Front Brakes

Today I finished tearing off the old drum brakes, and installed the new disk brakes. Mr. King stopped by and provided some welcome company as I bolted on the new system, and was surprised on how nice the brake kit was. It took three hours to casually do the first side, and about an hour to do the second. Despite what the instructions say, it is much easier to break down the old drum brakes and remove the steering arms while they are on the car. I'll start on the power booster and master cylinder next while waiting for the brake lines to arrive. I even had enough time today to paint the engine block Chevy Orange.

I found some videos on the web for disk brake conversions for the front here, and the rear. They are not the exact same kits as mine, but close enough.

Give me a brake...

Check out that rotor! I've got three more where that came from, and have started tearing down the old drum brakes to install the new drilled/slotted disk system. The master cylinder and all the from line have been taken off, as well as the proportioning valve. I greased the new inner and outer bearings, installed the seals, and test fit everything to make sure I wouldn't have any problems. So far it all looks good.... I'm just waiting for the new brake line kit.




Now what's wrong with this picture? The fan that the previous owner had installed, was backwards. Combined with the tiny single core, six cylinder radiator, this car had to overheat....or at least run very hot.

Wagon 11.14 @118.60

Tommy made some changes to the wagon: a little more fuel pressure, a little more spark advance, a little more spring in the rear and a new shifter... and got himself a new low e.t 11.14 @118.60. Nice job pal! He even had enough time to take this in-car shot of the track as he was waiting to race.

I haven't had the opportunity to get to the track yet with the "Wagon-Dude", or to work on the Chevelle much. I've been finishing up the shed and the home security system, and in the little free time, ordering parts like bolts and brackets I need to slide the powertrain into the Chevelle. I cleaned and painted a bunch of bolts, the motor mounts, flexplate, pullys and balancer. As soon as it gets warmer, I'll paint the rest of the engine parts and longblock, and plan to slide it in after that. The only thing I may do first is the brakes...I'm researching that now.

Gas....running out and finding old.

This weekend was finally nice enough to uncover the Chevelle, push it around the driveway, and take some pics. I was really trying to get the Vette out for spin to use up the old gas. I took the kids for a ride around the block, and used it ALL up....I ran out of gas about six blocks from home and needed to get a little help from the neighbors. A couple of nice guys gave me a gallon, and I was able to get the Vette home again.




Take a look at some of these wacky little add-ons that the Chevelle has. I guess this little tan under-dash thingy is a heater...maybe a speaker....who knows?

Another little surprise was the hand-made power junction, due to the battery being relocated to the trunk. I will put the battery back in the engine compartment, and run the wires correctly.

The Chevelle also was a carpet delete car, I found the original green, rubber mat under the carpet. I finally checked the gas tank, and the previous owner was kind enough to leave me 11 gallons of old gas....great. After my friend Kelly dropped off a new siphon, and Nancy picked me up a LARGE gas can, I was able to get the gas out and over to Mr. Chris.

Raceway Park Open!

Tommy was all set for the season opener at Oldbridge Township Raceway Park this past Sunday, and unfortunately I had to work. Aggghhhhhh!!! I got a quote from the Wagondude himself...

"First pass I Screwed up {shifted into neutral on the 2-3 shift} But I cut a .001 light!! Second pass was nice .038 1.66 60ft. 11.42 @117.73 Third pass .108 1.55 60ft 11.34 @116.9 Fourth pass .115 1.60 60ft. 11.54 @116.62 broke tires loose on 1-2 gear change. But I'm fairly happy, Nothing broke, no issues, I think I may have only 10 passes on the car total!"
You can find out more from one of his favorite forums at

Powerblock Magazine

In case you haven't seen this yet, I thought I would share. The new Powerblock Magazine online is great....very hi-tech. I hope they keep it up.

I've been busy the past week or two rebuilding the shed in the back yard. Without the storage space, I'll never have any room to work on the Chevelle. Speaking of the Chevelle, I've also been busy trying to find the best disc brake kit for the project. I've been getting lots of help from the Team Chevelle Forum, and might have locked it down to Matt's Classic Bowties. He seems to have a nice kit, but I'm still researching.

