Photos: Whips By Wade
Story: Evan ‘Evo’ Yates
Jonathan “Ross” Ivy is quickly becoming a BEAST in the whip game. His collection of rides far surpasses most as he owns a total of 12 (TWELVE!) custom vehicles and yes, he actually owns every single one. With two RIDES cover cars under his belt – the gold ’75 Donk and super-clean ’70 Chevelle – he vows to have plenty more with another ’75 Donk and ’68 Camaro in the lab that are destined to be of similar pedigree upon completion. And as rapidly as he is building custom cars from the ground-up, he’s also buying previously-built rides and flipping them to his liking. After Sandman Designs wrapped up arguably the most complete Chevelle we’ve featured, Ivy decided to cop Sandman’s 1974 Darth Vader-inspired Caprice and take it to the next level. To the untrained eye, it may look as if a simple wheel swap was the sole upgrade, but that couldn’t be further from the truth because the list of additions is extensive.
Below is a list of new parts added:
– QA1 Coil overs with Sandman Designs mounting brackets
– Hydratech brake booster system
– Sandman Designs serpentine system
– Wilwood 16-inch front six-piston big brake sytsem with a Sandman Designs mounting bracket and hub assembly
– Wilwood 14.25-inch rear six-piston big brake system
– Sandman Designs adjustable upper and lower trailing arms
– Adjustable QA1 rear coilovers with Sandman Designs mounting brackets
– Nu Relics power windows
– Power locks
– Painless Wiring Push Button Start in custom billet sleeve made in-house at Sandman Designs
– Staggered 28-inch Forgiato Azioni wheels and Toyo 275/26/28 tires
And a list of new modifications:
– Modified front fenders retaining factory lines
– Re-molded the lower trim to a factory edge
– Narrowed the rear end
– Modified rear tubs
– Notched and reinforced frame
– Modified rear skirts
– Modified trans tunnel and bump stops
– Removed the Star Wars theme from the trunk
Ross and Sandman both believe this sexy ’74 has definitely provided the blueprint for those who wish to properly fit 28-inch wheels on a Donk, going above and beyond what the typical shop would endure. And as the Donk is now complete, it’s headed back to Texas for Ross to enjoy until it makes the trip to ATL for Stuntfest 2013 where Ross just may have a few more rides on display.
Performance: Matching-numbers 454 big block, Sandman Designs serpentine setup, stage-two Bowtie overdrive transmission; 10-bolt posi-traction rear with 3.42 gears; jet-coated Magnaflow exhaust
Interior: Italian leather and suede, black cloth top, billet dress up buttons (Stephens Brothers)
Exterior: DuPont super-jet-black paint; re-chromed and polished trim pieces; suicide trunk lid; smoked taillights and marker lenses; custom-painted grill
Ice: 28 Boston Acoustic Pro series speakers hidden in six custom enclosures; six 6.5-inch drivers, six four inch drivers, 16 tweeters; two custom-airbrushed JL Audio 13w subwooferss, one JL Audio 1000/1 amplifier, 1 JL Audio 450/4 amplifier; Excessive Amperage alternator; double-DIN Pioneer Navigation Bluetooth in dash; custom dash enclosurel rear back-up camera flushed into the bumper
Wheels/Tires: Forgiato Azioni Wheels 28×9 front, 28×10 rear powder-coated by James Terry at Performance Coatings, Toyo 275/25/28 tires
