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The breathtaking 1969 Chevelle owned by Greg and Donna Jones of Las Vegas Nevada is pretty well known in the local hot rodding scene for good reason. For not only is this one of the finest show cars that you may ever see at any event, it’s also often sighted on local roads as the car is street driven for special occasions. Its latest public appearance was at Super Run 2012 in Henderson Nevada where it won the Award sponsored by the famed Boulder Choppers.
Although the Chevelle is often seen on the local roads, it is definitely not a daily driver! Repairing parking lot dings on this beauty requires much more specialized craftsmanship than using a kit advertised on late-night TV.
Dazzling appearance of the big-block Chevy engine is matched by the power that it produces. Dyno testing registered 1,083 h.p. Boyd's wheels and M/T rubber all around keep the Chevelle attached to the ground.
The Jones’ Chevelle is powered fully prepared Rat motor topped with an 8-71 blower and fuel injection. Dyno testing recorded an amazing 1083 hp on racing gas. A specially built Turbo 400 receives all that power through a Hughes 2800 rpm stall speed torque converter. Aerospace disc brakes with 4-piston calipers front & rear provide the stopping power. The go and the whoa are both applied to the pavement via Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires that wrap around Boyd Coddington Crown Jewel wheels.
Although the passenger cabin of the Chevelle is industrial in design, finish and detail are not overlooked. Functional interior is far from luxurious but does provides a modicum of comfort for the inhabitants.
Interior design is all business and few frills. The polished, hand-made dash and center console replace the stock items. Large easy-to-read gages are strategically placed to allow the driver to monitor what is going on in the power plant. Control switches for all onboard systems are at the driver’s fingertips for instant use. Bucket seats are aesthetically pleasing and provide adequate comfort for the driver and passenger. Rear seats are pointless as the full roll cage prevents human access to the area behind the front seats.
“Burple” is the name of the color sprayed on the car and is used for all painted surfaces. However the color that you see depends on how the light hits the paint at any given time. Badging and competition stripes were expertly and artistically airbrushed back in their original locations to add to the panache of the muscle car era from whence it came.
The front and rear bumpers are now incorporated into the bodywork and all body seams have been filled and smoothed. All emblems, door handles exterior mirrors and any other protruding bodywork were removed to achieve a smooth silhouette. Headlights peer through from behind a custom front grill that extends across the entire front of the Chevelle. Tail lights have been moved from their stock location and redesigned to disappear into the rear bumper area. Extreme modifications to the hood were required to accommodate the supercharger.
As good as they are, there isn't a street tire made that can harness this kind of horsepower to the ground. It would be fun to discover what this magnificent monster could do when fully prepared for racing.
You may be surprised to learn that this glorious combination of beauty and power has not made a run at a drag strip. That’s because this beautiful beast is not fully loaded with the safety equipment the local track requires for a car with the Chevelle’s potential. That’s unfortunate because it would be fun to know how well the Jones’ hot rod would perform in a racing environment. Then again, bad things can happen very quickly even with the best of safety gear. Better safe than sorry!
