Sometimes when we get leads about potential cars to feature here at Barn Finds, our staff checks ’em out and discovers that the seller just doesn’t provide a whole lot of vehicle information to go on in their listing, or the photos are sparse. This 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS sort of falls into that category, as only 4 pictures are present in the ad here on Craigslist that reader Rocco B. spotted, and we’d like to express our gratitude to him for the great tip on this cool Chevy! Some good news though is we located some additional information on the car, as a little further investigation led us to find out it’s also being offered here on the Streetside Classics website with a lot more details given. The Super Sport is cruising around Middle Tennessee, in Nashville or Franklin depending on which ad you’re viewing, at a cost of $55,000 on Craigslist or $59,995 if you go through the dealer.
Jerry MacNeish is a respected car guru, and sort of does Chevy authentication like Galen Govier does for Mopars, although it seems like much of Jerry’s work involves Camaros. But in any event, Mr. MacNeish has provided a certificate and report for the Impala, which the owner says is still equipped with the same numbers-matching 396 and Muncie M20 4-Speed it left the factory with. There’s no word in either listing stating whether or not the big block has ever had a rebuild, but the Streetside folks say that the way it fires up and runs lets a potential buyer know this one’s been under proper care.
There’s not too much background given about the car in general and past ownership, or what kind of bodywork has or hasn’t been performed, but the Craigslist ad claims that other than the 15-inch US Mag wheels and one respray that it’s all original, so maybe there really isn’t much to provide. Streetside verifies that the factory finish was Chateau Slate, and the new paint retains this same color but is of more modern quality. The panels are said to line up nicely, with the trim and chrome also stated to be in fine shape.
Looking inside, I was pleasantly pleased to see how good the interior presents itself, although no word on if it’s been refreshed or just always taken care of. The tach on the dash is stated as a factory component, but that AM radio is said to be there for display so I’m guessing it’s no longer cranking out any tunes. Two other bits of good news come from Streetside, as they provide several photos from the undercarriage, which seems to be in solid original condition, plus they also added a video. I’m speculating that the reason it’s priced less on Craigslist is the owner not having to pay the commission fees if you buy the car from him directly. Is $55-60k in the ballpark here?
Wow!! What a sweet ride, only 4 photos on Craig’s List.
It’s a beautiful 66 SS! Very nice. I want to say it’s overpriced but I don’t think it is by that much. Maybe $40,000 – 45,000?
Perfect. Love the Impala’s. 396 and 4 on the floor 🙌🏁
My first car was a 66 Impala in gold with a black brocade interior, 283 2bbl with a powerglide. This one is beautiful, but a 4 speed with A/C seems unusual to me, but certainly not impossible. Nice car, but beware of shoddy restorations that look nice in pictures. This car might have been put together with parts collected from donor cars. I am an original guy though, and it looks really nice. I’d immediately throw out the silly rims and find original Chevy rims for it.
The vin should start with 167 or 168 if it is an SS. Shot of the trim tag would be nice. Wheels look terrible imo.Needs some oe Kelsey hayes chevy rally’s and smoothie cop center caps with the bowtie imo.15×6 front so there is no tire rub on the frame 15×7 or8 in the rear. Car is priced about 10k too high imo and that’s if is as nice in person as it is in the pics.Had one when I was 18 396 4 speed Artesian Turquoise with a black vinyl .Mine had the optional gauge cluster on the front of the console.Used to race it up and down Harlem ave. in Chicago and Norridge after I left the Firestone I worked at at 9:00.4:56 gear with a posi diff. She was a little bit of a tire hopper dumpin the clutch at a pretty high rpm.Used eat those Iroc z28 guys for dinner.Sold it in the early 90’s for 1300 to a guy who did a frame off , painted it marina blue and left the vinyl off .Gave it too his kid.Lucky kid.
The only way to determine if this is a “real” “SS” is the build sheet, or the vehicle invoice showing “SS” pkg…a VIN only shows engine size- 6cyl or V-8. There’s a lot of clones out there…if you’re looking for the real deal, get the paperwork.
