I figured that it was time to start sharing my long term project with everyone. Like any good project, it starts with a story.
Back in the early 1970's, my mother and father owned a 1965 Chevelle hardtop. After a few short years of driving it, there was an accident that totaled the car. Nobody was hurt except for the car. My parents had a friend with a 1965 Chevelle convertible that didn't run. It sat in a field in Pennsylvania for a couple years. My father decided to buy the convertible to restore it, however he was much better at coming up with an idea than following through. The car sat in another field for about 15 more years with nothing done to it. My mother and father split when I was too young to remember.
Over the years, my father moved the car into a storage unit and proceeded to forget about the car. My father and I did not really have a relationship and he was not around as I grew up. There are many reasons for this but I do not harbor bad feelings toward him. About 4 years ago, my father moved back to South Carolina from Pennsylvania. My sisters were close with him but I still was not. We met a couple times and talked but it was really not a father-son relationship. Regardless, we were in contact again and slowly working on building some sort of relationship.
Two years later, my father passed away. His health was getting pretty bad and had heart failure. During the process of handling his "estate" (which was really a small piece of property and 4 storage units packed with stuff due to his hoarding mentality), my sisters and I discovered a 1965 Chevelle Convertible buried deep in a storage unit.
Neither of my sisters knew what it was or what to do with it. I explained the car to them and they told me to take it. Towing from Pennsylvania to North Carolina was not cheap, but I pulled it out and had it brought home.
Obviously, this car will not bring me closer to a father that I hardly knew. However, it is the only connection that is left and is pretty cool that it has been in my family since the 1970's.
About the car:
It is a 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS Convertible. The factory colors were Black exterior, white top (known as tuxedo), red interior, 230 Inline 6 with an automatic powerglide. To me it is not the most desirable combination. Once I got the car home, I preceded to take it apart to assess the damage. There is rust on the back end of the car but it only appears to be the sheet metal. It will need to have the floor patched, new rear quarter panels, new trunk, and various other patches. The inline 6 was completely locked up and would not turn over (more on this in another post). I plan to restore the car but also upgrade some things along the way. I have already collected a ton of parts and I have some questions for everyone regarding the build.
I hope you enjoy the build and it will take a long time to get it on the road. Here are some pictures!
In the storage unit:
