All Chevy Performance Volume 6, Issue 62 - February 2026

During a recent weekly In The Garage Media editorial meeting with fellow editors, Rob Fortier (Classic Truck Performance) and Brian Brennan (Modern Rodding), the subject came up of how the hot rod, vintage muscle car, and classic truck industry is pricing out new and younger hot rodders. There’s no denying it—most muscle car enthusiasts today are north of 40, and the numbers don’t lie. Younger gearheads typically don’t have the funds to take part in the vintage scene and with classic car values skyrocketing, it’s more difficult for a new generation to get behind the wheel of an old-school ride. With that said, it’s important us veterans do what we can to bring a new blood into the vintage muscle car, hot rod, and classic truck culture. But, there’s still…

1. GEN X HEADS Trick Flow’s GenX 280 HIP square port cylinder heads are built for big cubic inch and power-adder, LS3-style engines. Starting with HIP castings for superior strength and fatigue resistance, they feature Trick-Alloy valveguides, Manley Severe Duty and Extreme Duty Inconel exhaust valves, and LS3 rocker stands. Offered fully assembled and ready to install or as bare castings, these heads deliver durability, heat resistance, and performance for serious engine builds. For more information, contact Summit Racing by calling (800) 230-3030 or visit summitracing.com. 2. BILLET LS VALVE COVERS All American Billet introduces LS valve covers designed to fit all 1999-2014 GM LS engines. Taller than stock to clear most aftermarket roller rockers, these covers are precision-machined in the U.S. from 6061 billet aluminum. Each set comes complete with…

From the outside, this Chevelle is very subtle with minimal body mods. Inside is where some of the fun is taking place. A few big items, like the seats and door panels, will be easily handled with TMI components. The time savings from those parts will be put right back into a custom dash and also a pretty trick console. Overall, the dash insert will look almost stock, but it will be a custom-machined piece with provisions for Vintage Air climate controls and a double-din screen. The console will use the factory four-speed styling, but it will also be a combination of 3-D–printed and machined parts. Functionality will be added with a wireless charging pad, cupholders, and an armrest/cubby area. @TavisHighlander TavisHighlander.com OWNER: Joey Weinmann BUILDER: SaltWorks Fab, Sarasota, Florida…

There are addictions that destroy lives and then there are the ones that merely rearrange the furniture in your garage. Michael Cooper’s brand of obsession falls squarely into the latter. He’s not chasing a high that comes from a needle or a bottle; his fix comes wrapped in steel, lacquered in Axalta Marina Blue, and armed with enough horsepower to stir the soul. “I’ll admit it,” Michael laughs. “I might have an addiction to Chevelles. Any year from the ’60s through the early ’70s works for me. I just finished this ’69, and now I’m into a ’70 El Camino 454. I guess that’s a Chevelle pickup, right? On top of that, I’ve got five more waiting their turn in line for restoration.” That’s not exactly the statement of a…

There’s no doubt that when it comes to the second-gen Camaro, the early years are by far the hottest. It’s been that way for a long time. But as time has gone by, the later years have certainly grown in popularity. Normally, second-gen Camaros are divided between the debut models from 1970-74 and the mild, mid-gen refresh that came in the 1975 models with the wraparound rear glass, catalytic converters, and other changes that lasted until the end of the generation in 1981. The good news is that while there are some changes under the skin so that everything on the suspension isn’t interchangeable, the differences are minor enough that it’s relatively easy to make performance components and kits that work well across the entire range from 1970 all the…

It’s good to have friends—and if one of those friends happens to have a 1967 Corvette project that’s been sitting stagnant for years, well, that’s even better. That’s how this C2 Corvette ended up in the hands of current owner Dan Gernstein, a fiberglass manufacturer from Omaha, Nebraska. His buddy had lost interest in restoring the car and offered it up to Dan, who had ideas of his own for the neglected project. “When I bought the car, it was basically just a body and frame,” Dan says. “It took me a while to get motivated, knowing it was going to be a fairly big job and I needed to put together a solid plan with an idea on the build style to go with.” That “while” turned out to…