Words: Tommy Parry
“All throughout school and growing up, I never spent money on a sports car, even though I really wanted one. I could always find better uses for that money. My ultimate goal was to go through college with no debt, so the budget for cars was very little and that was reflected in the cars I drove most of my life,” Jeremy begins. However, once he’d cleared those hurdles and set aside a modest budget to start an automotive project, he had plenty of ideas brewed up — so he sought out someone who could make those a reality.
With the assistance of Jeff Allison of Allison Customs, Jeremy set out building his dream car. His intention was to build a daily driver bordering on what could be described as a Pro Touring machine: a stiffened, sharpened, and more powerful version of the Chevrolet Chevelle with no expense spared.
The list of mouth-watering goodies was established from the start. The LT4 would send its 650 horsepower through a Tremec T56 gearbox, and use a modern Art Morrison chassis to put that power to the ground neatly, turn on a dime and provide all the feedback a modern muscle car can offer.
Starting with a rusted, primered body in less-than-stellar shape, the first order was clearing out the corrosion. The radiator support and wheel wells were scrapped, and then the car was soda blasted, which exposed a few suspect areas. Unfortunately, the rust had spread. The firewall, rockers and cowls were in need of some serious scraping — and by the end, all the sheetmetal had been replaced aside from the roof and passenger side door.
The firewall was replaced with an ABC Performance Ultimate piece. Within the new rocker panels, they laid down a set of 2.5” pipes for a wire chase. The interior had to be as uncluttered as possible.
Next came the Art Morrison frame, complete with Ridetech Shockwaves at all four corners and an Accuair Endo VT air ride system. “That’s where the air ride came into the project. I was only thinking static ride before, but when thinking about driving the car over speed bumps, steep gradients and into driveways, it made more and more sense to get an air ride system,” Jeremy begins. “So, we went with the Shockwaves from Ridetech to keep the performance abilities, but added height adjustability on the fly using Accuair.”
At the rear, a Strange Pro-Tourer floater kit ensured plenty of feel and feedback, and the Strange S-Trac rear with 35 splines and 3.70 gears offered efficient power deployment with great low-speed acceleration.
The floors were then fitted with two mini-tubs, while the transmissions tunnel was chopped and expanded to fit the T56.
Though most of the exterior was in decent shape, Jeremy had to scrap the front fenders and trunk lid, as they’d been corroded beyond repair. So, new front fenders (both inner and outer) and a new trunk lid were ordered. Those front fenders needed to be mini-tubbed in order to accommodate the new 275-section tires wrapped around the Boze Forged 19” wheels. In the rear, they added two NACA ducts to funnel cool air into the Wilwood brakes sitting inside the Boze Forged Clutch Concave 20” wheels.
With the grip afforded by those wide tires, Jeremy had to consider an upgrade in oil delivery. Thanks to the Art Morrison engine mounts, the stock headers fit within their new confines, but a new Holley oil pan with a shallower sump was needed to fit with the crossmember. When complemented by an Accusump setup, he could forget about any oil starvation issues.
Inside, Jeremy added a set of orange Speedhut gauges to complement the exterior color: House of Kolor’s Tangerine Kandy. Along with those subtle bursts of color, he installed a deep-dished MOMO wheel, a custom dash and pair of ‘06 GTO seats. “The GTO seats are comfortable for long cruises, but also have good side bolstering if I take it out autocrossing,” Jeremy explains.
The LT4, neatly tucked into the engine bay, offered a near-OEM appearance thanks to the discreet wiring job done by Ron Francis. Though this section was only part of an immaculate build, the engine bay had bystanders drooling at this year’s SEMA.
Notice how there’s hardly any chrome present on this sinister Chevelle. Always a fan of the blacked-out look, Jeremy had the bumpers and other relevant trim pieces de-chromed and sprayed in flat black. Contrasting against the Tangerine Kandy paint, the color combination is stunning.
For more on the construction of this incredible Chevelle, you can read Jeremy’s build thread here.
