There is nothing capricious about this magnificent 1967 Chevrolet Caprice, two-door hardtop; it makes a statement! Usually, the Impala gets all of the press and attention, well Impala, move-over, this Caprice, located in Stillman Valley, Illinois, is available here on eBay with a current bid of $9,800, reserve not yet met. Thanks to local sheriff for the tip!
The Impala was Chevrolet’s gold-standard in the ’60s, selling 800,000 to 900,000 units a year was not unheard of. The Caprice was the next tier up, positioned above the Impala, and went into production at the end of January 1965 as a four-door hardtop only body style. In 1966, a unique, formalized roofline, the two-door hardtop was introduced, along with a wood-grained station wagon, joining the existing four-door hardtop. Our example is the 1967 continuation of that Caprice-only body style, two-door hardtop.
In 1967, the Caprice came with one of four V8 engines and this beauty has the second from the top, a 325 HP, 396 CI “Turbo-Jet” V8. The seller tells us that the engine and transmission, a Turbo-Hydramatic 400, three-speed automatic, were both professionally rebuilt about 500 miles ago. So, how’s it run? Here’s a link and you can hear the engine run, check it out. He further adds that this Caprice, “rides and drives awesome.” The seller tells us that this is an original California car and if you look at the front passenger side of the engine in this image you can see the bracket that once held the California required A.I.R. pump. The seller claims that the only thing that needs attention is the A/C, which needs a freon recharge.
Inside we find a “strato-bench” front seat. I have seen very few of these over the years and it’s a nice touch. Generally, it seems that Caprices of this vintage have either a bench seat or bucket seats with a center console. I’m not sure about that seat fabric, however – that’s a pattern that I haven’t seen before but the seller tells us that it is original. The interior appears to be very complete and in excellent condition; seats, dash, instrument panel, door cards, and carpet all look great. Also present are power windows.
Outside, a completely straight and rust-free body is present. This Caprice has had one repaint in the original color but done with a modern two-stage finish. I can’t find anything wrong with it, it looks as Chevrolet intended it to look 53 years ago.
Ditto for the underside, no sign of rust, corrosion or frame damage. There is a video here of the underside with a walking/talking tour. The video references some additional parts that come with the car. According to the seller, much of the suspension, brakes, etc. were rebuilt; even the fuel tank looks new. The trunk floor has been repainted in a non-trunk finish but there is no indication that it is an attempt to cover-up something.
The seller tells us that he is the second owner of this Chevy and he has clearly gone to the mat to restore or resurrect every detail that required attention. The documentation alone is rarely found. I have owned several full size “C” body Chevrolets, a ’66, ‘68 and a ’69 and this example is hands down one of the nicest, cleanest that I have seen in many years. The mileage is listed as 44,000 but the seller does not address the mileage regarding accuracy. With the amount of rebuilding that has occurred on this Caprice, it’s probably not the original mileage. There are a substantial number of Caprices/Impalas of this vintage still in existence for the primary reason that there were so many made. They were commodity cars however; buy it, drive it and replace it. And by no means were these Chevies exempt from rust, if anything they seemed to attract it but not in this case. Hard to say what the reserve is on this Caprice or how high the bidding will go over the remaining bid period but this example is it! If I were in the market for yet another “C” body Chevrolet, this would be the one. What do you think, any takers out there?
Uh, Chevrolet never had a “C” body; that platform has ALWAYS been reserved for the Olds 98s, Buick Electra 225’s, and Cadillac DeVilles/Fleetwoods. Pontiac and Chevy got the “B” body. Oh sure; they were larger cars by `67, but not “C” bodies. Just sayin’.
You are correct, it is a “B” body. thx!
Not relevant here, but Pontiac had a “C” body model in 1940 and 1941.
Also in the early 70’s. The Grandville was a C body.
Odd that the seller went to all that work rebuilding the components of this car but failed to “recharge” the air conditioning.
