Once in school, it wasn’t long till the “need for speed” hit, leading to a number of low-buck changes to up the ante on the street, also leading to his first passes at the legendary Connecticut Dragway by the time he was 17. Eventually, he was able to source a fire-ravaged ’69 Chevelle SS to lay the building blocks for converting his car in its second rendition. Along with Dad’s help, he added an infusion of 396ci power, TH400 trans, and 12-bolt rear. Plenty of time on the quarter-mile followed till the car was parked in favor of new builds. Soon after, a pair of ’41 Willys coupes followed, along with a couple of ’69 Camaros.

It’s funny how generational ties followed the car with Dave’s son, Mitchell, now being the one to persuade him into pulling the car back out to get started on the current version. Third time’s the charm, and before long the pair had the Chevelle totally stripped and ready to get started. The frame was blasted clean and powdercoated in satin black to start the journey. Out back a Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Fab9 rear was filled with Strange Engineering 4.10 gears linked to matching 35-spline axles. It’s suspended in place by a combination of Chris Alston’s Chassisworks Pro-Power upper and lower tubular control arms, Competition Engineering adjustable drag shocks, and Moroso springs. For razor-sharp handling, Global West tubular control arms and sway bar meet stock spindles along with Competition Engineering adjustable drag shocks and Moroso springs. To shed speed, a Wilwood dual master moves fluid through stainless lines to matching 11-inch Dynalite Pro-series discs with four-piston billet calipers at each corner. Anchoring it all to the street are a set of Billet Specialties Comp 5 wheels, sized 15×4 front and 15×8 rear, wearing Pro-Trac front tires with Mickey Thompson ET Street rears, respectively.

Wanting to give the Chevelle plenty of gusto for both the street and strip Dave had the perfect formula in mind thanks to all of his past racing experience. He contacted Carlquist Competition Engines (CCE) of Oakville, Connecticut, to build the perfect beast, starting with a Dart Big M aluminum block massaged to 540 ci. It’s filled with a Manley forged 4340 steel crank linked to matching forged 4340 steel H-beam rods capped with JE forged aluminum pistons getting bumped by a custom-ground solid roller cam. A set of Dart Pro-1 aluminum heads generate plenty of power, especially when matched to a Dart single-plane intake being topped by a Quick Fuel Q-Series 950-cfm carb fed by a Holley HP Billet mechanical fuel pump. An MSD ignition lights the fire while gases move through Stainless Works headers to a 3-inch stainless exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers. Linked to an Auto Gear Super Case M22 Muncie-style four-speed packing a McLeod dual-disc clutch with billet flywheel, it’s all good for a street-pounding 720 hp on pump gas.

With a car that’s served decades of hard use on both the street and strip, it was time to bring the body back to its original glory. Dave had gathered plenty of N.O.S. GM parts over the years in preparation of taking on the task. With the body stripped bare, a set of original quarter-panels were installed, along with fresh doors accented by a matching steel cowl-induction hood. The team at Ron’s Auto Madness in Bristol, Connecticut, worked the sheetmetal to a level of excellence while also dialing in the gaps and prepping the body for paint. Ronnie Martin and Mike Dodge did the honors of laying down the vibe, filling their spray guns with R-M Diamont Glacier Blue, bringing it all back to life. Many of the cool bits on reassembly included an original GM grille and trim parts, stainless polishing by Reggie Leroux, and fresh plating to the bumpers.

Updating the business office started with the factory dash being filled with restored original dials along with a set of Stewart-Warner oil pressure and water temp gauges mounted under the dash. A factory rosewood steering wheel carves the course, mounted to the original tilt column, while gears fly through a Hurst Competition/Plus shifter with a Muncie shift arm. To refresh the interior, Dave’s Auto Upholstery of Oakville recovered the original seats using a kit from PUI Interiors in the original black vinyl along with redoing the side panels, headliner, and carpeting. Finally, Dave handled rewiring the car with a kit from American Autowire.

This is one Chevelle with an amazing history showcasing Dave’s long-term affair with a car that’s ready to see plenty of miles as the decades move ahead. To us that’s as cool as it gets!