This is a story of no regrets. My parents had a 1967 Chevelle when I was born. The car was my dad’s first child.
I came home from the hospital in his Chevelle. Like many, the conversation around building a family quickly turned to a more “family-friendly” car and my dad made the difficult decision to sell his 1967 Chevelle. For the past 41 years I have heard how much he regretted his decision to sell the car, but family and finances came first.
After 41 years, my wife and I decided to no longer live with regrets in our life and that of our families. In February of 2020, I located the car and drove to NJ to end the 41 years of regret. I purchased the car and brought back to CT for a local mechanic to go through the car and make some minor upgrades. Once complete we needed to determine a suitable time to present it to my dad.
We were in the middle of the Covid pandemic and my parents live out of state. Due to the pandemic, we had not seen my parents since Christmas 2019. They are both very involved with attending all family gatherings and sports events, but due to the pandemic, that was not an option. We decided that July 4th weekend would be an opportune time to present the car to my dad and finally see my parents after 7 months. We told my parents that the local police/fire/ambulance were making their rounds in our neighborhood to celebrate the frontline workers and heroes of the pandemic. We would go outside and waive and thank them for their service.
As such, we all piled outside and with the help of my father in law, rather than police cars or fire trucks coming around the corner…..a shiny red, 1967 Chevelle pulled into our driveway. I am not sure if there were more smiles or tears as I presented my dad with his dream after 41 years. He asked me why and I simply said, ” There is no reason to carry regrets for any longer, Happy Birthday dad”. We took our first ride together and without a doubt, it was the best ride we’ve ever taken together.
The car is almost completely original. Paint is original as well as the 396 with 375hp. Transmission is the original Muncie 4 speed. The only modifications are front disc brakes that I had installed when purchased.
What is special about the car is the regrets it ended after 41 years. Keeping the car as original as possible has always been the goal. It’s unique in that my first ride with my dad was in his Chevelle 42 years ago (as I’ve now turned 42) and the last ride with my dad was in his new 1967 Chevelle. I look forward to many more rides in the future with both my dad and my son.
The plan is for my mom and dad to enjoy the car for as long as they want. They will decide what modifications or changes they want to make as long as they have it. At some point, the car will revert back to me. My plan is to take my son for rides and allow him to grow his interest and love for the car over time.
I expect to keep the car in our family for the rest of my dad’s life, my life, and then future generations. The only modifications planned are a new headliner in the near future. My parents plan to cruise around their town, go for road trips, and grab ice cream as often as possible.
My experience with Ground Up was amazing. Their selection, quality, and service has been outstanding across the board. This was exemplified as most of the ordering and installation was done during the recent pandemic. Their selection and inventory is second to none and made dealing with them both easy and fun. The staff is extremely knowledgable, friendly and provide excellent advice and service.
Both my dad and I have exclusively used Ground Up for any and all parts or accessories we’ve needed. I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking outstanding advice, service, quality parts, and great pricing. Finding original or OEM parts for older classics isn’t always easy or affordable. Ground Up has surpassed all expectations and continues to deliver amazing service, value, and availability.
