Goodguys 2021 Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year!
Congratulations to Bobby Alloway for winning the Goodguys 2021 Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year title with this 1970 Chevelle built for Jerry Rice! This award is designed to honor an exceptional GM bodied build with GM power. We’ll see you and your build in Scottsdale, Arizona November 19-21, 2021 at the 24th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals presented by Barrett-Jackson!
Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop will receive a LT5 Connect & Cruise crate powertrain system from Chevrolet Performance complete with a LT5 crate engine, 8L90E 8-speed transmission, LT5/8L90 engine controller kit, transmission installation kit, and an 8-bolt flexplate kit!
You know a hot rod builder has achieved a level of prominence when his cars develop a signature style – one that’s described using his name as an adjective. Lobek had it. Coddington had it. And Bobby Alloway has it, too.
What’s an “Alloway style” hot rod? It typically has a distinctive and dramatic big ’n little wheel-and-tire combo. It sits very low and on a rake. And it’s almost always Bobby’s favorite color: black.
Alloway has been building hot rods like this for decades and has a loyal customer base devoted to his style. So, it was little surprise that one of his latest builds – this badass black 1970 Chevelle crafted for Jerry Rice – earned Alloway the Chevrolet Performance GM Iron Builder of the Year finalist nod in Nashville.
This build began the way most Alloway builds do, with an all-new Art Morrison chassis that’s narrowed in the front and rear to Alloway’s specifications. The Morrison front suspension uses Wilwood spindles, hubs, and disc brakes, plus Strange coil-over shocks and rack-and-pinion steering from Detroit Speed. A four-link rear suspension locates the Currie 9-inch rearend. The signature rolling stock came in the form of custom 20×10- and 17×7-inch Billet Specialties five-spoke wheels wrapped in Toyo 265/50/20 and 225/50/17 tires.
A first glance under the hood might lead you to believe this is an old-school big block Chevelle, but that’s actually a Keith Dorton-built LSX topped with NASCAR SB2 valve covers. Look closer and you’ll see a faux distributor that’s mounted in front to promote further head-scratching. The 454c.i. LS is fed by a Holley carb on a Chevrolet Performance intake and churns out 720 horsepower, sending it through a Tremec TKO five-speed from American Powertrain.
Careful scrutiny of the body reveals subtle tricks like shaved side marker lights, tucked bumpers, a deleted license recess on the front bumper, and the elimination of the fresh air flap on the cowl induction hood. Naturally, the panel gaps and fit are impeccable, as is the deep, black PPG paint, which is complemented by LeMans Blue SS stripes.
The blue accents match the leather upholstery stitched by Steve Holcomb of Pro Auto Custom Interiors over modified Recaro seats and a custom console and rear seat. Even the dash was wrapped in leather before being fitted with Classic Instruments and Vintage Air.
The end result is the type of muscle machine we expect from Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop. It’s clean. It’s mean. It’s got a lot of horsepower. And it’s got big wheels and tires stuffed in the quarter panels. In short, it’s an Alloway-style hot rod, and it’s just plain bitchin’.
Photos by John Jackson
