Well, not an update, but thought I would share. We had to put our 10.5 year old, old english sheepdog down this past Thursday. She was in perfect health up to this point, no arthritis, nothing. Sunday morning she stopped eating and was lethargic and did not want to do anything. We took her to the vet and all X-rays came back clear. They think her red blood cells started attacking one another as her red blood cell count was so low. they wanted to do blood transfusions, but even then they said it probably would not work.

She has been a fantastic dog. I bought her for my wife as a wedding present. My wife was going to be moving into our home prior to me and I wanted her to have company with her. I also knew with my job I would be gone for 24-72 hours at a time. She was been there when we brought home each of our kids and would always protect them if needed. She never caused us a single problem. Just wanted to share, my wife has been an absolute wreck about this.

My son went to feed our other dog yesterday morning and told us our other dog would not eat. Turns out, that he put the bowl in the sheepdogs bowl. She wouldn't touch that bowl as thats how she was trained.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...008_094554.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...322_104912.jpg

The frame was blasted and epoxy coated. Brought it back to the house and put another layer of epoxy on it and have it top coated. The frame didn't fit all the way in the bed of my truck, but I managed to make it 40 minutes home..lol

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...524_175749.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...524_175802.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...525_132252.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...525_133755.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...525_144635.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...527_113713.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...527_124956.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...527_125013.jpg

Alright, so I have heard the ridetech spindles have a tendency to rust after some time. The last thing I want to see when having new parts on a car is rust, even after driving it. So I painted them last night before I went to bed. I think they turned out pretty decent. I ended up getting the wrong spring rates for the front coilovers, but Josh at Ridetech is taking care of me. Should have the new springs in a week or two, and then the assembly of the front suspension will start. Should be fun starting to put things together.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...528_090818.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...528_090716.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...528_093838.jpg

Well, that brings me up to date. I was planning on running an LS motor, but there is something about having a big block under the hood. I picked up a 454BBC and plan to stroke it out to either a 468 or 496. I know, a BBC is not ideal for a pro-touring car, but I have always wanted one. There is a guy on here that built a 540BBC chevelle that helped to inspire me to go that route. I know its heavy, but I hope to have some of that weight taken off with aluminum heads and such.

Great start !!! '66 Chevelles SS (2dsc) are my favorite car. You got reaaaaaal lucky with hooking up with that guy. Looking forward to your updates !!!

Looks like you and the family have a very nice, fun project! Looking forward for more updates.

:cheers:

Great project, looking forward to following.

Nice ride! If I ever build a 66 Chevelle, I was planning a big block as well just from the cool factor.

Good luck with the build!

I did, great guy and it helped me out a ton as I was missing all those parts. The bucket seats are in great condition and nothing needs to be done to them.
Thanks! My 3 year old wants to do nothing else but work on the chevelle with me. I love it. He has been annoyed I have kept him out of the garage as I have been either welding or grinding.

Thanks!

Yep, I was all set on a LS turbo engine, but I just love the sound of a big block, not to mention I knew it would always be in the back of my mind if I went LS.

I have to say, those steering bolts were the hardest bolts I have ever had to take out in my entire life. Heat, impact gun, and PB blaster did not touch it. I had to use a sledge hammer to knock the bolts out. Lots of swearing, but they came out. Here are some pictures of before and after paint. Will get them on the new spindles tomorrow. Also, here are some pictures of the ridetech setup in front. The coilovers are not installed yet as I am waiting on different springs. I have to also find a new bolt for one of the lower control arms as the bolt came with some crushed threads. I am also missing all the hardware for the rear coilover setup. I have all the brackets, just no bolts, nuts, or washers. I am happy with how the color of the spindles turned out.

Also, I have small block motor mounts, the ones that attached to the frame. I have read mixed opinions on if these can be used with a big block or not. Any opinions? I would like to get these installed soon as I feel they will be a pain to do later on.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...530_122439.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...530_184011.jpg

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...529_175756.jpg
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/m...529_175805.jpg