By Tommy Parry
When Kris retired from drag racing in 2015, he didn’t exactly hang up his helmet. He wanted to try getting his kicks a different way: road course racing. Instead of getting a Mazda Miata, he bought a selection of choice parts to turn his ‘67 Chevelle—a model he’s raced on the drag strip for many years—into a capable cone carver and track toy. In commemoration to the Chevelle he ended his drag racing career with, “Rosie,” he decided to dub this new creation “Rosie 2.”
Despite what it might’ve looked like, the body was in decent shape and most of the bodywork had already been done by Kris himself. His next step was to box and reweld the entire frame.
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The first round of suspension upgrades didn’t go on as smoothly as he would’ve hoped. He bought the Fab 9 kit without realizing that it placed the upper control arm mounts three inches higher than stock. This totally messed up the rear geometry, so, rather than ordering new parts, he decided to fix it by converting the rear to a four-link.
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Mainly for reasons of frugality, he decided not to buy a mini-tub kit, but instead make his own. They weren’t as pretty as some, but they freed up enough space for him to fit a set of 20” wheels he had his eye on. Large wheels and tires would necessary—he was aiming at building a motor that would make 1,000 horsepower comfortably.
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He began with a 6.2-liter block, Callies crank and rods, Mahle pistons, LSA heads with a complete porting job, a Whipple 2.9 Supercharger, a Wegner belt drive kit and cam. That laid the foundation, but Kris had to fabricate some of his own parts for it to really be his own.
He crafted his own stainless headers, which start at 1 ⅞” before stepping to 2” primaries with a 3.5” merge collector. Then, after fashioning a cold air intake, he added the finishing touch: a set of patinaed BBC cam covers that give the engine bay just a touch of grime every Pro Tourer needs.
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To keep his lump cool, he opted for a Derale oil cooler, which he mounted in the left-front wheel well. Then, without much difficulty, he mounted a 2017 Camaro steering column and wheel. With tilt, telescope, paddle shifters, and all the switches to run everything, it modernized the feel of this vehicle. When combined with a Dakota Digital analog cluster, Kris started modernizing the Chevelle’s cabin in a way which wouldn’t clash too much with the classic aesthetic.
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Progress was slow following that since Kris was the one doing all the bodywork, but he eventually found the time and energy to make close-out panels for front, install a modern hood latch from a 2018 Silverado, replace the passenger door skin, spray the bottom of the Chevelle with rapture, and address a few other odds and ends. He added a little touch to the rear bumper reminiscent of his drag racing days, stood back, and drank it all it. His Chevelle was finally taking shape.
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When the frame came back from getting powdercoated, he started mounting up the rest of the UMI Stage 5 suspension, Kore3 Z06 brakes, and 9” rear. Along with a Trutrac and 35- spline axles from Moser, this rear end should have no difficulty harnessing and administering the power produced by that wild 416 and sent through a beefy 4l80e.
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It was finally time for the cosmetic side of building a Pro Tourer. The body came back beautiful and blue, the gold Boze 19” and 20” wheels complemented the Chevelle’s softer shape and color, and lastly, his custom emblems arrived. Thanks to Billet Badges, he could let everyone know just how much motor this subtle Chevelle had powering it.
There’s still plenty in store for this amazing car. To keep tabs on Kris’ progress, please visit his build thread here.
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