Thinking Chevelle

Hi,

I am thinking of getting a Chevelle. I am driving a 91 Camaro RS right now, and to do any type of mod's to it would be too expensive. So, I was thinking about a classic Chevelle. I have a couple of questions I could use some help on:

What do I need to know as far as which years are more desirable, reliable, have more problems, most potential for big hp and low 1/4 mile "times."

How reliable are these cars to be everyday drivers?

Thanks for all the help.

68-72's are the most popular. They're still fairly inexpensive...especially the non-big block cars...but a rust-free version is getting harder to come by, at a decent price. Getting replacement/performance parts for 64-72 Chevelles is easy...there's so many companies that carry these parts. When it comes to good HP and 1/4 mile times...it all depends on how much you're willing to spend, and if you spent it properly. It's easy to make an 11-12 second Chevelle that sounds like it has a stock motor in it...if you're looking to make a "sleeper"...and still be a good daily driver.

68-72's rock I have a 69 and I can tell you from experience restoring it that 68-69 are a lot harder to find parts for than 70-72. but those cars rule. if you are looking for originality then I would go with a 70-72 because in 68-69 a "Supersport" was a dealer only option so their is no real way to tell if it was a original supersport or not but a 70-72 you can get it off of the vin #'s and 70-72 are the last of the true vintage muscle chevelle's. you can usually find a 68-72 for 3500 if you want one that is is decent shape and a daily driver but they are all nice cars just heavy old pure american muscle.

If you're looking to fix the car up i would suggest getting an SS. It cost the same amount to fix up a SS as it does a plain Malibu, but SS are worth quite a chunk more. I always like the 68-69 models' looks.
As far as reliability, they are all the same, depending on what shape it is in, of course.

70 SS 454 LS6 is probably the most desirable but goes for big bucks. On the other hand it needs far less mods to turn out some pretty decent times on the track. With gas prices the way they are today I don't think I would make it a daily driver though.

I don't suggest any BB as a daily driver, no matter how fast it is :)

I have a 1957 Chevy Bel-Air and want to talk to people on the best way to fix it up. it all ready has about 550hp in. so who should i talk to

68-72's rock I have a 69 and I can tell you from experience restoring it that 68-69 are a lot harder to find parts for than 70-72. but those cars rule. if you are looking for originality then I would go with a 70-72 because in 68-69 a "Supersport" was a dealer only option so their is no real way to tell if it was a original supersport or not but a 70-72 you can get it off of the vin #'s and 70-72 are the last of the true vintage muscle chevelle's. you can usually find a 68-72 for 3500 if you want one that is is decent shape and a daily driver but they are all nice cars just heavy old pure american muscle.

True for a 69 but all 1968 SS Chevelle's have an 8 as the 3rd digit of the vin number
In 1968, the SS was a separate model (the "SS-396"). Therefor, it can be identified by the VIN number. For example, a 1968 El Camino with a VIN number starting with "13880" would be a genuine SS-396 model, while a '68 El Camino with the VIN "13680" would be a non-SS "Malibu" version of the El Camino. All genuine Super Sports from 1966-1968 have an "8" as the third digit of the VIN.

skiman762, does your third didget number 8 theory work for all of the "SS" models not just the 396 engine. because to me it seems like you think that came with 396's only. and they didnt. so the third didget of an ss 396 might be 8, personaly i dont know, but there were other engines you would get with the 68 SS so your only covering a small percentage of them. witch means even if it does not have an 8 and the third diget then it could still be an original SS. im just not sure about what your talking about wether its all SS's or just the 396 SS.

skiman762, does your third didget number 8 theory work for all of the "SS" models not just the 396 engine. because to me it seems like you think that came with 396's only. and they didnt. so the third didget of an ss 396 might be 8, personaly i dont know, but there were other engines you would get with the 68 SS so your only covering a small percentage of them. witch means even if it does not have an 8 and the third diget then it could still be an original SS. im just not sure about what your talking about wether its all SS's or just the 396 SS.

