At Long Last: The Chevelle Makes the Cover of Super Chevy Magazine!

Well, I’ve held off putting out this post until now, but I wanted to officially mark the moment on this website now and forever that my Chevelle is the official cover car for the 2014 issue of Super Chevy writing! Those of you on Facebook and Twitter are already well aware of this, and I want to thank each of you that posted a picture of the magazine with a congrats. The response has been overwhelming. For those that asked if I knew it would be the cover car, the answer was a definite NO! I found out the same way everyone else did. I encourage you to RUN out today and get a copy for yourself! (I did see that the article is now on the Super Chevy website now, so you can read through it online as well.)

If you’ve been following the Chevelle Build for any amount of time you know full well that it was a labor of love, and kicked off by the amazing gift Jeff Allison (Allison Customs), a podcast listener from New Mexico whom I’d never met in person, gave me in March of 2011. His offer? To fully restore and build my old Chevelle from a good 20-foot car full of hidden problems into the the race car of my dreams (check out Podcast #72 to and my blog post “The Chevelle Build Begins” to get the full scoop). There would be no charge for the labor at all – I’d only be responsible for the parts.

Jeff’s gift turned out to be far bigger than either of us likely guessed it would, and I can’t give him enough credit for honoring his word and commitment (even when the project was not so much fun for either of us). What started out as a mild restoration turned into a full blown custom car creation. There isn’t a nook, cranny, corner, or panel that Jeff didn’t fabricate, design, or repair. Not one. From the top of the roll cage to the custom made coil over mounts on the rear end he did it all and everything in between.

We had no idea when we started the project together the number of other people and miracles that would be involved, but one of the biggest came from Zip Simons and Don Endonino, owners of Street Metal Concepts in Orlando, FL, would offer to take on all final metal work, body, and paint, completing the entire car in 50 straight 16-20 hour days….and doing so on the meager budget that I could afford (check out Podcast #183 to hear more about them).

My real hope from this venture is that the notoriety and credibility this magazine coverage brings to Jeff, Zip, and Don is something that is a boon to their businesses, and brings in the next big client. When Jeff and I made our original handshake deal, I told him the only thing I could offer him was my commitment to get him access to valuable coverage, via my podcast, website, and any other means possible. Getting onto the cover of Super Chevy is something I hadn’t even dreamed of back when we started. Even though I make my living with an internet social media publication, I can’t deny the coolness factor of getting the car in the most established and well read Chevy publication out there. I know that this is huge!  (By the way, a huge thanks to my pal Dan Kahn, president of Kahn Media for the introduction to Jim Campisano at Super Chevy. Had Dan not opened the door, the magazine wouldn’t have happened.)

I’ll close this post out with a reference of all of the sponsor contributors to the car (see the picture on the right). Everyone of them helped and was crucial in getting the car out and done, but none quite as big as my wife and father.

My wife has allowed this entire business venture to happen, all while juggling raising three young kids, homeschooling one, and teaching classes at the same time. My dad has been a big supporter as well, personally and financially, and I think he’s just as excited to take a ride in the Chevelle again as I am!

Jeff – thank you AGAIN for being my friend, and for building my dream machine!

-Rob Kibbe