars at one of our local shows.
Back in the late 70’s; on my first job out of high school, a fellow worker bought the boss’s secretary’s Chevelle of this vintage; not sure exactly if it was a 71 or 72. Cortez silver, 350 cubic inch V8; fairly stock with little to no modifications. Dual exhaust exiting Super Sport rear tail pipe tips…….G60 sized tires on Chevy Rally wheels. Black interior.
Just a gorgeous car with a nice rumble to it. Picture the car shown here; minus that outrageous rear bow tie emblem, with some stock Rally wheels and you’ve captured the car that has stayed in my memory all of these years.
Nice catch, William!
I agree completely.
And related to the Cougar earlier: notice how the C pillar breaks directly over the rear wheel wells. That’s how it’s done.
Picture this car with a formal roof breaking mid way over the rear wheel….
Beautiful car but that huge Chevrolet bow tie is atrocious and completely out of character with the attention to detail that was obviously put into this car.
Not mid way, but certainly not to the end as arbitrarily dictated, and not a Chevelle but it’s big brother…
Matt, that’s a nice looking car. All Chevy’s in this time period looked great with the classic Chevrolet Rally Wheel on it.
I like that. What year is that car?
Those wheels look a bit big to me. I usually find that old cars don’t look right with anything over 17″ diameter, and I think those are bigger than that.
Looking forward to seeing more of the faux-R/T Challenger that you think is so awful. 😉 Based on the teaser shot of it in your ’75 Trans Am post, I’d take that over this.
This is a ’71 Chevelle. You can tell by the parking lights, which are split into two units per side. ’72s had one parking light on each side (and a different grille), and ’70s had four headlights (and were probably the best looking of the lot).
Nicely done. I can take or leave the trunklid Bowtie but otherwise it’s perfect and practical. I like a little lowering but when it gets too low to be streetable, that’s a problem. This looks like it’s driven and I like that.
Restomodding done right to me is upgrading every conceivable part – 4 wheel discs with modern calipers THAT FIT STOCK SIZED WHEELS, Sway bars front and rear, HD equivalent springs, all the engine stuff you can throw at the existing block(heads, cam, carb, manifold headers)camoflagued under the factory aircleaner lid and corporate color engine paint. It should basically appear stock at a glance to even the most devout enthusiast, inside and out.
This car has too many liberties taken for that, even though I certainly wouldn’t throw it out of bed myself. This is a custom car, someone’s baby, so all the mods are subjective to their taste(my own car is the same way). But to be a proper RESTOmod the restoration precedes the modifications.
Those wheels arent ‘bad’…at least they strongly homage the coke bottle design, and theyd look great on a modern Camaro or sport truck but on a classic like this, 17″ is the absolute MAX diameter. Id prefer 15’s only. Wheels and tires are what make or break the look of a vehicle.
Resto-mod is a tough call. While most purists love all older cars to remain faithful to the original, when you get into common, low-end cars that just aren’t worth all that much, it becomes a balancing act between money and practicality when parts inevitably wear-out or break, and it’s not the purists’ money being spent.
Take this Chevelle, for example. It appears to be nothing more than an average, V8 (probably a lo-po 307) automatic, bench-seat hardtop, of which hundreds of thousands were churned out. Even if it were in pristine, original shape, it’s not worth all that much. It does look like it has an SS hood, though. Should the guy have kept it with what was probably wheelcovers (if not hubcaps), the original steering wheel, rusty single driver’s side rear view mirror, and all the original emblems when it was, apparently, resprayed after the rust was filled in? Or should he have spent endless hours scouring junkyards for old SS parts, or bought them at outrageously inflated prices off the net?
OTOH, it’s not that hard to stay close to the original with just a few, easy mods, either. Frankly, if it had been me, I’d have at least tried to replace parts with OEM or NOS, and the main things I’d have changed was splurged for some Torq-Thrust D wheels in a sensible, period correct size and added a stock-style dual exhaust system. Although this one has duals, they’re not stock (original duals exited at the ends of the rear bumper). At least he didn’t feel the need to get pipes that exited straight out the back and use JC Whitney-style chrome tips.
It’s a slippery slope. I’m not an all numbers match guy and have no problems with upgrades that make the car more drivable such as an electronic ignition and an upgraded alternator. The wrong steering wheel however would knock me over the edge.
I’m probably in the minority here, but I think that a custom or a hot rod is an example of “to each his own” and some of them turn out fantastically well. Stock is *often* best but as long as the work is done carefully and to a high standard, stock isn’t *always* best. And I tend to like larger diameter wheels than the 14″ or 15″ originals, though I wouldn’t go all the way to 20″.
However, if it’s a rare or truly vintage car, I think that all modifications should be reversible and the stock parts stored rather than discarded, as long as they aren’t total junk. Put that torch away!
As to this Chevelle, I like the wheels, and hate the oversize bow tie. And personally I think the dinky mirrors look silly – were they stolen off a Spark? But, overall, it does look nicely down and shows (mostly) admirable restraint.
When it comes to musclecars, I hate 100% stock OE restos nor do I like over the top mega dollar billet builds that completely take away from the character of the car.
