ok im really new to the forum and wasn't sure if i should post this here or not

anyway, so i got my license a month ago and i wanted my first car, i always did love the muscle cars and wanted one, but i thought no way could i ever get one, but amazingly my uncle wants to sell me his 1970 Chevelle SS for a pretty good price which i can afford

well i was about to jump on it and then realized, this will be my standard car, and i will always use it all year long

since i live in Michigan that means snowy winters, so how does the Chevelle run in snow? Also another question, is a 1970 Chevelle SS reliable? (since i cant really afford to constantly be repairing it)

thank you very much

I would recommend you get the chevelle for the summer driving and get a beater for the winter, if any true enthuiasts see you driving a chevelle SS in the winter it may not end well

I see, hmm well I guess i could always get a cheap car for winter driving, i just really didn't want to have to get 2 cars

Back when they were new, a lot of them or maybe the majority of them were driven in the snow.

In the sixties you didn't have as many wifes working as you do now, and you only had one car, thats all you could afford, so you put a set of snow tires on the back and that was it.

A positraction is a little tricky at 60 mph on a snow packed road, where the open rearend is a little easier to keep the back end from sliding around.

Rob

who in the right mind drives 60 mph on snow

but yeah my papa drove his 69 lark in snow jsut put some snow tires on and went

who in the right mind drives 60 mph on snow

but yeah my papa drove his 69 lark in snow jsut put some snow tires on and went

I lived in northern lower Michigan, on the west side of Michigan about 26 miles from the lake, between Traverse City and Manistee.

From December through February you get quite a bit of lake effect snow, sometimes a 1/2 inch to a couple of inches almost on a daily basis. I worked in frankfort Michigan right on the lake, and it was about a 40 minute drive each way.

This was about 1960 through 1972. We drove 60 miles an hour summer or winter unless it was snowing real hard or a lot of loose snow that made visibilty poor.

I guess a lot of us drove like that, its what your used to driving on, hard packed snow on a road is not hard to drive on if you have decent roads.

We never left any earlier for work in the winter then we did in the summer unless it was storming.

And it was a fairly common sight to see a chevelle or roadrunner or what have you running at 60.

Rob

If Michigan uses salt on the roads, you may be making a rusty situation worse.

If Michigan uses salt on the roads, you may be making a rusty situation worse.

Michigan is just like Wisconsin, tons of rock salt and also salt brine, if its above freezing some times the cars will be almost white down the sides of them.

Rob

Don't do it, The salt will eat it alive in no time. :(

LK

FWIW my dad said the best-performing snow car he ever had was his '65 Malibu 4-speed with snow tires and (if needed) chains. Of course, as mentioned, that was out of necessity not choice.

Our '70 was HORRIBLE in snow.

However, tires are significantly better than they were then, and we had a peg-leg at that time. But seriously, it would have trouble every snowfall (we still needed to drive it everywhere - but studded tires became the norm until they were banned)

Handling is not the issue here. The issue is why would you want to expose a classic car to winter roads in Michigan? Cars of that vintage didn't fare very well to the effects of corrosion and putting it back on the winter roads would be a really bad idea. You might as well take it to the scrap yard and have it crushed. Buy yourself a $500 junker to drive in the winter and save the Chevelle for the summer months.

Tom

ok im really new to the forum and wasn't sure if i should post this here or not

anyway, so i got my license a month ago and i wanted my first car, i always did love the muscle cars and wanted one, but i thought no way could i ever get one, but amazingly my uncle wants to sell me his 1970 Chevelle SS for a pretty good price which i can afford

well i was about to jump on it and then realized, this will be my standard car, and i will always use it all year long

since i live in Michigan that means snowy winters, so how does the Chevelle run in snow? Also another question, is a 1970 Chevelle SS reliable? (since i cant really afford to constantly be repairing it)

thank you very much
Rob, BEG your uncle to save the Chevelle for you until you've had a few years driving experience and get yourself a front wheel drive car for your first car.

You WILL for sure crash your first car in the snow, especially if it's a powerful RWD car with a heavy engine and a light rear end.
Not to mention, a 40 year old car is NOT a reliable daily driver.

