A WORTHY CAR FOR A WORTHY CAUSE: Dale Jr.’s 1970 Chevelle is truly all brand-new
January 3, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be headed to the 2017 Scottsdale Auction to help sell two great cars: this remarkable 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle (Lot #3006) donated by Chevrolet and his 2014 Chevrolet #88 race car (Lot #3006.1), donated by Hendrick Motorsports. 100% of the hammer price on both cars will benefit the Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
There’s a popular saying making the rounds throughout the car enthusiast world today that goes, “The good old days are right now.” And it’s true. Think about it – we’ve got brand-new 2017 Detroit V8 muscle cars making 600 and even 700 horsepower raring and ready to go from the Big Three. Many popular vintage muscle car bodies also are being reproduced in fresh, straight, rust-free steel for the do-it-yourself hot-rodders, racers, customizers and restorers. We’ve got access to a veritable universe of pre-assembled crate engines and drivelines. This confluence of the past and the present is astounding.
In the case of the cutting-edge Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle (Lot #3006) – donated by Chevrolet to be sold at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction with 100 percent of the hammer price going to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital – it was engineered, built and tested by a team of GM technicians and engineers working at the super-secret GM Milford, Michigan, Proving Grounds. As most automotive enthusiasts know, GM’s Milford Proving Grounds opened in 1924 and was the first dedicated validation and testing facility operated by any U.S. automaker. If you have a favorite GM car or truck, from Biscayne to Beretta, Corvair to Caprice, or Stingray to Sierra, its “parents” (in prototype and engineering “mule” form) were tortured, punished and perfected at Milford before arriving at your local GM dealership.
While the Milford teams typically spend their time validating “future” cars still three to 10 years away from the showroom, they also respect the importance of yesterday’s great GM cars. That’s why they teamed with NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr. to build a thoroughly modern Pro-Touring Chevelle. Though based on a clean 1970-vintage Chevelle frame to simplify registration and title issues, every other component is brand-new, starting with the GM Restoration Parts-licensed reproduction body from Dynacorn International.
Correct in every detail, the crisp and clean Dynacorn body spared the GM Milford team the hassles of mending floor, trunk and outer panel rust, scraping sound deadener and stripping paint from a vintage body shell. The Dynacorn body’s laser-straight body-panel surfaces readily accepted the Black Diamond metallic paint and graphics. As further proof of how good modern restorers and vehicle customizers have it, the fenders, doors, hood, decklid, bumpers, grille, light bezels, emblems, glass, mirrors, interior carpet, door panels, dash pad, instrument panel and headliner are all brand-new reproduction items provided by National Parts Depot, Original Parts Group and Year One – licensed suppliers of GM Restoration Parts.
The same goes for the suspension. Back in the old days, builders scoured swap meets in search of used Super Sport-spec F41 sway bars, boxed rear-axle control arms from big-block cars, fast-ratio Saginaw steering boxes and 12-bolt rear axles capable of being rebuilt. No more. Dale Jr. wanted handling akin to his NASCAR super speedway champion but with slight taming for comfortable street use. So the GM Milford team simply opened the Detroit Speed Inc. catalog and picked up the phone. Now the front suspension features tubular control arms with coilover struts and beefy sway bars. Out back, Detroit Speed Inc. supplied its coilover upgrade kit, along with a fat sway bar and Swivel Link control arms to enhance rear-axle articulation for ideal handling.
And thanks to Moser Engineering, the task of reconditioning a pitted and bent vintage cast-iron 12-bolt axle housing was avoided. Moser supplied a freshly cast, complete 12-bolt axle with limited slip and 3.73 gears for an ideal compromise of acceleration and highway cruising. Road and track grip is assured by gigantic 20×10 wheels and 285/35ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires adapted from the 2017 Camaro 1LE Track Pack. Baer supplied a 4-wheel disc brake conversion kit, assuring stopping power to match the power plant under the domed SS hood.
About that power plant – most enthusiasts agree that the engine is the heart and soul of any car. With its up-to-date, cutting-edge modern recipe in all other areas, Dale Jr. and the Milford team agreed that the engine must not disappoint the high standard set by the rest of the build. It also had to fit into the environmentally conscious mindset that prevails at the Milford Proving Grounds. With federally mandated fuel efficiency and emissions standards to live up to, the Milford team doesn’t have time to toy with non-compliant programs.
Solving the matter, a 556-horsepower, supercharged Chevrolet Performance LSA Connect & Cruise powertrain system was selected. Based on the potent 6.2-liter supercharged LSA engine delivered in new Cadillac CTS-V and ZL1 Camaros, the Connect & Cruise powertrain system includes either a 6-speed manual transmission or the 4-speed 4L85-E automatic transmission. Dale Jr. spends enough time rowing through the gears on the racetrack, so he decided to go with the automatic transmission. Shipped with catalytic converters and emissions certified in all 50 states, the Chevrolet Performance E-Rod and most Cruise & Connect packages even make birds smile.
With its thoroughly modern ingredients, this is one 1970 Chevelle that is truly just starting out in life. To help further efforts to give infants and children a healthy start in life, the entire hammer price from the sale of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1970 Chevelle will be donated to the Nationwide Children’s Hospital to fund ongoing treatment and research. The hospital is a leading pediatric care facility and research center devoted to providing life-saving care for children with cancer, abnormal brain health, heart defects and muscular dystrophy.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 Chevrolet #88 race car (Lot #3006.1) is also heading to the Scottsdale auction block for charity. The car has been donated by Hendrick Motorsports.
Here’s your chance to support a great cause while adding a unique vehicle to your garage. Imagine the fun you’ll have driving this exciting machine, and then describing how it was built within the inner sanctums of the GM Milford Proving Grounds. Oh – and it was also commissioned by none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. Without a doubt, you’ll be the only one with a story like that to share.
For up-to-date information on this vehicle, click HERE.
Join us at the 2017 Scottsdale Auction as NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to the Barrett-Jackson block for the very first time to auction the exceptional 1970 Chevelle donated by Chevrolet – as well as his 2014 Chevrolet #88 race car (Lot #3006.1), donated by Hendrick Motorsports – to benefit the Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Not-to-be-missed moments like this are always among the most exciting and emotional of every auction.