"Reliability, Comfort, Style, Presence, Personality, The Full
Package"-Mike Musto, DriveTV *Pro-Touring, Show Winner: Best
in Show, Best Engine Compartment, Best Interior, Car was featured
on DriveTV in February 2015 and Super Chevy: http://bit.ly/1e6wkg7
and Chevy High Performance magazine Nov. 2014. 1965 Chevelle Malibu
SS, LS Motor, Gil has restored over 20 cars but probably his
favorite project so far is this 1965 Chevelle. The type of
restoration Gil did on this Chevelle is called Pro Touring. Pro
Touring is taking an old car and setting it up to handle like a new
car. It is mostly done with American muscle cars from the 1960's
and 1970's such as Camaros, Chevelles and Mustangs. A pro touring
build can greatly increase the value of a vehicle.
When Gil restored this Chevelle, it was very important to him to
maintain the retro look of the car even with the new LS motor. The
newer LS motors are approximately 150 pounds lighter than the old
cast iron motors. Therefore it makes the car lighter in the front
so that it handles better. The engine is usually located on top of
the front wheels but if you move the motor back, more weight is
distributed in the middle of the car. Gil made his own plates and
placed the engine four inches back which makes it handle like a
modern sports car! (Now you can buy LS conversion kits) Gil likes
fuel injection for certain applications, but for this project he
took the fuel injection off the motor and put a carburetor on top
and a distributor in front of the motor as it was done in the
original era of the car. Gil also takes all the electronics off,
bringing the motor back to basics. One benefit is that this allows
you to see the actual motor. Another advantage is that if your car
breaks down on the road, you don't need a scanner to figure out
what is wrong with the motor. The T56, 6 speed transmission came
out of a Dodge Viper. Gil chose this transmission because it can
take more torque and has the gear ratio he wanted. However, he had
to convert the input shaft from Dodge to Chevrolet.
The front suspension is Global West negative roll control arms with
QA1 Adjustable Aluminum Coilover shocks and springs. The rear
suspension is Global West trailing arms and also the QA1 Adjustable
Aluminum Coilover shocks and springs. The front brakes are Wilwood
six piston calipers superlite with 14 inch rotors. The back brakes
are four piston superlite calipers. This assembly combines the
brake and clutch pedals together in one unit and positions the
master cylinders inside the firewall and away from engine heat. It
features all aluminum frame and arm construction with steel pivots,
mounting studs, and anti-skid pedal pads. Wilwood's clevis and
pivot pin balance bar provide smooth and accurate settings of the
brake pedal bias. It is attached to a remote cable for quick
on-track adjustments. The Chevelle has a full floating rear end.
"1965 BMW M3 by Chevrolet"-Mike Musto,DriveTV *Car must be seen and
driven to be fully appreciated!
