Full-size Chevrolet sales in the back-half of the 1960s were dominated by the Impala and the new high-end Caprice. But those buyers on a budget still had two other choices: the low-end Biscayne (popular for fleet purchases) and the middle-ground Bel Air. This 1966 Bel Air is a 2-door sedan with a factory 283 cubic-inch V8 that sports a few upgrades (but not as a sleeper). Located just east of Portland, Oregon, this somewhat plain Chevy is available for $12,999 here on craigslist. Our thanks to Barn Finder “Scott” for this cool tip!
The Bel Air was the top Chevy model in the 1950s, relinquishing that position to the Impala in 1959. Sales continued to be brisk in 1966 as more than 83,000 2-door sedans were sold, split by an unknown margin between the Biscayne and Bel Air (the Impala and Caprice didn’t offer this stoic body style). This Chevy had more than basic mechanical equipment when new, having the entry-level V8. Likely, it was paired with Chevrolet’s 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, but a TH-350 is in play today.
Though this classic has 142,000 miles, the 283 is said to have had some mild upgrades, which implies it has also been rebuilt. It’s a strong runner that has been treated to disc brakes in the front and a beefier radiator. 15X7-inch Rally wheels are at all four points, which we assume came from a later model Chevy. The paint was redone several years ago and is fading in places (perhaps some wax and elbow grease would improve the presentation).
The interior is not original, and the seats were reupholstered 20 years ago, while the carpets are much newer. This is not a flipper as the seller has owned the Chevy for 25 years. But sometimes you get tired of an asset, and you lose interest. That’s what the seller says has happened here, and will entertain reasonable cash offers. If the seller is flexible, for not a ton of money, this could be a nice vintage starter car for a newbie.
Nice car, definitely a reliable driver for the weekend cruise. Not a 10 but looks decent but I am sure it will bring those smiles per mile for the next owner.
Very nice Chevy but would like to see under hood pictures.
Low rider.
Please NOOOOO!
Okay, no.
Taco, hardtops make better low riders, 2dr sedans make better race cars and sleeper.
Steve R
Never !
Did they just paint the front end?
The hood and front fenders are definitely a different shade of green
Back in the day at GM the body (from the front doors back) were assembled and painted at the Fisher Body plant. The bodies would then ride a conveyor from the Fisher plant to the GM plant where they would attach the body to the frame and pair up the front sheet metal (that was painted and assembled in the GM plant) to the body and frame. That’s why you will often see GM cars from the 70’s and back with a slightly different color body from the front end.
These cars were boring back then and they’re boring now. Ugh I used to see these everywhere growing up and back then even I knew they weren’t cool. The upgrades may consist of the after market gauges mounted under the dash. A hard no.
May be boring to you but awesome to someone else. I had a 67 Bel Air 2dr sedan back then and it was a great car till an idiot hit me in the rear end hard enough to total both cars. With a 350 & TH70R4 this would be a really great car for trips.
I Had almost the Same Car with the 396 , bucket seats And Console. ( Basically the step down from the Impala SS ) I remove the 396 emblems and made it a sleeper, the Color was the same as used as the color most Fleet cars were with either.the 289 or 250 inclined 6 cyl. While many did not like the color or styling, asva First Car it left nothing to complain about !
This car was featured on this site in April 2024, with an asking of $17,500. There is a picture of the engine shown then if someone wants to look it up.
This seems like a pretty good deal assuming there are no hidden issues. As always, an in person inspection would be wise.
Steve R
And it’s that rare two shade Turquoise.
Needs a coyote engine
Coyote in a Chevy? Really? Especially when there are so many LS and LT engine options available from the Bow Tie boys? I’d be just as upset if someone suggested putting an LS or LT in a Ford product! Cross corporate engine swaps aren’t my cup of tea, to put it mildly. The engine is the heart of the car, so a corporate heart transplant tends to destroy the basis of what makes a Chevy a Chevy or a Ford a Ford, IMHO!
