Station wagons have clearly been gaining interest in the collector car world, especially high performance wagons. It makes sense, they didn’t build many, as most were just basic family transportation. Well this Chevelle Wagon wasn’t necessarily built to be a hot rod from the factory, but someone built it into one complete with a 454 V8! It runs, drives and stops, but it needs interior work and the paint isn’t great. Stafford G is asking $6,500 for this upgraded family hauler and you can find it in Redding, California. If you are interested in giving it a good home, be sure to message Stafford via the form below!
From Stafford – Not many around. This one has a non-original 454 in it. Is currently licenced & drives well. Never wrecked, no rust, all doors & windows work, interior is rough, but all parts there. Solid body, but has been repainted. Chrome rally’s with Goodrich T/A’s.
Originally, this wagon would have had a 307 or a 350. The 454 fits perfectly in this engine bay and has to make this one quick wagon. Stafford doesn’t say what vehicle this engine was originally in, so it could be from a Chevelle SS or a truck. If I had to guess, I would bet this engine came out of a truck, but you will have to take a look at the casting numbers to be sure. If it’s from a Chevelle SS, it could have as much as 450 horsepower. And if it’s from a later truck, it will have significantly less horsepower than that, but should still have plenty of torque.
As you can see, the interior is in pretty bad shape. As Stafford puts it, “it’s rough, but there.” You’re going to need to replace or restore just about every inch of this interior, but most parts should still be available.
The interior might need a ton of work, but the body looks straight and Stafford claims there isn’t any rust. The 454 is a major plus in my book, but I’d like to know which transmission and rear end it’s pair with, as the extra torque produced by a big block could put a lot of strain on components that were originally meant to be used with a small block. If everything is setup properly, this could be one wicked wagon that would be a blast to finish fixing up! So would any of the Chevy experts out there care to weigh in on what it will take to tune the 454 up for max performance?
Asking Price: $6,500
Location: Redding, California
Oh it so needs a Muncie Rock Crusher!
With the inside that bad I bet that cheap paint job is covering up a lot of Bondo 👎
Yes, if they don’t start from the inside out and bottom up, it’s usually a cosmetic face-lift only.
good thing I am not flush with cash or I would be taking the trip to look at this one! I would clean it up try and fing some door panels and carpet, horse-blanket over the seats. thats it! I like this one…
three questions though, disc brakes in the front?
ten bolt or twelve bolt rear end?
is it a California car, any rust in rear windows or tailgate?
Hi, No disc brakes, no rust, no bondo. As far as I know, original Cal. car. The body is great on this car. All doors & windows, including 2 way tailgate, have good gaps, work well & electric rear works. The motor is probably a truck motor, tranny is a 350, rear 10 bolt. Everything except motor appears to be original. It also has a new carpet in the box. Thanks for checking it out.
I wonder what it would cost to bring it downunder! ;-)
I would put a Muncie 4 speed in it and beef up the rear end and then drive it as it appears.
I owned a ’68 wagon, essentially the same car, special order to haul horse trailer with 327, heavy duty everything, and once it had radial tires, was an incredibly fine handling car, only real issue was no disc brakes and could stop from 55 mph, but they faded out if you were going faster before you stopped. so if you put discs in, and I think they were optional in ’69 and standard after that, on the front, you would be great. The car is high enough that it may have the heavy duty suspension which I think you would want .
My parents had a 68 Chevelle wagon with power steering and power front disc brakes. If I’m not mistaken they became available on chevelles in 67, I know for a fact they were offered in 68, because like I said they were on my parent’s wagon. It had the 307 with powerglide. Drum brakes on midsized GM cars were a joke, they were only 9.5 by 2.5 inches.
My ’68 Chevelle wagon had non-power drum brakes which were clearly inadequate. They would fade out in a stop from 70 mph, which I found out early on when I slowed appropriately for a toll booth only to have them fade away at about 10 mph and I sailed on through. Luckily there was no one in front of me. Power with discs in front were optional.