Favorite Chevelles

Purely from a styling standpoint, I like '66 and '67 Chevelles (although I think the instrument panel is goofy, with the switches above the speedometer), and the '71, with the simple grille and the chrome around the wheel openings, and the round taillights. The '72 grille was a last-minute thing I think.

I will also put myself up for ridicule and say I like '73 Chevelle coupes, as long as they have the mid-year bodycolor panel between the grille and bumper, instead of silver. They were way more substantial feeling than earlier Chevelles, and handled very well for the time...all the mags commented on this at the time.

I like the '76 Malibu Classic coupe too.

There's a '64 Chevelle two-door wagon, factory 4-speed, restored with all NOS, that's bone-stock, on eBay that I'm liking a lot now. Customs really don't do anything for me.

The '68 and '69 Chevelle coupes are good-looking cars, but I remember looking at them on introduction night with my Dad. They seemed significantly smaller than our '67. The coupes had a shorter wheelbase and all bodystyles looked narrower. I do like a lot the hardly-ever-seen '68 Concours coupe model (like an early "Malibu Classic"). They are not even in the brochure or big showroom album.

Replies to this message:

andre1969 (Dec 30, 2010 6:29 am)
- uplanderguy (Dec 30, 2010 8:17 am)

#5 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [uplanderguy] by andre1969

Dec 30, 2010 (6:29 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Dec 30, 2010 6:08 am)

I will also put myself up for ridicule and say I like '73 Chevelle coupes, as long as they have the mid-year bodycolor panel between the grille and bumper, instead of silver. They were way more substantial feeling than earlier Chevelles, and handled very well for the time...all the mags commented on this at the time.

I like the '76 Malibu Classic coupe too.

I like the '73-77 Chevelle/Malibu in general...just didn't want to be the first one here to fess up to it!

I really liked the taillight treatment on the '73, with the two round taillights on either side. In '74-75, the taillights just seemed too small and ill-fitting, and then in '76-77, seemed like they were trying to ape a '74-76 era Impala/Caprice...not bad looking, but going for more of an upscale, pretentious look than the sportier look that I thought the '73's round taillights suggested.

And while they were no longer called Chevelle, I'll always have a soft spot for the '78-83 Malibu, as my first car was an '80 Malibu coupe.

Replies to this message:

uplanderguy (Dec 30, 2010 8:17 am)

#6 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [andre1969] by uplanderguy

Dec 30, 2010 (8:17 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Dec 30, 2010 6:29 am)

In '74-75, the taillights just seemed too small and ill-fitting

Boy, agreed! The '74 taillights were pretty uninspired, but the '75's were awful! I remember when I first looked at one upclose. The rear panel, with taillights, below the decklid looked like it was done by some second-rate bodyshop, with a lot of visible breaks and seams. I also hated the '75 full wheelcovers, which looked to me like they were meant to look like a moon hubcap with a trim ring.

#7 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [parm] by omarman

Dec 30, 2010 (9:02 am)

Replying to: parm (Dec 28, 2010 7:55 pm)

My favorite ~~Chevette~~ Chevelle is the '72.
Haha! Now that's funny. I too liked the '72. When my next door neighbor drove a blue/white-striped SS Malibu back then it was almost as nice looking to me as my favorite: 1969 SS.

Choosing between the '65 Chevelles, I picked the Silver car by rating it this way:
The stock appearance/color/lines of 60s cars look more "correct" to me as time goes on. When the streets were filled with those old cars in every day driving, the "Lexus" Red Chevelle's lowered, custom appearance may have looked better to me then. The pure "retro look" Silver car looks better to me now.

The Red car has more resto-mod upgrades but not all appeal. Its crate engine seems more like an afterthought than a deliberate choice - not exactly what I'd expect to find in a 60s muscle car with "$30,000 worth of modern paint." Vintage A/C blows cold but the digital gauge upgrade sucks. The Silver car has a 4-speed advantage but needs upgrades, brakes especially. If it were mine I could make all the "priority choices" myself with the money saved by passing on the $40k Red car.