I was only referring to 1968 chevelles
I didn't know the 68 SS had other motor options, it was my understanding that in 68 the SS was treated as a separate model and not as an option and only as the SS396 I have never seen an option for any other motor besides the 396
Can you send me the reference so I can add it to my collection?
Thanks for the info Ed

This is the website I was referring to
If it's wrong maybe you can let them know as well
http://www.chevelles.com/shop/ss_ident.html

1968
In 1968, the SS was a separate model (the "SS-396"). Therefor, it can be identified by the VIN number. For example, a 1968 El Camino with a VIN number starting with "13880" would be a genuine SS-396 model, while a '68 El Camino with the VIN "13680" would be a non-SS "Malibu" version of the El Camino. All genuine Super Sports from 1966-1968 have an "8" as the third digit of the VIN.

1968 was also the first year you could get an El Camino SS, and it is the only year for a separate El Camino SS model.

Genuine '68 SS-396 Chevelles had chrome trim pieces on the lower body sides both in front of, and BEHIND the rear wheels. The non-SS versions had the same trim in front of the rear wheels, but not behind them. None of the '68 Chevelle or El Camino models came with wheel well trim.

Genuine '68 SS-396s could come with standard Chevy rally wheels, or even with plain "dog-dish" hub caps. In '68, disk brakes and tachs/gauges were NOT standard equipment on the SS - you would have to pay extra for those. In fact, the MAJORITY of '68 SS-396s have all drum brakes. In '68, the disk brake option utilized 4-piston front brake calipers. Parts for these brakes can be difficult to locate today. The "F41" suspension option (rear anti-sway bar) was not available at all in '68.

The only available engine in the '68 SS was the 396. It came as either the 325 HP "L35", the 350 HP "L34", or the 375 HP "L78". At least one '68 SS-396 Chevelle with the "L89" aluminum head option has been reported.

The '68 SS models had "SS/396" emblems on the front and back, on the door panels, above the glove box, and on the steering wheel. On early '68 SSs, the front side marker light bezels had a foil insert that said "SS/396". On later '68 SS production, The bezels simply said "396". The steering wheel emblem also said "SS/396" on early production, and simply "SS" on later production vehicles. The '68-'69 SS hoods had twin bulges, while the non-SS hoods were "flat". The two raised bulges each had a chrome grille on the top, near the rear edge of the hood.

The '68 SS stripe option was either a black, white, or red stripe which ran across the front header panel above the grille, angled downwards towards the bottom of the front fenders, and then along the lower body sides to the back.

In '68, there were some special Chevrolet dealers such as "Baldwin Motion" and "Yenko" who sold Chevelles with hopped-up 396 or even 427 motors. The 427 motors were installed at the DEALERSHIP, not the factory. These cars would usually have other dealer installed items such as emblems, hoods, stripes, etc. These cars are quite valuable today, but only if they have documentation proving their authenticity.

In Canada, GM sold a very unusual vehicle that was basically a Chevelle, but it was called a "Beaumont". It had the same chassis, engine, and sheet metal as the SS-396 Chevelle, but with a Pontiac derived front grille and dashboard. It was called the "SD-396", and even had "SD-396" decals on the lower front fenders.


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hey guess what, according to that sight i stand corected. that seems kinda odd to me that the 396 was the only engine in the 68 SS. well acctualy i guess that is posible cuz if i remember corectly GM had some strike going on in the begining of that year or something and i think they in some cases just put on what they had around and whatever they had extra stuff off so who knows. anyway as far as i know now you are correct about the 68 SS.

hey guess what, according to that sight i stand corected. that seems kinda odd to me that the 396 was the only engine in the 68 SS. well acctualy i guess that is posible cuz if i remember corectly GM had some strike going on in the begining of that year or something and i think they in some cases just put on what they had around and whatever they had extra stuff off so who knows. anyway as far as i know now you are correct about the 68 SS.

