(Since we are going to be cranking up our detailed coverage on the Project Whistling Death again next week, here’s a look at the car as it looked during our last update when sheet metal from OPGI arrived and the body repairs began! Stay tuned as we’ll be covering this Chevelle’s progress from tip to stern starting again next week!)
It seems a little funny that in order to build a car called “Whistling Death” you need to bring it back to life first, but such is the case with the Chevelle that the boys at HRCC are building as you read this. The car is going to be one of the neatest and most advanced pro touring cars in the country and we’re not just saying that. These guys have stumbled upon some components and pieces that will blow your freaking mind when we are actually able to disclose what they are. Kevin Tully and the crew have us on gag-order regarding that stuff because they are treading into a new area of awesome and want to keep it under wraps for as long as possible as they sort out their game plan. We can tell you that this will have a suspension that NO other Chevelle on Earth has now or has ever had in the past. That is a fact that cannot be disputed. That’s the good news. The “bad” news is that there’s a long way to go before we’re talking about this car being on its wheels again. Happily both the artistry and craftsmanship of Kevin, his crew, and the quality of the Original Parts Group components are making this Chevelle “whole” again and the plan is really starting to come together.
From fixing the cowl to repairing the windshield pillars, this car has some of the hardest core rot that you’ll find on any muscle car build but the beauty is that this thing showcases just how extensive the Original Parts Group catalog is for these Chevelles (and the myriad of other cars that they cover). Kevin told us point blank that there have already been dozens and dozens of hours saved by using quality OPGI replacement panels instead of trying to mend the factory pieces. In lots of cases, there is nothing even there to fix as the Chevelle has long ago evaporated to nothing in more than a couple of areas. One thing we wanted to pose as a question to the Chevelle maniacs out there. Kevin said that he and the guys found foam inside the windshield pillars when working on that area of the car. Is it possible that the foam was put there by the factory? If it was put there by the factory…why? Tully told us that the foam acts like a giant moisture trap and contributed to the degradation of that section of the car. We’re wondering (along with Kevin) if someone else put it there or if the foam was factory installed.
We’re going to tell you the rest of the story in photos and captions….SCROLL DOWN TO KEEP READING!
If you can believe it, this is the second “better” car that the HRCC guys started with. Granted, the whole thing is being blown apart, but fixing this type of stuff takes time, that’s why OPGIs components have been a Godsend to HRCC. They have saved dozens of hours replacing parts with OPGI stuff rather than hand fabbing new ones from scratch.
One of the big problem areas on the car were the windshield pillars which had really rotted over time. Interestingly the crew found foam inside the pillars and were perplexed , trying to understand if the foam was factory installed or put there later. It held a lot of moisture that rotted stuff.
Here’s what we mean about those pillar channels being bad…they evaporated.
Not just at the bottom, either. All of those harsh seasons in Illinois for nearly 50 years have really done a job on the metal holding this Chevelle together. Thank goodness for skill and good parts.
In this photo you can see the driver’s side pillar largely gone at the bottom and the complete lack of floors in the car as well. Let’s just say that we 100% believe Kevin Tully when he tells us how helpful and fast action Original Parts Group’s customer service reps have been when he calls up needing to order parts.
Here’s what the guys decided to do after taking stock of the whole car and conferring with the people at OPGI. They got out the torches to slice and dice all the junk away. They left what they could work with and started building from there.
You can see here that the rebuilt window channels are looking good and that the only thing the guys kept from the front end was a small piece of the cowl on the passenger side. The floors were junk anyway, so they’re gone as well.
You can see here that the outside of the windshield pillar was cut off due to rot issues and to get all the foam junk out from inside there. Were still wondering about that. Does anyone have an answer?
The quarter panel rust area was not as extensive as the floors but it was still bad. The wheel house was compromised at some point and all kinds of junk got chucked up inside here, causing it to rot out. The lower rear portion is the worst.
The doors were savable with some crafty metalwork and labor. HRCC used all new door hardware from OPGI to make them mechanically sound again with respect to hinges, latches, etc.
Remember how we mentioned that lower portion of the rear quarter? Yeah, it is fugly down there.
The calvary has arrived! That’s right, all this shiny new stuff from OPGI is just a portion of the components that HRCC is using on the car. These are the major pieces of the cowl, you can see a fender in there, a rear quarter skin, a wheel housing, and a lot of other nice stuff, like that exterior A-pillar piece.
Here’s what you can expect from OPGI stuff. OEM quality steel and fitment, proper placement of bolt holes, and parts that have been used by the best people in the industry in their shops. No one has time for the cheapo stuff that you need to put hours and hours into to work. OPGI’s panels fit right the first time.
Note that in this photo the new a-pillar base is installed and the body bracing is bolted to it, keeping things stiffened up and true while the cowl is added.
Ever rebuild start somewhere and now that the components arrived and that all the junk has been cut out, it is time to start putting this Chevelle body back together again. The cowl is the first major part of the rebirth of this classic car.
The welding of the cowl pieces on is major progress, baby! Destruction phase over, construction phase is ON.
Fast forwarding some time, here’s the finishing touches being put on the completed cowl and that sure looks a lot better than the rotted, disgusting mess that the crew was faced with earlier.
A close up look at the OPGI components making up the fresh cowl of the Chevelle.
Of course with the cowl on, some “peeking ahead” can be done with the front sheet metal. Kevin reports that the OPGI pieces fit like a glove and we think it is going to look ultra boss with that stinger style hood on it.
With the outer portion of the A-piller on and the windshield laid in, the fitment of everything looks great.
The details that true gearheads can appreciate.
The rest of the rear quarters were removed and the OPGI pieces were fitted up to make sure that all was going to be well with the back of the car since the front was coming along so nicely.
Pretty amazing how much of this thing was removed and replaced, right? Oh, and the speed at which these guys are doing it could only be achieved with the right panels.
One last look at the transparent Chevelle.
We’ll stop this update here and pick it up again next week with more progress. Needless to say, the Whistling Death Chevelle is going to be one mean bastard.
The foam is factory, Have had a number of these apart. Also saw it on the Super Chevy 67 Chevelle during its build.
This is going to be an awesome car when done . But i really wanna thank you for showing the pics of the damage as my wife’s project is her Father’s (r.i.p.)67 malibu .it is going to be needing all that metal plus like that one. and it gives me the confidence to go with it and do it.
Michael
Wow thats alot of work even with repop parts. Miss My 67 Chevelle .
These guys always make this look so easy! I do a small section and I am thinkin,” oh no, what did I get into?”