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Using it at the time as a summer daily driver, Schmidt's time
with the car was brief. "We won't get into the story,
but I was young and foolish and I managed to wreck the car,"
he recalled somberly.
Schmidt wasn't looking for redemption when he and his wife,
Leanne, went looking at Camaros and Chevelles to fix up back
in 1994. Instead they were looking for a family project that
could be mutually enjoyed along with his father-in-law Al
Bodnarchuk who was in the process of restoring a 1932 Ford.
After a short search they ended up finding an excellent specimen
in North Kildonan, a 1967 Chevrolet Malibu SS. Starting in
1964, the Malibu designation was given by Chevrolet to their
top series models in the Chevelle line. The 1967 Chevelle
sported a number of new improvements as the muscle cars wars
started to heat up.
Front disc brakes, 14-inch slotted wheels and the three-speed
Turbo Hydramatic transmission all made their debut. The vehicle
retained the standard 396-cid V-8 engine, producing 325 horsepower,
while the optional L34 engine actually saw a reduction in
horsepower in order to comply with General Motors new corporate
mandate of having a maximum of one base horsepower per 10
lbs of curb weight in everything except for the Corvette.
"It was in real good shape," Schmidt recalled.
"I drove it for about four months before I took it apart
and did a five-year restoration on it." Once apart and
on the rotisserie Schmidt opted to discard the original white
body paint that contrasted its black vinyl top. In its place
Schmidt selected a choke cherry black, a black that brings
out hints of purple and blue in the sunshine.
Next he swapped out the stock motor with a crate motor fresh
from the assembly line. With aluminum heads and 350-cid, the
Chevy small block churned out 345 horsepower. To help get
the new power to the wheels, Schmidt paired the small block
with a 700 R4 transmission. After adding some Vintage Air
to help cool things off, he went about piecing it all together
again. He is currently in the midst of a disc brake conversion
and is getting ready for the addition of posi traction, Richmond
Gears and larger rims and rubber.
The five-year build, the first of its magnitude for Schmidt,
is a great source of pride. "To me, a lot of guys build
their cars by going to the bank and getting a tonne of money.
I did my car over a period of five years and I appreciated
it more when it was done," he explained. "I took
my time and did it right. If you didn't have money to put
something on the car, the car sat until you had the money."
While the car is not a daily driver, it is no museum exhibit
either. Schmidt estimated he and his family, including his
nine-year-old daughter, logged over 2,400 km in the Chevelle
last year going to various car shows, rallies and runs in
Canada and the U.S. "I spend more time cleaning it than
I do driving it," he joked. "That's the joy of it."
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