I was just trolling the LS crowd. I’m actually more of a late model hemi guy myself.
I don’t think this car is boring at all. It has all the performance potential any other ’60s car has with aftermarket upgrades. Even if you leave it as is, guys sitting in their SUVs will be breaking their necks trying to get a better look in traffic.
I don’t think those are the proper chrome rings on the rally rims
How many drivable’60s Chevy 2drs are there any more at this price? Looks like a cheap project or just polish it and use it.
Mom bought 66 Belair dark blue wagon new when Dad was in Vietnam. Five of us kids by then. 283 also. Had 66,000 on it six years later when traded for 72 Impala, the same year I got my license. In retrospect, wish I’d have gotten it. What a party wagon it would have made & in great shape!
Just the facts! The Impala began in 1958 and the Impala was offered in a 2 door sedan in ONLY 1961.
Pretty cool Bel Aire. If someone was just looking for a nice driver, this should fit the bill nicely. If I were a lot younger I would grab it and put a L-72 427 with a M-21 gear box, a column mounted Super Sun, and change the rally’s to 8″. When I was a young whipper snapper, there was a fella in the same medium size Oregon town that I grew up in that had a Biscayne drag car with that combination and I was always enamored with it. If memory serves me correctly, it was even pretty close to this color. One thing for sure that I clearly remember was that thing ran like a scalded dog.
I’m with you on everything but the 427 swap. From the “There is no substitute for cubic inches!” department, a 572 “Connect & Cruise” with either a five-speed or a 4L85E automatic transmission would drop into this car nicely, LOL!
https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/ZZ572620DeluxewT56.html
If you really want to go nuts, there’s a 632 crate motor! 1,000 hp, and 850 pound-feet of torque, it’s “Go Big or Go Home!”, LOL!
https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/19432060.html
…and require a computer, which would include sensors that go bad and lie to the computer ~ no thanx.
Robert Atkinson, Jr.: You have a valid point just like an LS would be great, but I an 75 years old, and my visions of an exciting street sweeper are of the cars I grew up with. ’39 Chev coupe with a dual quad 421 Pontiac, ’55 Chev sedan with a straight axel and a big block with tunnel ram, (two lane blacktop) ’57’Vette with a straight axel and a screamin’ small block, ’62 Bel Aire “bubble top” with a 409/425, etc. These are the kind of cars that fought the street wars in the ’60’s, and I have really fond memories of those days.
Mine was white with a red interior, 409 4 speed, tach and A.C.! Torq-y little 81+c#.
A 409 in a ’66? Why in the world would someone do that?
Why not oldrodder? I seen an Apache truck at a car show last fall that had 409 in it. Very nicely done. To each their own; it’s their build, their dream.
Yes, mine was a 1965 with a 409!
Your comment makes a little more sense then as early ’65s could still be ordered with a 409 (including the dual 4 barrel 425 horse unit). Since the article is about a ’66, I mistakenly assumed that you were referring to a ’66 model.
In answer to Rickirick’s comment: A 409 in an Apache would be like a “retro-rod”. Sort of a “period correct” hot rod” (even though they didn’t make a 409 in ’58 or ’59, they did make 348s) In my mind, putting a 409 in a ’66 wouldn’t make much sense, although I suppose that if that’s what someone wanted to do then who am I to question someone else’s vision.
Drive and enjoy!
Cool.
I could be tempted. This one brings back memories. I learned to drive in my Dad’s white four door Belair with 283 and manual everything. He let me borrow it for dates and such. Nice big bench seats. GLWTS.
