Classic car deals are just like new car deals because they involve negotiations.
That was the case with this 1970 Chevelle SS tribute.
Jerry Sutherland
Bob Smales is the proud owner of this classic Chevelle, but it wasn’t the first one he owned. Bob had a 1st-Gen Chevelle that wasn’t exactly what he wanted, so he spotted a 1970 Chevelle at an Alberta, Canada Chrysler dealer.
Bob learned the dealer was a professional negotiator, so Bob said they, “went back and forth for a few weeks” before he brought his 1st Gen Chevelle into the deal. Bob wasn’t a huge fan of his Chevelle, but he loved the ’70 Malibu, so it was easy for him to throw his Chevelle into the mix.
They cut a deal, and the dealer threw Bob the keys—fully expecting him to trailer it home because Bob lived hundreds of miles away. Bob didn’t do that. He drove the Chevelle—with its tired 350 V-8 all the way home because Bob thought, “Detroit made cars to drive”.
Bob learned the car was a father-and-son project that ended when the father died. The son shut the project down and put the car in storage. They had taken the Chevelle about 90% of the way but Bob had to push it over the goal line.
The first casualty was the worn-out small block under the hood. Bob could have gone with a massive, big block to replicate a 454 SS clone, but he chose a 383 small-block stroker. He knew the 383 would give him all the power and reliability he needed.
The 383 block was sitting on the floor at a shop and the 350 was smoking, so the choice was logical.
Bob wanted a great driver that looked like an SS, so he found a cowl-induction hood and started the transition into a tribute car. The stripes and mags completed the look of the legendary ’70 Chevelle SS.
There’s a two-inch drop from factory now in Bob’s Chevelle because he wanted the car to look good and handle great. That—along with disc brakes makes his SS a functional street machine.
Bob added an aftermarket radiator because he lives in an area that can get smoking hot in the summer. There’s a regular carb on the 383 stroker but Bob admits it, “has a bit of a cam in it”.
This car meets every expectation because it has a 70s-tough look and feel, but with newer tech under the hood. Bob wanted to pay homage to a legendary 70s muscle car without the cranky problems associated with high-compression performance back in 1970.
In other words, Bob was shooting for function and form like you see in today’s resto-mod projects. He took what the original father-and-son builders had and pushed the project over the goal line.
Bob admitted they were well on their way, so he wanted to give them full credit for their role in the project. He just customized the finishing touches to fit his own vision for the Chevelle SS tribute.
The negotiations were worth it.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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