Photos by Jim Knight

About 20 years ago someone at a car show told me about a car that was sealed inside a storage building by solid walls. In 2007 we finished building my son’s ‘68 Chevy pickup when a builder, Wayne Raleigh, started sharing some of his Classic Chevy projects. He told me he had a ‘57 and ‘56 Chevy he would like to sell. I was interested in the ‘56 Bel Air and went to look at the car. Someone had started a restoration and I found the car in pieces.

I decided to purchase the car, but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized that this was the car I had heard about 20 years earlier. Although the car had been drag raced, nothing had been altered and there was no drive train. Since the car had been stored in this enclosed room since 1972, the body was in great shape and the doors and fenders were in excellent condition.

With the car in many different pieces, I began to go through all the boxes to make sure of what I had. First, I began cleaning and polishing the trim. Next, we chose our drive train which is a 350 crate motor 290 HP, a Muncie M20 4-speed and a 9” Ford rear end.

My sons and I started on the frame, while Wayne, of Raleigh’s Restorations in Mascot, TN, started working on the body. We stripped, cleaned, and painted the frame. We also set up the transmission, rear end, drive shaft, fuel and brake lines. We received the motor and began the process of installing it.

We finally settled on a two-tone paint scheme with Dark Tropical Teal and Silver Sky Metallic with matching 17” American Racing TTO wheels with Riken 245-45 in front and 255-50’s in the rear.

The interior was done by Donnie Green, owner of Donnie’s Auto Trim in Morristown, TN. He really made me a hero when he told me the car would be finished on Aug. 14, which was my wife’s 56th birthday. The best part about my love of old cars is the joy of having an interest my entire family can share. My two sons and grandsons all help work on and maintain our cars. My wife, daughter, and two granddaughters enjoy going to shows and cruising with me.

Wow! I can’t believe that another Winter National Show is now history! You can see show coverage in this issue of Chevy Classics. 2012 marked the 20th year for this annual show. The Winter National Show is always a highlight for the beginning of a new show season.

Each year I’m amazed by the “new cars” that show up for this show. It seems that members are always coming up with a new Chevy Classic. This year was no exception with several newcomers in the 1,000 point judging. It’s always exciting to see where these new Classics will place after judging. I don’t want to steal the content or surprise from the show coverage story, but be sure to check out the results for these two new Classic entries. (Frank Scala – 1960 Trailered Contemporary and Gary & Flo Garman – 1955 Trailered Custom Truck.) In addition to these new Classics, we also had dozens and dozens of old friends attending with their wonderful Chevrolets. Don Allen was there with his ’55 Bel Air hardtop. This was Don’s 20th Winter National Show!

I’d like to share an observation from this show with you; I went back and counted the number of 1,000 point judged cars; there were a total of 98. With nearly 200 show entries, that means that over half of the Chevy Classics at this year’s Winter National Show were in the Cruiser Class. For years we’ve been encouraging members to bring their Chevys to shows and enter them in the Cruiser Class. (Not every Chevy needs to be judged in the 1,000 point judging.) Any 1955-1972 Chevrolet can fit in with other Chevys in the Cruiser Class. This year the Cruiser Class featured all models and years. There were Chevys that some would call drivers and many that could have competed in the 1000 point judging. In fact, a 1961 Impala that scored a perfect 1,000 points last year was in this year’s Cruiser Class!

My observation, 1,000 point judging is far from dead, but many members are opting to come to the show to relax, enjoy looking at great Chevys, and renew old friendships!

Photography by Jim Knight

This ‘65 convertible was purchased by Jim in September of 2002. He found the car parked under a club house next to the Mississippi river in Elsberry, MO. The car was in very bad need of repair. It looked good on the outside but when Jim started the restoration in January of 2005 he knew that he was in for a lot of work.

Jim bought a ‘64 Malibu to use for parts to rebuild the frame of his ‘65 car, thus it received a frame-off restoration. He then rebuilt the 327/250 HP engine and freshened up the Powerglide transmission.

Next, Jim started on the body work with all new sheet metal repair panels. He spent two years working on the car every day. After the body work was completed, he installed an all new interior – headliner to carpet. Jim’s nephew, Ron Lauth, came out to Jim’s shop and painted the car the current Honduras Maroon.

