After Sitting 30 Years – Will an Abandoned Chevelle Start Up and Drive 600 Miles Home?

When it comes to an abandoned muscle car, the question “What if?” can really get to us.

We would be inclined to think that any good gearhead who has seen an abandoned car has had to wonder about the possibilities. Even if said car isn’t your cup of tea, thinking about what it could possibly be is what being a gearhead is all about.

What if there is enough potential in this car to start it up and drive it home?

What if there’s a solid foundation there to start a nice project car?

When we stumble upon these kinds of videos on YouTube, we simply can’t help ourselves. Seeing the process of bringing abandoned vehicles back to life gives us all sorts of mechanical therapy. I think that, at one point or another, most car fans have fantasized about doing something like this. The sad reality, though, is that many times, it simply requires too much technical knowledge or the cars available are too far gone. Those that aren’t rusted into the ground likely come with a hefty price tag as well.

This time, though, we found somebody who was able to locate their ideal project. When the Vice Grip Garage YouTube channel stumbled upon an old abandoned Chevrolet Chevelle, they couldn’t help themselves.

There were a couple of red flags with this project. First of all, it was 600 miles from home. Second of all, the main question was if it would run after 30 years of sitting. Not only would the buyer have to fire this thing up but they would have to drive it home several hundred miles. Just to give you an idea, if the speed limit is 60 mph, that’s a 10-hour road trip. That’s not exactly going to be something that’s pleasant in a car that hasn’t run in three decades.

By following along with the video below, we get the sink ourselves into this phenomenon. Will the car be able to fire up and handle the trip home? It’s about time to find out!