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This 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air bubbletop stands out on looks alone, but it’s just as much what’s under the car that makes it worth a second look. The owner of this car, Ray Kelsey of Fremont, California, has made a few changes that really help this car stand out.
A trailer hitch on a '62 Belair hardtop? Not something you see at every show! And when have you ever seen a C4 IRS in a 1962 Bubbletop?
This car started life a simple, six-cylinder, automatic car with a few unusual options for the Bel Air trim level. “It’s very rare for a Bel Air to have the 6-way power seats and power windows,” Ray explained. Ray wanted something a little more than six-speed automatic power, so he added MSD ignition, a complete C4 suspension, Corvette 2.52:1 rearend, a big-block engine, and a Richmond 5-speed transmission.
The big-block engine it once had resting between it’s fenders has since been replaced with something a bit less commonplace. Although a 409 cubic-inch motor itself isn’t all that unusual, the fact that Ray stumbled across a legitimate, zero miles, new-old-stock 409 cubic-inch engine is something else entirely.
That’s right, this is the motor that came to ray with zero miles on it. If only we could be so lucky!
According to the numbers on the block, this particular engine was built on the last day of GM 409 production on Friday, February 12th, 1965. The motor was donated by GM to a shop teacher and was delivered without a distributor or carburetor. It ended up sitting in a corner for 45 years until the teacher retired and was allowed to purchase it from the school. He held onto it until Ray purchased it for use in his car in 2013.
“We freshened it up to where it is a really nice running motor,” Ray told us. “A friend of mine actually collects these and wanted it to make a coffee table.” Ray opted to make use of the long-dormant engine rather than let it go to waste sitting in someone’s living room. A find like that is only NOS one time, and what a shame it would have been to let that motor sit quiet forever. Instead, it’s being used as GM intended and has just north of 2,500 miles on it.
“It’s not a hot rod, just a nice cruiser,” Ray told us. We love what Ray has done to his car. A nice cruiser like this is always a treat to see at a car show. If you want to see your car as one of our Street Features along side cars like Ray’s, just send us an email. We’d love to see what your drivng.
