After this latest round of fixes, I sat around a bit bewildered at the idea that this thing was probably on the road with all of these random issues all at the same time before it was parked. There's definitely something enjoyable about just fixing what is needed and being able to run it around instead of spending 4 years on a frame off before it ever even runs again.
The guy in the other Chevelle probably can't even change a spark plug,I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know what year his own car is.DOWN WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT!!!!!.Keep enjoying your car!!.
Thanks! It's been brutal, messy, and dirty work, but it's slowly getting done. It's been frustrating at time, but it's nice when it all comes together and you can see tangible results in the end.
Dust caps!! WooHoo!! Really enjoying this rebuild series man, Glad too see a real world channel for once 👍 Great job I'll be waiting for the next video!! Subscribed!!
Hah! I think it was your prior comment that reminded me to point out that I did finally get around to stealing them off the old spindles and installing them. The new ones never did show up yet...
That trunk is driving me nuts and I guess that the rattling is probably driving you nuts too. Unless you have an old trunk where you can cut off everything you need to fix the old one, so you can keep the patina, your best bet will be to just get a repro trunk or a good used one. Repro trunk lids are about $200.
Yeah it is quite annoying... I've been keeping an eye out locally for a replacement, whether it be a similar forest green or one I can scavenge the inner structure from and try to re-skin it. I'd like to keep the "look" at least for the moment. The "sound dampener" really helped quite a bit, but I noticed on the last drive I was still getting some of the brake grinding. The hood is also bouncing due to the lack of bumpers... Need to get a lot of rubber on this car to stop the rattles!
don't worry, be happy.. because that other Chevelle guy is probably just jealous as his isn't a 1970 Chevelle SS 396/TH400 Turbo-Jet.. I wouldn't be ashamed to drv that car any where, time as it is what it is, the Best year Chevelle SS with the most awesome color combo. Green and Black. Enjoy it as many can't even realize how hard it is now days to find a decent one that is this inexpensive.. Cheers and keep up the great work.
Front end looks a little low too the ground, that might be the look you want but my big block SS sits high in the front but It’s stock . Good job on getting on the road.
I thought I did originally as well, but then I wasn't quite sure as it seems to be turning more RPM than I would expect relative to the speed. Now that all of the other issues were taken care of, it became easier to troubleshoot and confirm that it actually had all three gears. Really need to get a tach in there so I can see exactly what RPM it is turning.
Some weather/rubber seals and an AMD trunk lid and itll smooth and quiet. That driver that snubbed you probably bought his. Anyone whos ever restored one respects someone elses projects.
I didn't take it too seriously, just thought it was funny to happen to drive by another on the test run, have them stare me down, and then snub the wave.
Drilled and slotted rotors are bad to have on a daily driver. They are for hard core racing where the brakes get real hot and they need to cool. The downside to them is that they don't bite as hard because of the less surface contact. With a daily driver you need surface contact, not cooling. Your money is way better off on other things. Just giving you constructive pointers. Love the channel. 👍🏻
I explained that decision in a prior video. I picked it up as a package deal where it ended up cheaper than sourcing flats. I've also been known to take my cars out to casual track days, so they may see a bit of use.
Your wheels grind against the calipers because they are 14" wheels made for drum brakes up front. Cars ordered with powerbrakes had 15" rally wheels stock.
@@JamesSorenson Interesting, what year did they start that? My '68 SS396 Chevelle had drum front brakes from the factory. Chevy used to put 15" wheels on all their power front disc brake cars in the late '60's.
I'm not quite sure when they first started with the 14" that would fit. I believe in '69 you could get some rally wheels in 14" that would fit, but they were a specific code and others did not. In doing some research, it is apparently a common problem with these aftermarket brackets hitting the factory 14" rims, where the original brackets would clear.
I started that a few years back, lol. I'll try to make a video of it here in the near future. I have a new garage going up which is why everything is a mess and all packed on top of itself.
There is a guy on UA-cam that worked for hot rod magazine his name is Patrick Nicholson. He knows everything chevelle and will tell ya everything about you're car for free. You should hit him up he will tell ya what belongs or has been replaced
A few have mentioned him already. I've mentioned elsewhere that I have most of the documentation on the car and have a pretty good idea of what options and things it came with, so there's not a whole lot of mystery to it other than going and verifying some numbers on my own, such as checking the trans number and axle numbers to see if they had been swapped out like the engine. May still reach out anyway just to see if he'd be interesting in looking it over anyway.
