Muscle car sales peaked in 1969/70 as insurance companies were on the hunt to raise premiums on performance cars. To recapture sales, Chevrolet introduced the Heavy Chevy in 1971, a car that resembled a Super Sport but lacked the designations and engines that would send signals to State Farm and the others. This 1972 edition is quite solid with one repaint and a revved-up original 350 cubic-inch V8. Located with a dealer in Centralia, Washington, this wolf in wolf’s clothing is available here on craigslist for $37,500. Once again, “Curvette” has come through with a great tip!
The Heavy Chevy was only produced for two years and wasn’t the hit that Chevrolet expected, with only two percent of Chevelle sales. 6,700 units rolled out the door in 1971 and saw an increase to 9,500 copies in 1972, yet the car was gone when the Colonnade redesign came in 1973. If you bought a Heavy Chevy when new, you got some SS goodies like a domed hood w/pins and a blacked-out grill. A lot of these Chevies came with 307 and 350 2-barrel V8s, and the 454 was a no-go in these cars.
This Chevelle has been well-maintained and tricked out (to some degree). We’re told the 350 and the 4-speed manual are factory, and we see headers and a raised intake manifold that weren’t stock in 1972. So, this car likely puts out significantly more horsepower than it did when it was new. The Heavy Chevy was a frugal car, so this one has a bench seat rather than buckets (and the interior may have been refreshed with gauges added).
We’re told the gold paint was refreshed (when?) and the car will also come with the bling-free Rally wheels of 1972. Because of the lower production numbers, Heavy Chevies are harder to find today. Which may explain why the seller’s car’s asking price is close to what Super Sports went for not that long ago.
Well the nickname has hung around thats for sure. Cool Chevrolet. Thanks Dixon 👍
Could you get the z28 350 in the heavy chevy? If not, wouldn’t a regular 2 door or even a 4 door! with the HC’s 350 be just as fast? Not sure tho if you could get the HC’s optional 402 v8 in a regular 2 or 4 dr Chevelle.
The LT1 from the Z28 was not available in A-body’s. The Heavy Chevy was an appearance package, not a performance package, though a V8 was required. It was up to whoever ordered the car, be it a dealer for inventory or a customer ordering for themselves to choose the level of performance. Some were ordered with 396’s, tach & gauges, 4spd (like this one).
There have been a few documented 71/72 Chevelle/Malibu 4 doors and wagons with 396’s (402’s, but had 400 emblems) and 4spd.
Steve R
This is a cool Chevy. When I was a kid. Had a Heavy Chevy Hot Wheel in green and black strips. Anyway… when you purchased this ride it come with factory 350. Too bad they don’t give us this 350 setup. What cam and compression ratio. 400 hp? This Heavy Chevy won’t be slow!!😂 Would like to see this but, at last it’s on the West Coast. Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
The Heavy Chevy was a twin to the Nova’s Rally Nova. Both were cosmetic enhancements, but both could be optioned to an almost SS level of performance. Both cars capped the engines off at the lower tiers; the HC were 2 barrel versions of the 307 and 350, in the RN it was 2 barrel versions of the 250, 307, and 350. The theory was that you’d buy the car and just have the dealership swap the intake and carb out for a 4 barrel on the V8s to give you SS performance. Did it work? Well, kinda. Sure neither car got hit with the premiums initially, but that’s the terrible thing about insurance companies, they’re not locked into some kind of 10 year cycle or anything, they saw what GM was doing, and just adjusted accordingly.
Neither trim sold a whole lot either, especially in 71 where worker strikes gutted GM production numbers. 72 saw increases in production and advertising of the trims. The Rally Nova actually won Motor Trend’s Compact Car of the Year for 72! So, as the public was finally getting onboard with the HC and RN trims, both were already zombies. Looming federal mandates for 5 MPH bumpers, increased emission standards, and the initial rumblings of the oil crisis killed had already forced GM to redo both models for 73. The death blow came internally though, when GM decided to roll back to their 60s mentality of locking the SS and Z cars to high performance drivetrains. When 73 hit and you could get an SS with an inline 6, automatic, and open diff in various models, the sneaky insurance focused Heavy Chevy and Rally Nova packages were dead.
Of course the missteps of the past have equaled scarcity and higher prices today. Heavy Chevy at least gained some level of popularity in that it became the nickname for the bigger Chevelles of 68 to the 78 downsize and transition to just Malibu. Find a real Heavy Chevy or Rally Nova that hasn’t been cut up for racing or wrecked a million times, and they’ll both command the higher price tags of true SS cars of the same model.
I quote …
The Chevrolet 250 cubic inch straight-six engine initially used a 1-barrel carburetor. However, it received a 2-barrel carburetor starting in 1979, specifically in Chevrolet and GMC trucks and vans.
This 2-barrel setup featured a Rochester Varajet carburetor and was used until 1984 in trucks and vans. It’s worth noting that the 250 engine also saw use in passenger cars until 1979, but in those applications, it retained the 1-barrel carburetor.
Looks to be in excellent condition but price seems like all the money.
Nice that it comes with ralley rims. I would add power brakes!
The Turbojet 400 (LS3) was the lone big block in any non-SS Chevelle in ’71.
(http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/chevy/ch72vel/bilder/6.jpg)
(http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/chevy/ch72vel/bilder/8.jpg)
listing mentioned that it comes with original 350 engine. is it safe to say the 1 sitting under the hood is not the factory original? looks to have a few mods and the dash has been cut for stereo. would prefer the stock look with internal not seen engine mods
In 1972 a neighbor of mine bought a brand new one with the 402 in it. I had a 1972 SS Chevelle, blue, no vinyl top, White stripes, white interior and a four-speed. Stolen from me in New York City. Was found two years later revined. I could have bought it back from the insurance company but it would have had a generic plate in the window. Which killed the value of the car. The heavy Chevys were great cars
Got married in 1971 sold my 1971 SS Nova and ordered a 1972 Rally Nova 350 2 barrel with a 350 turbo tranny and 343 trailer package which gave you a 343 rear end and multi leaf springs.The SS was a 4 speed but the Rally Nova was quicker.
In 1971 A man i worked for bought a 71 Malibu Med Green , white top , 350, 2 barrel, Auto , the same time My Sister bought the 71 Heavy Chevy, Med Green, white top, 350 2 Barrel, Auto, only difference notable was the Domed Hood w/pins , Stripes, and Heavy Chevy stickers, ( And a extra $1000 price tag ! )