The car has been driven to numerous car shows, including the Chevy Classic’s International show in Springfield, MO in June, 2011. The Malibu Convertible has won quite a few awards too.

This Malibu SS is the first convertible that Jim has ever owned and is the second car that he has restored. He has since completed a 1957 Bel Air 2-door and is planning on restoring a 1959 Chevy pickup in the very near future.

Jim works harder now on his restorations than he did before retirement as a heavy equipment operator. The result is worth the hard work as he takes a lot of pride in his work and is not satisfied until his cars are the best that he can make them.

Photography by Jim Knight

My love for cars developed during my high school years while working at a local Mobil gas station in Festus, Missouri. I met my wife, Maggie, when we were seniors in high school in 1965 – she always said she loved my cars as much as she loved me. During this time I owned a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air Deluxe, 6-cylinder, 3-speed on the column, 2-door hardtop. I traded that car for a 1962 Chevy Impala convertible – 283, 3-speed on the column, white with red interior. What a beauty; I kept it immaculate, shiny, and running like a top.

Maggie and I married in 1967 while I was in the Air Force, stationed at Sewart Air Force Base in Smyrna, TN. During this time, we owned a 1967 Chevelle SS-396, 325HP, automatic. Then I bought a 1969 Chevelle SS-396, 325HP Muncie 4-speed. I was always on the lookout for another car. At one point, I even purchased a 1938 Chevy Fleetline in really bad shape, but I was going to work on it and get it looking brand new. Didn’t happen!

Over the years there were many cars of different makes and models. I always kept my vehicles looking great and spent hours lovingly scrubbing, polishing, waxing and buffing them to make sure they would be bright, shiny and clean.

As the kids came along and grew up, the number of cars purchased and sold became less and less, especially with all the expenses involved with colleges and then weddings. Not that I didn¹t continue to look and look and look. I would never get over my love of cars.

When we relocated to Branson, Missouri, in 2000, I went through what Maggie lovingly called my “classic car anxiety attacks.” Every time there was a car show and/or cruise on Highway 76 or Shepherd of the Hills Expressway in Branson I felt like a kid in a candy store, but I was always on the outside looking in. I would look at all the cars, read the info on them and talk to the owners. For months after the shows, I would look through papers, stop at used car lots, or if I saw one for sale, I would stop and ask about it. I never could quite make the decision to buy; this went on for years! I just had not found the right car!

In August 2010, I found it! I had been driving on Highway 76 and when I went by Branson Auto Museum, something caught my eye. I was so excited, I couldn¹t believe it. There sat a 1965 Chevrolet Impala 327, 300 HP automatic, 2-door hardtop bright red with black interior. It was perfect and it was beautiful. Big and very beautiful! Big and very RED! I fell in love with it. It just called to me. Now this was NOT at all what I thought would be my “dream car.” I had talked about owning a Tri-five Chevy. I also talked about another ‘62 Impala convertible. But, this is what Maggie and I purchased and I couldn’t wait to drive it around town and show off my very own classic car.

After purchasing the ‘65 we joined the Springfield Classic Chevy Club. This club is 112 members strong. We are proud to be a part of this wonderful club and thrilled that we were a part of the 36th Annual Classic Chevy International convention as the host club.

My wife, Maggie, and I have had a blast attending local car shows with the Impala. Then last summer we had the privilege of attending the 36th Annual Chevy Classics International show in Springfield, MO. There the Impala scored a 971 out of 1000 points in the 1965 modified junior class and took home a Platinum Certificate.

I want to give special thanks to my wife, Maggie, and my children, grandchildren and friends who have given me a helping hand or have touched this car, in one way or another.

I’m continually amazed by things that the human race keeps coming up with. Sometimes I find it hard to keep up with society. These days it’s common place to hear someone make the comment, “Well I can check that off my Bucket List!” Somewhere along the line I’ve gotten out of step with the rest of society, because I don’t even have a Bucket List. When I started writing this View I knew that a Bucket List was things that you felt you must do before you die. (Like jumping out of a plane before you’re 80) I couldn’t resist. I had to Google “Bucket List.” It was there that I found that the term Bucket List is derived from the saying “kicking the bucket”. I guess that makes sense things people want to do before they die.

