My '71 Chevelle - A Car/Project Introduction

"MM54" (mm54mk2) 04/03/2016 at 12:22 • Filed to: '71Chevelle

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First off, I tend to get carried away and ramble on, so I’ll try to divide this up into sections so when you get bored, you can skip to the next “important” part at the beginning of the next section.

The Background Story

My senior year of high school, I was looking for a car or truck to get around - I’d had my driver’s license since I was 16 but didn’t own a car, so getting around still meant bumming rides. I didn’t have much criteria other than something I could afford with what I’d saved working construction in the summers, and something I liked (at the time I wasn’t very well developed as a car-guy since nobody in my extended family saw cars as more than appliances; I’d literally never been around nice cars other than the occasion local show).

Weeks of browsing craigslist for trucks (practical!) led to eventually stumbling onto a listing for a 1971 4-door Chevelle for my max budget. Skipping random details that aren’t relevant, I eventually made it to where the car was and went for a test drive around a field (hadn’t been registered/inspected in 7 years - more on that later). The next day I met the owner at the notary.

After driving it home (30 miles in a car that hadn’t really moved in a decade), catching up on some normal maintenance stuff, and getting the car PA inspected (needed nothing!) it became my daily driver. I’d fix and upgrade odds and ends here and there, things like the water pump leaking, gas tank also leaking, etc.

When I went to college, the car got parked, and I’d pick it up to drive on breaks and in summer; it was the spring break of my freshman year that I rebuilt the carb, finally enabling it to idle in gear without a foot on the gas. Eventually school got busy, and with part time work and summer internships I needed something to reliably get me to and from work, and something I’d be willing to leave in a parking lot for months - that’s another story for another time.

So the Chevelle got parked under a cover under a series of tarps at my dad’s, and eventually got moved into a car port to keep it out of the elements. It’s been there since.

The Car

I bought the car from the son of the (late) original owner; in the glove box was the owners manual with a full service history written in the back. With about 96,000 miles, the car hard been resprayed the original color at some point (and not all that well) but looked good from a couple feet back. The interior was in good shape as well; the dash reflecting that the car had always been kept indoors. The only interior issues are the front bench being ripped and a crack in the top of the steering wheel.

Technically speaking: Engine is a 307 (that’s 5L) V8, Powerglide 2-speed auto, column shift. 2-barrel carb, which is terrible. Rear gears are 3.08:1 open (10-bolt). 4-doors, known as a “post” car since it has a b-pillar (there were “sport sedans” which didn’t have this pillar). Factory air-conditioning (which had a hole in the condenser; I have a new condenser but no R12 so I haven’t fixed it) rounds things out nicely. Power steering, too, but it doesn’t work under about 1000RPM. Still have to look in to that, since that’s, you know, the only time you really need power steering.

Work that I did on it during its time as my daily includes rebuilding the carb, replacing the gas tank, replacing valve cover gaskets, and rebuilding the whole front-end (steering linkage and suspension) factory-spec. The radiator was also re-cored (after it blew open at 100,002 miles) by a guy who worked in the factory that would have made that radiator in the first place. I did some bodywork on the front fenders as well, since they had some chips and a few spots of rust that needed addressed before they got worse. NAPA had the 1971 paint code/recipe, but the paint didn’t really match. At all. There’s another story to be told involving a moth and not-even-flashed paint, but that’s for later. The wheel arch trim had been in the trunk, so that got hit with steel wool and reinstalled as well.

How Things Are Now

As I mentioned, the car sat in storage through the latter 2/3 of my college years, and much to my dismay it continued to sit after graduation, while I got my life sorted out, career moving (I’m an electrical engineer in case I didn’t mention that; just in case you’re curious), learning the are in which I now lived, etc.

This whole time it was stored at my dad’s in gradually better conditions, for the most part under a soft cover, under two tarps, in a car port. In March 2015 it narrowly escaped destruction when the car port it had been in until the previous November collapsed under 18+ inches of wet snow. The newly constructed one, however, was okay.

At this point, I’m finally ready and able to bring my car back onto the roads, but it needs some work first.

