Well, went and checked out the car. The owner was out, so I couldn't get inside.

Interior:
Black bucket seats (original 1970 pattern? "waffled" center)
SS emblems on door panels
Guage package with ~5000 Redline (black texture with no holes/slots). Guages appeared to be slightly greenish tint, but hard to tell (windows might be factory tinted).
Tilt, "sport" wheel (like 67+ wood wheel, but black rim). Aftermarket stereo, but appears to be one that fit stock holes (with Bowtie on face).
Console with locking button, day/night mirror
Rear window defroster
Interior was "okay" I didn't see any tears, but not "brand new"

Engine compartment:
Factory A/C (unhooked)
350 (?) SB (casting# 397##1#?-greasy), headers, aftermarket intake, HEI, etc.
Big radiator (~3" thick, looked newer too), plastic shroud and 7-blade clutch fan.
Inside of hood and top of cowl (including cowl tag) was painted body color!
Steering ragjoint flange was pressed to intermediate shaft (intermediate shaft was bolted to column near the firewall though, not sure if that matters.)

Not positive, but fuel lines appeared to be 3/8", NO 1/4" return. Lines were greasy/caked, so I am not positive (this was a cursory inspection).
The carb had a kick-down cable, so I think that means TH350 in it now.
There was a bracket on the frame across from the trans (original column shift linkage pivot maybe???)

Looked like new wiring harnesses (or newer anyway)

Undercarriage:
not clean at all (just normal for an old car)...
No boxed rear arms, no rear sway bar, 10-bolt (owner said not posi).
Front discs
Cragar SS wheels, decent tires.
"stock" (?) oval exhaust tips

Body:
recent repaint (several years old). I'd call the color Butternut Yellow (actually Lemonwood Yellow, because I am a 66 guy!).

Black stripes (not sure if "correct" dimensions, but at least they are NOT on the roof, and I recall they ended before the back window).
Clear turn signal lenses
both bumpers and rear "SS" pad looked old (pitting chrome).

Grill was black, but inside by the latch, it appeared grey with some black overspray.

Correct SS emblems and trim (wheel mouldings, NO rocker moulding, NO top-of-fender moulding
BUT, I could see the "filled" Malibu/engine size emblem locations (I could see the bondo behind the battery and behind the washer jar). So the fenders are not from an SS.

SS emblems, but NO 396/454 emblems (no holes either).

Exterior color decodes as Daytona Yellow (Just kidding guys!!!!)
It was 50-50, Gobi Beige
Interior was #795, Green bench?


The car looks great from 20-30 feet. Shiny paint and straight body...

But up close, the bumpers need replacing, and the paint needs to be stripped: some bubbling on both quarters (nothing through the paint yet, Hey, this is California afterall). Appeared to be minor scaling at the lower windshield(but not bubbling). The rear window area looked okay...

There was some deep cracking (almost like what I would call "laquer checking"), and there was a 1" piece of paint missing on the fender (it obviously "peeled" off, as there was not dent or damage to the primer)... A few minor chips...

All-in-all, not too bad, but I am pretty sure its a clone...

Not that I care, I don't mind a clone at all, as long as I am not paying for the rear thing... I have several BB (454 and 396/402) engines I could eventually build for the thing...

Funny thing,
The owner was not home, but I called him before I popped the hood. He called back after I left and asked what I thought about the car...

I told him it wasn't exactly what I hoped for, saying my main concern was the body/paint, and while I don't care about clone or not, its really more $$ that I wanted)... For $13K he's asking, thats kind of the deal breaker (not to mention all the other little things)...

Right there on the phone, he said he was moving/needed to sell and was willing to take $10K for it (from the $13K, on the phone, when I have never even met him)!! To support that, when I called to ask about popping the hood, he said he was out looking at homes with his realtor and would be back in 20 minutes (I couldn't really hang around that long)...

