Table of contents for Volume 3, Issue 29 - May 2023 in All Chevy Performance

A lot of us got our introduction into the world of custom car culture through the patriarchs of our families, whether it was our fathers or grandfathers. Each of our particular inspirations are as different and unique as the men we looked up to for them. Watching these very vehicles come together made such a lasting impression on our collective outlook and approach to building one-off cars of our own. While in the trenches of car shows and coffee meetups, our eyes are always open to spot that next muscle car to feature and to learn the story of how it came to be. Upon first glance, this cool blue ’68 Camaro RS made its presence known with its classic, performance-centric styling. It has a stance that commands attention, and…

Chevrolet got a lot of things right in the ’60s, but one thing that just doesn’t make sense is the use of “idiot lights” in the dash instead of actual gauges. We all know when one of those lights comes on, you’re already in trouble, and as gearheads we truly need to know the vital signs of our engine before it’s an emergency situation. For years, the automotive aftermarket has solved this problem with those three-gauge pods that mount beneath your dash. In certain situations, those pods are suitable, but our ’64 Chevelle deserved something better. For this, we scoured the Dakota Digital website to find a new gauge system that paid tribute to our car’s originality while also providing us with full instrumentation. Dakota Digital offers several styles to…

The younger generation commonly refers to those who were around to witness the muscle car era of the ’60s and ’70s as “boomers,” slang for baby boomers, which comes from the high birth rate after World War II. Now, the term “boomer” is commonly used as a derogatory term coming from a typical Gen Z’er referring to one who is older or past his or her prime in life. Well, those young whippersnappers can learn a thing or two from a boomer, especially when it comes to vintage cars, as there is plenty of history to uncover and appreciate. Corvettes, for example, are known as GM’s flagship hot rod ever since it first became available, beginning with the ’53 model referred to as a C1. The C1 was popular among…

The Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) is one of those events that confirms just how cool it is to get the best hot rods in the country under one roof, or seven roofs, in this case. This year, the 73rd event was held the weekend of February 3-5–a slight departure from years past when it took place the final weekend in January. The Pomona Fairplex is a natural location due to Southern California being considered by many as the birthplace of hot rodding, and the Fairplex itself being home to the NHRA Winternationals since 1961, along with the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum planting roots in 1984. Speaking of the NHRA Museum, if you are in the area, it’s a must-see, as the place is full of super-rare historical drag…

There’s nothing like building an engine yourself. If it works and works well, the feeling of accomplishment is huge. If it doesn’t work out so well, you’ve probably got no one but yourself to blame. As they say, failure is the greatest teacher, but if we’re honest it’s not a class we’d prefer to take. If you embark on a similar build as us, you’ll be well aware that this isn’t exactly a $1,000 budget build. So, learning a lesson the hard way might be more than you can afford—it’s certainly the case for us. To hopefully avoid that form of education, we’re going to suggest reading this article instead. We’ll admit that this is no replacement for a factory service manual or the application-specific instruction sheets you get from…

There are some of us who can remember the one that got away. Damn, that one hurts, right? It happens so commonly it’s a cliché. A buddy might pat you on the back and tell you that everything happens for a reason. It’s time to suck it up, buddy, because hell, for some of us, there are other fish in the sea. Yeah, yeah, there’s nothing worse than a perfect match at the wrong time—you’ve heard it before. But in the case of Mike Jorgensen’s crisp new ’71 Camaro build, he’s found the perfect sort of second marriage–a kindred spirit. That’s because back in high school Mike used to drive a ’72 RS Camaro. It was maroon, it had a 350, and he knew how to have fun with it.…

More than 100 years ago, when automobiles first began to be mass produced, you’d fill your gas tank via an exterior cap and filler tube. Over the decades, gas caps and filler tubes moved around to different locations on both the exterior and interior of a vehicle but, in the ’40s and ’50s, a handful of cars hid them from sight altogether. The ’40s-era Cadillac used a flip-up taillight to hide the cap and filler, but soon Imperials, Oldsmobiles, Nashes, Continentals, and even a Peugeot would give the design a go. Even Chevrolet’s fullsize passenger vehicle, the Bel Air, would use the feature on their ’56 model, but by the ’70s, when more stringent safety standards were enacted, the gas filler moved from behind the rear license plate or apron…

Mixing old cars with new tech is always a big challenge. We are all used to how a Corvette should look, but as car enthusiasts we love to modify things and make it our own. Crown Concepts in Tucson, Arizona, is attempting to strike that correct balance with this ’63 Vette. It’s got all the go-fast and modernization items you could want, plus a little bit of something extra visually. Underneath the fiberglass body is a Roadster Shop chassis with C7 geometry. An LS 427 Super Street Series engine provides plenty of go. HRE 309M wheels will be polished up to match the other bits of shiny trim around the car. Inside the cockpit, modern functionality is being introduced while maintaining some of the major original elements. A new center…

Nelson Banuelos came from a car background that began about the time he started his first job. But his automotive roots weren’t planted in the muscle car world as much as they were in the lowrider scene. His first restoration was an ’85 Oldsmobile Cutlass that was built as a lowrider. A few cars and trucks followed in that same vein. Years later he attended The Darryl Starbird Classic Rods & Custom Car Show and was exposed to the Pro Touring build style for the first time. It was a first-gen Camaro that made a huge impression on Nelson, so much so that he instantly fell in love with the look, the style, the power, and everything about that car. To him it was new, it was fresh, and he…

There are those among us who were building and driving modified Chevrolets in the ’60s; many of us have a similar affliction as a result—a severe case of selective memory. While the sound and feel of a high-winding small-block hooked to a four-speed transmission was impressive in the good old days, the fact is many contemporary front-drive family cars will suck the headlights out of the cars we still hold near and dear to our hearts. Fond memories are often the result of “The older I get the faster I was” syndrome. Besides the performance deficit that is a painful reality, many of the performance engines from those bygone days have other shortcomings as well; the 300hp 327 in our ’63 Corvette is a prime example. Back in the day…

For most of us in the automotive hobby, a car becomes a personified family member. We give them names and talk about them as living, breathing entities. And why shouldn’t we? When you spend that much effort, money, and time on something, it takes on a life of its own. For Jed Gage of Wills Point, Texas, his lifelong love affair with cars started with “Ol’ Betsy,” his ’57 Chevrolet two-door hardtop Bel Air. Jed grew up in the hotbed of hot rodding in Southern California. He had a mechanical mind from a young age after getting involved in the early days of BMX and then dirt bike racing with his two friends, brothers Steve and Richard. The Chevy bug hit when the boys’ grandfather surprised them with a junkyard…