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Pro Touring 1966 Chevy Chevelle With Lots of Mods

Home > Chevy > Pro Touring 1966 Chevy Chevelle With Lots of Mods
Meet the Big Bertha – a Pro Touring 1966 Chevy Chevelle With Lots of Mods

By

Matt Grabli
February 27, 2025

With the new era of electric cars being right around the corner we already begin to miss the good old American iron with high displacement V8s and sexy muscle car appearance.

Our today’s feature is dedicated to one of the most iconic muscle cars of the late 60-s – a 1966 Chevy Chevelle, owned, restored, and modified by a life-long enthusiast Fran Bertagni, from Fountain Valley, CA. This project started off as a sad old Malibu with no character, which evolved into a stylish pro-touring muscle car throughout the next decade.

Matte grey 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS Malibu

Table of Contents

Toggle
  • The Big Bertha
    • Wheels
    • Brakes
    • Performance
  • List of Modifications
  • Conclusion

The Big Bertha

The original goal of the owner was to make it reliable enough to drive daily and look awesome while doing it. He decided to go against the grain and get it painted in a stealthy-looking matte—grey color completed by @hillviewcustoms, which looks exceptionally well with blacked-out bumpers, wheels, and other trim.

“The original goal of the owner was to make it reliable enough to drive daily and look awesome while doing it”

1966 Chevy Malibu with blacked out paint and tinted windows
1966 Chevelle SS on Ridler 650 series rims (17×7 front and 18×9.5 rear)
Pro Touring chevy malibu 1966 rear view, bumper and taillights

“- I don’t really care what others think of her as some don’t like her style, but on the same token I do get enjoyment from those who agree with it.”

1966 Chevy Malibu with blacked out grille and front bumper chin spoiler

Wheels

The car sits low on a set of period-correct Ridler 650-Series staggered wheels sized 17×7 up front and 18×9.5 on the back. They are wrapped in Toyo R888 performance tires sized 215/45R17 and 275/40 respectively.

“The car sits low on a set of period-correct Ridler 650-Series staggered wheels sized 17×7 up front and 18×9.5 on the back”

1966 Chevy Malibu rear qurter panel with blacked out logo

Brakes

A set of Wilwood big brakes with contrasting red color can be seen through the spokes. They were installed to improve the stopping power and cope with other performance upgrades.

1966 Chevelle SS with Winwood big brake kit and red calipers

Performance

Speaking of performance, the “BigBertha” (this is how this Chevelle is called by its loving owner) has got plenty of upgrades under the hood which include the GM Performance crate engine (SBC 350 – 5.7L small block with 350cui displacement)
COMP cam Thumpr series performance camshaft, Flotek aluminum heads, 700r4 Trans and a 2 row Champion radiator.

“Speaking of performance, the “BigBertha” has got plenty of upgrades under the hood!”

Modified Pro touring 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS
Old school muscle car
Blacked out muscle car badass
1966 Chevy Chevelle SS rear quarter panel

List of Modifications

Performance

  • GM Performance SBC 350 crate engine
  • COMP cam Thumpr series camshaft
  • Flotek aluminum heads
  • 700r4 transmission
  • 2-row Champion radiator
  • Wilwood brake system

Suspension

  • Custom lowered performance suspension based on Original Parts Group Inc. and Jamco Parts

Wheels

  • Ridler 650 series wheels (17×7 front, 18×9.5 rear)
  • Toyo R888 performance tires (215/45 front, 275/40 rear)

Exterior

  • Custom matte grey paint by Hillview Customs
  • Blacked-out bumpers
  • Blacked-out trim
  • Lowered stance
Badass muscle car chevy malibu SS 1966

Conclusion

Raw numbers tell the story: suspension takes the crown with a perfect 10 for its track-ready setup, while the burly crate motor and brake upgrades push performance to a solid 8. The menacing matte paint job and blacked-out aesthetics land a mid-pack 5 in the exterior department. Looking at Big Bertha’s build sheet, it’s clear that function led the form here.

Parts CategoryDifficulty Rating*
Suspension Mods:10/10
Performance Mods:8/10
Exterior Mods:5/10

* Based on our build difficulty evaluation system ⓘ

This ’66 Chevelle represents everything right about the pro-touring movement: taking Detroit iron and making it handle like a modern performance car while keeping its muscle car soul intact. And in that respect, Big Bertha nails the brief.

Blacked out 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS pro touring project

Watch the progress and find out more about this Chevy Chevelle project by visiting the Instagram profile of the car @6ig6ertha!

Photography by @wishuwerehair

Stay tuned for more project reviews on Specs&Mods.com – Follow us on social media, and share this write-up if you enjoyed reading it!


Matt Grabli Avatar
Matt Grabli
With more than 10 years of experience as a mechanic and aftermarket performance parts specialist, Matt is specialized in vehicle modifications of any sort. He appreciates the motorsports heritage and keeps his hand on the pulse of modern trends. His life goals are documenting the diversity of the modern automotive culture and inspiring others to build the cars of their dreams! Connect with Matt on: FB, Pinterest, LinkedIn

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