This 1967 Chevelle SS 396 is a mighty big jigsaw puzzle, but given the ongoing popularity of these cars, I would be willing to bet that there will be someone out there who is willing to take it on. It comes with a pretty decent list of both new and used parts, and it represents a blank canvas for the next owner. It has been listed with an opening bid of $9,000, although there are currently no bids on the car. There is also a BIN option of $10,000. Located in Brandywine, Maryland, it is listed for sale here on eBay.
It’s hard to know where to start with this car. It has obviously had some real rust issues, and the owner has started to address these. The frame has been stripped and epoxy painted. The car body has also been soda stripped, and it appears that all of the rusty sections have been removed. It will need finishing, but the catalog of new body parts that are included in the sale run to items such as new quarter panels, new floors, a new trunk floor and drop-off, new rear inner and outer wheelhouses, new front fenders, and new rocker moldings. There is also a huge shelf full of additional parts and components that go with the car.
Once the frame had been restored and painted, the owner got it back to a rolling state using all new brakes, new suspension bushings, new sway bars, and new shocks. He has also installed new stainless fuel and brake lines. The car also rolls on a 12-bolt Posi rear end. So, now we get to the bad news. This car originally rolled off the production line fitted with a 396ci V8 and a TH-400 transmission. Both items are now missing in action, which is a major disappointment. The owner doesn’t indicate whether he knows the whereabouts of these components, so there is a pretty good chance that they can never be found. This means that the new owner will need to source both of these to complete the car. There are also seats and other interior trim items included with the car, but just what is included and what condition these items are in is an unknown factor.
I’m sure that everyone will agree that the fact that this Chevelle is missing its original engine and transmission is a significant body blow for this as a restoration project. However, it isn’t the end of the world. While a numbers-matching car is always going to have a higher inherent value, a faithfully restored car minus those original components is still going to be worth a significant sum of money. Once restored, even without those original components, the Chevelle is still going to be a hoot to own and drive, and that should be what owning a car like this is all about.
It’s pretty common for a owner to lose interest in a project this large. It’s easy to pic this chevelle cruising down the road looking like new again but it takes a lot of determination, work and money to fellow through.
One of my fellow Officer Candidate school friends bought a new one of these with the highest HP 396 and 4spd. In whatever medium blue metallic color Chevy offered then. Black interior with buckets. Lovely car & great burn-outs ! It seems all the dealerships in the vicinity of Fort Knox knew when we were graduating and had a wonderful selection of high performance cars on hand. I got a new Fairlane GTA, others Vettes, another guy bought a used XKE. Young, single, money ( all slightly crazy), and thinking we were possibly going to die during Viet Nam…so why the heck not !
I wouldn’t doubt that there’s 12 large worth of parts there. Lots of work done but the body work takes the most time and finesse. If I was looking for one of these I might bite, but I’d have to have a full inventory of the parts, Adam is correct about the clean slate, you could go anyway you wanted, if you have a small block and a 4 speed laying around, why not? What do you guys think? I’d have to look at the car and parts anyhoo. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
It’s a parts car, dude!
Worth about $2000.00 USD.
Bob
My first car was a 67 Malibu, so I have a soft spot for all 67 Chevelles. Hope someone has the heart, skills and fortitude to get it back on the road. It won’t be cheap but they were a lot of fun.
I think it’s a pretty big step up from a parts car. That appears to be body filler in place of seam sealer on the firewall. Que up Nancy Kerrigan…WHY? WHY?
What Keith said…….
Bought a 66 Chevelle SS 396 rusty roller in 1979 for $50.00
Never finished it either..
With this one, after about 600 labor hours you’ll have the prettiest sheet metal quilt on the block.
It is soooooo hard to complete a job like this. Looks like everything is there is not good enough to me. Everything must be cataloged, tagged and bagged before I would even consider take on someone else’s project. There is a whole bunch of work to do to get it to look like it’s meant to look. Then the missing drive train would be a big problem for me. LS SWAP, never, not on a car as awesome as these were.