After thinking about it for some time, I came up with this conclusion. Maybe not having a Bucket List isn’t all that bad. I guess not having a list means that you’re just too busy with every day activity to think about dying. (I didn’t like that idea of jumping out of an airplane anyway.) I do, however, see a positive side to the Bucket List. If you’re one of those people who just have a hard time getting started on something out of the ordinary daily routine, maybe a list could be a good motivator.

With that in mind, I know that there are thousands of readers who just might need a Bucket List. Tucked away in the back corner of the garage or covered up in some storage area is a Classic Chevy that you’re “someday going to restore!” You know who you are. It has been months, maybe even years since you last laid eyes on your project Chevy. If you’re guilty of neglecting your restoration project, maybe it’s time for you to start a Bucket List. Pick one or two small steps of restoration, put them on the list. When those two steps are complete, cross them off the list. (It may feel like you just jumped out of that plane.) If you’re brave at heart, you might want to make completing the entire restoration one of the things on the list. If motivation is what you need, just look at the finished cars featured in Chevy Classics, then start that Bucket List!

This month’s tech article identifies all of the steering linkage parts for 1955-1964 passenger cars, both standard and power. This article will help those of you who want to change from standard to power steering and vice versa. Currently, the most common conversions being made are by the 1958-1964 members who are changing over to Late Great Chevys “605″ late model power steering. They want to know what steering linkage parts they will need in the conversion. Also there are many cars being built from boxes of parts that they buy as a “complete car” and many times some of the correct steering parts are not in the trailer full of parts that go along with the purchase.

The article will be divided into six sections with photos identifying the parts required to have an original steering set-up. At the end of the article, I will explain what items are required to convert to “605″ power steering.

The basic parts to be discussed in this article will be the pitman arm (connects to the steering box), the drag link, also called the center link (the tie rod ends connect to the center link), and the idler arm (connects to the passenger-side frame rail and the drag link). The GM parts catalog refers to the pitman arm as “arm” in Group 6.859, refers to the drag link as “rod assembly” in Group 6.870, and the idler arm as “lever assembly” in Group 6.895. In a few cases a casting number is given, but it is the exception.

Click Here For This Month’s Tech Article

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Photography by Jim Knight

Miss Bubble, this 1961 Impala two-door hardtop, was found near our home. It was sold in Bixby, Ok and found in Broken Arrow. Thanks go to Phill Henry who found the car for me. It has now been 10 years since a total frame off restoration. I bought this Impala from the third owner as a running driving car. At first I thought I would show the car as unrestored. I soon noticed that the stitching on the seats were sun rotted and the car had bad oil leaks. I first thought of painting the car a pearl color and modifying the motor, but after much thought, decided the car was much too complete to not return it to its original condition. The VIN tag shows that this 1961 Impala was built in the St. Louis, MO assembly plant.

When friend, Darl Roder, brought the car home for me, all I knew about the car was how to start it – you turn the key. So I bought books on how to restore my car. I started by taking pictures of the car before I dismantled it piece by piece. This proved very helpful in restoration and proof of color.

I am one of a few women who has built her own car; with a full frame off restoration and body work done by good friend, Don Long, from Missouri who is no longer with us. It took me 19 months to reassemble the car, working 12-hours days. I was able to do 95% of the work myself, but when needed, my husband, Kenny Aikins, would help me.

Miss Bubble is equipped with a 283 cubic inch motor, 4 barrel carburetor, Power Glide transmission, factory A/C, power-seat, brakes and windows, front bumper accessory guard, rocker moldings and padded dash. The exterior is Seamist Turquoise, sometimes called Robin’s Egg Blue.

In restoring the dash, I used my arts and craft ability. I found the restoration to be like a jig saw puzzle… one piece at a time, starting with the engine. Finding a business locally who could work on the brake booster, jetting the carburetor, radiator and A/C was a challenge. Miss Bubble has been down the road; North to Chicago, West to Denver, East to Hershey and South into Oklahoma. The Impala won Best Engine in Eureka Springs, AR presented by “Pete & Jake’s” restoration shop. It also won at the Last Run in Ark City, KS and too many more shows to remember. This Late Great Chevy has also won Jr. and Sr. awards with a Special Preservation Award from the American Automobile Club of America (A.A.C.A) and many other awards. We trailer the Impala most of the time unless the car show is just a few hours away from home.

