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1969 Chevelle "SS496"
The complete 1969 Chevelle Weblog series. Here you'll find all of our weblogs relating to the complete transformation of this 1969 Chvelle SS496 convertible. These blogs are supplimental content to the V8TV television episodes. We tend to put the really detialed stuff in the TV show, and give you a "behind the scenes" look at what we're doing with these short blogs. Some are fairly large files, so please be patient if they don't start right away.
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 So what do you do when you can't get the alignment right on your GM "A" body musclecar? If your new tires tip inward at the top even with no alignment shims, perhaps you need to get some offset upper control arm shafts like these from Global West.
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 The SS496 Chevelle project is still in the shop, but its completion is coming soon. Today we addressed a few minor details that popped up after the initial SEMA build thrash, namely a leaking power steering pump reservoir and chasing a bizarre missing ground in the dash. When we saw we could dim the high beams with the dash gauge dimmer, we knew we had a problem. Luckily, that's all fixed now. We still have to get the convertible top installed and do a wheel alignment, but this monster is almost ready for the road!
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 Everyone uses ARP fasteners, but to they ever tell you WHY? We realized that the first 30 pages of the ARP catalog are loaded with tech and info on everything you could want to know about fasteners and how they're measured, rated, and tested.
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 We've finally gotten back into the groove after the hectic SEMA show, so now we're finishig detials left undone before SEMA. Tonight, we installed the SPAL dual 12" electric fans (PN 30102130) and their 185 Fan Relay Harness. The fans pull huge amounts of air, and the innovative shroud has little flappers to allow natrually occuring high-pressure air to flow thorough the radiator core at highway speeds. At low speeds, they close and let the fans do their job. The 185 Fan Harness incorporates a thermal switch to sense the coolant temp and turn the fans on at 185 degrees farenheit, and off again at 165. The power runs through a pair of relays to keep the fans happy. We break away in this video to chat with a SPAL rep at SEMA to learn about what sets SPAL apart from the competition.
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 We've got the Chevelle SS496 loaded up and headed for Vegas... now we just have to get there safely!
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 After a seemingly endless process, the SS496 is finally unveiled at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada! Stay tuned to V8TVshow.com for updates from SEMA all week!
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 Here's the list of manufacturers whose products are found on the 1969 Chevelle SS496!
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 Our goal was to complete the SS496 for the 2007 SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV beginning in the last week of October. Well, we're happy to say that the SS496 is locked and loaded in the trailer ready to make the trip. Today we finished tons of little details, and we finally have a running, driving, stopping, honest-to-goodness car. It's looking fantastic, and we're excited to bring it out! We'd like to extend a huge THANKS to everyone who helped in this project in any way. We couldn't have done it without you. We're not finished with the car yet, though... Stay tuned to V8TVshow.com for more coverage on the SS496 at the track and on the street! Also, we're bringing you all the coolest cars from the SEMA show all week!
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 It's getting late, but the SS496 Chevelle has come alive! After adding all the Royal Purple fluids and double checking the whole works, the big 496 stroker motor rumbled to life! It sounds wicked through the Hooker headers and Magnaflow pipes, and we can't wait to take this thing for a rip down the strip! We've got 1 day left to bleed the brakes, finish some wiring, and install the rest of the interior. The thrash continues!
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 We've been working on this car for almost a year, and now we're down to the last 36 hours before we load it on the trailer and haul it to Las Vegas for the 2007 SEMA show. It's almost ready, but we're still tackling details. We fixed the spring situation with the help of OPGI, and we hope to fire the engine later tonight!
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 The sound of a muscle car is half the attraction, and tonight, Scott Guehne began installing the 2 1/2 inch stainless exhaust kit from Magnaflow. Magnaflow systems are nice because they are pre-bent for the car, all mandrel bent, stainless steel, and they utilize cool clamps and hardware to make the install easy.
Later, Kelle gives you tips on how to occupy children with sharp objects... DISCLAIMER - don't try this at home!
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 Tonight, Kelle make progress on the interior, John mounted the side trim on the car, Kevin added more detials to the engine, and we honor Gene Kranz, a great American and inspiration to us all.
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 Here's the wiring for the headlight relays and how they all work. There isn't that much wiring to do on this car, and it's almost finished!
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 More front end items went on today - the grille, trim, bumper... lots of resto items from Original Parts Group, Inc. They've got tons of parts for GM "A" bodies, and we're happy they've had what we need in stock. OPGI also had a new set of the original style valve covers for this car, seeing that we dented up a set "clearancing" the rocker arms. We also installed the trick headlights from Musclerodz. These are 9007 bulb new-style glass lenses with a headlight relay kit. Cool stuff. More to come!
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 The wiring process has started on the SS496. Kelle is installing a reproduction harness from American Autowire, and it seems to be going well. The AAW harness is completely correct for the car, and Kelle started by installing the wires on the dashboard and then installing the dash unit into the car.
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 We've cleared another hurdle with the SS496 project - the engine, transmission, and driveshaft are all installed in the car! We still are not 100% sure about our hood clearance issue, and the Hooker Super Comp headers needed a little massaging to fit, but at least it's all in the car. We bolted the 496 in the car, then installed the Turbo 400 tramsmission to the TCI SFI-spec felxplate and the TCI Breakaway torque converter. The Breakaway offers a 2400 RPM stall to deliver a good launch and decent highway cruising. We were considering a lower stall converter seeing that this car makes alot of torque at a low RPM, but we'll see how it feels on the street. We may be going through tires often! The header flanges on the head side were contacting the taller-than-stock ARP head bolts, so a little grinding was in order. Other than that, the ceramic-coated tubes look great. We also received the 17x8" V40 wheels from Vintage Wheel Works... these are awesome! Vintage Wheel Works builds some fantastic looking wheels, and the 2-piece V40 has the perfect look for this car... nostalgic and aggressive without too much flash. Wheels make a car, and these really kicked the SS496 up a notch. Stopping this big ragtop is being helped by a Hydratech Hydroboost system, which we installed and plumbed today.
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 New-style lighting not only looks great, it helps keep your car safe. This time, we're starting the install of several high-tech lighting products on the SS496 with the taillights. These are called Digi-Tails from Spaghetti Engineering, and they're LED lights that sequence or light up traditionally. You can see a demo video of these here . We also painted the engine Poppy Red, the original Chevy engine orange color to lend a stealth appearance to the SS496.
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 We had the 496 Engine shipped to our shop from Fast Times Motorworks, and now we're starting to transform it to look like it belongs in a 1969 Chevelle.
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 The final assembly begins on the SS496. This time, the convertible top mechanism went in, some trim, rear bumper... there's alot to do. The wiring job, engine install, and brake system are all up next. These are the days that turn into long nights... 11 days to go!
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 The moment of truth... the SS496's big block Chevy engine finally came to life on the Fast Times dyno! The Lunati reciprocating assembly under Holley heads and intake fired by an MSD Digital E-Curve Distributor spun it's way to over 550 HP and 572 Ft. Lbs. of torque at just 4400 RPM, and it idles smoothly at 750 RPM. The 150 HP NOS Nitrous shot will push this motor right up to the 700 HP mark on the track. The torque comes in bigtime and low in the rpm range producing a nice, big, flat torque curve that is going to be great fun to drive!
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 The 496 Big Block Chevy for the SS496 Chevelle is taking shape - which means the crew at Fast Times Motorworks literally had to change the shape of a few things to make it all match perfectly. They chose to mill the intake slightly to match the ports precicely, the trick Lunait rocker arms were machined to fit under extrememly short stock valve covers... little things that take time but make big differences. We'll hit the dyno later today!
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