Built With Speedway Motors: Dan's '69 Chevelle
Sometimes, owning an old car can be hard. Life gets in the way of our dreams and often that project gets neglected or sold. But sometimes, through perseverance and the power of our dreams, these stories have a happy ending. This is one of those stories. Dan Loftus has had his '69 Chevelle for almost 30 years and they've been through a lot together. We love bringing you these stories in the owner's own words, and here's Dan telling the story of his Chevelle.
My love of cars started at a young age. My mom helped my dad pull an engine while pregnant with me. My dad has owned many cars but has had his '66 Chevelle since the 80's. I used to sit in it and pretend to drive. There was even talk of me getting it one day, but after tearing up the hand me down Cutlass I had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. But once I was able to prove myself more responsible, we began muscle car shopping.
I have owned my Chevelle since 1993 when I was 18 years old. It was a combination high school graduation and Christmas present. We had looked at faster cars but my dad thought this was much safer since it is a factory power steering and power disc brake car. Before long we installed a crate engine. Shortly thereafter the rust started appearing. Starting in the front fenders then the quarters. The car sat for years in various states of disrepair while I tried to save money for sheet metal and body work. Around 2007 I had met my now wife and we sold my 1st house and the profit made it possible to finally restore my Chevelle. I spent the next 18 months completing a frame off restoration, 9 months of which were body shop jail. In 2008 I took it to Cruisin’ Ocean City for the 1st time. I have spent the last 10+ years enjoying the car at cruises and car shows with my dad and his Chevelle and my wife and kids, but have gotten the racing bug again. Last year my dad and I got to race each other at Cecil County! I got smoked but loved every minute of it.
Then in December 2018 my daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor and car stuff seemed trivial. When she was over halfway through chemo treatments and the prognosis was looking good, I registered for Drag Week 2019 successfully completed it. This past winter I swapped in a 454 and finally hit that 12 second time slip. My daughter has healed, the tumor is gone, and I am ready to race more!!