I personally like Day 2 period correct mods. A set of Cragars, Keystones, Slotted Mags or Torque-Thrusts look great on any muscle-era car. Add some vintage speed parts and its a win for me, that’s how all of my cars are done. I also don’t mind the Pro-Touring big wheel look but the whole car needs to be built for it; 17″ wheels on drum brakes look terrible and defeats the purpose.
Nice Chevelle.
I like seeing the Cragars/Torque thrusts/Slots and whatnot more too. I love period correct to when the cars were new more than anything. The point where we are today where restos are putting on steelies with poverty caps is kind of comical – half those “numbers matching” cars probably had those things swapped out within 24 hours of delivery. It’s kind of irritating to think if Bullitt were real life and not a Movie that Mustang would be restored with the correct factory wheels rather than the Torque Thrust Ds, which arguably is the best looking wheel one can put on that bodystyle.
It’s worse, the steelies look is carrying over to lesser-but-not-base models which could’ve had them in theory but would only have come equipped that way if special ordered with them, while anything shipped for dealer stock came with whitewalls and full covers.
“I like seeing the Cragars/Torque thrusts/Slots and whatnot more too. ”
We have a winnah! Yes, they’ve been done 10 billion times on as many cars…muscle and otherwise. But that’s because those style wheels are timeless. Ive never seen them applied to ANY vehicle without making its stock go up. Not once.
There’s some debate (well, mostly from ‘me’) as to why the Bullitt Mustang was modified. Even though there’s supposedly documentation that supports the theory that the two Mustangs used were both identical, I don’t think that’s actually the case. I strongly suspect that although both cars came from the factory as Highland Green fastbacks, that’s where the similarity ends, and the reason they both got aftermarket wheels/tires and were stripped of ornamentation. Of course, there was also the big problem of even mildly modified 390 Fords being absolute dogs to the point that the box-stock Charger R/T actually got smaller tires to try and at least slow it down in the corners enough so the Mustang could stay with it (and why the Charger slid like crazy and took out a mailbox in one shot).
I’ve heard that one Mustang was a GT and the other wasn’t, hence the lack of ornamentation.
It’s a tough one, to say the least. The main stunt Mustang was going to get some specific mods, regardless, the most notable being Goodyear Blue Streak racing tires and a custom, one-off, leather-wrapped Nardi steering wheel that McQueen liked to use. The tires are probably the reason they replaced the stock wheels with aftermarket Torq-Thrusts. Then there were the engine mods (cam and exhaust but, oddly, not the carburetor). So maybe since they were doing a bunch of performance mods, they just went ahead and pulled the ornamentation, too. Until the whacko that owns the remaining car ever decides to let someone look it over (which isn’t likely), it will never be known for sure.
I’m a fan of the four-door hardtop over the two-door and would prefer something more “1971” than yet another silver/black interior but there’s nothing on this car that offends me. Except that huge bowtie on the back.
This is definitely more tasteful that the overdone auction block fodder we see on TV shows. I’d still prefer wheels that were a little more period correct like Cragars or slot mags
Even I won’t grumble too much about this one.
Although it still should be restored to bone stock.
As I write this, I’m anticipating things being thrown at me. That being said, I think it needs a black vinyl top. Look at how much it dresses up the Impala in XR7 Matt’s post above.
Vinyl tops never looked good on any kind of a fastback car back then. Doesn’t matter if a 1968 2dr New Yorker, 1968 Charger or 1970 Torino. Imagine how awful an 1966-73 fastback Mustang would look with a vinyl top? The picture is too horrible to even just imagine.
Not too bad… tastefully done mostly. I generally think big hoops on a musclecar are like a middle aged guy dressing up like a kid with baggy pants or something… I’m kinda iffy on the topic. (btw I’m 48, so I’m picturing me dressing young.)
Clean and well preserved. Good job.
I agree. I don’t mind an adult dressing as a kid if it’s in good taste. I’ve never cared for the kind of pants that hang below the waist line, showing much one’s underwear. Poor taste. 🙁
How many saw Mustang Monthly last month where they had an article on an all electric ’68 Mustang. Well the only thing that had 1968 technology was the body shell as everything else had been replaced. Resto-Mod it may be but it isn’t a 1968 Mustang any longer. Given the magazines direction lately I told them after 30 years I would no longer renew
First generation Mustangs are a special case. So long as you can get hold of an original VIN tag from a non-rebuildable original, every other part has been reproduced so as to, literally, be able to build a brand-new, old Mustang from the ground up (provided you have enough money). Yeah, old Mustangs are everywhere but if someone really wants a complete, classic daily-driver without fear of being able to fix it, whether it be mechanical or sheetmetal, it’s the only way to go.
In fact, some years ago, Shelby was supposedly going to have a small number of new VIN tags made, which picked up right after the last sixties’ car was built, to create a limited number of brand-new, first generation GT-350 cars. Needless to say, they were going to be very expensive and I don’t know if the plan was ever actually done.
I moved to the greater Seattle area back in the mid-1990s. And back then, it was still common to see more than one Gen 1 Mustang during my daily commute. Either completely restored and driven by a car nut, or a ‘driver’ used by a teenager. But they are just not on the road any longer. And I live near a very well-known Mustang parts store in Bellevue, where, as stated above, you can buy just about every single part for one (sadly, most of these parts are now made in China, and that just doesn’t seem right).
Saw this today and just threw some shots on the cohort stock apart from wheels and tyres this is a cool A 40