So on Looks, Equipment, Upgrades and Bang-for-the-Buck the Silver car scores better. I also try to rate Rarity and/or Context (historical significance, breakthrough design, etc.) in a comparison, but both choices are just small block '65 Chevelles so the last 2 categories come down to just one thing: Red car is an SS badge clone and the Silver one is (apparently) a factory SS model.

Overall, my score rates the Silver Chevelle a winner - even with needs compared to the more polished and expensive Red car.

#8 of 32 Favorite Chevelles by wevk

Dec 30, 2010 (9:02 am)

I had a 1964 2dr HT, 283 auto in very nice condition back in 1970 or so. I once
made the mistake of taking it through a carwash. The window sealing was so
poor you needed a raincoat.

#9 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [parm] by parm

Dec 31, 2010 (9:06 am)

Replying to: parm (Dec 28, 2010 7:55 pm)

OK, I'll jump back in to give my 2 cents. I love all-stock cars as much as the next guy. But, on certain cars and if the work is done tastefully, I really appreciate resto-mods. So then, even though it's an automatic, my vote would be for the red '65 Chevelle. The color is gorgeous and the tilt wheel , A/C and stereo would made it very comfortable to drive. And, I'm sure the crate 350 engine with headers allows this car to get out of its own way quite nicely. The key to this equation is how much could you buy it for. If the price of the silver and red one are the same, I'd buy the red in a heartbeat. But, if the silver one is $10,000+ cheaper, that would get my attention. All other factors being equal, I think the silver one would be FAR more inclined to have ongoing maintenance "issues" which would obviously cost $ to address and at the end of the day, you might be better off with the red one. Of course, when you go to sell, the fact that the silver one is (reportedly) a real SS just might be the trump card that the red one can't ever match.

#10 of 32 Love the 1968-72 A-bodies... by lemko

Jan 03, 2011 (9:51 am)

...but the 1970 model by far is my favorite, especially the 396 SS. I didn't like it when the Chevelle reverted to dual headlamps in 1971. I really didn't like the "colonnade" styling of the 1973-77 Chevelle/Malibu, though I thought the 1973 Laguna S-3 was the nicest looking of that generation.

#11 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [parm] by ramair400

Jan 05, 2011 (7:46 am)

Replying to: parm (Dec 28, 2010 7:55 pm)

OK I guess I'll jump in with my first post, even though it's a few days late. As you can tell from my screen-name, I'm also a big fan of Pontiacs, I love the 69' GTO ...67'-69' FIrebirds & of course the 69' Trans Am! 428 is my favorite Pontiac motor but Chevy is my Favorite car.

My favorite Chevelle is the 69' SS, 66' SS...although I really do like the 70' SS. I have owned more 71' & 72's than any other Chevelle, so I really like them too. The 67's are really nice.

I like most Chevelle's except the 64',65' & 68' models but I can see why the silver 65' sold, it is a really nice car especially with the 327 Muncie 4 speed--->very cool. If I was into the 65's I would definitely buy the silver 65' because that's just the way I like them, I'm really not into the wagon wheels that are hot today like the ones on the burgundy Chevelle....but that's just me. I like the factory SS wheels & the Corvette style wheels with B.F. Goodrich T/A Radials. Anyway for what it's worth... that's my .02 cents.

Replies to this message:

parm (Jan 07, 2011 2:42 pm)

#12 of 32 Re: Favorite Chevelles [ramair400] by parm

Jan 07, 2011 (2:42 pm)

Replying to: ramair400 (Jan 05, 2011 7:46 am)

I love the "wagon wheels" description. Well put. For a non-stock choice, I really like the American Torque Thrusts. When I was a teenager (long, long ago), Cragers SS's where the prevailing choice. As a matter of fact, my very first car had a set and I thought they were totally "bad ass" back in the day.

But now, they look "too heavy" to my eye. Regardless of the wheel choice, I'd insist they be on a "proper" tire. Something with ample rubber between the road and the rim. Low profile tires may look great on a $350,000 Chip Foose custom, but not on most collector cars. And, those things must ride like a log truck.

BTW, looks like the technoids at Edmund's fixed the website problem. I was able to compose this in less than the minimum one hour it took after the site upgrade. Kudos to the geek squad!

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