Ken Chorney first spotted his 1970 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door hardtop back in the early 1980s when he was still a kid in high school.
The big Chevy was up on blocks, had no engine or transmission, and was missing side glass, along with a giant hole in the roof where a sunroof was carved into it.
Jim Sutherland
The car was in a sketchy part of Ken’s city and behind a house slated for demolition. The property’s new owner/developer sold the ’70 Bel Air to Ken for $100 and he bought a vehicle that stayed with him to this very day.
Ken was heavily influenced by his late father’s 1970 Chevy Biscayne 4-door because it was an important part of his younger days. He even learned how to drive in his dad’s ’70 Biscayne and became a big fan of the large-and-in-charge Chevy flagships sold that year.
Consequently, he decided his 1970 Chevy Bel Air was a car worth owning–even if the car needed a ton of work to bring it back on the road.
Ken and his high school buddies were already dyed-in-the-wool gearheads, so they tinkered with many cars over the years, including his Bel Air.
The car has undergone several powertrain changes after Ken initially transplanted a 350 Chevy small block into the car so he could drive it. The 350 engine was connected to a Turbo 350 automatic that served a useful purpose with the Chevy small block.
Eventually, Ken chose to boost his car’s performance with a 454 big block donated by a 1974 Chevy. The engine required some massaging to bring out the beast in it, given it was built during a time when horsepower was thinned out by government regulations regarding emissions and mpg standards, so Ken changed a few things in his big block from the smog era.
Ken also added a beefier Turbo 400 transmission to handle the extra ponies under his big Chevy’s hood and is very happy with the powertrain combination in his 56-year-old car.
The ’70 Impala has a few unusual cosmetic features, including a half-vinyl roof that Ken believes may be the back half of the original full vinyl roof. Ken’s theory is the change was made to allow the installation of the sunroof on the car.
There are also Landau badges on both sides of the Biscayne’s C-pillars and Ken’s best guess is they were on a vintage Chevy Monte Carlo model before they were plucked for use on his car. He intends to keep the badges because they became a part of his car’s personal history before Ken even owned it.
There have been many donor vehicles used over the years by Ken and his car buddies. Ken is a strong believer in a cost-conscious approach to his big Chevy and took a hands-on approach to every element of its changes under his watch. In short, Ken took the path of an old school car guy who lived within a budget and improved his 1970 Chevy Bel Air every time he tackled an improvement on it.
Happy ending: Ken has owned his Chevy for over 45 years now and does not intend to part with it any time soon. Spoken like a loyal car guy.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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