Back in 1999 when he was just 14, Trevor and his father set out to find his first car: a 1970 Chevelle SS. They had found two rough ’70 SS’s, this originally Astro Blue 454 LS5 and a Cranberry Red 396, as well as a nicer condition 1971 SS 350. At the time, these cars were still being bought and sold at reasonable prices, and decent examples could still be found.
Ultimately, they decided that this originally Astro Blue example was the best of the bunch, so it became Trevor’s first car. It had been repainted at one point in the original color and had the black SS stripes as well as the vinyl top refreshed. It then sat neglected in a horse corral until Trevor and his father purchased it.
This 1970 Chevelle not only became Trevor’s first car, but also his first restoration project. At that time, there wasn’t much in the way of reproduction parts on the market, but they made do with what was available.
It was by no means a concourse restoration, but they pulled off a very nice weekend driver as the end result of their labor, totally unrecognizable from the original appearance. Trevor had learned the skills of the trade on this 1970 Chevelle, from general wrenching, paint technique, metal work, etc.
“Many memories were made scouring salvage yards, swap meets, and meeting other car lovers along the way.”
Trevor
It currently utilizes a non-matching 402 big block and a TH400 transmission, but Trevor has the original 454 LS5 that he plans to put back into the engine bay when the 1970 Chevelle receives the next rebuild. The plan is a full rebuild with parts that have been found over the years and others that are now available on the market. He’ll be putting his honed skills to the test to improve upon the work he and his father performed many years ago.
“Many projects have been completed over the years, but glad to say I have hung on to my first one.”
Trevor
