The Northern Illinois Chevelle Club has all types of cars: original unrestored, original restored, Pro-Street, custom, modified and restified. Below are pictures of members cars with a brief description for your enjoyment (click on picture to enlarge).
John Sonnefeldt's 1971 Chevelle was dark blue and then his employer, Eaton, agreed to let him make this the 2005 Eaton SEMA car. Pictured in several magazines, including the cover of Super Chevy, John did the work himself in is Rockford, IL. garage.
1971 Monte Carlo SS - owned by George Primm. This car was ordered by the Chicago Zone office for the 1971 Chicago Auto Show. Has every option but tilt wheel. This shot includes the original tires. In August, 2003 Chevrolet Motor Division invited the Primm's to display this Monte at the Chevrolet Triangle Display at the Woodward Dream Cruise. For the privilege of being one of ten cars invited the Primm's would have paid Chevrolet, but fortunately, they did not have to. The last picture is the Monte at the Chevrolet Triangle on Woodward Avenue. John Moss, Mr. High Performance Chevrolet had mentioned he liked the Monte and was nice enough to have his picture taken with it.
This is the original Primm Monte Carlo. Purchased in Greenville, SC in 1979 it has been through a wedding, four births and two major rebuild projects. This picture was taken at the Woodward Dream cruise in August, 2004 after a 2 week thrash of pulling the engine, putting on S/R Torqurer heads, Comp Cams X268 Extreme Energy cam, headers, HEI, repainting everything, tilt steering column, AIWA remote control radio with four new speakers, AutoMeter gauges using the A-pillar pod with 2 1/8" gauges and more. Without the help of my sons Josh and Joel, and great friends Andy Marchiando (long-time fellow NICC member) and George Phillips, this car would not have been finished for Woodward 2004 or the First Generation Monte Carlo convention in Troy, MI. the same weekend. I would guess 1.5 months of work done in 2 weeks.
This is Andy & Dave Marchiando's 1970 Chevelle SS. Purchased in NC in 1989, it was treated to a full "rotisserie" restoration completed in just 4 months. Begun on April 15 and completed in August in the parking lot of the Marriot Hotel in Columbus, OH. at the National Chevelle Owners Association Convention. Andy and Dave together can work magic on anything they touch. A beautiful Chevelle.
"Big
Blue" is Andy Marchiando's 1966 Super Sport. It has a 396 with a 700R4
Auto transmission. Big Blue was restored in 1980 and has had a 454 and a
4-speed and TH400 in it over the years.
This beautiful 1969 Chevelle SS came from the factory with the 396-375hp engine. It is all original. This picture is of Gary Place, the owner, entering the 1987 NCOA Convention in Peoria, IL. It was there that several other participants questioned the originality of the paint. It is beautiful and it is all original. Gary and Shelley collect original low miles Chevrolets. Yenko, 70SS, ZR-1, 72 SS big block, it doesn't matter. If it is a Chevrolet, Gary is proud to own it. Gary has a nose for these cars. We affectionately call him the "poor farmer" as he grows white corn for Frito Lay.
This is Ronnie & Debbie Pogue's original owner 1968 Super Sport Chevelle. Owned since high school. A beautiful car, for sure and as '68's become harder to find, it becomes more valuable.
This is Mike & Vicki Black's 1970 SS. "SMKN 396" is the plate, but it soon experienced a transplanted LS-6. The picture taken here was at the Marriot Hotel in Nashville in 1992 at the NCOA Convention. Mike is not afraid to race this car hard, and does regularly with the club at either Union Grove, WI or at Byron, IL. A four speed car, Mike shifts so hard that at one race we thought he had broken on a run, but on the return road he proudly held up the broken shift lever to let us know what had happened.
Marty Leibrock bought this '72 SS about 20 years ago and little did he know that purchase and joining the NICC would cause lead him to meeting his wife, Debbie. Debbie attended a cruise to Cock Robin in Naperville in the Fall of 1992 with the Primm's and Marty drove his Chevelle. He asked if she would like to ride with him to Andy & Lisa Marchiando's and well, the rest is history. They used the car on their drive from the church to the reception about 2 years later.
Jim & Jill Karg enjoy time in their 1966 Chevelle SS. It has a 427 in it and a four speed. Jim uses every single horse of this engine on the strip and if needed, on the street. When Jim got back from Viet Nam in 1969 he went to Nickey Chevrolet and purchased a '69 396-375hp 2 door post Chevelle. He wishes he had it today!!! Jim is a very nice fella and has been friends with fellow NICC member Joe Wirth (car below) who is into Chevelles also. Both are wise / experienced racers.
Joe Wirth is a gifted mechanic and driver. When drag racing the power shifts on his four-speed are flawless. Although he has switched to an automatic, he remains the best shifter I have seen. His small blocks are lethal. They look completely stock, except the headers, but he'll run in the 13's and now the 12's without a hitch. One of the many nice fellas in the NICC he is a wealth of information because of his years of experience, mechanical ability and patience.
