2009 is our 25th Anniversary.
We've had 25 years of building Chevrolets & friendships and having fun !!
Founded in February, 1984 at the home of Jim & Mary Holbach !!
We have 115 members and would love to have you also. The registration form is under the "Register or Renew Membership" tab.
The Northern Illinois Chevelle Club is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of 1964-1987 Chevelles, El Caminos and 1970-1972 Monte Carlos.
You can find out about us, and even fill out the NICC registration form. Please check back frequently for:
- Information on upcoming events.
- Pictures, videos and reviews from current events.
- Pictures and videos of members cars.
- Select articles from the NICC monthly newsletter.
- Updated classified ads.
- Current news not available in the newsletter.
NICC MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT
Jim Karg, longtime NICC member and Treasurer of the NICC has arranged an additional benefit for current club members. Each active NICC member will be receiving a Cassidy Tire & Service discount card. This will give members 15% discount on services and special prices on tires.
We thank the ownership of Cassidy Tire for this service and let's take advantage of this. Carry the card in your wallet "just in case".
MARCH 21ST
NICC BOWLING AT LISLE BOWL
The next NICC event will be at Lisle Lanes Bowling on Sunday, March 21st at 1:30pm. I spoke with Tom at the lanes and when I told him it was for the Chevelle Club he mentioned he has a numbers matching 1968 SS. This year we have 2 options: The cost is just $2.75 per line or it is $10 for an hour of lane rental. Tom says the per hour rate is the better value. Shoe rental is $2.50.
We bowled there last year and had a very good time. It is very easy to get to and it is one of the few alleys that will let you bowl by the line. Please bring anyone in your family; kids, grandkids, etc. This is a family event and they’ll accommodate as many as want to bowl. We have 7 lanes reserved and they have the bumpers also, so plan on it.
PHONE NUMBER: Lisle Bowl 630-968-1300.
ADDRESS: 4920 Lincoln Ave, Lisle, IL. TIME: 1:30pm
February 27th Meeting at Moeller's
John Sonnefeldt discussing the 100 Octane fuel at Gas City in Schaumburg for $6 per gallon. It was very informational. There is good news / bad news with John. First, after leaving Eaton a year ago, he has started with Holley in Bowling Green, KY. John will be commuting to Bowling Green from Rockford for a few years until his daughter graduates from high school. We'll be able to enjoy the Sonnefeldt's for a few more years.
There were around 15-20 members at the Mike's. Only Jim Karg with his El Camino and Fred Aguayo drove Roxanne to her first NICC function !!
The Moeller's garage is something to behold. Mike has done alot with it in a short amount of time. Maybe we can have a summer event there to really enjoy it and give Mike a little more time to get it fully loaded !!
- PHOENIX FOUR-PLAY -
By Jim Wersching
Our forth trip to Phoenix started on Friday
February 12th. Our trip had been delayed for two weeks due to the
weather and illness, so we were all anxious to go! We finally hit the road about
8:30 from Mike Moeller’s house. We had the same group as in the past three years
and took Mike Hogan’s Suburban. John had purchased a 2001 Suburban from a dealer
in Phoenix a few weeks earlier and he was planning on driving it home. Since we
were going to have two tow vehicles coming home, we decided to put Mike's small
utility trailer on top of the car trailer so we would be able to possibly get a
car and parts. Also, Big Mike gave my wife and I two twin beds for our recently
purchased home down in Phoenix, so we packed them into the smaller trailer. All
we needed was the rocking chair and we would have looked like the “Beverly
Hillbillies”! We warned Vince that if he gassed us like in the past, we'd put
him up there anyway.
Our first stop was Rhodes Auto Salvage in Streator where Vince had
located a wheel for his daughters Cavalier. This was a nice yard, but the oldest
car they had was in the mid 80's. So Vince got his wheel and off we went.
Usually on our trip down to Phoenix, we
discuss options on what we are interested in buying; various parts and cars.
John does a great job accumulating a list of available parts and interesting
cars. We had quite a lot to consider. Last trip we had purchased a '94 Miata,
which we turned into a fair profit. With the economy the way it is, we weren’t
sure what to buy.
The trip down through Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas was pretty much uneventful. Once in Arizona we stopped at Holbrook for gas, and after John made a wrong turn, we found ourselves on old Rt. 66 by the old Wigwam Hotel. We just had to stop and take in all the nostalgia. There were a dozen or so Wigwam rooms with classic cars parked outside them. They still rent these out and the maids were making up the rooms while we were there. A really awesome stop!
