I think that we’ve probably all been there at one point or another. We’ve looked at a project car, and while our intentions have been noble, it hasn’t taken long for the “too hard basket” to become just big enough to fit that particular car, and we sell rather than complete that which we have started. Well, the chances of that happening with this 1967 Chevelle SS396 have been reduced simply by the fact that the next owner is not going to be faced with a veritable mountain of rust repairs in the bid to return the vehicle to a roadworthy state. For the next owner, all of the heavy lifting has been completed, leaving only some very minor work before a fresh coat of paint can grace those beautiful panels. The Chevelle is located in Magnolia, Texas, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has made its way to $18,900, and with the reserve now met, a new home is not far into this Chevelle’s future.

This Chevelle is an interesting car. The owner claims that the Bolero Red paint that the vehicle is original and that it has never undergone a repaint. Considering the amount of rust that this car was home to at one point, I am quite impressed by how well it has survived. Mind you, there is enough damage that a repaint is well and truly justified. I am fascinated by what appears to be a couple of bullet holes in the passenger side door (they’re actually from a pick-ax), but externally, that would appear to be the worst of the physical damage. There are a couple of minor rust spots in the bottoms of the front fenders, but these could be addressed with simple patches. There is also some minor rust above the rear windows, but it is the same deal here. Beyond that, there isn’t much to do, because the list of steel that has been replaced is quite comprehensive. The floors have all been done, as have the lower rear quarter panels, the trunk pan, and the filler below the rear window. While this work was being undertaken, the body was removed from the frame. This was then cleaned and epoxy coated, and as you will see from the gallery at the bottom of this article, it has all come up a treat. The windshield and door glass are missing, but all of the chrome and trim is present. Some of these items are new, while the rest is said to be in extremely good condition.

The Chevelle would have been quite a car in its prime. The engine bay houses a 396ci V8, which is backed by a 4-speed manual transmission and a 12-bolt rear end. The car is believed to be a full numbers-matching vehicle, but there is some work to do before that 396 fires into life once again. Firstly, it is merely sitting in place on blocks of wood and isn’t bolted down. More importantly, the engine currently has no internals. The crank, rods, and pistons have all been removed. The crank itself has been ground, but nothing else has been touched. In its current state, this will allow the next owner to measure the bores to establish whether a rebore will be on the agenda. Regardless of whether it does or it doesn’t need it, the next owner will be assured that when the engine does go back in, it will be as fresh as a daisy, and should be capable of performing at its awesome best.

Contrary to the appearance in the photos, the owner states that the red interior is essentially complete and that it is in very good condition. There will be plenty of cleaning and reassembly work required before the interior is once again habitable, and you can be pretty sure that there will be a few items that will need to go onto the shopping list if the interior is to be done justice. One item that is missing is the console, but high-quality reproduction consoles are available for around $460, and should really set the rest of the trim off nicely. The Chevelle was also optioned with air conditioning, but it would appear that the majority of the system has disappeared along the way. It will be a matter of choice as to whether this is replaced, but I personally think that it would make a really cool ride even cooler.

As far as projects with potential are concerned, this 1967 Chevelle SS396 would seem to be fairly loaded. Granted, this isn’t a project that will be knocked over in a couple of weekends in a home workshop, but at least the buyer is not going to face the prospect of wholesale replacement of steel to return the car to a structurally sound state. Having said that, the majority of the remaining work could potentially be tackled in a home workshop, and the classic that rolled out at the end of the process would be jaw-droppingly attractive, and extremely desirable. With values continuing to climb for good and original examples, seeing this project through to fruition would seem to be well worth the effort.