Many times, finding a particular hot rod is the result of not looking for a particular hot rod. That might sound strange, but think about it, how many times have you found something you weren’t really looking to find? Such is the case with Blair Howatt and this ’72 Chevelle.

“We are the third owners of the car,” states Blair. “I purchased it from a friend in the Chevelle and GM club I belong to. Initially, I was looking for a C10. I found several prospects, but the they turned out to be not as advertised. It was then I decided to take a good look at this car. The Chevelle was only a five-minute drive from our house. I knew the owner, Tim, looked after the car and I had seen it many times over the previous years and it was never snuggling with a tow truck.”

Although the car came from the factory with steel wheels and hub caps, the SS wheels are a nice touch.

Blair understood the car was built in 1972, so he fully expected it to need some work. “It’s a great car,” he states. “Last year I didn’t spend much money on repairs other than some maintenance and tuning. I thought it would be a good idea to drive it for the summer and then make a list.”

The list began with Blair installing an Edelbrock AVS2 carburetor, which he says works great, a new steering box, 2-inch lowering springs and Koni shocks on all four corners, ball joints, center link, tie-rod ends, new inner fender, SS wheels and new tires, and the list goes on.” Sound like the standard stuff any hot rodder would tackle to make a dependable ride. “This winter, the car will get a disc brakes and new brake lines, Blair affirms. “The current drum brakes are new all the way around, but a couple close calls have convinced me that they have to go.”

Under the hood, the Chevelle is sporting a 350 that has been upgraded with a mild performance camshaft, dual exhaust, good heads, and a Turbo 350 with a mild shift kit. When I got it, it came with Rally wheels and the factory steel wheels and hubcaps.

“The car is a rolling time capsule,” quips Blair. “I have been upgrading and replacing parts as needed. It’s a great driving and reliable car and it lads a pampered life, as it’s driven only on nice days.”

Clean and factory installed.

Blair’s ’72 Chevelle is proof-positive that it doesn’t take big cubic inches and an excess of horsepower to create a cool cruiser. We congratulate Blair on keeping this hot rod simple and reliable.

Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heroes? All you need to do is click here. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since I’ve started the series, I have received more than a few candidates, but I still want to see more — I can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and I’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected].