photos by: Daean Chase
One Chevelle Owner’s Love for his Car hasn’t Wained in over Forty Years
Back in the ‘60s, a gas station was more than a gas station. You could get actual work done on your car at that time, and many gas stations doubled as speed merchants ready to pump up the latest Detroit iron. Just like what was portrayed in the movie “American Graffiti,” the corner gas station was a place to uncork the headers, add steep gears, or get that intake and four-barrel carburetor installed. These days, you get gas, your favorite beverage, a Slim Jim, and a phone charger. A lift, nor a hot Chevelle is nowhere to be found.
In Bob Kent’s day, his dad had him working at the local gas station. “My dad started me out as a runt pumping gas into all kinds of speed machines of the ‘60s,” Bob says. “I learned everything from Dad and Uncle Harry, and those were some great cars back then… and they’re still my favorites,” he adds.
“I learned everything from Dad and Uncle Harry, and those were some great cars back then… and they’re still my favorites…” – Bob Kent
Thankfully, we have Bob’s hot Chevelle to make up for not seeing one at the gas station, and you can look at it as often as you want. However, Bob is still the lucky one since it’s his 1966 Chevelle.
As a child, Bob’s family lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and his dad owned a Sunoco station at the corner of 98th and St. Clair Avenue. The station doubled as a garage, and Bob was always there getting his hands dirty on whatever muscle car happened to be in the shop, or at the pump. “I was probably 13, might have been younger than that, 6-7 maybe,” Bob says. This was in the ’60s, before child labor laws, obviously. Bob’s dad, Robert Sr probably would’ve been in trouble had it been today, but back at that time the laws were a little more lax, and we think working at his dad’s gas station was right where he wanted to be.
As for the cars he vividly remembers as a kid, “My dad had a 1967 Chevelle and my uncle Harry had a Comet Cyclone, but I really fell in love with my dad’s ’32 Ford coupe,” Bob says. What made the car special was the fact that it had his father’s homemade headers, and a big 429 engine. “It was nice. Something to see,” Bob adds. “I traveled a lot in that car. I didn’t go anywhere because I was sitting behind the wheel in the garage,” he says with a laugh.
When it came time for his own wheels, there was a Ford Galaxie 500 in the backyard, and he was told if he could get it running, the car was his. However, when he would see a certain 1966 Chevelle while walking to and from school; that was the car for which he truly lusted. He bought that exact car from his high school buddy for $500, and that same A-body is the one you see in front of you. Yes, you read that right; he’s had the same car all this time.
“My dad had a 1967 Chevelle and my uncle Harry had a Comet Cyclone, but I really fell in love with my dad’s ’32 Ford coupe…” – Bob Kent
When he first bought the Chevelle it had a 283 with a Muncie 4-speed and a 4.56 gear. He never got anywhere fast, but he got there quickly, if you what we mean. Other than the small block combo, it was originally a burgundy color. Bob’s had other cars throughout the years, including a 1965 Chevelle and a rowdy 1967 Nova with a supercharger, but this Chevelle is the one that has stuck around for the long haul. No pun intended, but Bob is a long-haul trucker, so maybe it is intended.
When he moved the family to Illinois in 1991, the Chevelle went through a power transformation. Out came the 283, and in its place went a robust 454-inch big block built by Automotive Engine Specialties (AES) in Elk Grove, Illinois. AES punched out the 454 to 471 cubic inches, adding a steel crank, Eagle rods, and Diamond pistons. A COMP Cams solid roller cam completes the short block, but that’s just the beginning. Up top are Dart 345 aluminum heads AES also ported and polished, adding COMP roller rockers, and Manley valves in the process. The intake is a Professional Products Sniper, and mixing air with fuel is the job of a Holley Dominator 1050 carburetor. The 13:1 compression monster run its best on VP Racing Fuels’ Q16.
To keep the big block in the power band going down the track is a Dean Cameron -built Turbo 400. Dane owns DRC Transmissions in Elk Grove, IL, and he set up the Turbo 400 with a low gear and trans brake, and a 6,200 rpm stall converter. Bob manipulates the Turbo 400 via a Hurst pistol grip shifter. Out back is a Strange Engineering 12-bolt filled with a spool, 35-spline axles, and 4.30 gears. Up until most recently, the Chevelle had Global West control arms front and rear, but Bob tells us the car is in the midst of a 9-inch, ladder bar-conversion.
As for the eye-catching paint, Bob tells us the Hugger orange was applied in the ’80s. A local friend back in Ohio wanted to try a new paint on the market, and use Bob’s Chevelle as a guinea pig. Safe to say, the paint worked pretty well. Bob had Rich from Airphix in Roselle, Illinois do some graphics on the car to update the Chevelle’s look. The body is all stock, save for a Glasstek 6-inch cowl hood, and a recently added Spoilers by Randy front spoiler.
The Chevelle’s best time up to this point is a 10.20 at 135 on motor. We say, “On motor,” because Bob’s Chevelle does 
boast a Nitrous Express wet kit on the car, but he has yet to try it. His plan is to get the back half done, and then bring in
the spray. The car already has an S&W 12-point roll cage in the car with Simpson belts, so the car’s safety aspect is already covered.
Bob’s had many great times in the Chevelle over the years, but counts last year’s NMCA Super Bowl race at Route 66 Raceway, and the most recent Halloween race at Norwalk as two of his highlights.
So what does Bob hope the car runs when the snow melts around his Illinois locale? He’ll be looking for 9.20s. “That’s exactly where I want to be.”
Michael brings years of automotive writing experience to the table, with his unbridled love for late-model Mustangs and classic American iron seeping through his pores.
