Heavy Chevys For A Suba-Dude: Members’ Rides

Welcome to Members’ Rides! Last week, we all had the wonderful opportunity to drool over Bram’s fantastic European cars, most especially his beautiful, restored Citroen DS. Everyone knows the DS is one of the most beautiful cars ever made, and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to show it off for Bram.

Members’ Rides is where we share the cars and stories of Autopian Members. The potential to be featured here is a perk for Autopian Members of every level, from the ultra-affordable “Cloth” tier all the way up to “Rich Corinthian Leather.” Click that link and join today!

It’s always interesting seeing what sorts of cars people are into. Some people are all about the Japanese sports cars, some would never consider anything that wasn’t European. Yet others are all about the classic muscle cars. Personally, I’ve had a bit of everything, but I’ve generally stuck to weird 90s cars. Today’s featured Autopian member has a truly diverse garage. Meet Tom (VortecMalibu), Tom helps run the family insurance brokerage up in Ontario, Canada.

How did you get into cars?

I was raised by a gearhead dad, it’s in my blood. I helped him restore a ’68 Camaro before I could drive. Born into the bowtie!

What’s currently in the garage?

• 1969 Chevy Chevelle
• 1975 Chevy C10
• 2024 Subaru WRX RS

What’s the story behind the Chevelle?

I bought the Chevelle when I was 18 (I just turned 36). I had seen a few different Chevelle sedans that piqued my interest in getting something older. Dad was a Camaro guy and had a 67 RS when he was in high school, then bought a ’68 RS coupe when I was 12/13, so old Chevys quickly became an interest to me. My dad learned of this car via some connections at work. Once I saw it, I ended up buying it from the grandson of the original owner. I had looked at 65, 66, and 72 Chevelle sedans, but it was pretty surreal to end up with a 69 coupe.

You mentioned an engine swap. What did it have in it?

The car was a 250 with a Powerglide two-speed auto. I still have this drivetrain around, and I have thought about trying to build it up as a hot rod motor for the C10.

And what did you put in it?

The car is now a basic GM 350 crate engine I tuned up with Vortec heads, aluminum intake, cam, headers, and Holley Sniper EFI with a ratchet-shifted 3-speed TH350. Pretty typical small block Chevelle.

Did it have issues, or did you just want an upgrade?

Years of watching Roadkill and an Itch to Wrench lead to the swap. I do get the odd regret swapping out the drivetrain since it was a pretty unique, but I can’t deny it is a ton more fun now! We swapped it in 2018.

What kind of condition is it in? 

We were lucky the original owner was determined to get the car undercoated each winter when it was new, so the body itself is in great shape. The first winter we had it, we put it up on jackstands and cleaned the underside with scrapers. The car has been painted once; it was originally Fathom Green but is now a C4 Corvette green, I believe.

What else have you modified or added over the years?

The interior also needed very little work, I’ve done an aftermarket GM-style wood steering, carpet, and headrest covers. I have done body bushings and rear control arms and installed a rear sway bar. I have also installed the steering box from a late 90s Jeep Grand Cherokee, which looks identical externally but offers a much less floaty steering feel. One winter, I got pretty picky about trying to get the EFI system wiring routed as cleanly as possible, which I think turned out well.

What are the plans for it?

The front suspension could stand to be rebuilt as it’s all original, and the car just crossed 70,000 miles. I wouldn’t be opposed to going to a 4-speed auto with overdrive, but I have a hard time justifying the time and expense for a car I rarely leave the local area with. I currently have no plans to part with the car and want to pass it along to my boys.

How often do you get to drive this?

These days, I drive it to work five minutes across town a few times a month, or I’ll get it out for a 30-minute tour on the weekend. I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old, which limits my time to drive it or work on it, but eventually that will get easier. My brother and I took it for a leg of the power tour in 2014 when it was still a 6- 6-cylinder and covered 1,300 miles in four days, which was fun. I’d like to eventually cover more ground with it and do some events out of town.

What’s your favorite thing about this?

The exhaust sounds great and is pretty loud. It’s always turning heads, which is a lot of fun.

Least favorite?

Fuel economy will always be an issue, but I’ll never complain about having the privilege of putting gas in the thing.

How did you come by the truck?