Tom "Red" Wilkin is another long-time member. He has had this car for many years. While it is a 1972 Malibu, Tom has made it an SS Clone to the extent exceeding an original Super Sport. A 454 is teamed to a Richmond 5 or 6 speed manual trans. Rear disc brakes harness the massive horsepower when needed. For a small example of the power this car has, go tot he video of Tom using the tires. It has an Imron black chassis and the engine compartment is detailed to perfection. Tom is a talented mechanic who is a source for many members wondering how to pull the dash and fixing anything with the wiring. See the video of Tom doing a burnout in Holbach's driveway.
This is the "original" NICC member and
Chevelle. Jim Holbach is member #1, the original President & newsletter
editor. Affectionately called "The little General" by some of us original
members. While this car was hit and totaled by a "distracted driver" in August,
2005, we keep it here "In Memory" of the NICC's first Chevelle. Jim painted this car himself in his garage and colorsanded it to
perfection. Jim does most, if not all, of the work on his cars himself.
While a small block, Jim is not afraid to run anyone. On the trip to the
National Chevelle Owners Assocation National Convention in Columbus, OH. in the
early 90's, Jim arrived and told us "I had to drive over 75 the whole way to
keep the car running". We laughed thinking it was an excuse to tell Mary,
but Jim pulled the carb and the Holley clear sight plastic plug had melted when
blended gasoline was used. Jim replaced it at the Convention and voila,
the problem was
fixed, but I bet the speed remained the same!!!
This is Bill Holer's 1964 Chevelle. Bill was one of the founding members of the NICC and we lost this dear friend in March, 1998 to cancer. This car is a fine example of workmanship. Bill was a first-class machinist and made many of the parts himself which caused many onlookers to stop and try to figure out where he bought those aluminum parts. We miss Bill, but we think of him often and wish we could see him "get on" the '64 in a blaze of smoke!!
Mike Hogan's passion for the last 12+ years is making his 1965 Chevelle faster and faster. If any car got close to it in speed, new parts were obtained to maintain the advantage. Currently a "big" small block from Speed-O-Motive resides in the engine compartment along with a 700R4 trans.
This is Joel Primm's 1978 Malibu Classic Station Wagon. Purchased the day prior to In-Processing at the U.S. Air Force Academy, this is the pic of the car in the Visitor's Center Parking Lot the day of In-Processing. Joel had not seen the car on the grounds.
Bob & Sharon Stigter of Frankfort, IL. own this 1972 Chevelle Convertible. This car was purchased off of EBay in October, 2006 and the prior owner assured Bob everything was just about done. Well, it wasn't and a whole lot of work and finding a new frame to replace the original. You know, this type of thing gets you upset while you are in the midst of fixing a "done" car, but I am sure driving this newly restored Chevelle will eliminate all those long hours of work and frustration.
Gene & Mary Hulsey of Oak Forest own this 1969 Yenko Clone. It has a 468 big block with 740hp, built TH400 trans, 4-wheel Wilwood disc brakes and is Indago Blue. The fabulous body work was done by the owner, as he is a body shop owner in New Lenox.
Dennis & Connie Grondin, of Montgomery, IL. own this1964 Chevelle SS. It has a 283 and powerglide transmission. It is light blue with a light blue interior. These are original colors.
This is Mike Gastro's beautiful 1970 Chevelle SS Convertible. Very detailed and an example for others to follow when it comes to engine compartment detailing and cleanliness. Fortunately the pictures are here for you to enjoy and get some ideas from.
1971 Chevelle SS - owned by John Sonnefeldt: John has worked for AutoMeter, most recently for Union 76 and now Detroit Locker. In his position for Detroit Locker he is developing their presence in all aspects of motor sports, and this Chevelle below will be driven on the entire 2004 Hot Rod Power Tour. For AutoMeter he toured the country as their rep to large shows (such as Super Chevy, Hot Rod Power Fest, etc.) and for Union 76 he was the rep for NASCAR. In addition to knowing all the NASCAR teams, their shops and getting to all the races, he has some very interesting stories about the NASCAR boys and has contributed some great articles to the club newsletter. The Chevelle below was featured in AutoMeters national print ad campaign for the A-pillar gauge pods. In the ads you'll notice his vanity plates; NICC 456, which is John's Northern Illinois Chevelle Club (NICC) membership number (456). John thinks of everything.
This is the '85 Monte SS of "Lil Andy Marchiando". He is referred to "Lil" only because older Uncle Andy Marchiando is club member and we needed to distinguish between the two. Andy has been working on his car for a while and with a 355 and TH400 trans runs a 12.6 on the 1/4 mile. Andy's been dialing this car in a replaced the S/R Torquer heads with Aluminum and different cam. Rips now. See Andy's 12.6 e.t. video run at Route 66 - Joliet.
