When did the A-body bug hit me?  My passion for muscle cars, particularly Chevrolet’s super car, the Chevelle, started many years ago when I was just entering high school.   At the time, my father had purchased a 1971 Malibu coupe for my sister who was also in high school. The original engine was tired and rather than put any more money into the car, a year passed and Dad decided to find my sister a different car altogether.  I really liked that Malibu - it had bullet mirrors which I thought were very cool.  I was hoping that it would be passed down to me - but it was not to be. 

As a young teen, my parents owned a 350ci powered 1972 Buick Skylark.  At the age of 14, it was the first car I actually drove.  Man, what a rush THAT was!  My school friends and I would practice 'safe' driving skills on country roads with that car and we had a blast. 

The overall GM A-body design really grew on me.  I always knew that someday I would own a good looking Chevelle.  The LS-6 SS 454 Chevelle represented the ‘Top Gun’ of muscle cars for me then, but as a teenager finding the money to fund my dream was still just that  - a dream.  For many years, the Monogram and Revelle model companies did their best to satisfy my thirst for hot Chevelles.  Building models of the car was as close to the real thing I was going to get for quite a long time to come.

Flash forward to the summer of 1997.
I had finally reached a point in my life when I was ready to find that one special car and begin modifications to it. I seriously considered buying an already restored SS LS-6 car. After all, that was the car I had always dreamt of owning. But after considering the fact that it would have already been completed and that most quality SS cars of this caliber were a bit on the expensive side, I opted to find a good solid Malibu instead, and turn it into something equally as good or better than the formidable LS-6 Chevelle.

Old Car Trader magazine came to the rescue and after a few weeks of making numerous phone calls, Linda (my beautiful wife) and I located and purchased a solid 1970 Chevelle Malibu from a small used car lot in Jacksonville, Texas. The ad stated that the Malibu had a "300 horse GM crate engine".  Well truth be told, this engine was in such poor running shape that the car would have had a real problem if it were raced against a John Deere riding lawn mower pushing through tall grass in high gear!  Looking back, I'm surprised that the 'dysfunctional’ Holley carburetor made the 150 mile journey back to our garage in Houston.  Needless to say, it was in poor driving shape and was in dire need of some special TLC.  The real fun was just about to begin!

Since that time, the Chevelle has seen a few different engine setups and several changes, such as a whole new interior and driveline coversion.  Using the original 350" small block, it was morphed into a 388" stroker engine and produced close to 400 horsepower.  For such a heavy car, it ran very well on the street.  

Two years later, I purchased a crate ZZ502 big block that had already been previously dyno tested by it's owner.  He was parting ways with a killer '55 Nomad and the rat needed a new home.  The big block was rated at 575 horsepower and definitely increased the fun factor.  The ultimate for me though, was to have a blown big block set-up and that's what she now has.  An 8-71 BDS blower was added to the mix, and with the added boost she banged down 791 horsepower and 780 ft.lbs. of torque - and all on pump gas. :) 

There is nothing in the world like driving a blown Chevelle.  The blower whine is just awesome and truly sounds like a jet engine winding up.  Watching little kids line the sidewalks with fingers plugging their ears is absolutely priceless.   

This journey would have been much harder without the support of my lovely wife Linda.  I'm truly spoiled...you see, she's helped me pull more than her fare share of motors ever since our dating days in high school!   

And the guys over at Team Chevelle have been a great group to learn from and share information with.  Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to spend with TC over the past few years due to a crazy life schedule.  Growing by leaps and bounds, ya'll are an awesome group - keep up the great work and best of luck to Al McKenzie and team - may all of you live long, prosper and own a barn full of Chevelle's.     : )