NOVEMBER 2019IICHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE 51
★It shouldn’t be too difficult to wrap your mind around
the idea of an obsession. Everyone has experienced this all-
encompassing emotional experience at least once. It takes over your
thoughts, your desires, and your ability to be rational. For a lot
of people, their obsession passes by, either through its fulfillment
or the passage of time. But, for Terry Kamp, his obsession went
unfulfilled nor did time wash it away. Terry’s obsession stuck it out
through thick and thin, lasting a full half-century.
gone away. In 2013, I built a 1964
Chevelle SS big-block clone of the rare
396 Z16, yet it still wasn’t the same as
the ’66 I owned some 50 years ago.”
When the cravings just wouldn’t
subside, Terry decided there was
only one thing he could do and that
was to buy another 1966 Chevelle.
But he knew his obsession was far
deeper now, and simply owning an
old Chevelle similar to the one his wife
and he drove decades ago wouldn’t cut
it. At this point, Terry needed to build
a ’66 Chevelle that would match or
exceed the expectations he’d built up
for the car over the years.
“Recently, I became aware of an
original, solid 1966 Chevelle SS that
needed a complete restoration,” Terry
told us. “I decided it was time to
satisfy my obsession and purchased
the car. My intent was to restore and
retain the stock exterior appearance,
right down to using the original
Tropic Turquoise paint color. On
the other hand, I wanted to use the
latest powertrain and suspension
technology. In essence, I planned toSo what could possibly
hold one’s attention for so
long? A Chevy, of course!
It all started over 50
years ago, but we’ll let Terry
explain it. “My wife and
I just celebrated our 53rd
wedding anniversary. One
of our first car purchases
was a used 1966 Chevelle
SS 396/L78 with a car loan
payment of $33.75 per
month. A few years later,
when buying our first home,
the credit requirements
necessitated we sell our
prized Chevelle—gone
forever. However, my
obsession and love of that
1966 Chevelle has never