Your first Chevelle "experience", tell us!

[docolds1968]

I bought a 1971 malibu that had a 327 and turbo 350 in it, I paid the guy $1,000.00 for the car and drove it home. It had roughly 1/4 tank of gas and I thought I could at least make it home. Well I never thought the car could move that fast, had my foot to the floor almost all the way home. It ran maybe 10 miles on the feeble amount in the tank it coasted into the gas station just barely. That car should have never been driven on the road till a majior brake job had been finished and well the bucket seats only had 2 bolts holding them in the car. Man was that ever a fun car to drive, looking back wish I had never cut it up.

[Joker2017]

My neighbor had a 72 SS Clone. At first I only got to stare in amazement with my tongue hanging out every time he started it and drove off. The sound made my body quiver! Finally years later after he had sold the 72 and replaced it with a true 69 SS, I got to use it on the weekends running errands for his mother. I was hooked. I have dreamed about owning one ever since. Two weeks ago I finally bought one...68 Malibu!!!

[Nate72Chev]

Growing up, I always wanted a muscle car; more specifically a Chevelle. I looked on craigslist and in every magazine I could get my hands on for about ten to twelve years dreaming of opening the garage door and having a Chevelle there to greet me.I was exposed to the chevelle by a good family friend who restored a malibu with his dad. I fell in love at first sight. In March of 2010, I received a nomination and appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy and my mom said I could get a muscle car. (She may regret this statement now. She may have been joking )
Fast forward to April of 2010. My dad, two car gurus, and I got in the truck at 0330 and made the three hour drive to Portland, OR for the Northwest swap meet. I knew when I walked in the gates that that was going to be the day. After walking around the grounds from 0700 to about 1800 (6:00 PM) non-stop, I kept going back to the black Chev. It wasn't all tricked out like the Camaro rs/ss clone I also found myself looking at, but I liked that. It has bench seat (convenient for close rides with the girlfriend) and the column shift, etc. Originally a six cyl putt putt car. The seller was a great guy who poured his heart and soul into the restoration of the car. All paperwork from the factory came with it. Even the 30923rikjlsg During the deal, I had to make a run to the port-o-potty due to my excitement. All that was left was waiting for the swap meet to close so we could get out of there! On the way home, my dad and I thought we were doing the speed limit (70) but everyone was flying by us. The gurus behind us called and asked if everything was ok and we said yes. They were worried because we were going 50 in the 70. The speedometer is a little off, but with a quick mental calculation I can figure out how fast I'm going. Getting the car home in the cool black night and parking in the driveway to listen to it idle will be something I'll always remember. It was one of the greatest days of my life. After years of waiting and anticipation, I finally can open that garage to be greeted by a 72 Chevelle with a 402 and a turbo 350. Sorry about the length. It would be too easy to type all day about it!

[Nate72Chev]

Ignore the "Even the 30923rikjlsg " I forgot to fix that.

[smokenjoep01]

Now ya got me curious?

[Highway Star]

My father was (RIP Dad 4/4/50 - 2/7/04) into muscle cars in the 60s. He used to race a '63 Impala 283/powerglide in stock class. The Impala was replaced with a '68 Nova sporting a muncie 4 speed/4.10 gears and a hopped up 350. He tore up the streets of Syracuse, NY, Ionia, MI and all points in between with that Hugger Orange Nova. He was always a Chevy/GM guy. That naturally made me into the same thing. I always thought that my father would wind up later on in life with a 68-72 Nova. We would go to a car show here or there and I'd listen to stories about this car and that one, and these people my father used to run with when he worked on the railroad in the 60s/70s. We always remarked about how there were more chevelles than you could shake a stick at. Most of the shows we went to were filled with camaros and chevelles. If there were too many fords or mopars there, we'd leave.

When I was in college, one evening my father called me on the phone at my house and I guess he had my mother holding the phone by the rear end of the '72 Chevelle he just bought for $2500...while he revved the engine up so all I could hear through the phone were the sounds coming out of that thing. This was in 1997 or so. I think his business was doing well at the time, and it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. I drove to my folk's house that weekend and my father and I stayed in the barn tinkering with his new old car. He was so happy. I remember turning in because my eyes were crossing, waaaaay late that night, and he was holding the alternator in one hand, scrubbing years of gunk off with steel wool in the other hand. I think he stayed out there messing around all night. He bought headers, an intake, a 390 4 barrel, an HEI, and some valve covers (all used) off a friend of his, and we installed those items the next weekend. He loved that car. The engine and trans were overhauled and mildly built up a few winters later. Then the body was redone and painted red/white sport stripes in around 2001 or so. My father passed suddenly in 2004 at age 53. A couple years after he passed my mother called and told me out of the blue that my father would have wanted me to have his Chevelle, so we made arrangements for me to take ownership of it. I have had it ever since. That is my Chevelle story and I'm sticking to it.

This is what it looked like when my father bought it...

[Nate72Chev]

Originally Posted by smokenjoep01

Now ya got me curious?

I was talking about the authorized selling dealer plate imprint. I just forgot to go back and add that to the original post because I forgot what it was called. haha

[Ms Grumpy]

Nate, what an awesome story.

Jake, what amazing memories of your dad.

What I like about most of the stories that most of us were "mesmerized" by the sight and and sound of our car. The dad factor is something that is also so close to my own heart.

[unclehulka]

Jake, your story really touched my heart. I'm sorry for the loss of your dad and I am happy that you are now the proud owner of that Chevelle! Great story and thanks for sharing it with us!

Uncle Hulka

[BBChevelle]

Well growing up i spent a lot of time at my grandparents and i made friends with these two boys next door. their father was a mechanic and had atleast 8 cars in his back yard at a time he would fix and sell. Well there was a 48 chevy truck 69 rs/ss and a 72 chevelle in the way back and i always played in the chevelle and the two brothers in the other two cars. And this went on from the time i was 6 to 9. Then my grandparents moved and that was really the last i saw of them. Around the time i was 12 the house up the street from my parents was bought and one day on my way home from school i noticed the the ford truck in the drive way and went to see if what i thought was right and sure enough when i got to the house there was margaret their mom behind the wheel with mark and bobby helping their dad push the 48 in to the back yard next to the chevelle and the 69. About a year later margaret their mom had past and she was just as equally fond of the chevelle but henry never got around to getting it running again. The car was given to their older sister who then put it up for sale.......And ill never forget the feeling and the silence shared when the three of us were on our way home from school and we all noticed the car was gone. We just kinda stopped and looked at the empty spot between the 48 and the 69. And after what seemed like hours of looking at the empty spot we heard my dad yelling for us to and i quote "get our @sse$ down their so we could all go" because everyone was waiting for us to go out for my 14th birthday dinner. Well as we all walked up the drive way everyone came out of the house to leave and the garage opened and their it was. My dad handed me the keys, a bible, a picture of our family and my back pack that i dropped on the floor and said " these are the four things that you need to focus on and everything else will come in time." Needless to say at 14 i was confused but very excited. Well at 21 i am happy to say i graduated with a bs in science, i am happily married with a 2 year old son and a eight year old step daughter, i know the lord and so does my family and everyday when i come home the first thing i see is the blue and white license plate that reads "Marge" on the front of my 72 Chevelle. And when my son disappears which he is very good at we always find him laying in the garage next to Marge with a wrench in his hand and a smile. I think the good lord is tellin me something.