Reply to oldrodder: Thanks for the comment. I’m about ten years younger than you are, so we both lived through the “Malaise Era”, a.k.a. the 1970’s, when the air got cleaner, but the cars ran like crap. It took modern electronic controls to make them run well again, so I tend to favor them. The fact that I am a retired electrical engineer and electronics kept me fed for over twenty-five years didn’t hurt, either! As a result of that, we now can buy 1,000 hp monster engines that run on straight pump gasoline, yet get 25 mpg! Try that with a carburetor and breaker points! Oh, and BTW, ever since the Feds standardized the diagnostics with the OBD-II standard back in 1995, you can now buy a code reader for under $100, so the car can now tell you what’s wrong with it (up to a point). Try THAT with a carburetor and breaker points, LOL!
If you’re old school and prefer a carburetor and conventional breaker points to electronic ignition and fuel delivery, that’s fine, but they both have advantages and drawbacks associated with them. But for other stores disparage electronics simply out of ignorance isn’t really fair. Give me a code reader and sensors over mechanical systems any day.
Robert: I get it, I have a Corvette with an LS-1 that definately has “boogie shoes” and the only time that the hood is up is to change oil, so I’m completely aware of the performance of the new stuff, but that is not my point. My Vette would probably cook a ’55 like the one in two lane black top, but it sure as hell wouldn’t look as cool doin’ it.
The last half of my comment wasn’t rally aimed at you, but rather at Mr. Jackson, who seemed to disparage electronic controls. He has the right to dislike them if he feels that way, but problems come with either system. Modern kids routinely tune cars with a laptop next to them on the passenger seat, but don’t know the first thing about carburetors and Kettering (breaker point) ignitions. I used to frequent a car repair shop that was run by a father and son team, until his Dad retired and he took over the shop. He told me he called Dad for anything having to do with carburetors, as he didn’t know anything about them, he only knew how to tune fuel injection! So technology marches on. I don’t know the first thing about how to tune the magneto ignition in a Model T, but there are people who do! Unfortunately, they are leaving us at an increasing rate!
My 62 Impala has ZZ4 transplant with a Rochester Quadrajet & GM HEI distributer, TH350 that is built to the hilt. My 70 Chevy C20 has the original 350 rebuilt with a little extra cam with an Edelbrock Performer, Quadrajet, & GM HEI distributor, stage 2 TH700R4. I did the work myself except building the transmissions. And like you, my hoods only get opened to change oil or batteries. Neither one has any electric niceties that Robert Atkinson loves.The Impala does have posi but never gets driven in the winter. I’ve had computerized vehicles and got rid of the last one I will ever own 5 years ago. Far too many issues with sensors going bad and lying to the computer and electric windows and door lock going bad ~ quite expensive to replace. My window cranks and push-pull door locks work perfectly every time and I do fine driving my truck in the winter without electronic traction control or lane change warning or “time for a cuppa” popping up on a TV screen in my dash or self parking (I had to parallel park for my driver’s license test-too bad they don’t teach kids to do that any more) or backup camera (I know how to turn my head and look behind me) BTW my Impala turned a 12.49 in the 1/4 with no electronic help.
327 with a manual would bring a lot more interest, includung mine.
“Ohh…the times they are a changin'”…
I’m with Robert ,what a perfect home for that 632 BBC .Running 8’s in this sleeper and then driving it home .It doesnt get any better than that !
Or, keep it the cheap cruiser that it is .
This car reminds me of my first car. It was a 1963 Biscayne. I remember it had the 2 taillight set up and the mighty inline 6 cylinder. Great first car . Could transport 6 teenagers comfortably. I paid $150 for it in 1973. I don’t know how much that car cost new. The only extra it had was an AM radio. Fun times
Years ago, about 50 I used to frequent MCIR (Marion County International Raceway) near Larue, Ohio. I remember a race that took place between a 1963 Biscayne four door, it was faded/rusty green with a 6 cylinder with the “three on the tree”. It over the course of an afternoon raced (several times) an old Hudson 2 door, six three speed also. Both of them were in the 22 second+ times each time they raced. The old Hudson every time he shifted into third gear, a big puff of black smoke came out of the tail pipe. MCIR is no longer open to the public now.