Tom Mullally wanted a head-turning customized Musclecar, but he wanted something that still retained the flavor of the original car. He ended up talking to John Wargo at The Custom Shop to get some ideas on how to make his dream car come to life.
The first step for Wargo and the Custom Shop crew was to perform a complete restoration on the car, including a completely detailed undercarriage. Instead of going the concourse correct route, they painted, polished, and smoothed all the mechanicals under the car. Wargo body worked the underside of the Chevelle’s floor to make it shine like the topside. A restored frame, painted control arms, stainless exhaust, and a full Chevelle SS suspension package round out the highlights under the car.
Back on top, Wargo wanted to add some pizzazz without destroying the lines of an original Chevelle SS. The car was repainted GM Torch Red, which is one of the most intense reds you can spray on a car. Notice the factory-dimension SS stripes on the hood and deck lid – Wargo shot a ghost checkerboard into the deep pearl white to enhance the look of the car. Another interesting feature is the fully functional original cowl induction scoop. These original details stand out against the custom paint for a unique resto-mod appearance.
Wargo chose a set of Billet Specialties 17” wheels and BFGoodrich tires, and the brakes have all been upgraded to Wilwood discs. This Chevelle holds the road thanks to oversize front and read sway bars, lowered springs, and high-performance suspension and body bushings.
The interior was restored to like-new condition using seat covers from the Original Parts Group, as well as a complete set of new reproduction gauges. Another subtle upgrade is the Hurst T-handle shifter peeking out of the original console. A trio of armored switches in the dash trigger things like the electric fuel pump.
All the original style trim is still on the car, although some has been replated or replaced by new parts. Rather than paint the trim, all the originally plated pieces retain their chrome brilliance. This car owes its crisp appearance to the availability of high quality reproduction trim. The one piece that is most intriguing is the custom “SS 572” badge on the fender… a small piece of jewelry hinting at the biggest modification on this car – the GM Performance Parts ZZ572 Crate Motor under the hood.
Cranking out 620 Horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, the ZZ572 is GM’s most powerful street motor. This one is topped with a Demon 850 CFM carburetor, and it’s 9.6:1 compression ratio means it can still be street driven on high-octane pump gas. Carrying the details into the engine bay, Wargo bent stainless steel tubing for the coolant lines, installed a billet serpentine drive system, and finished the valve covers in matching Torch Red complete with their own ghost checker just like the hood and deck lid. Gone are the semi-flat painted brackets and inner fenders… a plated master cylinder reflects its shiny red surroundings.
Mullally likes the statement his Chevelle makes… it’s bright and loud with tons of power, but he can bring it back to stock if he wants to. But we’re pretty sure he’s having too much fun with all that power to even think of it.
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