Well you just never know there is so much info out there and I'm sure much has been lost over the years
what motor do you have in yours
I have a 427 th400 it has highway geared posi not a demon off the line
but I can pull it down to 2nd at 70 and smoke a ricer for sure

well im running a 350 with a 350. i have an open 3.08 rear. soon i will be swaping out the trans for a 2004R that im building and eventualy when i destroy this rear or when i get the money to replace it i will be swaping out the rear for a 3.73 posi rear. yeah ricers, ha, no problem. im sure if i had traction off the line i would probably be in the 12's somewhere. oh and i run my second gear from like 45-50(i cant remember cuz i usualy dont look at the speedo when im on the gas) up to about 85-90. the fastest iv ever gone is about 138. but im not running Z rated tires or anything so i dont like going to fast except for a very short time. i think some day i will be able to max out my speedo though, (autometer 160MPH).

well im running a 350 with a 350. i have an open 3.08 rear. soon i will be swaping out the trans for a 2004R that im building and eventualy when i destroy this rear or when i get the money to replace it i will be swaping out the rear for a 3.73 posi rear. yeah ricers, ha, no problem. im sure if i had traction off the line i would probably be in the 12's somewhere. oh and i run my second gear from like 45-50(i cant remember cuz i usualy dont look at the speedo when im on the gas) up to about 85-90. the fastest iv ever gone is about 138. but im not running Z rated tires or anything so i dont like going to fast except for a very short time. i think some day i will be able to max out my speedo though, (autometer 160MPH).

I hear ya on the top end I held mine down one day and thought it was about to go airborne not sure how fast but the poles where go by mighty fast 2:56 gear sure let that big block pull for along time

I think I am going to have to change the rearend gears in mine. Since the rebuild mine has unbelievable low end torque but top end has suffered. It's an automatic and can easily break em loose shifting into every gear but cruising on the e-way really makes the engine work. Top end is probably around 110 now but I seldom see those speeds because it works so hard to remain there.

what rear gears do you have? i have never toped out either. i can still go faster i just chose not to cuz i need new tie rod ends and its hard to slow a 2 tone car down from 140mph. im sure i could hit like 145 maybe just maybe 150. but like i said before i dont have the tires for it along with a few other things.

I have the stock rearend that came with a 72 SS with a 454. I haven't looked into what the gear ratio is yet mostly because it was never an issue before. Now that I am thinking about changing it out I am going to have to look into it. I use to be able to bury the speedometer easily before the rebuild. The rebuild was mostly to gain more low end torque so I knew my top end was going to suffer some. I guess I just didn't realize it was going to suffer that much. Don't get me wrong...I love the torque coming off the line. I get sucked back in the seat so far I swear I'm sitting in the back seat. :) Every shift the car breaks loose. It's a lot of fun cruising around town in but at some point I want to get out of town and hit the e-way. That's when the engine starts to work hard. I'll have to check what gears came stock with my Chevelle.

I have 3.73s in the rear. With a richmond 5 speed and the torque of a 502, the gears are way too much. Gonna step it down to a 2.73 or 3.08.
7B7,

If you can find a chevelle for a good price, get one because they will not depreciate....even the non SS cars are going up. If you are gonna drive it everyday, you might want to get a small block chevelle for better MPG.

Tom

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Welcome nebula72. Nice to see another 72 on the board. Seems like blue is a popular color for Chevelles.
Nice ride.

Thanks DGB454.

Blue is without a doubt the best color for a 72. :)

I plan on doing my 69 in black.


Tom

I think I am going to have to change the rearend gears in mine. Since the rebuild mine has unbelievable low end torque but top end has suffered. It's an automatic and can easily break em loose shifting into every gear but cruising on the e-way really makes the engine work. Top end is probably around 110 now but I seldom see those speeds because it works so hard to remain there.