If not for the small hands of our grandson, it would have been harder to attach the bumpers. We have three grandsons who have been raised in the restoration of our cars since the age of three. So in the future, be looking for a 1955 Chevy truck, 1968 Camaro and one day our 9 year old grandson will be showing his dad’s 1955 Chevy.

Ohms You Say?
From 1965 up to the late 1990’s, GM decided to change the Ohm (Ω) reading coming out of the fuel sender from 0 – 30Ω to 0 – 90Ω (0 empty – 90 full) which allows the gauge to be a little more accurate. That’s right, the fuel sender produces an ohm signal. It is not a “hot” lead as that could lead to an explosive condition! The fuel sender is easy to test with a multi-meter set to 200Ω. See Photo A – touch the black lead to the sender housing and the red lead to the sender post and move the float up and down to see what the ohms are on empty and full. If you do not have the sender out of the fuel tank, GM used a tan wire from the tank to the fuse box and the signal can be picked up there. Do not confuse the tan wire with the light brown wire GM used for the license plate lamp. You will get strange readings that obviously have nothing to do with the fuel circuit. If you get anything other than between 0 – 125Ω, you will need to replace the sending unit. Reproduction fuel sending units can register around 125Ω when the tank is full. This usually makes the gauge read a little past full and is a non-issue.

Fuel Gauges In Disguise
Did you know during the same 1965-1990’s period the back of the fuel gauge is exactly the same? You read that correctly. GM used the same three-terminal gauge for almost 40 years. That being said, the gauge in your Chevy may look a little different with all of the terminals connected to it. It may be turned sideways, upside-down or have an additional ground. But, it is the exact same gauge. Photo B – shows the console gauge assembly’s (CG-68A) fuel gauge in a 1969 Camaro with the terminals and resistor attached. Photo C – shows the same gauge (our part # CG-9) stripped bare and removed from the housing.
The terminal connections are as follows:
Terminal A: Fuel sender from the tank (usually a tan wire)
Terminal B: Switched ignition hot (usually a pink wire)
Terminal C: Ground

Don’t Resist Using The Resistor
For some unknown reason, folks do not like to put the resistor on the back of the gauge; maybe because they lost it or they do not think they need it. Believe me, you WILL need it! Photo B shows the resistor (our part # CG-60) as the white ceramic piece with the green rectangle connecting terminals A & B. This type of ceramic shunt-type resistor was phased in to replace the wire-wound resistor and wafer board found on earlier models. The wafer board isolated the resistor from the gauge housing. They both do the same thing by controlling how fast the needle sweeps across the gauge. Think of taking a turn in your Chevy and the needle moving every time! This makes it tough to get an accurate fuel level reading. If the resistor is not in place on an original or AC Delco replacement gauge, the gauge will not operate properly. To make it a little more challenging, some reproduction companies making fuel gauges have been putting carbon-fixed resistors inside the gauge housing so there is no need for the external resistor. You will need to contact the manufacturer of the gauge before you proceed any further.

Tell Me How To Fix It!
Now it’s time to give you that ammo to figure out what is going on with the fuel gauge in your GM car when it reads funny or stops working altogether. It is VERY rare for a fuel gauge itself to be bad. The rule of thumb is if the gauge is or was moving at some point, it is good. Below is a table of common fuel gauge symptoms and their causes.

That’s it in a nutshell and the wiring monster didn’t attack you! The fuel gauge circuit can be daunting just like other wiring issues. But with a little bit of know how, Eckler’s Tech Services and quality parts from Eckler’s, you can have your fuel gauge reading correctly in no time. Remember the last time you and your wife had to walk halfway home from a cruise night? Don’t let it happen to you again!

Photos by Carl Edwards

I drove a black ’57 Chevy two-door hardtop during high school in the mid-sixties. Back in those days, it was what we called a “street rod.” It had a built 283ci engine with a Muncie 4-speed. My wife of forty-three years, Teresa, and I dated in it. We still have several pictures of us posing with that car. It’s always been my dream to build a ’57 with that car in mind.

