Words: Tommy Parry Images: George
George has had a colorful automotive past. In his behind-the-wheel career, he drove drag race cars – even a blown Pro Modified – banged doors briefly in SCCA road racing and raced circle tracks in Dwarves/Modified Lites for over a decade. Currently, he owns a High Performance Race Shop in Boca Raton, Florida, and now builds beautiful works of automotive art for a living.
Having a varied past like his has raised his standards considerably, so only the oddities truly grab his attention these days. Not to say that he’s jaded – it’s just that strange combinations, like a ‘50 Chevy Fleetline built for autocrossing, are what appeals to him now.
This car sat in a barn from ‘75 onwards, and has only been owned by one family. After clearing the cobwebs, George thawed the frozen motor, rebuilt the front suspension, added disc brakes in front and 3” blocks in the rear and converted it to a 12-volt setup.
He then pulled the six-cylinder and began mocking up a cozy home for a modern mill. An LS1 with a 4L60E transmission would drive power back to a 9″ rear axle with 3.50 gears. That might help with straight-line traction, but 45″ truck arms and coilovers would help it trace a tidy line.
Further helping the nimble platform were a set of C6 ‘Vette wheels, measuring 18 x 9.5” in front with Nitto Invos in 275/35-18, and 19 x 12” rears with 345/30-19 Invos. Within those massive rollers, George installed a set of C5 ‘Vette disc brakes. Though the add-ons were fairly straightforward as far as installation went, there was some snipping of the fender wells.
With the wheels in place, George installed his homemade truckarm crossmember, then welded in the rear frame, painted it all in jet black and installed Moser axles and a G Force posi unit housed in a Strange nodular case.
With the rear end situated, George turned his attentions to the front, where he installed a nifty new powerlant for the purposes of carving the road course. First, the holes in the firewall were addressed; he hammered and dollied the firewall for appearance’s sake, and soon the reflection of the hoisted engine could be seen in the gleaming firewall.
The motor uses a collection of prime parts. The ‘01 LS1 is bored .010 and fitted with SpeedPro flat top pistons, a custom ground cam from Comp Cams, ported 241 castings, a Trailblazer intake, a Holley muscle car oil pan and a Mellings HV oil pump. Holley injectors and fuel rail supply the juice, a 102mm throttle body helps in response and a 3-row aluminum radiator keeps the mill cool. The package is good for 400 horsepower, which suits George’s needs perfectly.
The interior was no different in spirit; simple and direct and without the superfluous garnish that a patinaed cone crusher does not need. Included in the small list of modifications are: a Dakota Digital VHX instrument cluster, a Flaming River tilt column and a Lokar shifter. To hold the occupants in place, George went with a set of ProCar leather seats with RaceQuip harnesses.
Linked to the column is a Flaming River power rack and pinion setup. With near 50-50 weight distribution and only 3,100 pounds to push around, this Fleetline turns much better than its portly frame would suggest.
Next, he started fine-tuning the Fleetline for roadholding; the suspension goodies would do little good if they weren’t aligned properly. First, George modified the stock lower control arms to work with the new QA1 coilovers, and then he cut a small notch to clear the wheel on hard turns.
Considering the narrow confines of the wheel wells, George had to roll his fenders to avoid much in the way of rubbing. Additionally, the front suspension would only allow -.75 degrees of camber and -.5 degrees of castor: not ideal for the purposes of autocrossing. Nevertheless, he pushed on – in more ways than one – and managed to turn a few quick laps.
Then came the time for a few aesthetic touches. A California company provided the “smoothie” bumpers front and rear, and with a garnish in the form of a set of LED tailights, a new set of rocker panels gave this patinaed cruiser more than enough glitz to make it a head-turner.
George then took a trip to Home Depot to pick up a product called Penetrol, which promised to protect the Fleetline’s hide against the Florida climate and preserve the natural patina. For a little final splash of style, the Penetrol left a mild satin finish over the weathered paint. It might not be made to be the prettiest machine around, but it carries its own sort of rugged charm, which is underlined by its ability to turn, brake and accelerate. The vehicular equivalent of Robert Mitchum in a film noir, this understated machine undoubtedly carries with it a sort of potency that commands respect.