What gears are you running?

i agree 68-72 are the most popular
also it depends what type of motor you are putting in . i dont know if you will want to drive it everyday

also if you are going to drive this car everyday i wouldn't mod the engine that much because you will have more problems
everyone knows that musle cars push it to the limit and are not ment to run as everyday drivers

if you are going to drive this car everyday i would only put in a 454 at the biggest
scince you shouldnt put in the biggest motor possible because your driving this everyday i reccomoned the 72 it is a lighter weight than the 68's and the 70's that is why i am reccomoneding this so you have better power to weight ratio

If you go 72 you will have to do some work on the engine unless you are happy with the 200+ hp. Power sucked on the 72s without some modification.

ya i agree
but if you are driving this car every day why not just put in a 454 and not mod the 396
i think moding the 396 will put too much stress on the motor for an everyday driver

ya i agree
but if you are driving this car every day why not just put in a 454 and not mod the 396
i think moding the 396 will put too much stress on the motor for an everyday driver

Nobody drives these cars for fuel economy so who cares and I think you can warm up a 396 plenty and still have it be reliable
Run what makes you happy with my 2.56 gears my 427 will get 14-15 mpg if I don’t get lead foot disorder and there’s no problem pulling the th400 to 2nd at 70 mph and scooting up to 100+ just for the fun of it. Of course I’m up in the NW with lots of 70+
Interstates to run on, in town I would choose a different set up for sure.

well buddy i think are cars are a little different
i dont know about you but mine is pushed to the limit its not an everyday driver

i think that if he wants a everyday driver he should just put in a bid motor, not mod a small one
if you know anything the moded motor will have more problems

well buddy i think are cars are a little different
i dont know about you but mine is pushed to the limit its not an everyday driver

i think that if he wants a everyday driver he should just put in a bid motor, not mod a small one
if you know anything the moded motor will have more problems

Not trying to purposely disagree with you but moded motors will do fine if done right. Saying all moded engines will have problems makes no sense to me unless you do something really wild and stupid. :cwm27:

well buddy i think are cars are a little different
i dont know about you but mine is pushed to the limit its not an everyday driver

i think that if he wants a everyday driver he should just put in a bid motor, not mod a small one
if you know anything the moded motor will have more problems

I must not know anything then.
guess that moded 427 in my garage that has taken me to work 50 miles round trip for the last 5 years and never given me a bit of trouble
doesn't count.
Just my 2 cents
Seems like since you have been on here all you have done is brag and slam people this is a forum for people looking to share ideas and knowledge not put people and there cars down.

And here’s a question what did it take to get licensed
To drive that beast of yours.

race motors are entirely unreliable on the street for daily drivers, but a mild street engine with heads, a cam, and such will be perfectly reliable, and if you are swapping out old tired original peices, it will probly run better. i agree that it is a streach to say that a modded motor is unreliable. again, you have to remember that not all modded motors are of the caliber you and your dad run. modded could mean everything from accel plug wires, to a full top fuel setup.

Also you said your 68 was over 4000 lbs why so heavy
mine has a BB and on the certified scale at the truck stop it was 3378 with me and it has A/C
Also a camaro is only a few hundred pounds lighter I looked up the GM shipping weights for 68 and the chevelle was 3197 the camaro was 2985
both with BB's .must be all the mods you have done.

i dont know why but it was weighed at 4161 lbs

well i gutted it took out the radio, the back seat, other front seat, heater, all the carpet and everything else now its just one seat and a dash
hope it takes of a cupple 100

i dont know why but it was weighed at 4161 lbs

well i gutted it took out the radio, the back seat, other front seat, heater, all the carpet and everything else now its just one seat and a dash
hope it takes of a cupple 100

I'm sure with the cage and all the other race stuff on it it would add that much weight. can you have plexi side windows and all that?

can you have plexi side windows and all that?

can i or do i?

can you have plexi side windows and all that?

can i or do i?
yeah do you
don't you need a IHRA or NHRA license to run under 10 sec?

only if you run at the track ;)