The first 5 digits of the vin is the series # That will tell you if it is an SS or not.On the trim tag the digits and letters after the stamped ST is the style # on the firewall tag the first 2 digits are the model year and the next 5 are the model ID # which will match the first 5 digits of the vin# telling you if it is an SS or whatever style it is I.E.caprice bel air biscayne .You don’t need paperwork for a car like this.My 68 ss427 z24 to be 100% sure you need the original invoice or a build sheet as it a SS option on top of the SS option.Mine is an ss but I need the original invoice or window sticker to be 100% of it being a z24.Otherwise I know it’s an SS 427 but maybe a z24 as it was never specified on the trim tag.On this car if the block and trans #’s match and there is the 167 or 168 first in the vin it is an SS that is #’s matching.
My 66′ also had the tach in the console I was told when I bought it used (in 66′) that the tach/console was the Caprice console option. The tach on the dash does not look like OEM. Mine was the same color but with a matching green interior.
you could get the gauge package which had the oil ,temp, vacuum and clock on the console cluster and then you could order the tach where the clock would be on the dash in the Caprice or Impala or any other style b body for that matter. Otherwise like this car you could have a clock , tach or clock delete on the dash and you had idiot lights.I have had a 66 caprice 396 and the 66ss396 and both had the optional gauges.
Maggy, the ONLY way you can prove your car is an “SS” is by the build sheet…or the factory invoice…NO other way…way too many clones are sold as REAL “SS” cars when they aren”t….
Yeah Maggy I agree some 15×7 front & 15×8 rear Rallys with disc brake or police center caps would look great on this car
This one is all the right stuff. Big Block, 4 spd, Air, nice wheels. What’s not to like?
Great looking car but anything Streetside advertises is overpriced!
I agree, but they always seem to come up with the cars that no one else has.
Very nice looking car but it’s obvious the front springs were replaced with “big block” springs. Now you’d think that this would be correct but these Impalas always sit too high in the front when using these aftermarket replacement springs.
In this era me and all my friends were mostly trying to figure out when we were leaving for South East Asia my one buddy decided to be prudent and he bought the twin to this car. I thought he was insane. He will never be able to sell it, who would buy it?
Joe, you order one like this because you don’t want to sell it. You want to keep it forever.
Did he live long enough to come back home and take care of it? To enjoy it?
One guy i knew bought one of those red, white and blue (sc ?) but he came home in a box.
Tragic.
Yeah i had a best buddy buy a 65 Impala SS 300/327 4sp never got to enjoy it he also came home in a box, happened to way to many guys back then
1966 Impala is the best year in my opinion and with a big block and 4speed well ya just can’t go wrong and as long as everything is good to go on this car the price is not to bad!!
Neal, We both came home OK. He didn’t keep the car, he was stationed in San Diego and brought home a 32 3-widow and then sold that. But no worries he did very well in business and has had several 32’s and everything in between. As for me I came home to my 34 Coupe in my parents garage and I still have it.
Thank you for your reply and very glad to hear you both made it home. So many young men didn’t get that chance.
A high #2 would be about $31,500. Add 50% for the 396, and another 15% for the Air Conditioning, and brings up to about $52,000. Car is priced in the ballpark. Someone with more money than brains will buy it from a dealer, “because it was easier”. Personally I would rather buy from the actual seller, to try and find out as much as I could about the car and its’ history.
Me too, why give the dealer (and this is a huge one with multiple locations) what amounts to almost 10% more, unless they are giving you 10% more value (free delivery, warranty, etc).
I think, but could be wrong, that back in the mid 1990s’ Super Chevy Magazine had an article about decoding, or iy might have been a letter from a reader. Seems like the Magazine said the 167 would denote a 6 cylinder Super Sport car and 168 would denote a V-8 super Sport car. This only applied to the Impala. Seems that Chevelles have 138 to denote the 396 models.
It depends on the year and model. That can change from year to year.
I need to ask a question to all you guys. I remember riding along in some of these SS cars and they had a vacuum gauge in or on the console. What was the practical purpose for these gauges? Gas mileage?
Thank you very much for answering.
In a way. The less throttle you give an engine, the higher the manifold vacuum. So you might say that it was there encourage fuel economy. Personally, I always thought it was a cheap substitute for a tach.
All of the arguing over whether it an SS or not, for the 1966 Model Year, look above for the notes by Maggy. What he’s written is CORRECT! For the 1966 model year a model 167 – 16837 is an Impala SS coupe. A model 167 – 16867 is an Impala SS convert. That is straight from the 1966 Service Manual. Anyone who thinks otherwise is WRONG! Again, this is for the 1966 model year. Other years may not be the same.