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It was the fall of 1990 when the search for a loaded 67SS ragtop was in full swing. At the time, we had six 1967 Chevelles parked in our yard (in various conditions), but I had the urge for a Big Block ragtop with factory air :) We had placed wanted ads, scoured papers and harassed anyone we knew to 'keep and eye open' for such a car. One ad in a national Chevelle magazine sounded good, so I called and talked to the original owner who sent me several pictures which we reviewed and sent back with an offer. We heard nothing more for several weeks until the Gulf War broke out and the phone rang. A week later found us in a motel parking lot in Colorado on a snowy January afternoon waiting for the car to arrive. The Chevelle had been painted an International Harvester Green and was in need of some attention but had all the right stuff. The original owner had special ordered the car and had the protecto plate, manuals and booklets.
The next morning found us heading home with no heat! When we had tried out the car the day before I had wanted to see if the air compressor was OK and had to hook up a connector (which shorted out) and left us with no blower motor. A handful of fuses, tools and a test light and we were again sliding down the highway - ragtops and winter are not a great combination. Our first night in a motel was quite restless as we kept waking up to ensure that our treasure was indeed still parked outside our room. The only problem we ran into was a cheap set of Uni-points that failed out in the middle of nowhere (that's why I hate those things!). A few hours were wasted ( I was SURE it was the carb) before finding out the problem and I think it took two weeks before I was warm again.
Work began immediately after getting it home to our shop. The SS was stripped of the green paint, the interior and top were removed, engine and tranny pulled and within a couple of days our new car was in piles all over the shop. We planned on using it for the coming summer so worked night and day for a few months and were ready when the car show season hit.
The engine was treated to a full rebuild with new correct pistons at .030 and a full balance job done as well. The heads received hardened seats and stainless steel oversize valves. The cam was a new grind that simulated the original but was more efficient. The TH-400 was freshened up along with all the suspension, brakes and small parts. We wanted to use the car for travelling and needed some good tunes so the trunk carries a six pack CD changer and several amplifiers that are controlled through the stock AM/FM Multiplexer. The car even has the rear factory speakers which definitely lose their effect when the top is down. A bonus came along when my wife replaced the convertible top and re-upholstered the interior - the factory build sheet was still in place under the rear seat!
This Chevelle was well optioned and came with:
- 396-325Hp Matching number engine
- TH-400 3 speed Auto Transmission
- 12 bolt 3.08 differential
- Air Conditioning
- Power Steering
- Power Disc Brakes
- Ralley Wheels
- Power Windows
- Power Top
- Power 4 way seat
- Tilt Steering
- Bumper Guards
- Courtesy Lighting package
- Tachometer
- Gauge package: Oil, Amp, Temp
- Clock (had to be floor mounted)
- H.D. 4 core radiator
- AM/FM Radio with "Multiplex" Stereo
Delivered new to Courtesy Chevrolet in San Diego, California, 04/23/67
Being a California car it was fitted with the smog pump (not currently installed but all parts are together) and included the Sun-Air & Wheels brochure explaining the need for such devices.We have tried to keep all the parts, nuts, bolts, hoses, etc, original or original replacements. Even though the car was ordered with Factory Air, the glass is clear not tinted, apparently this item was not checked off on the list as the owner just assumed that the glass would come tinted, we still have the original windshield although the Chevelle currently has a shaded.
Two other oddities which the car came with were: the horn emblem was Malibu not SS and the disc brake pad never said disc brake on it even though both were clearly original -- this certainly proves the point that the factory could and did do many changes as the car came through assembly. I have changed both pieces as the original owner could certainly 'get away with it' but I didn't want to keep trying to explain "How come it doesn't have an SS emblem on the wheel?"
The car has shown well, taking home several awards from local, regional and Super Chevy Shows. The highlight being in 1997 when it received "Best of Show - Winner's Circle" at the ACES/Yesterdays Northwest Regionals in Seattle.
We have certainly enjoyed our SS since putting it on the road in 1991 and have been to Reno's Hot August Nights twice, cruised the Oregon/California coast, across Montana, through Alberta to Edmonton and throughout British Columbia. We wanted to 'put some miles on' and certainly did.Hope to meet up with you someday! Thumbs up from Al, Dot & Shelley Mckenzie!
Photo Background of our 67 is available HERE.
Photo taken at Crater Lake, Oregon on a road trip to Hot August Nights in Reno.
Team Chevelle would love to feature your Car on one of our future monthly articles.
To take part, send a few quality pictures to us and as much information as you can (we LOVE reading about Chevelles!)
Note: preference is given to submitted photos, unless you have access to high quality scanning equipment, we would prefer to do the image work and touch-ups.
or: Al McKenzie, Box 231, Creston, B.C. Canada, V0B-1G0
