Check Out This 1962 Bel Air Sport Coupe With An LS2
The Bel Air was once the bell of the ball until a certain other Chevy hit the scene. Check out what one owner has done to put some much-needed respect on the Bel Air plate.
What ever happened to bubble tops and tail fins?
Built by Roger at Ironworks Speed and Customs, this 1962 bubble top has come a long way from its beginnings as a former halo car for the Chevy brand. Back in 1952, this car was Chevy's top of the line model, and in 1955 was used to premiere a new V8 engine to the lineup in an effort to excite the public. Chevy's view of the car changed once the Impala made its debut and knocked the Bel Air down to second fiddle for the brand with retirement on the horizon. That for the car came about with a grand send-off in the form of the 1962 Sport Coupe Hardtop. This car was the last of the Chevy bubbletops and received it from the year's prior Impala SS. More exciting than a quirky roof was that the Bel Air also received an all-new dual quad 409 powerplant.
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Call Cliff Mr. Fix It
That 409 would remain under the hood until the car came under the ownership of one Cliff Findlay. Cliff wanted something more for the Bel Air and sought to make it into not just a work of art, but an exercise in performance. Ironworks took to the car and had the Gen 4 6.0-liter aluminum LS2 installed into the car for a more modern upgrade to the world of performance. Urban and Turner then handed over blueprints to create a complex cross-ram intake system that would sit atop the LS. Underneath the heart of the old muscle car are intercoolers that feed a pair of 62 mm TiAL SPort Garrett turbos that can be seen behind the AutoRad core support unit. Chad Wait of EVOD took up the responsibility of fabricating some intricate headers that the core support is mounted on as well as a Holley Dominator EFI.
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Chassis fully upgraded
The Bel Air body itself also received the upgrade treatment as some new things needed to be introduced to handle all that power of course. The car now has C6 Corvette-based suspension in the front and a four linked 9-inch in the rear with RideTech adjustable coilovers and 14-inch Wilwood brakes. For the wheels, Ironworks went with a staggered setup of 20 and 21 inch HRE brushed titanium-coated rims. Wrapped around those are Michelin Pilot Sport tires to grab onto the road despite the Chevy's low stance.
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That's some expensive paint
As far as the exterior mods, that beautiful coat of paint is that of Ferrari's palette and goes by the name of Grigio Scuro Gray. Any gaps that were on the chassis from the factory have been tightened up along with new custom head and taillights have been added. The lighting in the headlights are LEDs that have been integrated into 5.25-inch component speaker housings while the rear lights are snatched from Lotus Elise.
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That cabin tho
The interior of the Bel Air has said goodbye to the original cloth and vinyl trim in favor of bright and red leather that now accentuates the cabin. The center of the console houses a custom built unit that sits underneath a bespoke aluminum dash. The seats have completely jumped ship from the domestic market and are went German with two bucket seats from an SL 500 Merc from eBay. This has been far and away one of the best bubbletops we've ever set our eyes on by a longshot.
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