Tommy and I will be checking out the Atlantic City Car Show and Auction this weekend, February 26-March 1. That should really put me in gear, so I have to finish the shed soon!

New South Hill Customs T Shirts

I must be out of my mind, but I contemplating ordering South Hill Customs T shirts. I found this site at CustomInk.com that had some great design features. Of course I'll have to order a few for my closest friends and loyal readers!!! I created a few designs, like the one below...tell me what you think.

Make custom t-shirts at CustomInk.com

Transmission here

Today I got a call from Mr. Chris from Ace Transmission Repair, who hooked me up with a nice rebuild of my turbo-350 for the Chevelle. He told me that all the gaskets and seals were dried up and the clutch packs were flaky, so it was a good thing that we didn't just throw it back in the Chevelle as it was.





I also got a new torque converter, and a new kick down cable to complete the transmission. Now I just have to get some bolts, the flywheel, and clean up the vacuum line for the trans in order to get it ready to install. A few days of nice weather would also be a big help.

I also found another new website that hopefully inspire me to build the Chevelle...http://www.71protouringchevelle.com

Chevelle via mail order

The best part about my job is that when we have a "snow day", I can stay home and get my parts from the mail order delivery man. I purchased headers (because the ones I got with the car were completely flat on the bottom), an HEI distributor, wires, thermostat housing, oil filter mount, bolts and gaskets.

I also spoke to Mr. Chris, who said he has the parts for the trans rebuild and will give me a call in a few days when it is done.

On my way to pick up lunch, I stopped and talked with the Leonards. Tommy also has a Chevelle, that recently got a dent, and Dave has joined the recently retired like Tommy. Damn, you guys!!! I am jealous. I was suprised that Dave knew about our little Chevelle project, he said he read about it here. Wow, I thought only Tommy and Jimmy actually checked this junk out. Zach is asking me right now, "Didn't you just do that blog thing the other day?". He wants to know why I do this...truth be told it is fun, and makes it easy to share my favorite stories and pictures with my friends.

Winter Sucks

I can't stand the winter season...at least in the Northeast. I mean Christmas is fun with the family and kids, but the rest of it really sucks. There is no worse feeling than being cold and wet, and when your favorite hobby is to hang out in the driveway or garage and restore a classic car, and all you can do is watch the snow and ice pile up outside....well, it is no fun at all. So, I try to work all the time (and everyone knows how much that sucks) just to try to save up enough money to fund the project for the spring. I don't mean to whine, but it isn't like I have anything else to talk about today. On a good note, I did get a long-awaited check today that is going to pay for most of the Chevelle repairs...Yeah!

I found this pic on Flickr of a 1971 Chevelle, and love the stance. I have been tossing around the idea of a great looking and handling dropped stance for our Chevelle, either with traditional drop spindles or Air Ride. The look is awesome, but the cost may be out of the budget for the build, and this will be a daily driver with 18" wheels, so ground clearance for NJ speed bumps is a must.

I just found another here... now I really want to throw caution to the wind and get low!

New Chevelle Engine

Tommy and I picked up the new Chevelle engine from Fischer yesterday, and does it look great! I didn't even want to remove it from the plastic wrap to take the picture. I also don't have my normal camera/laptop available now....when I do, I will take some better pics. This one is from my phone.

I have to take Zach to wresting practice now, but when I get back tonight, I hope to watch some of the Barret-Jackson auction on Speed TV! I'm sure to have some comment to blog about this week.

Gran Torino

This is the first, and probably the only time you will ever read a blog entry on the South Hill Customs site about a Ford. I had to write a quick entry however, about the latest Clint Eastwood movie, Gran Torino.

Clint Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Kowalski is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy an old man, who can't get along with either his kids or his neighbors, a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he built on the factory line and keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor Thao, a young Hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousin, tries to steal his Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao's family, Kowalski is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood.

This movie is classic Eastwood...he's a real bad ass in this film. It also has plenty of laughs, and even though the title is a Ford, it is a must see.

ALERT: Federal "Cash for Clunkers" Program Threatens Your Hobby

Some Washington lawmakers are hoping to create a new nationwide scrappage program which would give U.S. tax dollars to consumers who turn-in older cars to have them scrapped.