@1666cac Hello I was going to say the same thing because ,Patrick Nicholson, he is very knowledgeable about these Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle cars !! Maybe to even too help James, find the original engine if it's still out there Somewhere !! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪
James Sorenson Hello friend the other gentlemen , Mention Patrick Nicholson UA-cam !! Because I was going to say the same thing and he is very knowledgeable about these Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle cars to !! Plus he also Owns a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle car too !! And could help you on any other Information ,and possibly to found your original block big V8 engine from your car !! But still try to dial the auto transmission in More !! It seems to be when under Heavy Acceleration that it's Holding gear or not down Shifting !! It takes time to check other things but the car is coming along nicely !!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪👍👍👍👍
I pointed out in the video that the kickdown solenoid is disconnected and the wiring is missing presently, which is why it doesn't downshift until load. I figured I would fix that after I verified I was getting all three gears.
I never wave at classics. No one waves. The motorcycle world yea 99% of the time the other rider waves. Classic cars? No. Classic car owners are very stuck up.
That's not my usual experience here in Michigan, I generally get reciprocated waves if we're both in something 80 or older and in the "classic" genre. I put it in the video just as a comedic bit because I thought it was funny to run across another Chevelle on the road by pure luck on the test drive and I could see that he was looking right at me as we passed and just straight ignored the wave.
To make the test drive a better experience, my God clean the windows. Not only is it safer for all those on the road, but you too, and the chevelle. Stay safe!
I did. Three times! I ran out of windex in the process.The camera made it a little bit worse than it actually was from the angle it was at, but they were not wanting to come clean. I even mention that between the runs.
James my comment was base on your first run, noticed streaks were running a different direction 2nd run , lol. I rescued a 1967 138 chevelle from Washington in 2004, true 138, drove it back to Orange county Ca. 396 w 4 spd broken steering column and drove last hour on E brake to get home, not smart , but a great story. It's a lot of time and money to get these cars in a proud condition. It's better than the bar seen and cigarettes. It's not a trailer queen, but a good drive, blk on blk, trimic 5spd, gen 6 ,427, Currie 12 bolt rear end 342 gears, center counsel/ buckets, frame off for body bushings, and sanding and painting . FLOOR pan repairs , some electrical. Finished it July 2024, started it Dec 2022. I had a 2002 Ford gt, no one cares about it at the gas station, the SS is a whole different story, visits everywhere with plenty of thumbs ups on the road. I hope your 70 doesn't fight you to hard, and the body work, and parts come by easey for you. Thank you for being a saviour of the history of of our hobby, and America muscle cars. 😎 one old 70 yr old, who's first car/ truck, a 69 el Camino, had for 21 yrs, love to find it , start a new project .
I think I need a 55 gallon drum of windex for those windows, they're pretty nasty. The classics are definitely great conversation starters, which is usually one of my favorite parts about them. I'm fascinated by the stories people have and the memories that vehicles can trigger. This thing has certainly fought me and been arguably one of the more frustrating vehicles I've worked on in the last few years, but as I mentioned elsewhere, when you can see tangible results from your efforts, especially with short turnovers like I've been doing with this series, it helps keep the motivation up considerably over the long downtime with full restorations.
I'm loving this video series, seeing an old car or truck whether a muscle car or not, getting back on the road is always cool.
After this latest round of fixes, I sat around a bit bewildered at the idea that this thing was probably on the road with all of these random issues all at the same time before it was parked. There's definitely something enjoyable about just fixing what is needed and being able to run it around instead of spending 4 years on a frame off before it ever even runs again.
The guy in the other Chevelle probably can't even change a spark plug,I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know what year his own car is.DOWN WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT!!!!!.Keep enjoying your car!!.
Maybe he was jealous of the patina 🤣
Looking good, keep up the good work.
Thanks! It's been brutal, messy, and dirty work, but it's slowly getting done. It's been frustrating at time, but it's nice when it all comes together and you can see tangible results in the end.
@@JamesSorenson owning it is half the battle these days. It will be a nice car in time
At least your car is on the road good job
Dust caps!! WooHoo!! Really enjoying this rebuild series man, Glad too see a real world channel for once 👍 Great job I'll be waiting for the next video!! Subscribed!!
