Body Shop Fail: 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396

Chevrolet built more than 50,000 Chevelle Super Sports in 1970, the last year before sales declined due to rising insurance premiums and engine detuning. Buyers had their choice of two engines: the 396 cubic inch V8 (now 402 but still marketed as a 396) and the new 454. The seller’s car is the former with a 4-speed manual transmission, but it’s in rough shape thanks to a restoration that never got off the ground. Located in Bonny Lake, Washington, this incomplete project is available here on craigslist for $29,500.

The seller and/or his son bought this Chevy with plans to restore it. But it sat at a body shop for two years without ever having been touched, so they brought it home. After they retrieved it, they found that some of the engine hardware had been pilfered. So, it’s not surprising they have lost interest in the project and will hand it off to someone else who wants to turn it into a six-figure automobile.

You’re going to have to read between the lines in the seller’s description. And there’s a build sheet that should confirm it’s a real-deal SS 396, but if you can read it, you’re a better person than I am. No photos of the engine compartment are provided, so we don’t know what else may have disappeared beyond the parts the seller indicates. The odometer is said to read 500 miles, so could that be 100,500?

This is a blue car with a red hood substituted from another cowl induction Chevelle. It once had a vinyl roof covering, and the white interior looks like a lost cause. There is rust on the floorboards, but we’re told the quarter panels are fine. There is no trunk key, so who knows what you’ll find in there. We’ve seen a lot of projects like this where a ton of vision will be required, especially at the cost of acquisition. A salute to “Curvette” for another Bow-Tie tip!