Frank Fagiano owns this 1970 Chevelle SS. It has a 396, 4-speed trans and 4.10 posi rear end. The engine is bored .30 over and has power steering, power front disc brakes and the F41 suspension.
This
is Joe and Donna O'Mara's 1970 Chevelle SS at Super Chevy - Joliet. This
car has quite a history, although always beautiful. About 6 years ago it
was safely tucked away in the garage when a semi rolled through the garage and
pushed the car through the family room. Ends up the semi's brake lines had been
fixed with duct tape. The car was repaired to perfection and painted black
and has been winning shows ever since. Beautiful car and their
determination kept it that way!!
Craig & Chris Long, of Kankakee, own this beautiful 1970 Chevelle SS. It is very straight and the attention to detail is great. Craig is a law enforcement officer (sheriff, I believe) and is one very nice fella. The car matches the owner.
Bill & Kathy Wiehe, currently of Texas and formerly of Frankfort, IL. are good friends of the O'Maras. These are their Chevelles; a 1967 and a 1969; both Super Sports and therefore big blocks.
This is Ted & Becky Fridstrom's 1966 wagon that Becky will be driving around Algonquin soon. They purchased the wagon from Andre’ Smith of Andre’s El Chevelle of Highlandville, MO. It is Matador red with a red interior and overdrive transmission. A deal was struck and the car was delivered the next day. Future plans call for a large cubic inch small block with an overdrive trans, power steering and brakes, A/C, tinted glass, etc. Becky will pick the shade of red and Ted is hoping he'll get to drive it once in awhile !!!
This is John and
Marcia Shipkowski's 1971 Monte Carlo SS. A rare triple black Monte, it has
54,000 miles on it. John has been working on this gem for around 6 years
and all that needs done is a complete engine compartment detailing, which will
be done this winter. John found the build sheet under the front seat
confirming its status as a legit SS purchased out of Nevada.
This
particular '67 Chevelle is owned by Ralph Weidenbach and previously was built
and owned by his friend Tom Eddy. It is one healthy engine and nothing was
spared. Mini tub rear end done perfectly, aftermarket trans, and all the good
stuff. Runs 10.24 in the quarter without nitrous. Expect in the 9's
with nitrous. Sounds great and it matches it owner. A gentle giant.
Joe
Plunkett's Malibu is a work-of-art-in-process. Joe owns paint shop and did
a beautiful job on the Chevelle. The interior is almost complete and has
eliminated the stock dash and gauges and now has the electronic gauges that are
in one long strip. The tan interior matches the paint perfectly. A
real eye-catcher.
This is the outstanding BLUBYU of Glen and Linda Peterson. In this picture the car is in the Platinum display area of the NCOA convention in Nashville at the Marriott hotel. For all the owners who cry about competing against trailered cars, the Peterson's drive their car to every show. 1,500 miles round trip? No problem, they still take Platinum. They also have a '67 MEAN GRN. The color of the car is the color of the frame, gas tank, everything. Beautiful.
Joe Wirth's '66 four speed. A longtime friend of Jim Karg, Joe is the smoothest shifter I've seen. Running in the high 12's, Joe has taken out many a surprised competitor with this small block. An ace mechanic, Joe is fearless racing it, knowing if something happens, he'll get to fix her up again. Trouble is, nothing much happens except winning and great reaction times.
The 1970 Chevelle SS below is owned by Gary Grabow. The engine is a 454 bored to 468 cubic inches with a 4-spd. manual trans a Ford 9-inch rear end with 4.11 gears. I don't know if there is enough tire there to hook it up, but Gary probably has fun trying.
This is Dave Swanson' 1970 SS. Looks like she is ready to go and Dave has to restrain her with the wheel chock.
These are Jim Gollwitzer's Chevelles. The second one from the left is an original low mileage '72 that Jim learned of when the original owner advertised it in the NICC's newsletter. Believe it had 8,000 miles on it when purchase. Was in Car Craft magazine in April, 2003. I would guess that about half of these cars have had pictures in magazines under "readers rides". Jim likes Chevelles.
This is Patrick Hogan's '67 Chevelle SS. Beautiful paint and body panel alignment. Just keep it out of the parking lots. The interior is also in great shape.
1970 Chevelle SS 454 - owned by Terry Schattl
1964 Chevelle SS - owned by Jim & Nanette Stephen
This is Mark Storjohann's 1965 Chevelle SS. Mark apparently isn't afraid to get on it, which mean he fits in very well with the club !!!
This is Steve Ruckert's 1966 Chevelle. Over the winter Steve rebuilt the 327, TH350 and the 10 bolt rear end. It was a busy winter, but well worth it.
NICC members - please email photos of your Chevelle or Monte Carlo to gprimm@comcast.net