When buying a classic car sight unseen, you usually expect a few hidden surprises. But when automotive YouTuber Westen Champlin traveled all the way to Dallas, Texas, to pick up his dream 1970 Chevelle SS, he discovered an absolute rust bucket that barely ran.Instead of walking away, Champlin did what any chaotic gearhead would do: he lowballed the owner, towed the car to a rented Airbnb, and completely ripped out the drivetrain."We took about four or five days to put an 800-horsepower Big Block in that car in an Airbnb driveway just to drive it back to Kansas," Champlin explained to his viewers, setting the stage for an incredibly sketchy road trip.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe base vehicle for this wild experiment was far from a pristine show car. The previous owner had admittedly overpaid for the classic muscle car, only to realize later that the floorboards and body panels were completely rotted out.After some quick parking lot negotiations, Champlin secured the dream car for a fraction of the asking price. "$11,000 for a rusted-out Chevelle, thank God for YouTube," Champlin joked after handing over the cash.To get the project rolling, the crew immediately hit a local auto parts store, dropping a casual "$1,721.86" on a battery, new fuel tank, fluids, wires, and—crucially—three fire extinguishers "in case things go wrong". The team then towed the Chevelle to their rented Airbnb, where they spent days surviving the brutal August Texas heat, tearing out the weak factory motor, and dropping in a massive $30,000, 800-horsepower Big Block crate engine.A Sketchy Drive Back to KansasBolting an 800-horsepower engine into a 56-year-old rusted chassis in a residential driveway is one thing, but driving it hundreds of miles across state lines is an entirely different level of risk.AdvertisementAdvertisementAffectionately named "Poptart," the resurrected Chevelle guzzled fuel at an alarming rate on the highway. During their third fill-up after just 103 miles, the crew did the math and realized they were averaging a painful "6.9 m a gallon".The massive power upgrade also began tearing apart the vintage factory drivetrain. Nearing the finish line in Kansas, Champlin noted that the transmission was basically screaming for mercy. "That Turbo 400 is from 1970; probably they were rated for about 200 horsepower, and we got about 8, almost 900 horsepower running through it," Champlin admitted as third gear completely stopped holding power.Despite the slipping transmission, terrible gas mileage, and the constant threat of a breakdown, Poptart miraculously made it back to the shop in one piece. To celebrate the survival of the Frankenstein build, Champlin ripped a massive, tire-destroying burnout, laughing as the torque completely engulfed the car."There ain't nothing better than a big boy," Champlin yelled over the screaming engine. "There's smoke coming out of the rust like a freaking smoker!"
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