I was serving in the Army in 1969 and had returned from a year in Vietnam that January. My wife Joyce and I were married in July and moved to Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey.
By September, our 1964 Chevy was failing fast, so we stopped into Kitson Chevrolet in Eatontown, New Jersey, to see what was available. There, on the showroom floor, was a new SS396 Chevelle in Butternut Yellow with a black bench seat interior. The drivetrain included the L78 396ci/375hp engine with TH400 transmission and 4.10 Posi gears. An AM radio and no power-robbing accessories rounded out the package.
When the car was just a day or two old, I removed the beauty rings from the wheels, as well as the tailpipes and tips. Exhaust was turned down at the rear axle, and the whitewall tires went away soon, too. I had very little money, so for me, day two meant removing a few of the things I really didn’t care for.
I received my discharge in February 1970, and we drove the Chevelle home to South Dakota with most of our worldly belongings inside. That drive home in the dead of winter with 4.10 gears in a 375hp Chevelle was one long haul!
After settling in at home in Sioux Falls, I prepared the Chevelle for some drag racing at our local tracks. Hooker headers were installed along with a Sun tach and Stewart-Warner gauges. Gears were changed to 4.88s, and Firestone Drag 500 7-inch cheater slicks and front runners were added. We had a great time racing the Chevelle in C/Stock Automatic in the 1970 and 1971 seasons.
In 1972 Joyce was pregnant with our first child, and it was time to get serious about a family. The Chevelle had to go. We sold the car to a good friend, Earl, with the promise that we would get first chance if he ever decided to sell the car. Sure enough, Earl had the car for sale about four years later, and we bought it back. But then, in 1978, our second child was on the way, and the Chevelle had to go again. By this time I decided I was probably out of the hot car game forever and sold the car to Earl again. Over a period of many years, the Chevelle went through a variety of owners. It was raced some, but was always reasonably cared for.
By 1985 I was a police officer in Sioux Falls. One night at the start of my shift, I spotted a yellow 1969 Chevelle drive past the Police Department. I hadn’t seen our Chevelle in years, but everything looked about right, and I thought this just might be it. I followed the car up the street for a few blocks until the driver turned into a convenience store (probably hoping that I would drive on by). I stopped, introduced myself, and explained that I used to have a Chevelle just about like this one. After a very quick look-over I was able to tell this was our old car! The Sun tach and Stewart-Warner gauges were still there, right where I had installed them in 1970. There were several other items that told me this was the correct car. The driver and I got to know each other, and I told him that if he ever decided to sell the car, I would be interested in hearing about it.
Fifteen years later, in 2000, I got the big call! The Chevelle was tucked into a garage and up on blocks where it had been for the last 13 years. It was all there: clean, straight, and had no rust, which is amazing for South Dakota. We made a deal right there and we had our Chevelle back the next day.
Shortly after I began a restoration. What started out as a mechanical and light cosmetic restoration soon turned into a 2 1/2-year, all-out, frame-off restoration. I did the restoration on the frame, suspension, and all running gear. The engine and transmission were overhauled. The body and interior were completely restored in the original color and interior materials. Midwest Paint and Body in Hull, Iowa, did the body and paint work. (Neither my wife nor I really liked the SS side stripes, so they were removed when the car was about a week old. When we did the full restoration, we elected to not replace them.) The majority of the reassembly on the car was done by me. The goal of the restoration was to have the car appear as we had it in 1970, with day-two equipment including aftermarket wheels, headers, tach, gauges, and so on.
The first summer after the restoration, we had the car at many of the area car shows, always to great reviews. Since that time we’ve been enjoying it at area cruise nights, car club activities, or just cruising on nice summer days. The Chevelle looks and sounds as healthy as ever, turning heads whenever we drive it. We absolutely love it and are delighted to have it back. We’re through having kids now, so we think we’ll keep it!
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