Hah! I think it was your prior comment that reminded me to point out that I did finally get around to stealing them off the old spindles and installing them. The new ones never did show up yet...
That trunk is driving me nuts and I guess that the rattling is probably driving you nuts too. Unless you have an old trunk where you can cut off everything you need to fix the old one, so you can keep the patina, your best bet will be to just get a repro trunk or a good used one. Repro trunk lids are about $200.
Yeah it is quite annoying... I've been keeping an eye out locally for a replacement, whether it be a similar forest green or one I can scavenge the inner structure from and try to re-skin it. I'd like to keep the "look" at least for the moment. The "sound dampener" really helped quite a bit, but I noticed on the last drive I was still getting some of the brake grinding. The hood is also bouncing due to the lack of bumpers... Need to get a lot of rubber on this car to stop the rattles!
I recommend you shop for new metal.
Patching that is out of the equation.
There’s some nice replacement panels out there that save you money and time.
19:38 whoa hold on is that a 63 impala?! Now I gotta see if you have any videos on that one.
Why, yes it is. No content on the Impala yet though, once my new garage goes up and I have some more space I will get back to it.
It's so nice to see that car running .
Idk Why but i Love the body of the car and look of it
don't worry, be happy.. because that other Chevelle guy is probably just jealous as his isn't a 1970 Chevelle SS 396/TH400 Turbo-Jet.. I wouldn't be ashamed to drv that car any where, time as it is what it is, the Best year Chevelle SS with the most awesome color combo. Green and Black. Enjoy it as many can't even realize how hard it is now days to find a decent one that is this inexpensive.. Cheers and keep up the great work.
When you get that chevelle restored it's going to be so sweet she needs to be petty again never abuse that classic.
Progress ROCKS!!
Front end looks a little low too the ground, that might be the look you want but my big block SS sits high in the front but It’s stock . Good job on getting on the road.
It has drop springs in the front that lower it about 2.5" -- it's maybe a hair lower than where I wanted, but not too terrible.
Love this car!
So, you're saying you'd return the wave? 🤣
Me to 🇺🇲
@@JamesSorenson definitely!
I hear 3 shifts too.
I thought I did originally as well, but then I wasn't quite sure as it seems to be turning more RPM than I would expect relative to the speed. Now that all of the other issues were taken care of, it became easier to troubleshoot and confirm that it actually had all three gears. Really need to get a tach in there so I can see exactly what RPM it is turning.
@@JamesSorenson I'd be really curious what it's rpm at cruising speed is too. Real cool car you have there!
Some weather/rubber seals and an AMD trunk lid and itll smooth and quiet. That driver that snubbed you probably bought his. Anyone whos ever restored one respects someone elses projects.
I didn't take it too seriously, just thought it was funny to happen to drive by another on the test run, have them stare me down, and then snub the wave.
Drilled and slotted rotors are bad to have on a daily driver. They are for hard core racing where the brakes get real hot and they need to cool. The downside to them is that they don't bite as hard because of the less surface contact. With a daily driver you need surface contact, not cooling. Your money is way better off on other things. Just giving you constructive pointers. Love the channel. 👍🏻
I explained that decision in a prior video. I picked it up as a package deal where it ended up cheaper than sourcing flats. I've also been known to take my cars out to casual track days, so they may see a bit of use.
Your wheels grind against the calipers because they are 14" wheels made for drum brakes up front. Cars ordered with powerbrakes had 15" rally wheels stock.
That is incorrect. All of the 1970 Chevelle SS had power front disc brakes with the 14" SS rims.
@@JamesSorenson Interesting, what year did they start that? My '68 SS396 Chevelle had drum front brakes from the factory. Chevy used to put 15" wheels on all their power front disc brake cars in the late '60's.
I'm not quite sure when they first started with the 14" that would fit. I believe in '69 you could get some rally wheels in 14" that would fit, but they were a specific code and others did not. In doing some research, it is apparently a common problem with these aftermarket brackets hitting the factory 14" rims, where the original brackets would clear.
@@JamesSorenson Ok, so probably sometime in '69 then. Good to know. I didn't realize all 1970's had 14" wheels.
It’s coming along nicely. When are you starting on that ‘63?
I started that a few years back, lol. I'll try to make a video of it here in the near future. I have a new garage going up which is why everything is a mess and all packed on top of itself.