He said he purchased it as a "true" SS from a classic car dealer in Redding. Classic car dealers wouldn't misrepresent a car, would they? :D

But I am kind of at a quandry... $10K for a decent looking clone (although SB/10-bolt equipped and needing paint (it will probably look good for the rest of this year)...

Hmmm, Maybe I could talk him lower with a cash offer (maybe it won't drive as good as I thought, etc)...


Of course, those of you that own 70-72 Chevelles, are they comfortable to sleep in? 'Cause my wife might kick me out...

I really don't NEED another car, but I like the 1970's (I really need to sell my 66 hardtop, but thats going to take some time, want to get it running first)...


Oh yeah, on the way home, I spotted a straight (but really faded) 65 Malibu SS (not for sale)... I stopped, but no one answered the door...

Personally, I would pass... But that's just me.

your on the west coast and it seems that you guys need a lot more out of a car than we do for a little money. For a nice, rust free car, clone or malibu here 10 grand is a good price. Rusted junk goes for 2 to 5 grand around these parts. If it was a real SS I'd pass, save yourself the years of being nit picked apart for everything that is "wrong" with your car by every self anointed SS expert on the planet. Since it is a clone offer the guy 8. Drive it across country this fall to Carlisle and sell it for 15 or so. Great road trip, a vacation for the Mrs and you make a few bucks.

hmm sounds like I'd pass too, like I said a clone in good shape around here is only worth the $10k range

At the car show last weekend (Small, Local Parking Lot deal). There was a '70 clone with everything to make it "exact", Discs, 12-Bolt, BB, Etc.. Only thing needed was A lower quarter patch, and a paint job.. paint was tired from the south florida sun...
The guy only wanted $11k...

$13k or even 10k for a clone like that, is way to much....

Of course, those of you that own 70-72 Chevelles, are they comfortable to sleep in? 'Cause my wife might kick me out...



Slept in mine for over a year. Seriously.

With the passenger side buckets the seat folds almost all the way forward. Sleeping with your head on the rear driver side, spead out diagonally over console and feet resting on the passenger side seat back folded forward aint so bad. :D You get used to it after a while. ;)

For 10k I'd pass, I bought a nice original '72 SS with a 402 and many options for less than that.

Maybe pointing out somethings to him and a cash offer of 6-7k.

Did everyone else miss the real story here, I want the dirt on the '66, hell I'll find you a suitable 70ish somewhere out west, what would I be trading it for?
Honestly, I'll keep an eye out for you, they seem to be in abundance, atleast compared to '66's.
I really would like more info on your '66, if you indeed intend to part ways.
Rowdy

Doesn't the pressed on rag joint deal give away that it was a small block car? I don't think being an SS guaranteed 12 bolt (posi or not) or disc brakes or other things, but that rag joint deal was a sure thing for small and big block production wasn't it?

Anyway, I'm with Rowdy, what's the story on your '66 hardtop? I'd prefer to buy it not running if you don't have the original mill. Do tell.

Of course, those of you that own 70-72 Chevelles, are they comfortable to sleep in? 'Cause my wife might kick me out...


Yes they are quite comfortable. I used my 70 for camping trips. Those bench seats are great in more ways than one. LOL.

But seriously, I think, that guy's 10k price is steep. To me when a car hits 10k or more it had better have a great paint job, great looking engine, and good looking interior.

I don't think being an SS guaranteed 12 bolt (posi or not) or disc brakes or other things




All 70 SS's had a 12 bolt (not all posi's) and front disc brakes.

From your description it'd have to be real real real solid. Would have to check the trunk, floor pans.......trunk drop offs rockers, cowl. You've already found evidence of bondo, how much more is there. Did they just mud up all the trim holes instead of welding them? Mud up a bunch of rust? Was there vinyl top too?

Sounds to me U could do much better........but that's just my opinion.

Good luck!!

Regarding the worth of Chevelle clones or otherwise, I guess I should move to
the mid-west area. Here in South Central Pa, any Chevelle, Camaro, Nova
that is sold at PADE Auto auction brings anywhere from $9000.00 ( poor )
to $ 26000.00 in good cond. Note that I said GOOD cond. Pade is a Dealer
only Auction and there are 12 lanes running at all times and when any of these
cars comes in, the Auction practically comes to a standstill.

