One of the most popular cars to clone as a Super Sport 396 is the 1970 Chevelle. But this Malibu is not and will never be an SS tribute simply because it has too many doors. It’s a basic family sedan with an inline-6, which only saw production of about 7,500 units (compared to the V8 Sport Coupe at 290,000 copies). This largely original grocery-getter is in Jasper, Missouri, and is available here on eBay where only a handful of bids have raised the ante to $9,200.
The Chevelle arrived in 1964 as a mid-size car sandwiched between the Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne and the Chevy II/Nova. Ironically, its vital stats were in the same neighborhood as those of the Tri-Five Chevies of 1955-57. The automobile sold well right out of the gate and continued on for years, dropping the Chevelle moniker in 1978 as the Malibu took over those duties. A mild restyle occurred in 1970, the same year as the Monte Carlo was introduced which was based on the Pontiac Grand Prix but shared some of the looks of the Chevelle.
This sedate sedan is mislabeled as an SS by the seller, perhaps to attract more views on the car (can’t blame he/she for that). It looks like an original vehicle, including the two-tone white over turquoise paint. Except for the seat covers, the interior looks like 1970 as well and may need nothing more than a headliner at some point. A new set of carpeting is provided, but it’s in a box waiting for installation. The seller has owned this Chevy for three years and only uses it occasionally.
The list of recent work done to the Chevelle includes a tune-up and a new distributor, radiator, brakes, exhaust, and tires. The seller provides a sufficient number of photos but excludes popping the hood and taking some glamour shots there. The trunk won’t open for some reason, so who knows what’s in there besides a spare wheel and tire. The car is slightly stubborn to get started, which may mean the carburetor is ready for a rebuild. At nearly 70,000 miles, this is a solid Chevy, but what would you do with it? Too many doors for Cars & Coffee?
I love it. It’s a really cool bread-and-butter 4-door from 1970. It’s amazing such a stripper has survived 54 years in this condition.
I’d gravitate immediately toward this car at a car show or cruise-in, while everyone else would be drooling at the Mustangs or Corvettes.
Thanks for not slobbering on my Mustang. But these old spinster aunt car’s are cool, too!
At this point, I’ve seen every Mustang on the planet twice over, including the Bullitt Mustang. Over it.
Keeping it out of the sun & bad weather makes all the difference in the world.
So does low mileage. It has a powerglide. The strait 6 & trans will run forever.
Could you get a 396 & maybe even a 4 speed manual in a 4 door or even wagon? Maybe not.
I’d be happy with a 4 door with a 6 cyl. engine, although I’d prefer the later 3 spd. automatic.
A 330hp 402 big-block, given the LS3 designation, was made available for installation in any 1970 Chevelle, including 4-doors and wagons.
I looked for a clean “more door”, like this one, for almost a year. Wanted a six or small displacement two barrel, automatic…..a comfortable cruiser. My intention was to build a family, cars and coffee/local cruise in, long weekend/getaway type of car. Unfortunately, all were too much work or simply overpriced. I ended up buying a cool modern daily instead, which I still love. This seems really decent, as long as bidding doesn’t continue to climb. Much more and you may as well buy a car that will net you a profit down the road, cause these 4 doors usually don’t.
I feel like I’ve seen this one before somewhere.
I think part of the 4-door’s lack of popularity was its boxier, less graceful lines. Some brands handled this better than others, but mid-sized GM models from this era did not IMO. Something about that rear quarter was awkward.
Though I do love survivors, especially of the inline-6 variety. Hope this old gal find a good home.
The 1968-72 A-body 4-doors always looked dowdy to me, agreed. I thought the Mopar midsized 4-doors of the era looked a little better, though much more boxy than their coupe counterparts. That’s reflected in the price. A 2-door would be at least 2x this in price.
For me, it’s the odd shape of the rear door window. The Malibu Sport Sedan, with its crisper, more angular rear door window, looks much better to my eyes.
I can smell that third photo (of the interior) from here!
I think it’s perfect. I’d buy a 1970-71 Chevelle wagon if I was in the market. While a 2 door SS is nice, a 4 door would be even better. If only more pics were taken of this car. I’d love to see more of the interior, of the trunk, the engine. As much of the car as possible. A YouTube video of the car in action would’ve been awesome.
