Chevy High Performance – October 2019

OCTOBER 2019 II CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE 61

rod, though not quite so long for
those vintage Mickey Sportsman
Pro fatties. Are they fake-outs? We
think so, though the underlying
mechanical force is current,
formidable, and runs reliably. We
guess you’d call John’s SS a street and
strip bandit, got those big ’n’ littles
on it. But it’s also got drop spindles,
tubular control arms, and the
semblance of something serious.
In the fall of 1968, the Chevelle
SS was available with a 396, so the
logical progression would seem to be

something a little larger, like a 427.

As Gasoline Alley in Paterson had

long been the main attraction, the

place to go in the old days, Paterson’s

Ceralli Competition Engines soon

became mecca. Bill Ceralli filled

the ’68’s cylinder block with a

complement of hard parts gathered

around an Isky hydraulic roller. Iron

cylinder heads are nothing special,

either, but the whole generates 469

lb-ft and 525 horsepower, and that’s

plenty for John G’s mission.

Hand work is always

heart-warming. John showcased

the engine compartment with a

tough-looking snorkel cold-air intake

system built by Spectre Performance,

which in turn dictated the clearance

afforded by the 4-inch cowl hood.

Managing the big-block’s guff is a

TCI Turbo 400 twirling a Breakaway

converter with a 2,400-2,600–stall

speed. A B&M ratchet hits the mark

every time.

The cockpit is subdued and

unassuming, but bubbling with

comfort and convenience, too,