How’s it run you ask? My God this thing
was a beast! I almost bought one in ’85
when they were cheap used cars for $500. My neighbor was a mechanic for a
local car lot back then and he brought the
car home to give it a thorough tune up over the weekend before returning it to the lot on Monday. The car he brought
home was the super rare SS version with
the hidden headlights, rally rims, and
fender skirts. We were in the market for
another car, so my wife and I took it for a
test drive. Everything started off just fine
til my wife mashed the gas pedal and it
swapped ends with her and scared the hell out of her! In fact, she wet herself
and we had to go home so that she could change her clothes. We passed on the
Caprice and waited a few weeks before
buying a ’74 Pinto wagon from him for the
same price. Thanks for the great pics of
the engine bay. It’s just what I need to
finish up the engine bay in a portrait of a
’67 Impala wagon that I’m making for my
current girlfriend. I made hers with a 385
HP 427 big block and T-400 tranny. Both
my wife and the Caprice are gone now,
but I have fond memories of both of them. If I had the time and space, I’d
buy it just for that reason.
What do you mean? There’s always room for 216″ x 79″ of Chevy full-size goodness. Kidding of course. This car occupies the same ground area as a full size extended cab pickup. Sweet car if you have room!
I can’t recall if I’ve ever seen a ’67 Caprice roof ! Hmmm. Is it because this one doesn’t have black vinyl?
its a beauty.
How high will it go.
Too bad no buckets and console
Thats not a switchset for an air conditioned car. There are 3 levers. An a/c unit has only 2 levers.
Strange seat covers, never saw any like this on a Caprice….
Front seat has a cover I doubt is ’67 OE material. If you look closely at the pics of the master PW switch plus rear footwell area you’ll see in the background the brocade ‘onion shaped’ pattern a ’67 Caprice should have
About a million years ago when I was in high school I used to go by a finance co in the neighborhood that had a repo 67 Caprice coupe that was a neat car and I wanted bad. Of course I didn’t get it. I even recall the color a coral? This was a loaded car 396 ETC.
I personally like the roof of the Impalas much better. Still, this is a beauty. A 396 in an Impala, Belair or Biscayne was common, but kind of surprised me in a Caprice.
Had one of these with a 307 in 1972. Whatta boat!
Must of had poor oil pressure as the lifters kept ticking even after countless adjusting. Not one of my more memorable rides….
Probably a flat camshaft.
It must have been a 68. It was a one year only job for a full size Chevy with a 307. I think they had soft camshafts, prone to rounding. Not the first time I heard that complaint.
65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70. I’ve seen it happen on other years, too, but these were the most prevalent. Even big blocks had a few soft ones.
You could indeed get one with a vinyl roof. The car we looked at had one.
Vinyl roofs did look nice on these, but
they caused the steel under them to rust
when water got underneath them. The car we looked at had the Strato bucket seats, center console, and the basket
handle shifter. For some reason too, I
believe you could get a 427 in these cars
too if you wanted it. All in all, a really nice
car vinyl top or no.
fond memories of the cars?
I greatly appreciate any of the other body styles of these full-size Chevys but just not this one. Darn nice car though for someone who does appreciate the body style of this one.
Auction over.
Got a little over 12 grand but never met reserve
Oh if it was only a ’68 with optional hidden headlites.
Did you sell it or hold out for reserve?
Beautiful B-body ! I prefer the Caprice roofline to the slicker Impala roof , even if the former makes the rear of the car appear longer .
I’m *not* a fan of that upholstery ; not one bit . I love bench seats , but that material looks “gross” .
While the missing A.I.R. Pump components devalue the car , I will go on record as saying , “Thank God that the pointless ‘smog pump’ and its related hardware was removed !” . Absolutely worthless emissions controls !
I’d be tempted to dress that engine up tastefully with period-correct parts ( rocker covers , air cleaner , and aluminium intake ) , but leave it stock otherwise .
*Chrysler’s full-size cars were C-Bodies ( and the D-Body Imperial ) . This may be where the confusion comes from .