he station wagon, once relegated to chores related to family life, was the body style of choice for soccer moms, Little League coaches, family vacations, and occasionally seen towing a drag car to the track. And, of course, who could forget the 1954 Dodge station wagon and camper trailer that made up the first NHRA Drag Safari. Yes, it was versatile, roomy, and, for the most part, form followed function. Speaking of form and function, by the 1960s, the desirable weight transfer of the station wagon had been discovered, and station wagons were in the thick of drag racing in a wide range of classes, many complete with candy stripe roofs … but I digress. The completely boring SUV has made modern station wagons a rarity, but the charm and allure of a vintage wagon is not lost on the hot rod community. You can include longtime Chevy guy Andy Lezotte of Morgan Hill, California, in that group.

Lezotte and Rodger Lee, at Ironworks Speed & Kustom, have teamed up on hot rods before, with the last being a 1969 Chevelle. When Lezotte found a remarkably original 1965 Chevelle station wagon, he immediately envisioned what could be done with it and knew exactly who could make that vision come true. It was to be a modern take on the classic “sleepers”—a car with a stock, understated exterior but all business underneath.

Externally, factory Artesian Turquoise paint was both a desirable Chevelle color and in salvageable condition. While the paint is far from perfect, it fits nicely into today’s popular “survivor” paint category with a luster only time can produce. Several days of rejuvenation proved the paint would be perfect in an imperfect way. Of course, building a complete frame-off hot rod without disturbing the original paint presents some serious challenges, but the team at Ironworks was up to the task.

In 1965, if you had the correct RPO numbers, you could order the Z-16 package for your Chevelle. That gave you a powerful 396/375hp big-block engine and a stronger suspension, although this wagon mostly came with a more common small-block. It’s still an impressive package today, but team Ironworks had bigger ideas.

Step one involved separating the wagon body from the original chassis. The chassis and driveline were rolled outside and replaced with a Speedtech Performance Extreme chassis. This new chassis features forged-aluminum spindles with C7 hubs, power rack-and-pinion steering, adjustable splined sway bars, Ridetech adjustable coilovers, and Wilwood brakes on all four corners. A 9-inch Ford rear axle is installed with Speedtech’s torque arm rear suspension system. All this engineering results in excellent handling and an aggressive stance, with space to fit the massive HRE 105 wheels. The chassis also includes mounts for the LT4 engine. Producing 650 hp, it makes the early big-block option seem mild. While you might have opted for a four-speed transmission in 1965, the LT4 is paired with a GM 10-speed transmission built by Bowler Transmissions.

Plans include Vintage Air, Dakota Digital HDX gauges, and a powerful 3-inch exhaust system. DJ Designs will be tasked with creating the perfect vintage-style interior. The finished wagon is surprisingly refined. Wild with power, stance, and handling, yet wrapped in a package that simply says “nice old wagon.” And, of course, the famous battle cry from the back seat of every station wagon … “Are we there yet?” will be replaced with “Wow! We’re here already!”