I would jump up and down if I could buy a really good clone for 10g's or less.

Oh well, guess I'm stuck here in the Mid-Atlantic area where there are people
willing to pay a lot more money.

Doesn't the pressed on rag joint deal give away that it was a small block car? I don't think being an SS guaranteed 12 bolt (posi or not) or disc brakes or other things, but that rag joint deal was a sure thing for small and big block production wasn't it? .

BB car should have the bolt-on rag-joint flange, BUT this car was an original column shift thats been converted to floor shifter (original bench/auto), so even if it WAS a real SS, someone swapped the column over to go to floor shift anyway...



Anyway, I'm with Rowdy, what's the story on your '66 hardtop? I'd prefer to buy it not running if you don't have the original mill. Do tell.

Well... Let me preface this by saying This is NOT an ad...

My hardtop is an original SS, original 4-speed, original California car. I have owned this car for over 20 years.

When I bought it, it was a racecar/street racer. It wasn't cut up too bad, but the shift hump was knotched for the Hurst shifter, there was NO heater or radio (toggle switch panel where the heater controls should be), the console was missing (brackets still there under the carpet), tach was missing (hole in dash), the rear seat was gone, it had the remnants of a trunk mount battery, and the front buckets were replaced by fiberglass racing buckets... Factory Marina Blue?Black Bucket interior...

It had a running smallblock ("327" that turned out to be a 283?), Muncie M21 and a 12-bolt (3.73 posi) rearend, a custom paint job ...


At the time (1985), I was in high school, and didn't know about clones, etc... It was a 66 Chevelle and it had a 4-speed, factory guages, SS hood and a 12-bolt posi... What more did I care, I had fun...

I also got a bunch of BB/L78 pieces and some paperwork... I was told the car was used to race, and the 396 was pulled (in favor of a crate LS7) and placed in a friends boat, but the trail went cold...


I have a 66 convertible (clone), and although I love 66 Chevelles, I figure I want something different (I have owned pretty much "Only" 1966 Chevelles for the past 23+ years, at least 12+ cars)... Maybe another year Chevelle (65 and 70s being my next favorites) or something completely different (V8 Corvair or 61 Pontiac Ventura/Catalina, early GTO, 69 Dodge Charger, etc) I don't mind a clone, as long as I am not paying for the real thing...

With two kids, I am on a tight budget, my wife said any money I get from selling the car (or other parts I have) I can keep for other projects, no questions asked (I can spend more money, but not in huge chunks). So any time I spend getting the car running is "money" earned toward another project, plus experience... I have most of the pieces to get the car running/driveable, plus maybe pieces I have accumulated over the years (like correct 66 Chevelle bucket seats, etc). So selling the car "non-running" most likely won't be in my best interest, and if I did, I will always second-guess myself...

Based on what I have, I plan on pulling the body off the frame and getting all the chassis/engine done. I have a running 1966 396, many L78 parts (carb/brackets/pulleys/etc). I have a nice Muncie (from my convertible when I swapped to the Richmond 5-speed), clutch/flywheel from the same (with about 1000 miles on them).

I am missing the console and heater, but I have some Heater delete and radio block-off plates I will use, buckets with no console, stock SS steel wheels/bias ply redlines with dog-dishes I have accumulated over the years. I have the original hi-redline tach (found in a box). The car is also a manual steering/manual brake car, so I will be assembling it as a L78 factory stripper/racecar: no frills...

The body is really good, a few dings and minor surface rust (Original California car, always in California), but has numerous coats of primer (and house paint, thanks to my brother), and that needs a freshing up (but no rot or bubbles seen on the paint...

I know the money/time used to restore probably isn't worth it, but the price difference between running and non-running is pretty significant, even if its not the original engine...

Plus the 'sentimental" value keeps me giving this away at a bargain price...