February 2011 Hometown Hot Rodding

'70 Chevelle
High Failure Rate
"When I was old enough to work on real vehicles and put the models aside, it was all about how things looked. I would paint the car first and worry about mechanical issues after I thumbed a ride home," Chevelle owner Scott Kehir says. Obviously something has changed in the years since, as he has done just about everything you can do to a '70 Chevelle, minus anything cosmetic. "It took a long time to learn that you get more satisfaction from something that has a strong foundation than something that only looks good on the outside," Scott says, but admits he would like to get around to putting some paint on this car someday.

In 1987 this Chevelle cost $500, purchased from a young couple who had used it to travel across the country to Boston after their wedding. With a tired 307 coughing out large amounts of oil past its stained and faded white paint body, it was a perfect start for Scott's project. The car had acquired absolutely no rust, a huge plus for Scott. A small speed bump in getting the car home cost him $350 to an impound lot after the local cops busted Scott for tugging it home with a towstrap. A whole magazine could be written about the trials this car put him through over his journey across the country back to Southern California.

The last years building the car have been a learning experience for Scott; he got his feet wet in everything from fabrication to brake systems, and he is now well practiced in the art of spray painting.