Todd says he probably shouldn’t have bought this Chevelle looking back, but now he’s glad he did.
The guy he bought it from rushed him through the process. It seemed to be a good driver, so he put it on the trailer and brought it home. The car was purchased in PA and he didn’t know much about the process of selling or buying a car out of state. He came to find out that the title had to be notarized and that’s where it went downhill. He contacted who he thought was the owner but it was not. The guy acquired the car somehow or another and assured him that he would get a clean title. After months of going back and forth, he finally received it.
The whole time up to that point there was remorse and regret for the purchase. In the meantime, Todd hadn’t touched or even looked at the Chevelle, and debated selling it. After talking to friends they said he was crazy after what he went through, and assured him to keep the car, so he did. Todd started going through the car and found nothing but problems. They spent more time trying to cover up holes and rust by kerf-cutting sheet metal and covering it up with foil tape and a lot of undercoating.
At this point, he realized that he had to start buying parts and found Ground Up Motors – SS396.com not too far from home. He purchased floors, quarters, and other parts. In the parking lot, he was approached by a guy named Nick who asked if he needed a hand loading his stuff, but he respectfully declined. He asked what Todd was buying parts for, and he told him the story. He handed him a business card and told him he restores cars on LI. Todd got the parts home and realized it was too much for him to do and that he didn’t have the time. So he started calling car restoration guys in his area and they all had an open wallet policy. He knew this would not work for him after hearing all the horror stories. So he contacted Nick, sent him detailed photos, and told him what he was looking for, and a budget. Nick came and looked at the Chevelle, and the rest is history.
The car got a frame-off restoration, stage 3 UMI suspension, and a 454. Now, Todd just drives and enjoys the car!
