Bobby Hough’s ’72 Chevelle SS: The Small-Block Test Car


Hough Chevelle

For some guys, finding the perfect car seems to take longer than it does for others. Bobby Hough of Lakeland, Florida, may just be one of those guys. Over the years, he’s owned multiple musclecars, which includes everything from a ’66 GTO, ’75 Firebird, and even a few Corvettes. But, according to Bobby, this time, he thinks he found the one to keep.

Except for the addition of a few aftermarket gauges and the Alpine/Pioneer stereo, the interior is all stock.

Bobby tells us, “In 1998 I started looking for a musclecar. My son Trent was 9 years old, and I thought it would be fun for the two of us to work together and rebuild a car.” Bobby started looking for a car, but after a year of searching was becoming disappointed with the quality of what he was finding. While at work one day, a coworker told him about a Super Sport Chevelle that the coworker’s wife had seen. With this new-found information, Bobby took the scenic route home from work, hoping to find the car. While he did locate the Chevelle, it was too dark to get a really good look at it, so he decided to come back the next day. Bobby says, “I was at the guy’s house at 8:00 a.m. the next day, and as soon as I took the Chevelle for a ride, I bought it.”

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The previous owner purchased the car in North Carolina, from the person who did the restoration. Although it is hard to tell by looking at the pictures, it was restored in 1996. When Bobby bought the car, a 355 cubic-inch small-block crate engine from Summit Racing was under the hood. The engine worked great to drive the car and enjoy it — especially with the Turbo 350 transmission, and the open 2.73-geared reared, but it didn’t have the performance output Bobby was hoping for.

It wasn’t long after purchasing the car that Bobby decided it was time for some performance testing, so he took it to nearby Lakeland dragstrip. According to Bobby, the results were less than stellar, “I was very disappointed. The car smoked one tire the entire length of the 1/8-mile track. After I learned how to launch the car, I finally got it down to a 9.99-second e.t. in the 1/8-mile, which is equivalent to a 15.5 1/4-mile time.”

I thought it would be fun for the two of us to work together, rebuilding a car. – Bobby Hough

Armed with his disappointing results, he took the car home and started to plan how he would shave a few seconds from the car’s e.t. The first round of modifications saw the addition of a 3.73-geared post unit, a B&M Holeshot torque converter, a 750 cfm vacuum-secondary Holley carburetor, and a 280 Comp Cams camshaft. With his newly-modified Chevelle, Bobby took it to Bradenton Motorsports Park, where he was rewarded with a 12.98-second 1/4-mile e.t. Being the consummate gearhead, just enough is never enough, so a 100 horsepower shot of nitrous oxide was added. Running an 8 1/2-inch slick, Bobby was immediately rewarded with a 1/4-mile time of 11.72 seconds.

First, there was a 350ci engine under the hood, and then a 400ci engine. Now, a 434 cubic-inch engine propels the Super Sport.

First, there was a 350ci engine under the hood, and then a 400ci engine. Now, a 434 cubic-inch engine propels the Super Sport.

For the next couple of years, Bobby enjoyed the car, and says that it was the perfect “sleeper.” But, once again, he eventually wanted more performance. He started his second power hunt by locating a 400 cubic-inch GM small-block. He filled it with good parts, and when the dyno showed he was making 566 horsepower, and 538 lb-ft of torque, he knew he had a winner. And that he did, as his best run in the 1/4-mile was 11.52 seconds at 116 mph. After running the car with that engine for a couple of months, tragedy struck. Something came apart, and the engine was trashed. Not one to be deterred, he decided that he would build an engine that he knew would survive both harsh racing duty, and frequent trips around town. 

The fuel cell delivers nothing but high-octane fuel available at any street corner, and the Sniper nitrous kit gives it a little boost if need be.

He got in touch with Wheeler Power Products in Jacksonville, Florida, and worked with them to build a 434 cubic-inch short-block. When Bobby got the powerplant back to his house, he and friends Larry O’Neill and Mike Phillips finished the assembly of the engine. Built on a Dart Tomahawk block, it is filled with an Eagle 4340-steel crankshaft that is throwing the JE pistons via the six-inch Eagle connecting rods. Altogether, the combination delivers a very street-friendly 10.5:1 compression ratio. Residing between the slugs is a Lunati hydraulic flat-tappet camshaft, with .545-inch lift, and 249 degrees of duration at .050-inch lift. Topping the short-block is a pair of Air Flow Research 210 aluminum cylinder heads with 2.08 and 1.60-inch valves. Finally, a Weiand Team G intake manifold and an 850 cfm Holley HP carburetor finish the engine. Finally, a set of ceramic-coated Hooker headers with 1 3/4-inch primary tubes feed into three-inch pipes with Borla mufflers. When the Chevelle is pulling into a show or cruise night, subtlety isn’t the operative word.

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It takes more than just horsepower to propel a car down the 1/4-mile, so Bobby secured a Turbo 400 automatic transmission, and had it rebuilt by Kenny Wells of Orlando, Florida. Inside is a Turbo Action shift improver kit, and 9-inch torque converter with a 4,200 rpm stall. The factory 12-bolt rearend was also upgraded with an Eaton differential with 4.10 gears, and Moser 33-spline axles.

Although the stock frame is fairly stout in factory condition, Bobby took the time to completely box the frame, giving it even more rigidity. As far as the suspension, the front comprises all stock components, with the exception of QA1 90/10 adjustable shocks. The rear suspension features the another set of QA1 shocks, stock coil springs, and tubular control arms from Jegs Performance.

Launch

Image courtesy of Bobby Hough.

There is also an air bag in the right rear coil spring to help with suspension preload. Rolling stock is made up of Centerline Telstar 4×15 and 8 1/2×15 wheels, and the hook factor is created by Mickey Thompson drag radials measuring 295/65R15. With this new combination the car now runs 11.90 second 1/4-mile e.t.’s, and with a 150 horsepower shot of nitrous, it runs 6.90 seconds in the 1/8-mile, which equates to a 1/4-mile time in the 10.80s . It also yanks the front wheels roughly three to five inches every time the car launches with a 1.47 60-foot time. Not bad for a 3,600-pound grocery-getter.

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Inside, you’ll find everything you would expect to see in a nice driver-quality car. The front bucket seats and headliner have been redone by Emo’s Upholstery in Lakeland, Florida, and in the dash is an Alpine head unit with Pioneer speakers front and rear.

Since acquiring the car in January of 2000, Bobby has made several upgrades to the performance of the car. But there are two things he has not altered; one is the paint which was applied by a previous owner in 1996, and the other is the purpose of having the car.

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At 434 cubic-inches, the Holley 850 cfm carburetor has its hand’s full.

As great as the Chevelle performs on the track, he made sure to keep the car streetable. He verifies that as often as he can by finding reasons to drive the car at least once a week. If the weather is amenable, you’ll find him and his Chevelle running errands if need be, and making appearances at local car shows and cruise nights. Bobby’s car proves that streetable cars can hold their own on the race track, and if he has his way, his Chevelle will continue to do so. Finally, it takes a lot of hard work to build a car like this, and as any smart man would like to do, Bobby wants to give special thanks to his very understanding wife, Donna, for being very supportive of his automotive addiction and putting up with a car guy.

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About the author

Randy Bolig

Randy Bolig has been working on cars and has been involved in the hobby ever since he bought his first car when he was only 14 years old. His passion for performance got him noticed by many locals, and he began helping them modify their vehicles.
Read My Articles

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