The Plan

If you’re skipping through because I’m long-winded, now is the part you want to continue reading from, since this discusses the plan and what will be happening in the coming weeks (which will, of course, be shared on Oppo).

In order to bring the Chevelle back onto the road (so I can resume daily driving it, of course) I’ve determined three main things it needs, in addition to some normal maintenance and other catch-up items like adjusting the transmission band, changing diff oil, points/rotor/cap, etc.

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

While in storage, the fuel pump died, and while replacing it one weekend I took advantage of the chance to disconnect both ends of the fuel line to blow it out with compressed air. While under the rear of the car, I bumped the tail pipe, which promptly broke off at a clamp/hanger.

I’d wanted to replace the existing single system with a proper dual setup (seriously who sends 5L of V8 through a single 2" pipe?) anyways, so that will be the first order of business. A complete system from some shorty headers back through a stainless 2.5" dual exhaust (with h-pipe) will be a big improvement.

Brakes

I didn’t mention this above, but this car does have manual 4-wheel drum brakes. While I (and the old guy at the alignment shop who was grinning after the test drive - “Man I haven’t seen brakes like these in thirty years!”) am able to use these to safely drive the vehicle, they do leave a lot to be desired, and the lines are 45 years old now. With modern cars (and modern drivers...) for daily driving, these are not really sufficient.

The plan here is simple - I’ll convert to power brakes, with OEM-style disc in the front. This does mean I’ll lose my original 14" steel wheels with awesome brushed stainless hubcaps, but 15" rallys are pretty cool too. On the rear, I’ll fully rebuild the drum brakes (long term this axle will get replaced, and discs will go on with the new 12-bolt posi). New hard lines and flex lines all around, as well.

Air/Fuel

The current 2-barrel carb is, to be gentle, shit. It got a whole lot better when I rebuilt it, but overall it’s got to go.

The plan here is a new aluminum 4-bbl intake and a holley 600cfm carb. This will make the car actually drivable, and should help to return more than the 9 MPG I used to get.

Progress So Far / Conclusion

I recently got the Chevelle back to life after sitting, and remarkably the battery somehow can still start it now that it’s had time to charge. Since I’m renting a condo/townhouse/expensive-apartment right now, work has to be done at my dad’s, which is where the car is anyways. The downside of this means that it’s 2 hours away, so it’s all got to be done on weekends (and the nearest parts store to him is about 30 minutes away).

The weekend of Easter we got an area set up, basically converting the car port the car has been in into a temporary garage, with OSB floor (under the car at least), plastic to keep the dust down, walls, etc. It’s a pretty cool spot that really deserves its own post. This will enable work to proceed weekend-to-weekend without having to waste time covering the car back up, cleaning up tools, etc (he has chickens, turkey, etc. so you cannot leave anything out you don’t want covered in dirt/shit and/or perched on) since it’s enclosed now.

In the corner of my apartment I’ve got a bunch of fluids and some headers, and I have a spreadsheet full of parts to pick up from Summit in the coming weeks to get this project moving. There’s also a set of 235/60/R15 BFG Radial T/As waiting for me to find wheels for.

If you’re still reading this, thank you for your patience.

Now that I’ve introduced the car and the project, expect to see occasional updates posted here about things getting done. I don’t have a build thread on any forums or anything yet, and I’m not sure when/if I will, so this may be it for somewhere to get updates, at least for a while. I’ll tag posts related to this with... uh... whatever I decide to tag this. Probably “71Chevelle” or something.

lone_liberal > MM54 04/03/2016 at 12:44

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If you’re going to use the OEM front disks why do you have to get rid of the steelies? If you want to go to larger that’s fine but if you don’t fourteen inch wheels will fit. I know a previous Camaro I owned had fourteens and they fit fine. I believe the single exhaust was because the 307 2bbl was the base V8 with no sporting pretensions. It’s the same engine my ‘71 Camaro was born with, though that engine was long gone by the time I bought it.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > MM54 04/03/2016 at 12:45

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Great looking car man. Always loved these things. I’ll look forward to your updates.

