Frame Up Built Chevelle SS 350 V8 700R4 Pro Touring

What happens when you buy an award winning muscle car from RK Motors Charlotte and then sink another $20K into it? You get a spectacular looking street machine that will run with the best modern performance cars on the road! When this slick 1965 Chevelle left our showroom less than a year ago, it was fresh out of a high dollar, high quality restoration. In traditional car guy fashion, the new owner tirelessly built and tweaked on the car until it fit his vision of the perfect hot rod. The result is a classic Chevrolet design with a rock solid powertrain that is probably one of the nicest and most desirable first generation Chevelles on the planet.

Painted in an awesome coat of Lexus Ruby Red Pearl, this car exhibits $30K of expert bodywork that perfectly emphasizes its natural curves and shapes. The Ruby Red Pearl is one of those colors that seems to change as you move around it and tends to run the spectrum from bright red to almost black. Naturally, if you use a color like this, the bodywork had better be top notch. If it's not, you'll be able to see every little wave and ripple which will quickly turn a great idea into a horrible embarrassment. Fortunately, the guys who put this one together were on top of things. The body is uniformly excellent throughout and the car presents better than it did straight off the factory floor.

Finished as a Super Sport, this Chevelle is a stunner from every angle. Up front, a pristine stainless grille houses four clear and bright headlights above a show worthy chrome bumper. Above the grille a subtle shark fin hood ornament flows into traditional center trim on the car's hood to provide a fitting retro feel. At the top of the car, all new tinted glass is complemented by like-new stainless trim, mirror-like stainless wipers and straight chrome drip rail moldings. At the sides of the car, new stainless wheel well trim combines with traditional chrome door handles and chrome bowtie mirrors to add some brightness to the deep red paint. At the back of the car, excellent looking traditional rear valence trim features a cool textured design and houses perfectly clear tail lights above a second show worthy chrome bumper. While this car is definitely a product of the 60s, the restrained use of brightwork makes for a very cool looking custom that is both appealing and modern.

Much of the money spent by the most recent owner centered on the performance of the car. Under the hood, a proven Chevrolet 350 GM crate motor has received substantial upgrades and now dynos at 410 horsepower. For comparisons sake, that's MORE power than a new L99 Camaro Super Sport makes! Air and fuel are supplied by a chrome breather that holds a reusable filter element and a new Holley carburetor that's fed by an Edelbrock fuel pump and operated by a Lokar throttle cable. Below that carburetor, a chrome intake manifold sits between two new Edelbrock aluminum heads that feature new roller rockers and chrome valve covers and tie downs that feature the same “Chevrolet” script as the air cleaner. Below the intake, a new Competition Camshaft opens and closes the valves while ceramic coated Hedman headers make quick work of the exhaust. Ignition is handled by a new American Autowire harness that sends power to a Mallory HEI distributor which is topped with 8mm MSD Super Conductor wires. Cooling is handled by a Be Cool aluminum radiator that is equipped with polished flex hoses, a billet overflow tank and a pair of electric fans. All of this performance goodness is neatly bolted into a great looking satin black engine bay that includes a polished billet accessory drive, a chrome alternator, a chrome AC compressor and braided hoses that handle virtually all of the cars fluids.

Behind the motor the cars modern 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission now benefits from both a new B&M shift kit and SuperCooler, and the cars tried and true 10 bolt rear end still holds highway friendly 3.31 gears. But the real story is the new hardware that holds the car off the ground. In keeping with the theme of upgrading the cars mechanicals to match its killer good looks, the most recent owner funneled a lot of time and money into better handling and braking. A Detroit Speed 'Speed 2' kit was purchased which includes tubular upper and lower control arms for the car's double A-arm front suspension, forged 2 inch drop spindles, four aluminum bodied shock absorbers with Detroit Speed specific valving, tuned coil over springs that provide ride height adjustment, and front and rear sway bars. Up front, a new stainless power steering pump feeds a new steering box through braided hoses and out back, the car was further enhanced by a swivel link rear suspension and chassis brace. Braking is provided by a complete Wilwood system that includes four piston calipers, braided hoses, new stainless brake lines and 12 inch cross drilled rotors, and exhaust flows from the long tube headers to dual chambered Flowmaster mufflers and exits through stainless tips under the rear quarters. Keeping the car attached to the ground is a set of sticky 235/45 Nitto Extreme ZR radials that are mounted to gorgeous 17 inch Boyd Coddington wheels.

The interior of this car will absolutely blow you away! The custom blend of top quality two-tone fawn leather and classic 1965 Chevrolet design is nothing short of amazing. The Ididit polished steering column still sports a traditional column shifter and the custom steering wheel design matches the road wheels exactly. Dakota Digital gauges have been nestled into the original dashboard next to controls for a Vintage Air HVAC system and an upgraded Custom Autosound radio with a trunk-mounted CD changer. In the kick panels you'll find great sounding Custom Autosound speakers, and in the package tray you'll find two awesome 6x9 Alpines. The door panels, headliner and carpet have all been custom sewn to match the original equipment, just with an updated color palette, and a set of slick billet pedals has been installed to match the Ididit column. The trunk has been expertly finished by the guys at the RK Motors Charlotte trim shop in the same two-tone leather as the interior, and permits access to the CD changer and amplifier for the entertainment system.

This car comes with a ton of documentation from both its original restoration and the recent build. We have the original owner's manual and warranty booklets, the cars original Protect-O-Plate, build manuals, a binder of restoration photos, paperwork for all of the engine components installed, paperwork for all of the interior components installed, a big stack of restoration and customization receipts and the 4th place plaque it won at the 2009 Detroit Autorama.

With a brand new high performance suspension kit and an impressive power increase, this '65 Chevelle has easy highway manners and drives with an unbeatable performance swagger. The amount of time and effort required to build a car at this level is substantial, and it's exactly the kind of car you can look at for hours and keep discovering something new to appreciate. If you're in the market for a powerful, well-sorted muscle car that is spectacular in every way, this awesome Chevrolet should be at the top of your list. Call now!