We
got in to Phoenix about 3PM Sunday. As I mention previously, last August Judy
and I purchased a second home just outside Phoenix. Our plan is to do the “Snow
Bird” thing in a few years so now it is mostly vacant. It was nice to be able to
stay there and we had plenty of room for the 5 of us. We started buying parts
right away. We also looked at a few cars but after locating a '66 Chevelle frame
for a friend of Mike's we decided that the frame would not fit on the smaller
trailer and a car and frame would not fit on the larger trailer. A group
decision was made to buy the frame and load up with only parts. No car this
year. We purchased a few more frames and then a bunch of fenders, doors and
hoods.
We
made a few new contacts this year. One guy, Robert is very heavy into '64-67
Chevelles and El Caminos. A great guy. If you need anything for those models, he
probably has it. Another guy was Scott, who had a little bit of everything. We
also went to see our old friend John Best who owns “Alley Towing” in Maricopa.
We missed him the last trip since he was having some dental work done. He looked
great, with his new teeth. After visiting awhile, we walked his yard and
located a few front clips that we decided to buy. He and Margaret (alias Leather
Lips Lucy) broke them down for us to make it easier to transport. He also had a
pretty cool old Hudson that caught everybody’s
attention along with a couple old Fords.
We missed our friend Bob who usually hangs out with us for the 3-4 days we are there. He had committed to a family vacation down in Mexico but had commented that he'd rather be with us. Hopefully he'll be available next time. Judy and I will definitely see him in April when we come down again.
We
went to pick up John's Suburban from the dealer on Monday but it had a few
issues that they needed to take care which ended up taking a few days. We
finally picked it up late Thursday. This made Friday a very busy day, since we
had to pick up the rest of our parts, pick up a spare for the small trailer,
pack the trailers and clean the house. In the midst of all this confusion, a
couple of the guys decided to go look at a “few more parts”. About an hour
later, they returned with a beautiful 5-burner barbeque grill! A house-warming
gift for staying at our house. They didn't have to and it really wasn't
expected, but it will be appreciated! Next year we'll have to grill some steaks.
We finally got everything packed and cleaned. While packing the trailers, an inquisitive humming bird kept nosing around. Once while Mike Hogan was on the phone, he was hovering just inches from his nose. How cool was that! Then, we all loaded up bags of oranges and grapefruits from the fruit trees that are on our property. We were on the road by 3:15PM.
The
trip back was pretty much uneventful. Vince had been affected by the altitude
last trip, but this time he was fine since he was taking his medication. We
didn't stop at any yards on the way home since we got such a late start. At one
of our gas stops, Shamrock TX. we found a classic Rt.66 gas
station, which we stopped for a few photos. There were also a few salvage yards
there that look interesting so we'll have to check them out next time.
At one of the stops, I don't recall exactly where, but Vince was behind Big Mike while he was relieving himself in a crowded restroom and he shoved him saying “ hurry up big guy”. Mike quickly turned his head and said “OK. Who needs a sock in the head?” A frail old guy behind him quickly pointed at Vince. I think he thought he was going to die!
We all arrived home at about
11:30PM Sunday. Tired, but already thinking about next years trip. Again, I had
a great time, with great conversations and company. I'm glad to be part of this
yearly quest. This was another great trip! I’d do it again in a heartbeat. John
did another excellent job locating parts. It was non-stop excitement and
laughter. We’d leave the house around
9:00 in the morning and not get back until 9:00 that night. Again, my thanks to
everyone for a great time. Good friends and memories are what it’s all about.
Special thanks to all you guys for the new grille, and to our wives for
understanding our hobby! I’d also like to mention that Mike Moeller did an
excellent job watching his food intake. Dawn should be very proud of him. He’s
trying to loose some weight by counting carbs. On a trip like this where
everyone eats a lot of junk food, I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
Total miles: Approx. 4,400
Average MPG: Approx 11.0
Average gas price per gal.: $2.54
Total gas cost: $1,050.00
Vince & I relaxing at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ.
The Suburban getting a well deserved wash !!
Mike Hogan bends over to give us a smile !!
Parts acquired:
3 – Chevelle frames
4 – Hoods
11 – Fenders
7 – Inner fenders
2 – ElCamino quarter panels
2 – Doors
1 – Grille
1 – Core support
1 – Misc trim
Online Registration and Paypal Renewals
There is a new, easier, and faster way to sign up or renew your membership to the NICC. Paypal will let you pay your membership with a credit card, bank account, or a paypal account balance. Registration and Renewals
Comments and Suggestions: georgeprimm@cs.com
This page was last updated on
03/09/10.
