ProductExpertsAvailable
Time: 2 hours (approximately)
Tools: standard socket set, standard wrenches, brake bleeder (optional)
Cost: $250 and up
Tinware: master cylinder/power booster
Tip: Always bleed the brakes repeatedly anytime changes are made in the brake system.
Performance gains: A new, dual circuit master cylinder and power booster will enhance the ease and safe operation of your brake system.
Time: 2 hours
Tools: standard wrench set, flat-blade and/or Phillips screwdriver, wire strippers/crimpers
Cost: varies by manufacturer- approximately $175-$400
Tinware: HEI distributor (new, rebuilt, or used), HEI ignition lead connector, HEI style plug wires
Tip: Label or mark the location of your spark plug wires on the distributor cap for fast, easy reference.
Tip: When you have installed your HEI distributor, its best to widen the plug gap as well.
Tip: You should run a new power wire that is getting a full 12 volts. Simply splicing into the existing lead is not getting maximum power to the ignition, as that is a resistance wire. If you measure the juice at idle on that wire, you will find it to be only around 9 volts. The car will run and operate using this wire under normal driving conditions, but the power loss will be noticeable at full throttle.
Performance gains: increased coil saturation, higher spark output, more reliable performance
Our '55 Chevy Bel Air began its life in Baltimore, MD, and somehow found its way out to California. It is believed that in 1972 the original owner of our car was stopped by the California Highway Patrol and arrested for drunk driving. The car was impounded and sent to the Mojave Desert Auto Wrecking Yard. There, it would be abandoned and parts taken from it for the next five years.
Time: 2 hours
Tools: standard socket set, standard wrenches, power drill and drill bits (if applicable)
Cost: $175-$300
Tinware: sub-frame connector kit and hardware
Tip: Buy quality products. There are lots of companies making sub-frame connectors, but not all of them implement heavy-duty materials and quality construction. Visit RicksCamaros.com, EcklersFirebird.com or EcklersNova.com and search for “Sub-frame connectors”.
Performance gains: Sub-frame connectors are a must for any high-performance small car without a full frame. They offer strength and improved handling under heavy loads.
I purchased the car as a retirement project for $3500. It was missing all the woodgrain, and the moldings were broken and faded with half of the chrome buttons missing. Interior was not bad, but the seats were split and the vinyl was brittle. The car was originally sold from Parkside Ford in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 21, 1966.
Understanding rear gear ratios
Applicable years: all
Cost: $250-$300
Tinware: ring and pinion set, differential fluid
Tip: It’s best to seek out the help of an experienced professional when changing the rearend gears.
Performance gains: quicker off-the-line acceleration
Time: varies depending on number of seats and style, plan on at least 2 hours
Tools: standard wrenches, hog-ring pliers, flat-blade screwdriver, needle-nose pliers (optional)
Cost: anywhere from $500 and up, approximately
Tinware: upholstery, hog-rings and pliers, seat foam padding (optional)
Tip: Before installing new vinyl seat covers, lay them out in the sun to loosen the material and to relieve any folds or creases in the vinyl from due to packaging.
Performance gains: none that are track-proven, but the added comfort and style far make up for it!
The first car I owned was a 1962 Bel Air 2-door sedan 6-cylinder, 3-speed. I don’t remember exactly when I saw a ’62 Bel Air Sport Coupe for the first time, but I do remember thinking that it was one of the best looking cars Chevrolet ever built.
Many years later, while serving in the military, I began looking all over the United States for a ’62 that I could afford. I eventually found the car I wanted, a 1962 Bel Air Sport Coupe, in Burley, Idaho in 1994. One of the local kids had just inherited the car from his grandmother, who was the original owner. It took two years of contact with him before I was able to buy the car and drive it home.
This ’69 El Camino was a five-year project that tested my patience and commitment to the auto restoration hobby. I purchased the body from the owner in Nevada in 2005. The intention was to build a pro-street truck unlike all the others seen at car shows. Even though I own seven cars (all Chevy products), I wanted something different. Something I could build without all the high tech electronics, something like we did when we were teenagers.
My wife Jane, my family and many of my friends were sure I had lost my mind when I bought my ’57 Chevrolet restoration project car. Every one admires these beautiful old cars, but who in their right mind would spend years, three in my case, restoring one just to drive? The answer to that question is, “Many people would.”
