When talking about classic cars abandoned out in the open, we usually think about rust buckets. Because exposure to the elements is pretty bad for an automobile. But some cars are lucky enough to take decades of sitting out in the open without major damage. Like this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle here.
This old Chevy was parked in a cornfield sometime in 1995, which means it spent a whopping 27 years off the road and fully exposed to heat, rain, and everything that mother nature had to throw at it. This kind of exposure usually results in serious rust issues, but this Chevelle is in surprisingly good condition after almost three decades out in the open.
Come 2022 and the owner wants to get the car running again and move it into a safer location. Because even though he parked it next to his farmhouse, the somewhat remote area encouraged people to try and steal it. Fortunately, the attempts were unsuccessful and convinced the owner that this Chevelle deserves a better fate.
He called YouTube’s “What the Rust?” to get it running again and, after a few days of hard work, the old V8 engine agreed to fire up. But even though they also managed to dig the wheels out of the ground, they couldn’t move the Chevelle out of its resting place.
But that’s something the owner will take care of soon because he wants to move the car to a garage. And hopefully, it won’t take long until he will put this old midsize back on the road. I’d even venture to say it’s worth restoring because this Chevelle features a green-on-green color combo that you don’t get to see very often.
And while the interior is in bad shape and the headliner is toast, it’s definitely salvageable. On top of that, the floors seem to be solid as well, which is downright surprising given that this classic spent decades sitting on the ground.
The only downside is that the original 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8 engine is no longer under the hood. The mill was swapped for a 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) long before the car was parked in the field, most likely because the owner wanted a bit of extra grunt.
There’s not a lot of info about the 400, but it’s worth noting that Chevrolet offered such an engine for the 1970 model year. In the Chevelle, the powerplant was good for 330 horsepower. For reference, the 350 V8 came with 250 or 300 horses on tap. Compared to the former, the 400 is a notable upgrade. But enough history for today, hit the play button below to see this 1970 Chevelle come back to life after 27 years.