If the light is yellow turning red it's an orange light lol
Haha, I'll have to use that one next time the wife screams at me... or the cop catches me.
SOS pads clean glass, aluminum, chrome
Nice ride 🇺🇲
There is a guy on UA-cam that worked for hot rod magazine his name is Patrick Nicholson. He knows everything chevelle and will tell ya everything about you're car for free. You should hit him up he will tell ya what belongs or has been replaced
A few have mentioned him already. I've mentioned elsewhere that I have most of the documentation on the car and have a pretty good idea of what options and things it came with, so there's not a whole lot of mystery to it other than going and verifying some numbers on my own, such as checking the trans number and axle numbers to see if they had been swapped out like the engine. May still reach out anyway just to see if he'd be interesting in looking it over anyway.
@1666cac Hello I was going to say the same thing because ,Patrick Nicholson, he is very knowledgeable about these Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle cars !! Maybe to even too help James, find the original engine if it's still out there Somewhere !! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪
James Sorenson Hello friend the other gentlemen , Mention Patrick Nicholson UA-cam !! Because I was going to say the same thing and he is very knowledgeable about these Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle cars to !! Plus he also Owns a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Muscle car too !! And could help you on any other Information ,and possibly to found your original block big V8 engine from your car !! But still try to dial the auto transmission in More !! It seems to be when under Heavy Acceleration that it's Holding gear or not down Shifting !! It takes time to check other things but the car is coming along nicely !!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪💪👍👍👍👍
I pointed out in the video that the kickdown solenoid is disconnected and the wiring is missing presently, which is why it doesn't downshift until load. I figured I would fix that after I verified I was getting all three gears.
Need too put in straight 40 weight oil!!
lol. Might as well go straight to gear oil!
What did Chevrolet recommend? probably 10w30
@@michaelerickson1518 Some 20w50 VR1 racing oil should do the trick on the smoking.
I never wave at classics. No one waves. The motorcycle world yea 99% of the time the other rider waves. Classic cars? No. Classic car owners are very stuck up.
That's not my usual experience here in Michigan, I generally get reciprocated waves if we're both in something 80 or older and in the "classic" genre. I put it in the video just as a comedic bit because I thought it was funny to run across another Chevelle on the road by pure luck on the test drive and I could see that he was looking right at me as we passed and just straight ignored the wave.
@@JamesSorenson Im in SoCal so that might be a factor
That would definitely explain it... SoCal certainly had its own feel the times I've been out that way.
To make the test drive a better experience, my God clean the windows. Not only is it safer for all those on the road, but you too, and the chevelle. Stay safe!
I did. Three times! I ran out of windex in the process.The camera made it a little bit worse than it actually was from the angle it was at, but they were not wanting to come clean. I even mention that between the runs.
James my comment was base on your first run, noticed streaks were running a different direction 2nd run , lol. I rescued a 1967 138 chevelle from Washington in 2004, true 138, drove it back to Orange county Ca. 396 w 4 spd broken steering column and drove last hour on E brake to get home, not smart , but a great story. It's a lot of time and money to get these cars in a proud condition. It's better than the bar seen and cigarettes. It's not a trailer queen, but a good drive, blk on blk, trimic 5spd, gen 6 ,427, Currie 12 bolt rear end 342 gears, center counsel/ buckets, frame off for body bushings, and sanding and painting . FLOOR pan repairs , some electrical. Finished it July 2024, started it Dec 2022. I had a 2002 Ford gt, no one cares about it at the gas station, the SS is a whole different story, visits everywhere with plenty of thumbs ups on the road. I hope your 70 doesn't fight you to hard, and the body work, and parts come by easey for you. Thank you for being a saviour of the history of of our hobby, and America muscle cars. 😎 one old 70 yr old, who's first car/ truck, a 69 el Camino, had for 21 yrs, love to find it , start a new project .
I think I need a 55 gallon drum of windex for those windows, they're pretty nasty. The classics are definitely great conversation starters, which is usually one of my favorite parts about them. I'm fascinated by the stories people have and the memories that vehicles can trigger. This thing has certainly fought me and been arguably one of the more frustrating vehicles I've worked on in the last few years, but as I mentioned elsewhere, when you can see tangible results from your efforts, especially with short turnovers like I've been doing with this series, it helps keep the motivation up considerably over the long downtime with full restorations.