Steve in Manhattan > MM54 04/03/2016 at 12:51

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My dad had a ‘69 Impala with unassisted drum brakes. It was, to put it mildly, an adventure every time you stopped it.

camaroboy68ss > MM54 04/03/2016 at 12:52

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Nice clean old Malibu! The power disc brakes are going to be a great improvement. What style of rally’s are you looking at? The common 5 hole Chevy rally used or the “rally” that was standard on a 71-72 Chevelle SS and Camaro Z28?

If your looking to improve gas mileage, from my experience i would avoid a Holley like the plague, I put one on my 68 Camaro last year replacing my 4bbl edelbrock and it killed the mpg, it sucks gas like there is no tomorrow, but it is the correct car for my car. Plus an edelbrock is much easier carb to mess with over the Holley and those damn power valves.

flyingmetalbird > MM54 04/03/2016 at 13:05

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Awesome write up! I’m doing roughly the same thing right now with my ‘77 Civic. You've got a great looking car!

MM54 > lone_liberal 04/03/2016 at 13:08

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When new if the car was optioned with disc brakes and steel wheels it actually got different wheels, even if 14" - at least until around ‘69. It isn’t clear if after that there were still drum-only wheels (as discs became more popular), but measurements of mine make it seem very likely that they won’t fit over the OEM discs. There’s a ton of threads about it on the forums and no definite conclusion; I actually do very much look forward to trying mine after the swap so I can make a post with a degree of certainty. e.g. 14" rallys will fit, but the welded drum wheels likely won’t, if that’s what I have (and what I have is a welded steel wheel, so I’m thinking so).

It is indeed the base V8 - I’m just glad it isn’t the I6! As jalop as it would be, not a lot you can do with them.

MM54 > Steve in Manhattan 04/03/2016 at 13:10

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A couple times driving it I’d realized my passenger noticed the brake pedal going almost to the floor before starting to slow down and they’d seem a bit nervous! Especially in more urgent stopping when I’d start to leave the seat :)

MM54 > camaroboy68ss 04/03/2016 at 13:15

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Thanks! I look forward to it being able to stop confidently, and being okay with letting friends drive it around the block, etc.

I’m looking for the common 5-hole chevy rallys like would have been on corvettes, etc. (though I am I fan of those SS wheels). I’ve been surprised how relatively difficult it’s been to find a set locally, might end up going to a swap meet if I can’t find a set on craigslist before too much longer. There’s a place nearby I’m probably going to have blast and powdercoat them.

I really don’t care about fuel mileage that much; the 9-11mpg I got was comical but it’s not a huge concern. Is the Holley on your Camaro a double-pumper? Mechanical secondaries can kill fuel mileage since you’re likely to be into the secondaries at highway cruise, where a vacuum secondary would be closed up tight.

MM54 > flyingmetalbird 04/03/2016 at 13:16

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Thanks, and good luck with your Civic!

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > MM54 04/03/2016 at 13:26

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EE, what’s your alma mater.

What did you specialize in?

lone_liberal > MM54 04/03/2016 at 13:27

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Ah, GM. Always making things interesting. If it’s just that particular steel wheel that won’t fit could you go to a later style 14"? I'd think your wheel covers would still fit (but you never really know!)

MM54 > lone_liberal 04/03/2016 at 13:50

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I could probably do that, but I’m not opposed to 15" simply because there’s a much, much better tire selection, and really a 235/60 looks better to me than a 205/75 anyways.

64Mali > MM54 04/03/2016 at 13:50

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Yay another 4 door chevelle

MM54 > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you 04/03/2016 at 13:51

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I went to Penn State (Behrend campus in Erie, PA) - not much a specialization, but mainly analog and embedded systems. I work in control system integration.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > MM54 04/03/2016 at 14:29

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Nice ride. My 66 4 door is along the same lines, power steering, manual drums, 70's respray, in cameo beige (was crashed at some point and has front sheetmetal that is not as straight as the rest of the car). I’ve never thought the six/glide was underpowered, just right with none to spare. It’ll hold 70 mph uphill, and that’s probably as good as it did when new. same 3.08 rear but it can get 30mpg with a steady foot going exactly 60 down the highway, falls off sharply after that. Top speed seems to be 92. Has always stopped well enough around town, but requires planning from highway speed and pulling up on the wheel for the odd panic stop. To be honest it’s story is one of gentle, non adventurous use (it’s slow). I’ve had it for 15 years, and have gone some summers without checking the oil or air in the tires, it’s way more reliable than it should be (But doesn’t come close to my 65 pontiac) It’s always just there, it always just starts and has never been a project: you just don’t take apart a car with nothing wrong with it.

