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FEATURE INTERVIEW
This week’s podcast show guest is my pal Jeff Allison, owner of Allison Customs, and builder of my Chevelle! Jeff came on the show to give the latest and greatest update on the build progress, and (as always) Jeff has gone above and beyond with his build skill and creativity in making my ’64 a super fast (but super comfortable) car that will look like I remember it, and drive like I never dreamed it could.
I’ll let the show speak for itself, but the biggest items that we touched on were the specifics of the LS Engine placement, the new firewall, the completion of the roll cage, the installation of rear shoulder-seat-belts that come up through through the package tray, and the child seat safety hooks (no joke – this was something I asked him for so I’d have the option to haul my kids around in their car seats for the next few years)!
When it came to the LS engine placement, the goal was to do the tried and true method of “go as low and as far back as you can,” mainly so that we could achieve the 50-50 fore-aft weight distribution that was recommended to us by Kyle Tucker, President of Detroit Speed & Engineering (and since we’re running their entire suspension package on my car we took his words to heart).
The key obstacles in an LS Engine swap are engine mount choice, oil pan choice, steering component clearance, and exhaust manifold/header options.
Since I’ve shared the majority of details of that decision process in a previous post I won’t repeat it all here, but one of the coolest things to come out of this process is that Jeff has developed his own line of universal LS engine mounts as a result of this entire process! He came to the decision to create them (essentially) out of necessity since we wanted to place the engine as low and as far back as possible, while simultaneously taking advantage of the cross-member tubular section he had inserted. Long story short, he created an engine mount package that (in my opinion) is more effective than anything you could buy off of the shelf, and if you’re interested in one for yourself you can contact him for more details directly at allisoncustomsonline.com or via e-mail at Jeffery@allisoncustomsonline.com.
The remainder of our discussion revolved around the new cross bar connecting the roll cage down bars (the ones that follow the A-pillars), the rear seat belts, and the steps required to take the car to completion. The “under-dash-cross-bar” is yet another unique touch that Jeff has built into the car as he designed it to work around the dash and Vintage Air HVAC unit instead of simply running a straight bar across. This will allow us to install the factory dash right back into place (with nice factory style gauges) and give us the safety factor of a tied-together roll cage without having to drive something that looks like a hacked up race-car.
At this point both Jeff and I feel that if we can secure sponsorship for the parts necessary to continue to move forward that we could have the car drivable (and testable) by Spring of 2013. Now, the reality of the situation is that with all good plans….most of it is out of our direct control, but God has been good and has provided many supporters thus far, so I have confidence that we’ll see this sucker to the end.
Of course, the biggest “sponsor” in this project has been Jeff himself and since most of you know the crazy story behind Jeff’s offer to build my car as a gift to me, I won’t rehash that here (but feel free to click the link). Instead, I’ll simply share that my thanks to Jeff is never ending, and that I do hope to one-day be in a position to drop off a huge check to him for all he’s done for me.
Actually, I think I’ll drop off a huge check…..and the next car!
Click Here to View Every Post in The Chevelle Build
Chevelle Build Sponsors and All Around Awesome Companies:
-Robert Kibbe
The MuscleCar Place Network of Awesome Automotive Podcasts
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WIN $750 FROM CPG!
The Prize Segment sponsored by the COMP Performance Group is back, and it’s back BIG! Entrants can enter to win a HUGE $750 gift certificate that will be awarded quarterly, and there are two ways to enter:
- Go to www.themusclecarplace.com/contest and fill out the details there to enter the contest. Be sure to use the links in the contest to share it on Facebook, Twitter, and your own websites. For everyone that joins the contest because of your referral, YOU GET MORE ENTRIES!
- Answer the bonus question given out in this podcast show. E-mail your answer to bonus@themusclecarplace.com for an additional 20 points!
The next winner will be chosen on September 15, 2012!
