The owner of this 1971 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe says it’s the big block engine that makes this car so desirable, and while finding a 402 under the hood is a cause worth celebrating, just the overall condition plus the level of care this one’s gotten over the years is a fine selling point as well. The Chevy has been under the seller’s wing for the last 27 years, but it hasn’t been seeing much pavement as of late, so he’s decided the time has come to find the hardtop a new home. This 1971 Impala Custom Coupe here on eBay has been in Texas its entire life and is presently located in Fort Worth, with the current bid of $10,300 still short of the reserve.
The 402 was rather short-lived in the Chevrolet engine lineup, and it’s a bit confusing how the brand chose to market this powerplant. Chevy’s 400 in the ’71 Impala was a small block, but the 402 was a slightly bored-out 396, so it’s a big block. However, the label “Turbo-Jet 400 V8” got assigned to this one, while the small block was called the “Turbo-Fire 400 V8”, with the same 400 emblems attached to the body no matter which of the two was in the bay. I can only imagine how many wrong part orders this must have caused back in the day! The drivetrain on this car has less than 90,000 miles and was recently checked over by a mechanic, with a few new parts mentioned including a fuel pump, plugs, wires, plus a brand new Quadrajet carburetor. With a factory HP rating of 300, there’s plenty of power to get and keep things moving here.
This one isn’t claimed to be a show car, but it’s instead billed as solid and reliable transportation that’s a head-turner. A few blemishes are mentioned in the paint, but the body is stated as rust-free, so rather than going to the effort of addressing anything outside I’d probably be thankful this Impala looks as good as it does and just enjoy driving it. Of course, the next caretaker may feel differently, and if a fresh paint job is in the future I doubt it would take very much prep before the exterior is ready for a respray.
Most of the interior is said to have been redone 26 years ago, and the way it still looks today seems like a good testament to how well this car has been cared for over the last two-and-a-half decades. More recently, a flawless dash was installed, and the A/C compressor has also been rebuilt, so the air inside is blowing cold. We also get to view a couple of shots from the underside, with the platform seeming as free from rust as the body, so this 1971 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe appears solid from top to bottom. This one strikes me as a fun driver that I’d fancy getting behind the wheel of, how about you?
Nice. Heavy Chevy. 4100lbs.
The General knew their buyer was looking for a nice hwy cruiser. So they left equipped w 2.73 gear as the only choice. 🛣 🌞
In 71 you could get 2.73 3.08.3.31 & 3.73 gears in a Chevy Caprice 2.73 was most common.
I had 2:73 gears in a 1969 383 Charger, with a 727 transmission. Talk about a freeway flyer!
Look, Ma. More great cars and no junk so far!
I never liked these back in the day but I think I appreciate them more now. Big and comfortable. No power windows and single digit mpg though. I’ll keep looking.
Oh the fun you could have tweaking this nice ride. What a fun car with a big block and turbo400. Needs front and rear stabilizers and it if we’re me perhaps a 3.55 differential . Another nice thing about a car like this is it won’t break the bank to own it.
That last part means who cares if gas costs more (and gas has come down a lot)? Which is my rationalization for my 72 Coupe de Ville with 45K miles on it that I paid used Kia money for. People ask, “how about that gas?” I reply, “Who cares?”
If these cars are kept in a proper state of tune and have the tall highway gearing that most were equipped with they are not that bad on mileage. Going 70 with cruise control on you could get 15 mpg out of most any of these era GM full size cars equipped with their divisions big block engines.
Slight correction to the 400 fender emblems. Those on this car are correct for the big block.
However. the small block 400s had smaller numerals located elsewhere on the front fenders I believe higher up and ahead of the wheel opening.
I had a ’71 & ’72 Caprice Cpes. both which had this engine although the ’72 hp was reduced to 210. Same fender emblems though.
Cool, mine was a 2dr Caprice all black with a 454 and 3.31 posi plus trailer pack. Quick for a boat and would pull any trailer :o)
Very nice. I’d consider this one for sure.
I owned a 71 with the 454, and power everything. The original owner was the parts manager at renowned Chevy speed shop Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago, in fact he owned 2, one triple black and one in red, towed his drag car with both. If I was closer I’d be very interested in this one.
Don,
My ’72 Caprice mentioned elsewhere was triple black.
Knew a guy who had a Nova, not sure of the year, also triple black, that was a completely documented Nickey Chevy.
The 72s were nice but the 71 front end was the best. I had the black one, never found out what happened to the redcar.
They took the 396 and bored them out 0.030″ over,giving you 6 more cubic inches,making the 402.Have seen this engine before in a 71′ Monte Carlo.
Same motor could be had in Chevy & GMC pickups.
I miss the big American cars like this, as a kid growing up in the 70/80s they were just fast enough to get me into trouble but the ride was so comfortable after a long day of putting a roof on a house or running after a truck to chuck hay bails up it was nice to have a comfortable ride home.
Those early 70’s Chevys were great cars. My first new car I bought in high school was a 1973 Chevy Nova 350 V8 and automatic. GREAT car. Had it 7 years, drove to every corner of this great land, put 150,000 miles on it and did nothing to it. No leaks either.
I have never been a Chevy guy but if I was, this is quite a ride. You can really tweek it for not a lot of money and have a reliable fun car whose design was not based on a potato. As far as the gas mileage, the current SUV’s, even with sixes, overall mileage doesn’t get into the 20’s and I bought a nice 2005 Acura MDX for my daughter and it averages 16 to 17 MPG. This is why we are on this site, BAT, Hemmings, and all the rest. To find a gem like this that fits what we are looking for. Thank you, BF.
Great body style
Had one back in the day. Bought it from my father who had it to tow his 27 foot trailer. His was nicer being a triple black Caprice with the optional 454 and 3.31 posi and tow package. Surprised a few muscle cars of the day at how fast it was.
In my twenties, I came across a 71 BelAir with the straight six 230, 4 door. The car was cavernous and always started. We sourced the front end sheetmetal, due to prior abuse and my friend did a rattle can paint job on it for his then girlfirend, now turned wife. She drove it thru college and I bought it back again. My Mom ended up running the wheels off it before it met the scrapyard. That car was so comfortable and very simple, even its its large format. I remember when it needed U joints, I took it to a drive shaft shop and they explained the injected plastic they used to hold them together. What a unique and fun car for us kids : )
My dad owned this car and I used it for my lawn cutting business back in the mid seventies (before everyone owned a pickup). You could easily put two lawn movers in the trunk along with other garden tools. And in those cold Cleveland winters, it would always start. Great car and great memories!
That is a nicely equipped yacht. You don’t park these as much as you moor them.