Richard Bartel's 1967 Chevelle SS looks like a show car, but has some serious go potential, running a potent 565 cubic inch Dart block , AFR heads and a pair of Holley carbs atop an old-school Edelbrock tunnel manifold. The shotgun-style scoop and cowl hood complete the competition look.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Richard Bartel is perhaps best known as the mind behind the Park City Chill, which began as a motorcycle show but expanded to include cars last year. `Motorcycles are what really started my passion,' he says, seated astride his 2004 Big Dog chopper.
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A B&M shifter is mounted atop the Turbo 400 automatic transmission reworked by Flip Williams of local `Flip-O-matic' fame. Auto Meter gauges and tach keep the driver informed of underhood activity.
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A peek inside the rear windshield reveals the race car safety measures employed on the Chevelle. Holzman Race Cars designed the full length roll cage and Bartel and a friend assemble it.
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A stainless steel racing fuel cell occupies the center of the trunk; along either side of the tank are the rear legs of the roll cage.
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Bartel said the Chevelle has been out of circulation on the drag strip the last couple of years while the engine upgrade was underway. The car was a regular at area car shows and will likely be back on the track again next season.
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Bartel says he fell in love with the big 2-blade shotgun air scoop when he saw one on a '67 Nova. Luckily, he found one at the Sunflower Swap Meet and trimmed his new fiberglass hood to clear it on the first try.
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Bartel originally campaigned the Chevelle with a 468 cubic inch big block Chevy V-8, good for a best of 9.98 seconds at 131 mph in the quarter mile. With the 565 cubic inch Dart replacement and some nitrous, he's shooting for 8-second ETs with a top speed in the 160 mph range on a car that is still capable of being street-driven.
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Bartel assembled his own monster exhaust system, using huge 4-inch tubing and Dynatech mufflers, all fed by a set of custom Hooker headers.
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The interior is a combination of restored stock pieces and racing gear, including a full roll cage that encompasses the original bench seat.
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The Chevelle uses a 12-bolt GM rear end with Strange axles and a set of 3.73 gears. Bartel was able to fit the fat Hoosier slicks under the Chevelle without resorting to mini-tubs.
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Front wheels are also 15-inch Centerline Warriors, mounting 28 x 7.5 -inch Mickey Thompson rubber.
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You would never know that the Chevelle was in need of some serious body work when Bartel bought it back in 1991. Some new sheet metal and a 4-inch Glasstek cowl scoop smoothed things out and Jim Hershey saturated it all in super-glossy Harbor Blue.
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Putting power to the ground are a pair of 28 x 13.5-inch Hoosier cheater slicks, nicely tucked inside the trimmed rear fender wells. Wheels are 15 inch Centerline Warriors.
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The factory 3-spoke steering wheel was retained, while the original upper dash piece and a radio delete panel were rechromed to keep the stock look intact. The Simpson racing seat belts are a hint of the Chevelle's potential.
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Yes, there is a back seat in the car. Bartel used an Original Parts Group interior kit, installed by Walt's Upholstery in Mulvane.
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