The Southsider Voice
Visit us at these places!
  • Home
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • Sports
    • Car Nutz
    • Stilley Goes Trackside
    • Southside Deaths
    • Personal Recollections
    • Reminiscing
  • About the Voice
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Newspaper Archive
  • Classifieds

Cruising in a Chevelle convertible

11/11/2015

0 Comments

 
By Brett Hickman

​Cruising in a late 1960s hot rod is as much a treat today as it was back in the day. And there’s nothing like cruising in a convertible with the wind in your hair on a sunny day. 

Phil Suiters puts a capital C in cruising with his 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396 convertible. And this car is just as “cherry” as the paint color it sports.

He had his Chevelle on display at the Southport Car Show and allowed me to sit down with him and talk about his classic hot rod. Phil has owned it for six years and put a lot of hard work and money into bringing this car back to near-stock appearance. And with a stock engine it would be a mean car. 

But this Chevelle is wicked, as the 396 Chevy engine – bored .30 over – is anything but stock. The double-pumping four-barrel carburetor feeds gasoline through a Weiand aluminum intake. 

Phil removed the stock Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission and replaced it with an automatic TurboHydramatic 350. All that raw horsepower is delivered to a Posi-Track rear end that Phil installed. Headers and a full dual exhaust gives the car a throaty rumble that just begs to be opened up. Phil also installed front disc brakes for the 15-inch aftermarket chrome wheels. The entire front suspension has been redone.

Upon purchasing the car, Phil discovered that many aftermarket additions had been made to the car’s interior. And he wanted to return the car back to its stock appearance. He reupholstered the leather front bucket seats and rear bench seat. He removed the digital dashboard and replaced it with an authentic and working stock dashboard and controls.
​
Phil’s Chevelle is immaculate inside and out. It’s truly hard to comprehend that this car is 48 years old. The time, labor and money that he has invested ensures that this classic hot rod will be prowling the streets for a long time to come.
0 Comments

Cruising in a Ford GT

11/4/2015

0 Comments

 
By Bill Thorpe

The Ford GT40 was built as an act of revenge directed at Enzo Ferrari by Henry Ford II after a deal to sell the Italian motor company to Ford ended in an 11th-hour veto by Ferrari, who considered Ford to be a second-rate company. 

Mr. Ford decided to hurt Ferrari where it mattered the most – beating his race teams at the prestigious 24 hours of Le Mans, where Ferrari cars had dominated for years. 

Carroll Shelby was charged with Ford’s racing program in 1965. GT40s finished first, second and third in the 1966 race. They continued their winning streak for an additional three years as Ford defeated Ferrari in the 24-hour endurance races throughout Europe.

At a 2002 auto show, Ford introduced a GT concept car, which was an immediate hit with the press and auto enthusiasts worldwide. The car was taller, wider and similar in appearance to the GT40s of the 1960s. 

Ford finally produced the car for sale to the public in 2005-06. At $149,995 a copy, limited production numbers and frequently added dealer surcharges, the car was difficult to acquire by most buyers. Production was limited to 4,038.

Terry Hankins of Fountaintown, Ind., purchased his GT at Capital City Ford in 2005. He is proud to point out that there are “no cup holders or cruise controls on this baby!” His car boosts 712 horsepower and is a 5.4 liter rear-engined supercharged six-speed, capable of 131 mph timed in an 11-second quarter-mile run. He enjoys car shows and cruise-ins, where “we can all enjoy our cars together.”
​
Until next time, happy cruising!
0 Comments
    Picture
    Car Nutz Contributors
    Picture

    Brett Hickman

    Picture

    Bill Thorpe

    Picture

    Big Dan Pfeiffer

    Archives

    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

 DROP OFF: The Toy Drop 6025 Madison Ave., Suite D
Indianapolis, IN  46227  |  317-781-0023
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 17187, Indianapolis, IN 46217

ads@southsidervoice.com | news@southsidervoice.com
Website by IndyTeleData, Inc.