Wow, clean car! I’d preserve it and enjoy it just the way it is. I hope it finds a good home, too!
This is not a bad looking automobile imo. Thinking a closed hood and hard starting might mean not the cleanest of engine bays. Would have to tune/modernize the engine bay some, perhaps intake and ignition upgrades, for reliability/performance. Might put a slightly better albeit not loud exhaust exhaust on, and fill the fender wells a little better.
4 door sedans need more love. The coupes were preserved. Now station wagons are seen as cool and are being preserved. But 4 door sedans get used for parts or get junked. This is what the “too many doors” attitude has led to – they’re all gone. I don’t just mean Chevelles – I mean all 4 door sedans from years ago. So what if it will never be worth what a coupe would get? THIS is what the majority of Americans were driving back in 1970. 4 door sedans deserve more representation at car shows. It isn’t just about what a car is worth or could be worth if it’s restored. A lot of people will remember these as their family’s car. Who cares if it has the base engine? It’s about history. I’m glad someone preserved it. It’s cool just the way it is.
Yes, it’s a real shame that too many only look at a vintage vehicle as an investment. Seems when you do you really miss out on more of the reality of how things truly were for the average Joe back in the day….some of us appreciate the history but too many don’t.
I agree. Not all who buy a car buy for the same reasons.
Too Many Doors
My parents had one of these when I was a kid. Ours was a solid blue one with black interior. Ours had a 350 and the three speed auto. My dad had trouble keeping rear tires and brakes on the thing due to his and my moms lead foot. They traded it in about a month before my 16th birthday for a new Olds Cutlass. I begged my dad to give me the Chevy, but he wouldn’t budge. Lady who bought it from dealer hit a train about 6 months after dad traded it in. He was so sad and said “Man, I should have given it to you.”
This clean, but faded example needs a little love, but it wouldn’t take much to make it shine. I’d try buffing it out with some rubbing compound, followed by a nice coat of wax, to see if the paint can be salvaged, along with giving the vinyl top a good scrubbing. Ditto the interior, just give it a good solid cleaning and detailing, before considering what further action may be needed. I’m not generally a fan of vinyl tops, for various reasons, but I’d try to preserve this one, if for no other reason than removing it will require some body work on the roof, followed by a complete repainting, so I’d want to avoid that expense if possible.
I agree that sedans don’t get enough love, but they can be a way for people to get into the old car hobby on a more limited budget. While it certainly could be restomodded to the nth degree, my inclination would be to keep it more or less stock, limiting any modifications to two (2) items for my own comfort. First, I’d need to find a power seat so my 59.5 inch tall body can reach the pedals and see over the dashboard without a pile of pillows under my butt or behind my back! Second, I’d consider aftermarket air conditioning, since this car doesn’t have either a sunroof or a convertible top, and I’ve has enough of “440” air conditioning (4 windows at 40 mph)! i grew up that way, and it wasn’t fun!
The “vinyl top” looks like a painted roof to me.
Yes, it’s vinyl. If you look closely at the picture of the rear window, you can just make out the sewn seams on the vinyl top, near each window corner between the rear window and the sheet metal between the rear window and the trunk lid.
If it had a ratty interior, rusty doors, & bad vinyl roof, someone creative with expert body work skills might want to try to make this into a 2 door.
But it doesn’t have any of those things, so why spend the time destroying it? You’d be better off finding a wrecked two-door and restoring that, rather than taking all that time and effort to turn a four-door sedan into a two-door coupe. Besides, a four-door with the right tweaks is the ultimate sleeper! Mom & Pop grocery getter on the outside, heart of a muscle car on the inside, with room for up to six (6) of your closest friends, without having to crawl all over each other to access the back seat!
P.S. Dynacorn makes brand-new reproduction bodies for these, so you could build one from scratch, with an aftermarket frame under it and a crate motor under the hood. Take your pick, coupe or convertible!
https://dynacornclassicbodies.com/chevrolet-chevelle/
I like that in a car. Unless you have children under the age of 10, four doors would be perfect.