Summit Racing Equipment and the more than 6,800 member companies of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) are urging lawmakers to have this potential new program scrapped instead.

The new scrappage program, dubbed "Cash for Clunkers," would be part of a new economic stimulus package to help create jobs and is specifically designed to spur new car sales. The stimulus package is being drafted right now, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wants to introduce the bill on January 6, and have it approved by Congress by January 20, so that incoming President Barack Obama can sign it into law immediately. Here's why the scrappage program should not be included in the stimulus package:

• Owners who turn in vehicles for crushing would receive a "minimal" payment to purchase a new car.

• Since many of these cars are sitting in garages or storage, the program is a misguided attempt to claim the country's air quality or fleet fuel mileage is being improved.

• The program would deny small business in the specialty automotive industry the availability of older cars necessary to develop new products and services.

• "Cash for Clunkers" would risk the destruction of classic, historic, and special-interest vehicles.

• "Cash for Clunkers" would reduce the availability of affordable transportation and repair parts used by low-income drivers.

• The program ignores better policy options--repair and upgrade is a win-win for consumers, dealers, manufacturers, and repair shops.

• The program would reduce the amount of parts and parts-cars available for repair, restoration, and customization projects.

What Can I Do?
Please help us and fellow enthusiasts by expressing your opposition to the "Cash for Clunkers" scrappage program. Contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi IMMEDIATELY at 202-225-0100 or click here to send an electronic message: http://speaker.house.gov/contact/.

Here are some important talking points:

• I am [calling/writing] to urge lawmakers not to include a “Cash for Clunkers" provision in the economic stimulus bill. Owners who turn in vehicles for crushing would receive a "minimal" payment to purchase a new car. This is a misguided attempt to spur car sales and claim that the country's air quality or fleet fuel mileage is being improved.

• I work for [company name] located in [city and state]. My company is part of the specialty automotive industry, an industry which enables consumers to enhance their vehicle's appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and safety. “Cash for Clunkers" programs deny our small businesses the availability of older cars necessary to develop and market their products and services. The programs will hurt my company and our customers.

• “Cash for Clunkers" programs threaten enthusiasts nationwide with the loss of valuable parts and parts-cars for repair, restoration, and customization projects. The programs also risk destroying classic, historic and special-interest vehicles, our American heritage.

• Cars turned in for scrappage often barely run, or are rarely-driven second or third vehicles that have a minimal impact on overall fuel economy or emissions.

• “Cash for Clunkers" programs will reduce the availability of affordable transportation and repair parts used by low-income drivers. It will also compete with the Salvation Army, the Purple Heart and other charities that rely on vehicle donations to raise money.

• “Cash for Clunkers" ignores better policy options. If Congress wants to act, support for repair and upgrade is a better choice and a win-win for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and repair shops. Significant emissions and fuel economy improvements can be achieved in older vehicles through relatively simple and inexpensive means: repaired/replaced exhaust systems, tune-ups, etc.

• We hope we can count on you to reject “Cash for Clunkers." Thank you for your consideration on this very important matter.

If you choose to send a message to Speaker Pilosi, please send a copy of your message to SEMA at:
E-mail: briand@sema.org
Fax: 202/783-6024

Chevelle Machine Work

I called Bobby today to talk about the machine work on the small block Chevy, and he was curious as to why 4 of the pistons were installed backwards in the block! He asked me if it was running OK like that, and ironically I told him it was even raced hard that way. I never pulled the pistons out, but someone must have...glad I am having him do the rebuild!

He wanted to show me all the new parts that are going in to the rebuild, check out the pile of parts!
Here is a pic of my new pistons, which should be about 9:1 compression. Since the block had never been bored out, a .030 job will do nicely! We figure about 325 horsepower for the new motor with plenty of touque.


Here is a pic of my block and heads fresh out of the cleaning tank. They haven't had any of the machine work done yet, but they look real nice all cleaned up! I am going to paint the motor black, just like the Vette motor, and am thinking of painting the entire car black!

