To see the latest update on the Too Hot Chevy II, click here.
At the 2010 Goodguys Show in Charlotte, we were lucky enough to be able to spend some time at the Detroit Speed and Engineering open house where we first saw this bitchin little Chevy II. At the time we didn’t know who was the lucky owner, but since finding out we’ve gotten even more excited. Kyle and Stacy Tucker have built some really trick cars over the last few years, including some for big professional drivers and celebrities, so it’s no surprise that they would now be building a car for one of the hottest names in high performance, Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings.
If you aren’t familiar with the Jet-Hot name, you have been living under a rock for the past decade. With coatings for headers, exhaust manifolds, intakes, pistons, and more, Jet-Hot has what you need for your application, including coatings that will handle the increased temps seen by turbo cars. Detroit Speed is now exclusively using Jet-Hot for all their performance coatings.
Here is what Kyle and Stacy had to say about Gordon’s Chevy II project.
“Gordon McGilton brought us this Chevy II to be a complete rebuild. Gordon, owner of Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings will be using this car for marketing as well as a track car. When the car came in, it was sandblasted and stripped. After sandblasting the rear quarters were modified for a bigger tire and wheel, and we installed our new DSE Chevy II QUADRALink™ rear suspension. The front will utilize DSE’s Chevy II Front Frame that has been raised to substantially lower the ride height of the Chevy II. Multiple modifications were made on the car to achieve the desired ride height.”
Due to the ride height adjustment many modifications were made to the transmission tunnel including a custom crossmember and transmission mount. This is the Chevy II that was actually used as a development car for DSE’s Chevy II QUADRALink™.
The next stage of the build will concentrate on cowl and firewall modifications as well as roof height adjustment.
Until then, check out the photos. When this car gets done we are quite sure it’s going to be a riot to drive, and we’ll do everything we can to get photos and video of it maiden voyage. If we can con Gordon into it, we’ll give you our driving impressions as well.
If you missed our Detroit Speed Big Tire Willy’s Project Update, click here to check it out.
For information on Detroit Speed Products for your hot rod or muscle car, click here.
Most people would freak out if their car looked like this. For DSE, this is just starting to look interesting.
Lengthening the rear wheel wells required multiple donar quarter panels. The change will be subtle but trick and allows more tire.
DSE QUADRALink for Chevy II’s came from this very car.
Like just about everything getting built these days, this Chevy II will be LS Powered.
We’re lucky to know some of the top fabricators in the business, and DSE should be proud to count themselves in that group.
This may be the coolest trans tunnel every. Super smooth.
Gordon’s Detroit Speed built Chevy II is coming along nicely!
With the modifications to
the transmission tunnel now complete, it’s time to get started on the installation of custom Detroit
Speed fabricated frame connectors. The front frame rails have been modified due
to the adjustment of the frame height so that the body will sit as low as possible on the chassis. Although the car is in amazing shape, a bit of rust repair is needed in the upper cowl areas. All of this structure has to be right before further work on the upper half of the car can be done. What would be getting changed up top? How about a bit of roof height adjustment!
Take a look at the newest photos, and wait for another update coming soon!
If you missed our Detroit Speed Big Tire Willy’s Project Update, click here to check it out.
Note the reshaping of the “frame” where the bolt on front subframe
attaches. They have been raised to lower the car even further. Think of
it as channeling.
We’ve seen the driveshaft tunnel in all it’s glory, but here is the start on reshaping the trans tunnel. The guys at Detroit Speed have skills we only dream of.
Since we have to do subframe connectors on our 1972 Nova project, we are paying extra close attention to any that we see. These are spectacular. If you think these look big, consider the forces at work on a car. Size matters here, and anything smaller wouldn’t do the job. Note that they are inside the car so that they don’t hang down and cause clearance or appearance issues.
Check out all the tig welding along that subframe connector.
Filler panels like this make for a smooth finished product. If this took less than two days to build, we hate them.
Rust in the upper cowl area that would have been a quick patch for most shops is instead a complete removal by DSE. The only way to do it right is the only way it’s done at DSE.
With the all new cowl built and installed, along with firewall smoothing, the front subframe is back in place for mockup. Final trans tunnel mods are in process, and the roof is braced for the height adjustment it will soon receive. We can’t wait.
This may be the last time you see the roof at stock height. Just a bit out of the front makes these boxy Chevy IIs sinister and clean as hell. Keep checking back for more updates. Another one is already on it’s way.
The latest updates on the Chevy II include the afformentioned roof height adjustment, as well as some killer trans tunnel work. Check it out here, but don’t forget to visit the link at the top of this blog item to visit Detroit Speed’s Project Pages.
These simple marks are the start of what will end up being a slight chop to the front of this Chevy II’s roofline. The result will be subtle but impactful as it gives the car a much better wedge and rake look. Trust us, you’ll dig it.
The cuts have been made. The welder is now your friend. Note that the DSE team was very careful to cut the cowl area in a way that allows the straightest sections of sheetmetal to remain so that the metal finish work is smoother, and the strength remains.
Because the entire top of the cowl was lowered, the front pillars and windshield remain stock in size and shape. The roof still requires slight relieving at the back of the A-pillar and will also be relieved at the C-pillar.
Metal finish done on the jamb area of the cowl. Damn these guys are good.
Here’s the cowl after welding but before final metal finishing. The shape still looks factory, and will add to the subtle factor of everything that is going on with this project. Remember, the quarter panels, tail light panel, firewall, and many other areas are receiving subtle metal changes to make sure the total balance and look is right on this cool Chevy II.
We are big fans of the dimpled C-pillar reinforcements. These things will never be seen once the car is finished, but we approve. With the expected stresses this car is going to get, you can’t be too careful.
Seriously? Damn these guys are good. I just want to go hang out and see what skills rub off. Detroit Speed truly has some of the finest craftsman in the business.
Now this is a trans tunnel.
Okay, I lied. This is now a trans tunnel. And it still isn’t finished yet. Wow.
Note the factory style floor reinforcements and bracing. Little stuff like this matters.
Look at the photos at the beginning of this blog item and you’ll see that the subtle roofline changes make a difference. We can’t wait for this thing to be done so we can help break it in. Stay tuned for more. This project is really moving along now.
Gordon is a great guy with some great cars and they get driven on a regular basis, I’m sure this one will be no different. Looks awesome, DSE does fabulous work.