Comparing a BB Chevelle with a Studebaker Lark is like ,,, well you just can't :noway:

I drive a rear wheel drive conversion van 70 mph in the snow here in W. Michigan. Stopping on ice is not the easiest with any car, starting on snow and ice with a front wheel drive or 4 wheel drive is much easier than a rear wheel drive.

I agree ask your uncle to keep the car for you, you dont want to expose it to salt. Also wintertime brings on a lot of accidents that dont happen in the summer/Fall/Spring. Deer are another factor to be on the constant watch for especially in the late fall when the orange clothed ones hit the woods. I usually dont drive my nice cars in the early morning or around dusk during these times just because I have a very high kill record with my cars. Contrairy to popular beliefs I have never hit a deer they have run into me.

Dont do it, get yourself a car good on gas that has front wheel drive. Wait on the Chevelle.

I drove my '67 for about 68K miles before parking it in the early 90's. Wife drove it also.
It was our primary family vehicle.
I drove it 130 mile round trip to go to college commuting each day.
Wasn't worth a whole lot back then. I just loved it and still do.
Reliability? Remember, it is a 40 year old car. If it is wonderful condition, it will of course be reliable but the more you drive the more upkeep you have to do.
The 70 SS is quite an expensive car depending on condition.
I am with the others. Do not use for an every day driver for everything unless it is rough already and you just have to.
Regardless, enjoy your muscle car.

I drove my 69 every day all throught the 1980's and had plenty of snow storms. I used 195/75/14 studded snows on the back when snow was coming. With two 40lb bags of sand and a full tank of gas and the thing would go like a tank. My buddy has a restored 69 SS Camaro as his snow car today (Keeps the Vettes inside) but it is not as good as the Chevelle. Make sure you have a posi rear it makes a big difference.

Your best bet is to look into something more winter friendly and no a 1970 Chevelle is not it. Not in todays standards. Its the perfect car for summer fun though.

With the salt eating it away in no time. The hairyness of having a a car like that in the snow and the ease of possibly loosing control (much easier then some may think). Plus the fact that anywhere you take it means it will be outside parked, also attracts thieves and preditors. Since these cars are not difficult to steal, means your driving a highly desirable vehicle to them too.

How will you insure it? A regular policy means you wont get the type of coverage that a collector car truely needs. A collector car insurance policy wont cover a car like this that is being used for daily transportation either.

IMO, find another car for daily driving. And use this for a toy. Dont forget, cars like these also need indoor storage when not in use (no matter what time of year it is).

When my 72 was a daily driver 25 years ago it would spin like crazy in the snow. It was good until 5-6 inches then she started to slip. I used to put 150 lbs of sand in the back and go, then it could usually go through 9 inches or more, you just didn't stop.

It was fun to do doughnuts in the snow covered parking lots.

I have the perfect solution. Buy the 70 SS from your uncle, and drive it this summer & fall. Late October bring it to me here in Alabama. I'll drive it for you during the winter months, no snow here. I promise I'll only drive it to church on weekends, NEVER exceeding 55 MPH (in first gear). In return, you can drive my 85 Yugo with a bad clutch in Michigan during the winter, you would be doing me a favor if it rusted away. How's that for an offer?:D

These cars were built to be driven all year round. Remember, the Chevelle was Chevrolet's intermediate size car. That being said, they were also built to be replaced every few years with new GM iron, so the bottom line is if you want to keep an irreplaceable specimen intact, get something disposable to drive in winter.

I agree also that no matter how good a driver you are at 16, you will be better later on. I got into a wreck my first year driving. In front of high school. Running into a car full of cheerleaders. I kid you not! If it is doable, keep the Chevelle for good weather and don't try to take it to the limit then either!

Well, people used to use their cars to go to work and school back in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and so on. Although people under aged 30 may not believe it, people have been going about their business just fine for thousands of years.

So, what do we suppose people drove to work back in the 60's? A four-wheels-drive traction-controlled computer-managed SUV? No. We drove our '49 Fords, '56 Plymouths, '65 El Caminos etc.

I had my '65 EC in Alaska for five winters. POsitraction and studded radial snow tires and I never got stuck. Didn't even bother about ballasting the rear axle. You do have to think about what you are doing a little bit, and be careful when driving on snow and ice (wet roads too).

Salted roads will destroy your chassis and lower body in short order.

My $0.02

Watch out for Pnugenes Yugo, he's got nitrous!