That’s the non-story of my chevelle, I gues I could add that I got it for $500 bucks, not running, but still a steal even back in the day. Needed plugs and an air filter, to run. was on the road with plates and(lot of) gas with about $675 invested. Have replaced carb several times (burn premium, carbs don’t like corn(ethanol). being a 1 barrel it’s pretty much cheaper and more effective to get reman. But just basic maintenance and non-maintenance has had her on the road for the last 15 summers, never down for more than a day. Even owning the lowliest of chevelles still entitles the driver to show up anytime in a Chevelle. Which is always making an entrance.

Hope you’re all sorted and on the road this summer!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > MM54 04/03/2016 at 14:36

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Awesome car! What’s the difference between a Chevelle and a Malibu?

MM54 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 04/03/2016 at 14:43

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Malibu is a trim level of the Chevelle (Non-exhaustive - there’s Base/”300 deluxe”, Malibu, and SS; Wagons had their own and such)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > MM54 04/03/2016 at 14:44

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Ohhhhhhhh. Thanks! I’d been wondering for ages.

MM54 > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer 04/03/2016 at 14:48

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That’s awesome, sounds like a great cruiser!

All things considered, my chevelle has also been very reliable, nothing out of the ordinary needing done in terms of maintenance (the radiator at 100k isn’t weird either, as far as I’m concerned) when I was driving it regularly. Can’t go like you without checking the oil though, it goes through a lot (used to go through half a quart on a tank of gas but that got cut in half or better when I replaced the valve cover gaskets). I look forward to getting it back on the road, I miss driving this car.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > MM54 04/03/2016 at 15:30

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Yes, there were GM cars with 14's and disc brakes from the factory. However, those wheels are different from the the standard unit.

lone_liberal > MM54 04/03/2016 at 16:13

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235/60 definitely looks great on that era of car. That’s the size I’m going to go on the Camaro to replace the 205/65s that were on it. I wish I had a set of the Z28 ralley wheels to go with them.

camaroboy68ss > MM54 04/03/2016 at 17:04

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that is surprising you cant find a set of 15 inch rally’s. always seem to be a set of aftermarkets (have both chevy and ford patterns) on craigslist.

The holley on my camaro is a dual feed carb with vacumm secondary’s. Its a 780 CFM carb that was found on the 302 Z/28s, LT-1 350 ci, and L78 396 big block.

The vacuum secondaries are actually really touch and even under 1/4 throttle are slightly open. there is a small window i have noticed where i can cruise and keep the secondaries closed.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > MM54 04/03/2016 at 17:42

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I should add there’s been plenty of shade tree mechanicking and lots of general tightening of things on the way, one fire, and I’ve had to sleep in it at least once and it’s been towed home exactly twice. Just about everything is roadside fixable if it comes to that.

Your car got a name? I tried Malibu Stacey, the Tan Sedan, Beige/Brown Lightning, among others. None ever stuck, and it’s just known around town as “the malibu”

at coffee time out on the highway and being used as my workbench/office doing out of town work.

MM54 > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer 04/03/2016 at 18:25

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Cool (except the fire, that’s scary, even with an extinguisher on hand); the only issue I had with mine when daily driving it was once on the way home the points started to go and it’d miss every-other cylinder above around 2k. I was able to limp the rest of the way home, though and replace the points in the morning.

When the radiator blew up it conveniently waited until I was parked; I was walking inside and saw a few drips on the driveway, turned around to see if they led to the car and turned just in time to see a green, steamy waterfall form.

No name; I’m not really big on giving cars names unless something just comes up and happens to stick.

JR1 > MM54 04/04/2016 at 09:12

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Love a good project story. And it is nice to see you lightly restoring an otherwise unloved American car. Everyone and their uncle have a 65 Mustang but owning and driving a 71 Chevelle Post car is pretty damn cool.