About four and a half years ago one of my employees saw this car for sale at a local car show and put me in touch with the owner. The first thing I noticed when I saw the car was the ‘60 Impala steering wheel. Since my high school ’57 had that exact same steering wheel, I knew this was the car I had to have. With the help of the people listed, this ’57 became a nicer version of the one I owned back then. The engine and drive train were built with the help of a friend, Jody Davis, of Dallas, GA.

The frame-off restoration and paint were done by Brad Cline and his crew (headed by Shane Jackson) of Thunder Valley Customs in White, GA. The leather interior was done by Sam Freeman of Dallas, GA. Since the car’s completion, we have taken it to the fiftieth anniversary of the ’57 Chevy in Detroit and the Shades of the Past in Pigeon Forge, TN. The car won second in its class at the 2008 World of Wheels in Atlanta, GA. At the 2008 Winter Nationals in Kissimmee, FL it won first in its class, scoring a Platinum 992 points. In February 2009 the car again won first place in its class and scored a Platinum 995 points. We enjoy taking the ’57 to all of the local car shows, where it has won numerous awards and Best of Shows. Since being involved with the building of my car I have become a member of our hometown car club, Push Rods of Powder Springs, GA. Our club sponsors regular cruise-ins as well as our annual October car show which donates a portion of the proceeds to local charities.

Our children and grandchildren all enjoy our ’57 and it’s often our mode of transportation on Saturdays to our local barbecue house! Our oldest grandchildren are already looking forward to the day when they can drive Papa’s ’57.

Engine & Drive Train Facts…

This ’57 Chevy is powered by a 350ci Chevy small block, bored 60 thousands, with GM fast burn aluminum heads, Crane gold rocker arms, Edelbrock air gap intake with a Holly 750cfm 4-barrel carburetor and lots of chrome from Eckler’s Classic Chevy catalog. The transmission is a Tremec 500 five-speed with a Center Force clutch. The rear end is a narrowed 9″ Ford with 355 posi-traction gears and coil over and latter bar suspension. It has front disc and rear drum brakes and has been lowered 2-inches. The wheels are old style Torq Thrust D American racing Wheels, 7-inch in front and 10-inch on the rear.

Please take a moment to go back and take a look at the inside cover of this month’s issue of Chevy Classics. Pay close attention to the area where it tells you that this is Volume 38 –Number 3. Do you realize what that means? It means that this is the 38th year of publication for Chevy Classics magazine! 38-years! That, folks, is an incredible run for a car club publication.

This month I want to pay tribute to the cars and the members who made it all possible. I’m, of course, talking about the Tri-five Chevrolets and the thousands of dedicated owners of these Classic vehicles. It all started back in the early 70’s when Doug Morehead ran a small ad in Hot Rod Magazine asking owners of ’55-’57 Chevys to join him in forming a National ’55-’57 Club. Thousands of Tri-five owners responded. Thus was the beginning of Classic Chevy International! Over the past 39-years we have seen expansions of years, several changes of ownership, additional Chevrolet model coverage and mergers of clubs! What started out as a rather small group of ‘55-‘57 Chevy enthusiasts has grown over the years into an expanded worldwide Chevrolet Club.

Through all of the growth and changes, one thing has remained a constant; that’s the dedication and loyalty of those early Tri-five Chevy owners! I’m continually amazed by the number of Tri-five members who have been members from those early days all the way up to today. I’m always hearing members say things like, “I’ve been a member since 1975,” or “I joined The Classic Chevy Club the first year it was formed.” Folks, these are the Chevy enthusiasts who truly know what ownership of a classic Chevy is all about. To you, the long time Tri-five member and Chevy owner, I pay tribute! This Chevy club and this Chevy Classics publication continue to grow and prosper because of your dedication to the hobby and your continued support.

As part of my tribute to these Tri-five owners, this March, 2012 issue of Chevy Classics features nothing but Tri-five’s. We’re taking a step back in time when the monthly magazine featured nothing but 1955-1957 Chevrolets!