Once the 1972 was back at the garage, the guys went through it and got it running. “It had your typical 350ci small-block and a Turbo 350 trans. It needed a little bit of work to get it out on the street,” Mike says. From there Anthony took it out on a couple of rides, knowing deep down that this Chevy was bound for greater things.

The guys battened down and started a complete teardown of the A-body. They even purchased a lift for the garage because Mike admits “I’m too fat to get under a car sitting on jackstands anymore”!

What they found on the Chevy was a lot of the typical wear and tear a 40-year-old car goes through on Long Island. Salty air and water, along with thousands of miles, had taken its toll, though it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

They separated the body from its chassis and set it aside. The twosome started repairing some of the panels and smoothing out some dings and dangs that had occurred over the last four decades. While that was going on, they cleaned up the frame and prepared it for some choice add-ons.

At this point the father/son team became short on time to dedicate to the build due to their business taking up most of their weekly waking hours, so they called on Anthony Luca of Anthony’s Hot Rod Shop nearby in Middle Island, New York, to finish off their Chevelle.

Luca got to work by first cutting in some Kindig-it Design door handles to give the Chevelle a modern custom touch. He removed the heater box, flattened out the firewall, and made some more room out back for the big meats. He then went to work on the panels, shaving the rear marker lights and getting the bodywork pin straight. He then basted the Chevy in Axalta Hot Hues Razzleberry Red, giving this ’70s classic a modern glow. Ghost flames finished off the style the Ingoglias were after.

More custom touches included shaving the front and rear bumpers, which were then chromed by Paul’s Chrome Plating in Evans City, Pennsylvania. Exhaust cutouts were added as well, so the neighbors could clearly hear the massive 3-inch exhaust percolating in the Chevelle. The system was built from scratch using custom 2 1/8-inch headers from American Racing Headers, flowing through a pair of MagnaFlow mufflers out back. For a little bling, Anthony and Mike chose Foose Knuckle wheels at the corners, 18×8 up front and 18×10 out back. They are shod in Mickey Thompson rubber, 245/40R18 front and 305/40R18 rear.

Once the bodywork was finished, the 572ci big-block was reinstalled and massaged to perfection. A Quick Fuel 850-cfm carburetor was sourced and secured on top of the aluminum, single-plane intake. An Aeromotive A1000 fuel pump was tied into the system, grabbing petrol from the Rick’s Tank’s stainless steel 17-gallon tank. An MSD 6AL mini distributor hands out the spark, and a Be Cool radiator with two SPAL electric fans keeps it all cool.

Automat out of Hicksville, New York, ran wild with the interior, starting with a pair of Procar by Scat buckets, modifying them to fit and then covering them in a Mojave leather with Aztec suede inserts. A full-length custom console splits the rear seats and is stuffed with the essentials: radio, pertinent switches, Lokar shifter, and a pair of cup holders. A full set of AutoMeter gauges keep track of vitals, Alpine supplies the tunes, and a Flaming River column and wheel keep this A-body pointed in the right direction.