Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Parked Since ’81: 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle 300

Shed find

Four-door… Inline-six… Three on the tree… These phrases don’t normally invoke excitement, but I bet a few of you got excited when you saw this 1965 Chevelle 300. It has the the aforementioned ailments, but it has also been parked in a shed since 1981. The car belonged to seller’s grandfather and he purchased it in 1967. Apparently he only drove it on the weekends and only covered 40k miles before passing away in 1981. The engine was filled with oil and the car was pushed into a shed on the family’s property. As exciting as a real barn find can be, there are some things that should be remembered. Barn finds have a tendency to attract rodents, rust, and bad smells. The dream of dragging one of these home is a romantic one, but the task of bringing it back to life usually isn’t an easy or pleasant one. Still, the task can be very rewarding. If you are up for the challenge this one can be found here on eBay where it has been listed without a reserve.

Comments

  1. Avatar Mike D

    this is the definition of a true plain Jane , the interior issues can be taken care of, the jack being in the back seat could mean the grandpa misplaced the trunk key?? the engine should start right up ( after draining and refilling the oil ) I would just restore it to as it rolled off the line , may put radials on it instead of the polyester tires . bet it would get a lot of thumbs up

    Like 0
    • Avatar pursang

      Good observation about the trunk key – my first car was a used 1970 Chevy Nova and it was the last car I owned that had a separate key for the trunk. Forgot all about that little fact.

      Anyone have an idea why they had two key systems back before the days of a single key and keyless entry systems?

      Like 0
      • Avatar Ed P

        It was a security thing. The trunk and glove box usually were keyed alike but different from the doors and ignition. You could give the ignition key to a parking attendant and keep stuff in your trunk safe.

        Like 0
      • Avatar grant

        GM used separate keys for the ignition and doors/trunk/glovebox/console up into the mid 90’s at least. looking at my two 95 Suburban keys right now.

        Like 0
  2. Avatar JW

    There’s been a lot of moisture in that car, just look at the engine bay for 40K miles it seems pretty crusty. Now seller doesn’t know cars too well as he states it’s a V6 when it’s actually a inline 6 but that’s not a big deal just annoying. If you can get it cheap enough it would make a decent daily driver.

    Like 0
  3. HoA Howard A Member

    IDK, looks like quite a mess, but still, what a find. I had to look really close, as a friend of mines mother, had a car exactly like this, in N. Wis.,only an automatic. It too, had like 40 K miles on it, with plastic on the seats. The thing that always amazes me on deals like this, is how could someone let this car sit for over 30 years, knowing it was there, and never doing anything with it. Lot of work here, but when you are talking barn finds, it doesn’t get any better than this.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar John

    Too many doors…

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Tom Member

    Well, either 140K miles or 40K with lots-o-moisture which means everything under the car and everywhere else looks like the engine bay. To Mike D’s comment, this better be the car of your dreams to do a “roll off the line” retso on it. You will NEVER get your money back on this one. You won’t get half of your money back. It is a shame that 4 door cars, for the most part, do not have value. Clean it up, make it safe, drive it and have fun.

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to Tom Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.