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Red, White-Knuckled And Blue: Dragging A Very Beat 1972 Chevelle 600 Miles Home


Red, White-Knuckled And Blue: Dragging A Very Beat 1972 Chevelle 600 Miles Home

Oh, Indiana. You and your collection of questionable used cars, the kind of vehicles that house such wonderful things such as “character”, “charm”, and horrifying levels of neglect. What is it about that state that has turned many a useful vehicle into something one step past being a rolling chicken coop? Why is it that people just leave them to rot? It’s not that the cars themselves can be that bad. In fact, most people I know who have dragged something home from the Hoosier state have actually had moderate luck with what they’ve acquired. Look at the 1987 Mercury that we call the Dirty Cougar…down ten years, was driving in three days, and is still doing driver duty as we speak…it’s even getting some goodies, which we’ll check in on once it’s safe to go outside.

Vice Grip Garage’s Derek recently made his way south to acquire yet another Chevelle. He’s a fan of the 1968-72 line, and he’s had a few, a couple of which recently have moved on to new homes. And even with his other projects scratching at him, the lack of an A-body has been gnawing at him, so he decided to test his fate by bringing home a 1972 Malibu that appears to have been Reb Brown’s Captain America ride…and it was probably the last time this Chevy was ever described as “clean”. How bad is this thing? Well, I’ve seen moss growing inside of a car before, but usually it’s growing in the footwells of the car where the moisture is collecting, not directly onto metal. The frame is crispy, the front end has all the stability of a slighted Courtney Love, the rear quarter doubles as a pocket on the passenger’s side and when you see the trunk, chances are good that you’ll wish he’d never opened the trunklid.

And he drove this thing 600 miles home to Minnesota. Good lord. Now, besides the obvious emergency repairs, what should be done here? I’m thinking a clean-up of the American flag motif, some Cragars, and something nice and snotty underhood. You can’t be this bold without the horsepower, can you?


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