We attended this year’s 2020 Detroit Autorama to interview some of the car owners and builders. One of the classic car enthusiasts we had the pleasure to chat with is Kevin. Kevin is the proud owner of a 1964 Chevelle Wagon. This custom beast has a rebuilt posi-rear end, new transmission, and a small block 350 engine bored .30 over.
Watch our interview with Kevin as he tells us a little about his beautiful black wagon and the history behind it.
Interview Transcription:
Rick: This is Rick Drewry with Classic Auto Insurance. I’m here at Detroit Autorama 2020. Ran into Kevin here with this awesome 1964 Chevelle Wagon. Tell me a little bit about the car, how long have you had it?
Kevin: I’ve had about 14 years now.
Rick: Was it in this shape when you got it?
Kevin: No, the body wasn’t anything like that. And I had to redo a little bit of the interior. I re-did the motor, put a new motor in it, new trans, four wheel disc brakes all around, rebuilt the rear end, switched it over to posi-rear end, put a taller, bigger gear in it, a 350 gear.
Rick: You drive it a lot? Put the miles on?
Kevin: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. I put about 1,000, 1,500 miles a year on it.
Rick: Awesome. That works.
Kevin: Go to car shows, cruise nights and stuff like that.
Rick: Yeah. With something like that, you can haul your friends around, your family, everybody.
Kevin: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. All your gear and everything like that. Your pop up canopies, your chairs and stuff like that, cooler.
Rick: Yeah. That makes it fun. Makes it fun.
Kevin: Oh yeah.
Rick: Tell me a little about the engine. A small block Chevy?
Kevin: Yeah. It’s a small block Chevy. It’s a 350, been bored out, 30-O. 355 built by Chuck’s Engines in Westland Michigan. It’s my girlfriend shop. I won it at a car show and everything like that, they donated it and I happened to win it.
Rick: You got to use it.
Kevin: Oh yeah. Oh for sure. And stuff like that.
Rick: Did you have a lot of problems with the body or was it in pretty good shape?
Kevin: The body was in pretty good shape. And the paint was like this and stuff like that. It’s only got 59,000 original miles on it.
Rick: Really?
Kevin: Freshened up the paint and everything like that. And then I got it and did some more to the interior and stuff like that. Cleaned it all up. And when I was standing in it, I’m like, oh man, this is great. I had to snag it up.
Rick: You don’t see a whole lot of the 64s or 65 Chevelle wagons out there. You always been a wagon kind of guy?
Kevin: No, before this, I had a 66 Chevelle Super Sport. Just a coupe. And I had that for 25 years. And then I started wanting something different and I started seeing wagons and stuff. I really liked them. Used to have one when we were kids, one of my parents were riding around in them and stuff, delivering news.
Rick: That was the SUV back then.
Kevin: Oh yeah, delivering newspapers and Sears and Roebuck catalogs, Montgomery Wards and stuff like that.
Rick: To me, I love wagons and you just don’t see them around as much, especially the Chevelles. No, this is awesome, awesome. Is this your first time here in Detroit?
Kevin: Downstairs here. I’ve had it upstairs a couple of times up there and stuff like that.
Rick: You like it down in the basement?
Kevin: Oh yeah. It’s good. Oh yeah. Oh yeah.
Rick: Very cool car. Hope you keep putting more and more miles on it, enjoying it.
Kevin: Thank you very much.
Rick: Thanks for talking to me.
Kevin: Nice meeting you. Nice talking to you. Thank you.
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