Well, it has been a busy couple weeks of deliveries here at Prodigy. Besides finishing up Vegas 69’s bad ass black 1969 Project Payback, we also finished up this sweet Chevelle last week to. Like Todds Camaro that sat somewhere un touched and was basically saved, The Chevelle has a story too.The Chevelle has a long story behind it, and I always find the story as interesting as the car. This Chevelle belongs to a gentleman in Fayetteville NC, named Daivd. This car was originally built as a surprise for David by his son Will. Will has been fortunate enough in business to be able hire a shop to build this car and make this big surprise happen. The car was built to pay tribute to a similar car David had back in the day.
Well, when the car was delivered on dads birthday, the surprise part of this deal went over fantastic………….. until all the problems started showing up. And what started as a dream for Will and his wife Shanna, the dream of being able to do something so fantastic for dad, turned into a nightmare quickly. Long story short, after going back and forth with the shop that built the car, Will and dad finally had to accept what they had as they realized that the shop that did the work either was not willing to fix things, or was possibly incapable of fixing the problems. I wasn’t a party to those original negotiations, so it is hard to speak on what was expected, but from my experience dealing with these guys it seems their intent with us was always pretty clear.
I will not mention the shop name. But the car was a absolute nightmare of safety hazards and sloppy workmanship. And also, to make things worse, if they could get any worse, there is a second car that was started during the Chevelle build that is a even bigger nightmare then this car. Another intended surprise…………..It’s a long story. These are good people, and they really did not deserve what they got. So this is where the Prodigy Rescue Team springs into action and we picked up both cars.
Long story short, after Will found us back in the mid summer. He flew me in to inspect the cars, do a condition report and a estimate for repair. It was pretty clear both cars would have to be stripped to the bone to see what was hiding under the crappy paint. We could see before stripping bad prep work, blisters, grind scratches, bad panel alignment. For whatever reason, this place painted the car assembled and undercoated the door jam area at the door hinges, on both cars, to bury the over spray! Speaking of overspray! There was over spray everywhere! What we found when we stripped the Chevelle was horrendous. 3” deck screws to retain the lower fenders. Bondoed rust holes, pitted rusted surfaces primed and painted over, HORRIBLE body alignment. It was sad.
Mechanically there was a totally un drivable clutch that would lung if you tried to disengage it. A incorrect sized master cylinder with a pedal so hard King Kong could not stop it, Missing body bushings and bolts, MAJORLY leaking rear main seal! Nightmare, simply a nightmare! Before it was over the engine would have to come out to be resealed. Dyno testing was done to make sure everything was ok and also to verify the 450HP claims (right!)
Well, we got everything fixed, re gapped the body, blocked our you know what’s off, fixed the mechanical issues and last week we delivered David the car son and daughter inlaw, Will and Shana dreamed in the beginning dad would get.
Oh, about the car. The car is what I would call a mild Pro Touring car. The 66 Chevelle SS sports a nice 454CI that made 375HP on the dyno, a Richmond 5 speed, 4 wheels disc and some suspension mods, Vintage Air, etc. The teal color is rare and simply stunning. A super bright metallic that in the sun, it looks back lit! And with white interior is really a clean look!
David and Will lurk here a bit. We are working on Will’s Camaro now that the Chevelle is done, and in a few months he will get his car back, and then Will and David can feel like their “In the club”. Hopefully they will speak up since they have at least one of the two cars done now. They are great guys, so let’s welcome them in.
We are finishing the new Prodigy Customs website very soon and we will post a series of pictures then of the Chevelle before and after, but here are some quick shots before she went on the trailer back home
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Prodigy 1966 Chevelle Project
Hybrid Mode
