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Editor's note: This is part of a new series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semi trucks — email fjolley@ksl.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.LAYTON — Almost every gear-head in the world has a dream project that they say to themselves "someday I'll build one." For most, that day never arrives. But if you are like Steve LeBlanc, one day you just put your foot down and say "today is that day."
At first, LeBlanc was like many of us, passively perusing eBay looking for that project car that he, his dad and his brother could work on together. The appeal of building a project with his family was the original impetus for beginning his search. For a while, he considered building a Cobra kit car or possibly a late-'50s Corvette. But one day, while scouring the Internet, he found it; a cherry—in condition and color—1968 Chevrolet Chevelle. It was love at first sight.
"It just spoke to me," LeBlanc said. "It's like you just realize that that's the one."
LeBlanc bought the Chevelle from a collector in Connecticut and had the car shipped to his home in Layton. The car came equipped with a small-block 327, two-speed Powerglide transmission and four-wheel drum brakes.
LeBlanc couldn't have been happier with how the car looked, but its performance left something to be desired. The small-block, which was eventually discovered to be out of a truck, didn't provide much grunt and the archaic drum brakes required a substantial amount of foresight to bring the car to a stop.
LeBlanc drove the car for a couple of months before winter hit, but luckily for the Chevelle, he had big plans for its hibernation.
As soon as the car was parked for the season, LeBlanc flew his father and brother in from Arizona; both experienced mechanics in their own right. LeBlanc's father is a former F-15 jet engine mechanic and is currently an ASE Certified Master Mechanic. His brother is an F-16 crew chief. LeBlanc himself is an aircraft maintenance officer. None are strangers to turning a wrench.
It was decided that the Chevelle would be stripped of its original drivetrain in favor of more modern components. A 400-horse, six-liter LS2 from a 2006 Pontiac GTO, coupled to a T56 six-speed transmission, was selected to handle the motivation. The binders would be upgraded to C5 Corvette calipers with 14-inch rotors.
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As Steve Hirst cruised along the road from San Diego to Salt Lake City in 1966, his newly-acquired 1955 Buick Century 66R began to make some odd noises from the rear of the car. Being a teenager at the time and eager to enjoy his military leave before his ship, the USS Chicago, deployed to Vietnam, he decided to press on. This would prove to be a mistake, as his beloved new ride "grenaded" its rear end just south of Las Vegas.With the plan in place, LeBlanc, along with his father and brother, set to work with the arduous goal of completing the build in just seven days. LeBlanc's brother and father had to return home at the end of the week, so they wasted no time removing the front clip and yanking the old drive train from the Chevy.
The firewall was smoothed and painted in preparation of receiving the new motor. The oil pan was changed to a low-profile unit that would clear the stock cross member. A custom wiring harness from BP Automotive was sourced to handle signaling duties and a VHX gauge cluster from Dakota Digital was chosen to monitor the car's vitals.
Once the Chevelle's new heart was back in the car, it was treated to a Vintage Air A/C setup. A Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger was chosen to huff 9 psi of boost through the stock heads. A Tick Performance bump stick was selected to ensure the engine was taking full advantage of all that additional atmospheric pressure. Sanderson headers speed exhaust gases away from the mill and a 3-inch dual exhaust feeds into twin Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers to tame the vehicle's growl. West Jordan's Premier Performance was selected to tune the car.
With all the adjustments, LeBlanc estimates the car's horsepower to be in the neighborhood of 600.
It may have only taken the LeBlanc family seven days to complete the build, but the memories will last a lifetime.
Chase Christensen is a wildly successful bench racer who believes life is better with regular oil changes. Follow him on Twitter at @ChaseChris8.