The Hemi in the Barn

One of my favorite holiday gifts from my family this year was a great book..."The Hemi in the Barn" from Tom Cotter. Its a collection of great short stories of car guys who have tracked down and found vintage automobiles. I have been spending most of my free time the past few evenings with my nose buried in this book...I highly recommend it!

The author also wrote "The Cobra in the Barn", which I have yet to find, but as soon as I finish this book, I am sure to run out and get that one too.

I stopped by to see my pal Jimmy for a few minutes today, who just got home from the hospital. We sat around and talked about Jeeps, cars and the usual. Glad to have you back! I promise to try to remember to bring the camera with me and post some more photos on the blog a.s.a.p.

Off to the machine shop...

I wanted to get the small block off to the machine shop before the end of the year, and the trans over to ACE, and of course I forgot my camera. Aghhh. I did both today, spending some time down at Fisher's Machine, talking to Bobby about what we are doing with the enagine. He's going to rebuild it with all new parts, keeping only my castings, crank and rods.

Then I went to Ace Transmissions to drop off the Turbo 350. Chris is going to rebuild the trans and get me a better torque converter....the one I had was junk. He is also going to install the kickdown cable, which was cut off the old trans. Probably made passing a real pain in the @$$!

Anyway, the SHC garage has been busy preparing for the Chevelle. I sold my bass guitar last week for $80 in order to purchase a nice used engine hoist for $100 off of Craigslist. It was located in Brick, at Sandy Point Marine, and Tommy gave me a lift to pick it up. I cleaned up the intake manifold, power steering pump, starter, and a few parts. I'll post about them next time, if I remember. I also installed a new bolt hasp and LARGE Master lock to the garage door, just to be extra secure.

Trans Sold...

In order to raise the money for the rebuild of the turbo 350 for the Chevelle, I decided to sell my Muncie M20 on eBay. I had the ad posted on Craigslist and eBay for about 5 days without much success, and then realized how bad my photos looked. No wonder I didn't get much of a response! So I took some better photos, posted them online, and updated my ads to include the trans mount, yoke and Hurst shifter. I really didn't need any of it anymore, so why hold on to it? After less than an hour with the new updates, I got a call and a man named Cole from North Carolina said, "I'll take it". Now I'll take the automatic to Mr. Chris for a rebuild next week.



See how nice I cleaned up the trans and packed it up. I even put a little tag on the trans to remind the new owner to add oil! Now I just have to haul the 85 lb box over to the UPS store tomorrow...agghhhh.

Parts and Planning

Tis the season, to plan your spring build and gather parts. I know that I should be thinking of the holidays...but I can't. It's also the time to work your tail off and save your cash for the spring swap meet, trans rebuild and machine shop work. That's what I've been trying to do lately, work and save for the Chevelle.
I stopped by Fisher Automotive and talked to Bobby about the small block rebuild, which I hope to get down to him within the next two weeks. I also talked to Chris at Ace Transmissions about the turbo 350 rebuild, and placed ads on Craigslist to sell my 4 speed and some extra parts to help pay for it all.
I've been thinking about the engine options...LS1, big block, small block, and have come to the decision to build a nice streetable small block out of my old 350 from the Stingray. I also found a used Edelbrock Performer online for only $60, so I picked it up. A new one goes for $127, and I do't mind spending a few hours cleaning up a used piece that I can get for half price.

Junk in the Trunk...

After a week of little more than nothing, I figured that I should at least unload some of the junk in the trunk of the Chevelle. I was surprised at just how clean the trunk was, and the rest of the body. It won't take too long in the spring to get it cleaned up and painted. The worst area is two small rust holes in the lower corners of the rear window (which is already removed).








The quarters and rockers are pretty good, as are the doors. The entire front end, inner and outer fenders and cowl hood, is new from Goodmark, and still in the boxes.

Vintage Small Block

I was looking at the new (used) small block that came with the Chevelle. Tommy was quick to point out (good eye, pal) that there was some repair work done to the intake manifold under the water neck, which is a vintage Edelbrock Torker. I love those old manifolds. The block is a 1964-1966 283, casting # 3834810. A nice, vintage, 2 bolt block. I have posted a link on the SHC site here (under the Links section) with small block casting numbers.