Ford and Mercury introduced new “mid-size” cars in 1962 in the form of the Fairlane and Meteor. General Motors would follow suit in 1964, with Chevrolet’s entry being the Chevelle. The Malibu was the higher-end Chevelle, and the seller has a first-year wagon that’s rusty but has bucket seats. I don’t know if they were an available option when new or if someone decided to get sporty later on. Located in a field in Gay, Georgia, this non-running project is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,000. Kudos to Chuck Foster for this find!
The Chevelle joined the Oldsmobile F85, Buick Special, and Pontiac Tempest in the new intermediate field in ’64. The Chevy was the biggest seller at 370,000 units, which included the return of the El Camino station wagon-based pickup. 28,500 buyers went for a Malibu 4-door wagon with seating for six or nine passengers. We don’t know a great deal about this transport in terms of what’s under the hood. It’s obviously a V8, which could be a 283 cubic incher or one of several choices north of there. A Powerglide automatic is the likely transmission.
This Chevy does not run, and – from the looks of things – that’s been its status for a very long time. The grey/blue paint is well faded, and rust may be quite prevalent as we note some see-through places in the floorboards. We don’t know how many miles this old Chevy has traveled, as a placeholder of one million was posted.
Been trying to ascertain if the upholstery pattern on the bucket seats matches the rear seat. If it does, would that mean you could order bucket seats and a console in a ’64 Malibu wagon, not just a Super Sport coupe? If you’re fussy about titles, then you’d better move on. The seller can only offer a bill of sale.
Bucket seats were only available in the Chevelle SS 2 door hardtop and convertible in 64. If I recall correctly 68 was the first year they were availed in the regular Malibu line, but still only the 2 door hardtop and convertible. Lower trim, 4 doors and wagons only came with bench seats, though the El Camino was available with buckets. The first I recall that buckets could be had in the wagon I think was the 80’s Celebrity line, though the 73 Laguna wagon might have been available with them.
Buckets were available starting with the 64 model even with a column shifter.
The 1962 Corvair wagon offered bucket seats as a mid-year option. Except for that bit of trivia @GBvette is dead solid perfect.
I always liked the 64 and 65 Chevelles if I had a garage to work on it and could get it cheap enough I’d love to have taken it on.
I’m looking for a “300” 2 door wagon.
There was a time when Florida was the place to go to find a 2-door 64/65 Chevelle wagon. When new, these models were highly desired by the US Postal system, specifically in that state. I can’t remember the exact reasoning for why it was this way, but I assisted several friends back in late 70’s with acquiring these wagons out of Fla. simply because there were plenty to pick from.
This is not a 1964 Chevelle, it’s a 1965. There are two visual ways to identify the year, one is the grille/headlight trim, the other is dash face. The 1964 & 1965 models shared identical doors & quarters, only difference would be the trim (shiny pieces). The same goes for the interior in that they’re identical other than the trim. Now that we know that about the 64-65’s the telltale is 1964’s have a flat face grille & headlight covers, while the 1965’s have a peaked grille & headlight covers. So far we’re looking at a 1964. Moving to the inside, the dash face is flat, just like the front grille, confirming a 1964. The 1965’s also had a peaked dash just like their front end. My first car was (and still is) a 1965 Chevelle Malibu Conv. In my mid teens to early 20’s, I bought, or acquired for next to nothing, over 30 64’s-65’s in every flavor they came in, but never let my first pride & joy go. In those early years I was known locally as Captain Chevelle due to my obsession with them. I knew where practically every 64-65 was within a 100 mile radius, including the junk yards. Seems so inconsequential now, like Howard A likes to reminisce, information & knowledge seems to go by wayside and who’s left that cares enough to carry these tidbits of info on in the future.
I’m sorry, but you are perfectly wrong; obsession notwithstanding.
Ok, I’m game if you can back up your claim
I’m a little confused. First you state that it is not a ’64, but then you go on to explain why it is a ’64. Can’t compute.
No, your not confused, I confused you and everyone else here. Please see my response down lower to jeffschevelle. Sorry for the confusion
This takes me back to my childhood when in 1964 my dad drove home a brand new ’64 Chevelle 300 blue wagon which seated 9. Me and my sisters would always move to the rear facing cargo seat whenever my dad drove us anywhere. He kept that car till 1982 and it still had under 100,000 miles. Many memories with that car.
look like an old cutlass console. seats and consoles are going for 1200.00 alone. lot of wagon specific parts here
I had a 64 ElCamino, a neighbor backed into my taillights, those are hard to find for wagons and El Caminos. Parts is parts, these are cool looking cars as well, I must resist.
This is a 1964 not a 1965.the 1964 has a flat grill!
It is a 1964 Wagon for sure. The only automatic transmission offered was a Powerglide. I see conflicting information about bucket seats being available in 64. Most think they were only available in the SS, but if you look at the online pictures, it looks like the front and back seat upholstery match. I was not aware that a console was available. If the firewall data plate has A51 for buckets and D55 for the console, that would tell you a lot. In 1962, Chevy offered non-SS cars the option of bucket seats. You don’t often see them. I have only seen one.
Gary, your first line says “This is not a 1964 Chevelle, it’s a 1965. ” Which is bass-ackwards!
As to bucket seats and consoles in Chevelles:
In 64 and 65:
– Buckets were standard in SS coupes and SS convertibles.
– A console was standard in an SS if it was ordered with a powerglide automatic or a 4-speed. There was no console in an SS with the standard 3-on-the-tree.
– Buckets were available as an option in a Custom ElCamino (the Malibu equivalent trim level of an Elc).
– If the Buckets were ordered in a Custom ElCamino then a console was included as part of the seat option if the Elc was also ordered with a powerglide automatic or a 4-speed. There was no console in a Bucket seat Elc with a standard 3-on-the-tree.
– Neither Buckets nor a console were available in any other body style or trim level in 64-65.
In 66 through 72:
– Buckets were not standard equipment in anything.
– Buckets were an available option in Malibu and SS coupes and convertibles.
– Buckets were an available option in a Custom ElCamino (the Malibu equivalent trim level of an Elc), or in an ElCamino SS (from 68-72).
– Buckets were NOT available in any other body style or trim level in 66-72.
– A console was not standard equipment in anything. It was only an available option in a car that was ordered with Bucket seats (see above for what Bucket seats could be ordered on), but only if that car was also ordered with an automatic transmission, or a floor-shifted HD 3-speed, or a 4-speed. A console was not available with a 3-on-the-tree.
You are absolutely correct! I don’t even have to read your whole message to know that I completely flipped everything upside down & backwards. I should not have even commented on this, especially on that given day. NO excuses, Nobody’s fault but mine, I’m sorry to BF’s staff. I had literally accepted a very best friend’s request to instruct his doctors to “let him go home into hospice” I’m throwing that out there under humility, sorry, sorry everybody, and so it goes