As one of the most popular autos of the sixties decade, a vintage Chevrolet Caprice isn’t one of those cars that’s all that hard to locate on any given day. However, it’s always worth celebrating when one comes along that’s a highly optioned survivor, especially when it’s big-block powered, such as this 1966 Chevrolet Caprice. This one’s stated to be all original and untouched, so it’s probably an excellent choice for those who consider purity a must when shopping for a vintage offering. Barn Finds reader T.J. spotted this Chevy here on Facebook Marketplace in Lubbock, Texas, and we’d like to offer him our thanks for the great tip! $29,000 isn’t exactly cheap, but all things considered, this one might be worth the cost.
1966 was only the second year of production for the Caprice, but it was an instant hit among buyers and available as a hardtop or sedan, along with a station wagon. The number of doors here certainly adds to the desirability, as does most everything else, including all of the accessories, plus the fact that this one’s still wearing the factory-applied paint. The white finish still looks pretty good, with the trunk lid listed as an exception, but I might consider trying to live with it rather than compromising the all-original status. This one’s also stated as having ZERO rust, in all caps, and said to have been garaged its entire life.
The seller mentions that this Caprice comes with all factory options, and it does appear loaded, with such luxurious features as power seats, cruise control, and four-season air conditioning. The latter two components are currently being addressed, and they will hopefully have been repaired by the time this one exchanges hands. Chevy did a fine job designing the console and under-dash area here, smartly incorporating the four gauges on top ahead of the shifter, and the condition inside seems reasonably good for the most part. A little wear-and-tear can be spotted on the driver’s bucket, but it’s not that bad, so maybe this is something that can be addressed somewhere down the road.
The 396 Turbo-Jet had a factory horsepower rating of 325, plenty of power to keep the full-sized Caprice moving along nicely, plus this one’s also equipped with a Turbo 400 automatic transmission. A few fresh parts under the hood include hoses, a new fan clutch, and a new radiator. The tires and brakes are also listed as new, so this 1966 Chevrolet Caprice appears to be in good mechanical condition. All of the issues here seem cosmetic in nature, and I could understand the urge to make some minor repairs in the appearance department. However, I also envision just leaving this one untouched and keeping it a bona fide survivor. What would you do here?
Look out guys, there are those wheel covers you can’t stand! Nice car here.
It might be better to indicate all the options the car has are original.
Passed on one of these a couple years ago, blue, black interior with console and Cragers and I’m still not over it.
Would be the car if power windows were there, its a nice car, but the trunk puts you in a situation, it looks terrible, so there goes the original status, which also means a paint job is in it’s immediate future, and that blows that 29,000 number rite out of the stratosphere, it’s not worth 40,000, so the seller has to make a decision, can he find a shop to pretty much match the rest of the paint, and do a correction on the entire car, or is he lowering his price to like 20,000
I agree that $20K would be all the money. Also, for me, lack of power windows is a plus. I’d do a paint correction and repaint the trunk. Then have fun detailing and making it a little better over time.
Love, love, love that bucket seat interior! Good to see one that hasn’t been screwed with. Wish I had the money and space for this beauty.
My brother-in-law’s first car. I found it in the early 70s. Needed a lower control arm and an exhaust system. I snagged it for a whole $35.
power windows in these old cars’ spells power problems. no need for them nicely optioned as it is but as said that trunk lid is an issue. shame it’s not a 427
I agree 100% on both the power windows and the 427! Parts are still pretty easy to find so what I’d do is buy another trunk lid and have it painted to match and shrink wrap the original in it’s current condition. Then put a 427 in it and wrap up the 396 and keep it available so if originality is an issue for the next buyer I have the best of both worlds, but only if the car can be got for $20k or less.
Any good body & paint guy can make that trunk lid match perfectly. Otherwise it’s ready to drive and enjoy. $29K seems a little steep but he might get close to that. I had a 66 Caprice ~ one of the best cars I’ve ever owned.
Like mentioned, 29k is 427 money in a Caprice. A low-end 396-4 is maybe 15-18k, imo!
seller needs to contact gas monkey……..he pays all the money.
I told in a post on an earlier article about my junkyard find 66 Caprice. Mine was just a 327 with a 4 bbl. The interior was just like the one pictured except in black. I think that gorgeous console with gauges stacked on it was what really convinced me to rescue the car for a whole 100 bucks, way back then in the late 70s.
Today’s younger drivers who read this & demand power windows would really go nuts if it instead was a ’65 Caprice since it only came as a 4 door! Yet they are gung ho for the excercise clubs. I don’t get it.
No tilt or tilt/telescopic, no remote mirror, no autotronic high beam dimmer, no power trunk release, no tachometer, no reclining passenger seat, no head rests, no multiplex, front and back bumperettes, no rear defroster… so it is missing quite a few options.