October 2010 Under Construction

1965 Chevy Corvette
Early Influence
Everyone's got a childhood idol, but few get to work with them for 40 years like Steve Malone did. Growing up in a small town in Ohio, it's not too hard to keep tabs on what's going on. Steve noticed a handful of what he would later identify as Corvettes in the local mechanic's lot. Still very young, his parents didn't want him venturing out too far on his bicycle, so he would pedal down to the shop as fast as he could to fake a close-by trip, but end up at Frank Duff's shop. Duff and his work quickly became the focus of Steve's life. He spent as much time spying on Duff's work as he could. Steve was endlessly grateful that Duff obliged his visits and even took the time to answer the hundreds of questions an eager 10-year-old might ask. It would be a long time before Steve could afford a car like the ones Duff had! When he was 16, Steve worked at the local Chevy dealership through his high school's vocational program, and got to work on Corvettes as they came off the truck.

Now, 40 years later, he calls Duff his friend. He also has picked up a '65 Corvette and grabs Duff's advice as he did decades ago. Duff doesn't have the collection of Corvettes he used to, but he has a plethora of parts that have really helped Steve out getting his car to perfect stock condition. Steve hopes to give his own kids the positive attitude he got from Duff to encourage them to follow their dreams like he did. He looks forward to loaning out his second-gen Vette to his brother and sister-in-law, as well as his kids when they're old enough.

By The Numbers
1965 Chevy Corvette
Steve Malone, 52 • Pataskala, OH
523 hp, 497 lb-ft of torque

'55 Chevy Pickup
eBay Score
It's really amazing to think about how many people were actually influenced by the '73 film American Graffiti. Many of our readers write in with stories that often begin with watching this picture. Chris Verbeke, builder of this '55 Chevy pickup, is one of them. Chris was only 10 years old when he and his friends went to see American Graffiti. He was hooked ever since. As soon as he could, Chris bought a rough '57 Chevy two-door sedan. He started working on it when he was 16 and labored through the rest of his high school years on it. After graduation he joined the Air Force and had to sell his ride before he ever got to drive it.

Now currently a union painter with Local 502 in Rock Island, Illinois, he had the opportunity to start another project. He found this '55 pickup on eBay and got into a bidding war with another bidder. On eBay, pressing "Place Bid" just moments too late can lose your prize, and this time Chris lost. He was disappointed, of course, but he knows the rules of the game. A few days later the owner called Chris because the winner never contacted him after the auction ended, and he wanted to see if Chris was still interested. The rust-free, all-original pickup was his.

A year and half later, he's made a lot of progress. He's got a '60s vintage 396-inch big-block between the fenders, and the entire thing is primed and ready for paint. He's already got the undercarriage firewall painted with Corvette Atomic Orange, so the engine and suspension could go in for good. Next on his list is to build a replica of the Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti.

By The Numbers
1955 Chevy Stepside
Chris Verbeke, 46 • Colona, IL

'67 Nova
Home Build
This is not the only love in Britt Smart's life, but one of the newest. Britt and his wife, Kathy, were both products of the baby boom, landing them in a generation of really cool cars. Britt has been tinkering ever since he could remember, and has built a number of cars including a '73 Camaro that was featured in our third annual photo contest issue. They are both drawn to GMs-Chevys in particular. Britt says: "I build my cars the way I envision them, and do as much of the work as possible myself. It seems like every time I have someone else do the work, I'm not pleased with it. I can't write the fat checks to have a pro shop build something for me." Instead of sending unfamiliar tasks out, he is willing to try anything once. The way he sees it, the worst that can happen is he's back to where he started with some time lost.

Britt would check out the local car shows to get ideas for his next project. A trip out to Reno's Hot August Nights inspired Britt and Kathy to see what was listed on Craigslist the morning they returned. Kathy is just as enthusiastic about building cars as Britt, so she gave him the go-ahead to buy the '67 Nova they both liked.

Once the problems were fixed, Britt could see his street/strip car, with the emphasis on the strip part. He wants something timeless, not a part of the current trend. He wants something he would have checked out at a local drive-in back in the day.

By The Numbers
1967 Nova
Britt and Kathy Smart • Puyallup, WA