1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS - Numbers Matching?
Numbers Matching? We Don't Think So!
Kevin Goddard is not the kind of guy who wants a numbers-matching car. Neither is he the type to take a very nice numbers-matching piece, and modify it, which makes him a friend to purists and restorers alike. When he found this very nice '70 SS (not numbers matching), it belonged to a police officer who was selling it to finish building a house. Kevin, who is in construction, certainly understood that dilemma, so he paid a fair price, and drove this nice car home.
The Chevelle already had a new interior, and new sheetmetal, so it could have been a good driver for a while, but no! Goddard picked the car up on Friday, and by Sunday it was completely disassembled. On Monday, Kevin ordered the motor, trans, and other drivetrain components, and went to work on the rest of the Bowtie. When you want a musclecar, and you want it now, there's no time to mess around.
Making it a family deal, Goddard and his sons, Keith and Matthew, did the teardown, sandblasted and smoothed the frame, and put the car together as parts arrived. The GM Performance Parts RamJet 502 took about six weeks to arrive, but there was plenty to do while they waited. The Goodards got valuable help from brother-in-law Milton Shows, and friend Mike Brawner on the car's paint and bodywork.
What's really interesting is we see very few builders put nitrous on a 502 crate motor, and then have an Air Ride suspension. It's a great combination and mates the best in power with great ride and handling.
The Goodards preserved a lot of the original Chevelle features. The interior is stock, and the factory shifter was attached to the 700R4 with a Shiftworks adapter. The exterior is stock with the exception of the 17-inch Cragars, and the PPG Black paint with silver SS stripes.
There's a lot to discover when you dig a bit under the surface of this car-just don't go looking for matching numbers.
