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'64 Chevrolet Impala - READ ONLY

58 messages,  Last post on Jun 09, 2000 at 1:34 PM

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#15 of 58 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 07, 1999 (10:03 pm)
Yes, the Heavy Chevy was produced in 1971-72, but I don't have specs on it right now...given its rather low value in the marketplace, I'd expect it was not a car with SS engine options.
#16 of 58 by badgerpaul Sep 08, 1999 (1:26 pm)
I'm just going on memory, but I seem to remember that he offered the big engine, but none of the ornamentation (buckets, chrome trim) of the SS. It may have been a way around the insurance company since it would have registered as a Chevelle rather than a Malibu SS, but that's just a guess.
#17 of 58 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 08, 1999 (4:00 pm)
Okay, I did dig into the extensive Shiftright Memorial Library, and found out a little more...says you could order ANY engine with the Heavy Chevy except the 454, and that the car was built as a competitor to the Road Runner. So I'd guess that with the larger engines the car would be worth more than is showing in the current Price Guides.
#18 of 58 But... by isellhondas Sep 08, 1999 (6:14 pm)
I think it was in 1971 when they really got into emissions. They dramatically lowered the compression ratios and went to net horsepower. At least in California. Then, a couple of years later, we got cataytic convertors and all of the other smog equipment that killed the muscle cars. The most pathetic sight of all was a 1974- 1974 smogged up Tempest with a tacky "GTO" decal stuck on it. As I recall, the "Heavy Chevys" weren't much of a performance car. How about a 375 HP 396 '68 Camaro? HANG ON !!!
#19 of 58 I meant... by isellhondas Sep 08, 1999 (6:17 pm)
To say 1974 - 1976 phoney GTO's. Really, I would just as soon forget that some idiot at Pontiac would do such a discraceful thing!
#20 of 58 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 08, 1999 (9:28 pm)
But now muscle cars are back...see? It wasn't that emission controls were a bad concept (it really improved the breed using Darwinian principles---adapt or DIE). What WAS bad was the application of early emission controls...god awful bolt on, make-do, jury-rigged engineering. To get somewhat back on topic...remember that embarassing incident when GM complained that they couldn't get their big V-8s to meet emission standards for the early 1980s and then Honda took a Chevy V-8 and made it conform to Federal standards, even without an air pump? Oohhh, that must have caused a stir in Detroit. Now, of course, Detroit does a pretty good job of it.
#21 of 58 That's Honda engineering! by isellhondas Sep 08, 1999 (9:51 pm)
Sorry, had to put in a plug! Yes, muscle cars are back (kinda) but it's just not the same, at least to me! It's the way they sound! NOTHING like an uncorked big block 427 Chevy! Or even better, the sweet sound of an old Chevy six cylinder with a split manifold. A pair of "pipes" with 18 " glass packs! Take it down a steep hill, put it into second gear, and let out the clutch! Try that with a choked up cataylied car of today... Not even close...!
#22 of 58 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 09, 1999 (12:33 am)
I hear that the Ferrari 360 Modena sounds REAL nice when it's sucking air into those twin intakes on the rear fenders, especially when the variable intake runners kick in...and it has that good old american V-8 kind of torque, too. I don't like the sound of V-8s myself, except maybe the old Maseratis...too uneven and burbly, like a Harley, kind of "messy"...I think a straight 6 with twin pipes is just about right...the old Jags sounded great, too.
#23 of 58 by prophet2 Sep 09, 1999 (9:42 am)
Those '60-'64 Impalas with the V-8s were among my favorites. Chevy kind of lost it with the '65 and later editions, although the Malibus and Camaros were still stylish to the end of the '60s. I'm going to a party Saturday night where one the the guys who will be there used to have a tricked-out Dodge Dart with the 273 V-8 and trips. The Caprice that was Motor Trend's Car-of-the-Year a few years back was an ABOMINATION! I have yet to see the 2000 Impala, but after the re-introduced Malibu, I'm not expecting much.
#24 of 58 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 09, 1999 (4:41 pm)
The Impalas seem to be glued to the showroom floors these days.

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