This one was a COVID project of sorts. We found on Kijiji, it was $4,000 and on the other side of the province. We had a 17-hour day driving over to get a borrowed car trailer. My wife had wanted a truck, but mandated it had to be a manual. The price was right, and it met her stipulations, so we thought, “why not?” I’ve also always preferred the ’73-’79 square-body front end, so we were both keen on it.  It had been sitting stored in a barn for 20 years or so and wasn’t running when we got it. A new set of plugs once we got home, and it fired right up. We call it Fred since that was the prior owner’s name and he left his Fred keychain on the keys.

Do you use it to do truck things, or is it a nice show car?

It’s sort of a mixture of work truck/cruiser, but something we take pride in keeping nice. It could likely stand to be taken offline for a year and gone through, and I hope to get to that eventually. We’ve gotten the seat recovered with Scottish tartan, installed new vinyl flooring, and a Hurst 3-speed conversion floor shifter since the three-on-the-tree was giving us issues. I really like the combo of the KO2s with the 17-inch rally wheel combo, I think it’s the perfect look for the truck. With the rallys and floor shifter, my brother said it should be called the Fred/28.

What are the plans for it?

I do have a used replacement box floor for it since the current one has a rust hole and some farmer fixes. I don’t really have much else in mind for it other than trying to clean and paint the engine bay etc as I can.

Is it in pretty good shape, or what’s the status on it?

The prior owner had a cheap paint job done before he stored it so it’s pretty presentable, like a good five-footer.  I think eventually it could stand to get a nicer paint job, but it’s pretty low on the priority list, and it’s nice to not have to worry about scratches. I’ve ended up using some of the shine-juice type products on the paint, which looks pretty decent.

Any plans for engine swaps or anything here?

Nothing planned here, I do have the 250 out of the 69 as I mentioned, I could build up for a little more power, but the current set-up works so well, I would hate to mess with success. A four or five-speed swap could also be fun, but the 3-speed just works so well.

What’s the best thing about this truck?

I love driving this thing, I can see why people love square bodies so much. It feels like the perfect amount of truck. It’s funny – people like the Chevelle and give it a thumbs-up etc, but the truck always seems to get more attention and people wanting to chat.

Now what’s the WRX story?

This is my all-season daily driver. Living in southwest Ontario, we get lots of lake effect snow so something with AWD was important to me. I started with a 2010 2.5i Impreza, which got some mod,s and then I went to a 2016 WRX and now this. I’ve learned I am better off not modding the daily drivers and putting that focus into the Chevys.

Which is more fun, this or the Chevelle?

Both are very different types of fun. I think the Chevelle sounds fast, but isn’t actually moving that quick versus the WRX, which can be fast and a little more subtle about it. It’s a funny contrast between the vinyl bench seat and Recaros.

What made you upgrade to this from the ’16?

This wasn’t the most logical financial decision of mine, but this was the last ’24 on the lot, and I was happy with the price. I had heard about all the improvements with the VB chassis, and I made the jump. I’d like to think I will keep this one long term as finding a stick AWD sedan is going to become a challenge. I’ve gathered that these cars make more sense in Canada as far as MSRP, because the list price is similar between CAD and USD, which means that with the exchange rate, it’s a much better deal in Canada.

Have you always liked imports as well as muscle cars?

I grew up around Fast and Furious and Need for Speed obviously, but I think I just liked all cars in general. I’ve never really understood people who remain steadfast in one camp of cars, as you miss out on so much variety available.

How did you get into WRXs?

The Impreza was my first new car, and I thought the boxer motor was neat and really liked the aspect of having a car with a stick and AWD. Obviously, the WRX became the object of desire! While I wish they continued to offer a hatch with the VA chassis, my 2016 was a great upgrade.

Why is this the ideal commuter car?

It isn’t really, haha. I don’t really track the mileage, but I don’t think it’s great. It also rides rough on the factory 19s. None of that really matters, though, because it makes me smile. It’s fun driving something that stands out day to day.

Any mods on it currently, or plans for them?

I do have some gold Plasti-Dip type paint for the wheels since I don’t want to bother finding aftermarket 19s. I also have a “F1” brake light for the rear bumper to install and some shifter mods. Not much otherwise as it stands. I do think eventually a slightly more aggressive axle-back exhaust could be fun, but I’m in no rush.

Thanks Tom!

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