Table of contents for Volume 5, Issue 51 - March 2025 in All Chevy Performance

There are car guys and there are car guys—enthusiasts who live and breathe automotive culture. Rick Van Unen is the latter. His introduction to the hobby came about years ago when he was a teenager hustling speed parts working the counter at the legendary Bell Auto Parts in Bell, California. Those formative years ignited a lifelong passion in the automotive industry on multiple levels, working and playing in various facets of the industry, which also included the off-road sector. Those early years at Bell stuck with him and lit a hot rod fire that remained fierce as he now maintains a strong stable of muscle cars in his collection—all of which spend very little time sitting as he can often be found cruising one of them across America hitting various…

Plumbing a fuel system on a new build or after an engine swap can be a daunting experience to the uninitiated, but with a little help from your friends here at All Chevy Performance the task can be simplified so that anyone with a handful of the proper tools can get the job done right. But, plumbing the fuel system on a ’69 Camaro back in 1969 is a totally different affair than the way we’d prefer it to be done today. New methods and materials have introduced a modern modus operandi when it comes to the fuel system in general. That first-gen Camaro relied on gravity and suction to feed the mechanical pump mounted off the side of its small-block engine, feeding less than 10 psi to the carburetor.…

Accidents happen, and we all know that fiberglass body panels can be quite fragile. While fiberglass doesn’t stretch and create dents like metal, it often cracks when too much force is applied. Such is the case with our example, a 1977 Nova with fiberglass replacement bumper filler panels. One of the panels suffered some damage, and the result was a 4-inch crack in the surface. While we could have contacted Classic Industries for a replacement part, we figured it would be a good opportunity to show you how easy it is to do fiberglass repairs at home. We stopped at the local parts store and grabbed a U-Pol fiberglass repair kit, which comes with everything necessary to repair a crack. In fact, there is enough material in the kit to…

1 LT VALVE COVERS Billet Specialties’ Gen V Modular Valve Covers enhance your LT engine’s style by hiding unsightly coils. Made from durable 6061-T6 billet aluminum, they feature integrated coil mounts, a removable top cover, and sleek finishes in polished or black anodized options. The covers include polished ARP stainless fasteners, a screw-in oil fill cap, and ¼ NPT provisions for PCV or oil separators. The improved top design allows easy coil access without wire disconnection. For more information, contact Billet Specialties by calling (866) 317-5937 or visit billetspecialties.com. 2 RETRO-FIT CORVETTE GAUGES Classic Instruments now offers an electronic Retro-fit Service Package for 1963-1967 Corvettes. Using the customer’s original parts, it retains iconic features like cone-shaped dials (’63-64) while incorporating modern ZST Speedometer technology compatible with engines, transmissions, ECUs, and…

Nearly all performance automotive magazine stories take the positive approach. We bolt on the parts, the engine makes more power, and the paintjob comes out perfect every time. Everybody wins, the birds sing, and life is grand. But that’s rarely how it works in the real world. This story begins with gritty facts that unfortunately happen all too often. The owner of the engine in question has requested to remain anonymous mainly because he now feels like he’s been ripped off. It all started when he asked if we could spend a few minutes curing an ignition problem. The engine in question was not a typical mild street small-block but instead a high-compression street/race small-block Chevy that was aimed at attacking the local eighth-mile dragstrip. The 403ci small-block was underperforming,…

Quite a few noteworthy milestones went down way back in 1984. Worth mentioning is the debut of Apple’s Macintosh computer, Clara Peller asked “Where’s the Beef” in the iconic Wendy’s television commercials, John Huges made his directorial debut with Sixteen Candles, and most of us learned who we’re gonna call if we saw a ghost or any paranormal activity. To Michael McKeeman all those goings on paled in comparison to the fact Michael’s dad bought him a 1969 Camaro that same year, which was his first car and in fact the same exact car you see on these here pages. We could embellish a story about Mike and his relationship with the car, but we know when a story is told firsthand it’s much more interesting, so we’ll let Michael…

Getting a second chance with your first love is a rare occasion, but that’s exactly what happened with Scott McKendry and his 1972 Motion Phase III Camaro Z28. This incredibly rare machine perfectly embodies 1970s high-performance builds, and it’s restored to a high level with period-correct components. The nuts and bolts of this car are outstanding, but it’s the story behind it that’ll bring a smile to your face. Let’s get into it. In 1984, Scott was approaching legal driving age and searching for the perfect first car. His older brother, Chris, drove a 19701/2 Camaro Z28, so a second-generation Camaro would be a natural fit for Scott’s first daily driver. Growing up near Raleigh, North Carolina, the options for used muscle cars covered a wide spectrum, but the McKendry…

Overall, this is just a clean-cut Tri-Five that puts the emphasis on classic looks and rich colors. No major body mods have been performed, but the bumpers are pulled in a bit and shaped to fit the body a bit better than stock. On the exterior, I’ve chosen a Porsche color called Oslo Blue. A secondary blue is a custom mix with the same hue but in a lighter variation for the two-tone area above the side trim. Offsetting those blues is an interior in a Cognac on the brighter side to make it pop a bit. The wheels are a Budnik Del Mar done up mainly in a polished finish with a satin gray accent around the windows. @TavisHighlander TavisHighlander.com…

In the matrimonial realm it is a safe bet that most things are best when shared. It helps in keeping both individuals involved in each other’s lives, increases happiness, and helps promote marital satisfaction. For those couples who indulge in some form of automotive lifestyle, being on the same page is always a win. That shared vehicular enthusiasm is what set the stage for Dan and Joan West’s build of the 1966 Chevy II that you are looking at. Dan’s wrenching interests developed at an early age from a non-car rich background. He explains, “I got a job in eighth grade at the corner service station pumping gas, which led to doing some mechanical work.” Joan, on the other hand, was at the opposite end of that spectrum with a…

Like many of us, Mark Farmer’s introduction to muscle cars came from his dad. Taking him on trips to car shows as a youngster, it was back in the 1970s when those car events gave Mark the bug, which in his teenage years led to subscriptions to a plethora of automotive magazines—Hot Rod, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding—and the likes from the muscle car world. During Mark’s high school years, the school parking lot became another influence. “I remember a girl at my school had a 1967 Cougar—the one with the cool taillights—that, for some reason, stood out to me. My buddy had an old Rambler as well, so the idea of having a classic as my first car seemed like a cool idea,” Mark recalls. “By my senior year…

2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. A must-attend event for the hard-core American muscle car fan, this show year after year continues to deliver a fresh batch of automotive goodness leading into the Thanksgiving weekend. Regardless of what brand you gravitate toward, the organizers continuously manage to keep the show relevant with new themed displays and fresh restorations as it plays an ever-growing significance in the high-end muscle car world. For the Bowtie faithful there are always new revelations that come to light at the show. Before entering the main hall, in the lobby are a pair of original Penske Trans Am Camaros, along with a 1967 Yenko 427 SC Camaro, 1969 Camaro…