Father/Son Pair of Chevys
Here’s another fuel fed family fun feature. It stars Steve Sanders’ ’61 Corvette and his son Jeff’s 1970 C-10.
Steve bought the Corvette the summer after he graduated from High School and turned 18. He didn’t realize at the time, he bought a straight up and very used race car. Custom paint, roll cage, a 427 with a tunnel ram and two 660 Holleys. No wonder the price was reasonable, the ported heads had broken into the water jacket and filled the crankcase with water everytime he started it. A large score on a cylinder wall meant a complete engine build. Engine Dynamics in Garden Grove, CA did all the honing and balancing of the engine components. The interior was gutted and even the chrome trim was deleted. Soon Steve found the engine was too hot for a 2800 pound car when the trans decided to tear off the companion flange for the rear end’s 4.88:1 ratio. The car was a weekend joy ride and he would hang out in a parking lot in Fullerton with Big Willy and his group of street racers talking about hot rods, racing and the like. After about 8 years of this, he decided to make it a bit more of a streetable car. So he found all the interior parts, the chrome trim pieces and replaced the engine with a 283. The roll cage was removed and his buddy Jack Gunnoe and Steve prepped and painted the car in many coats of one-year only “Jewel Blue” laquer. The front end has been rebuilt, and power 4-wheel disc brakes were installed. A 12-bolt rear end with 3.73:1 gears make it a much better ride. The 40 year old paint is starting to show it’s wear, so a new coat will be applied soon in the same color scheme. The car is an original Fuelie, so he is locating a new unit to add to it.
Steve’s grandfather ordered the 1970 Chevy C-10 Pickup from the local Chevy Dealer and due to a medical condition in 1976 he was no longer able to drive so he gave Steve the truck. As his daily driver, Steve recalls towing the Corvette with the truck out to Castle Air Force Base in the mid-70’s when he was stationed in the Strategic Air Command base in Central California.
Steve’s son Jeff was always in the garage helping him and it was only natural that he would get the truck. The truck, like the Corvette has been through several transformations. A new pickup bed, replaced engine with a fresh 327 and rebuilt Turbo 350 trans. 4-wheel power disk brake conversion and finally the paint scheme from a black green and white to the forest green and black you see today. The interior is restored to original specs with aftermarket parts. An overhead stereo console houses the speakers and a bluetooth radio that sounds great.
The best part is the two still hang out together in the garage, at the shows and on the road. They are regulars in the Southern California Car Scene.
