In May of 1997 I was enamored with my son Chris’s 1967 Chevelle Super Sport and set out to find one for myself. During my search I came across such a car at a car show and it had won a trophy for best GM restoration. A little research, however, showed the car to be a clone and not the real thing.

One day I spied a 1966 Chevelle SS Convertible sitting at the curb; it was a sight to behold and I decided to sit and wait for the owner to come around. Soon enough here a fellow with a cup of Starbucks in his hand shows up and a conversation about the car soon turned into a bargaining session. After three days of back and forth on a price the car was mine.

The paper work for the car took it back to 1980 in Colorado then onto Medford Oregon where it was purchased and imported into Canada in 1994. The car proved to be a numbers matching car with 57,000 original miles on it. An inspection of the car showed it was hit free, rust free and packing some great options, including tilt steering, M22(rock crusher) transmission, power drivers bucket seat, knee knocker tach , power roof, and power steering. The convertible top was the original in white. The upholstery was remarkable with only the driver’s seat requiring recovering. A labour of love began; the SS was about to be restored to its original state.

By May of 1998 the car was on the road for its spring showing. The car had just come out of the carburetor shop where the carb was rebuilt. The 1st sunny “top down day” we took the car for a drive, a drive into hell as it turned out. We were cruising down a North Vancouver street when my wife noticed smoke coming out of the crack in the hood. I pulled over to find a raging fire under the hood. Quick response time and a very old car conscious fire crew were soon on the scene. They pushed the car off the spot where it had been burning and then used only water to put it out. The entire front end of the car right back into the dashboard was burned to the tune of about $16,000.

The car was taken to Gasoline Alley in Port Coquitlam where a full restoration ensued, including a complete paint job( which the insurance would not pay for). The 396 was taken apart and checked for damage; it was then painted and detailed along with the Muncie. My son Chris spent about 80 hours detailing the entire bottom side of the car as well as doing a rebuild of the rear end and installation of new brake lines and bushings throughout. Tires and brakes followed along with the re-chrome of the bumpers and bumperettes.

Since that time the car has won numerous trophies throughout the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. We continue to enjoy the Chevelle and the friends we meet at shows and meets.

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