It may have taken 12-years to turn this gearheads vision into reality, but in the end this blown 1966 Chevelle was worth the wait. It sometimes takes quite a while to go from an idea to a reality, often a lot longer that it should. Such was the case with Mark Kuffels 1966 pro-touring Chevelle. You see, the idea for this build started 14 years ago. The problem wasnt finding a car, or the funds, it was finding the right shop to turn his vision into an automotive reality. He bought the 1966 Chevelle 2008 from a guy in Wisconsin. It was a decent 20-footer with a 350 small-block and minimal rust. At that point the car went into storage until he could find the right builder. The shop he eventually found was Roman Performance and Fabrication in Illinois. The owner, Ed Romanowski, saw Kuffels vision and began work on the 66 in late 2016. The Chevelle has the expected rust and body damage commonly found on 50-year-old car, but it wasnt too bad with the worst being a quarter panel that needed replacing. For style a Dynacorn 2-inch steel cowl induction hood was added, but it was the custom bodywork that took the most time. For a cleaner look the emblems were shaved along with the door handles, trunk lock, and bumper bolts. The bumpers were also shortened and sucked into the car before being dechromed. Once all the bodywork was perfect, the gaps just right, and the mini tubs added, the car was shot in Daytona Pearl and polished to perfection. While the body was being perfected on a jig the fame was in another area of the shop. The stock frame was blasted clean, repainted, gusseted, and fitted with Ridetech Shockwave air bag system. Going the air bag route would let Kuffel cruise the car on city streets and still get that slammed look when parked. For stopping power the chassis received 14-inch, 6-piston, front Wilwood brakes and a 13-inch, 4-piston, Wilwood setup in the rear combined with a Hydratech assist unit. The brakes reside inside 198-inch and 2012-inch Billet Specialties Toploader wheels wrapped in 245/35/19 and 345/25/20 Michelin Pilot Sport tires. To tighten up the steering an AGS close-ratio steering box was added along with polyurethane frame bushings. With the chassis and body underway it was time to sort out the Chevelles drivetrain. Kuffel knew he wanted some sort of forced induction engine and at first, he bought a 588-inch ProCharged big-block. Eventually he changed his mind and decided he wanted a modern mill under the hood. Given this he opted for a Chevrolet Performance blown LSA crate engine. The LSA is a 6.2L (376-inch for the non-metric crowd) aluminum short-block filled with a forged steel crank, powder-metal rods, and hypereutectic blower pistons right from the factory. Up top theres a pair of rec-port L92 aluminum heads and a Roots-style GM blower putting out around 9-pounds of boost. Feeding fuel to the supercharged mill is a pair of Aeromotive 340 pumps sucking from a Rock Valley stainless tank. To tame inlet temps an intercooler was sourced from a ZL1 Camaro. The 650 hp mill inhales through a Spectre filter and exhales through a pair of 1 7/8-inch Stainless Works long-tube headers mated to a custom 3-inch exhaust with matching mufflers. The engine and 4L80e trans (2,800 stall) are controlled by a Chevrolet Connect and Cruise ECU. Power hits the pavement through a Moser nine-inch rear with a 35-spline Wavetrac posi and 3.55 gears. For a serpentine drive system an underdriven Concept One system added to the mix. With the rest of car coming along so nicely Kuffel knew that the interior had to be just as good, so he hired Gustavo Lara, owner of Guzz Design, to craft an eye-catching red interior and trunk. The dash got a Dakota Digital VHX gauge system and a Custom Autosound head unit for some tunes. A Billet Specialties steering wheel keeps the Chevelle pointed in the right direction while a Vintage Air system keeps everyone comfortable. Since getting the road Kuffel has put a lot of miles on the Chevelle and if the weather is decent, he often cruises it back and forth to work. So, say hes happy with the build would be an understatement and at its first show, the 2019 Chicago World of Wheels, it picked up 2 nd place among some pretty tough competition. Kuffel also wanted to make sure to give a special thanks to his wife Nina (also referred to as the CFO) for supporting his project and picking the interior color. The post Pro-Touring LSA-Powered 1966 Chevelle Goes Modern While Keeping Its Classic Vibe appeared first on Hot Rod Network .