1972 Chevrolet Chevelle

Description

This 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle offers all the things we look for in a hobby car: great looks, fun performance from a small block V8, and plenty of comfort. It's also quite affordably priced, so if you've been looking for a clean A-body that wouldn't cost you everything you have, this is a great choice.

This is one vivid car, I'll give you that, and it does tend to stand out in a crowd of Cranberry Red Chevelles. It has an ultra-clean look with black painted on stripes. It's obvious they focused on getting the basics right. That means straight sheetmetal, good gaps, and doors that open and close like they should. The paint shines up nicely and actually highlights the many interesting shapes on the Chevelle, from the steel cowl-induction hood to the bulging fenders that often go overlooked with other colors. A blacked-out SS grille is simple and elegant, and bright chrome bumpers look great against the blue paint. It's been mostly de-badged, although the original Chevelle script emblem remains on the deck lid and there are a few SS badges as needed.

The black bench seat interior is what you'd expect from a battle-hardened veteran with power like this. It's unassuming and comfortable, and doesn't seem to be trying too hard to be cool. With heavy-duty hardware underneath, the dash was reworked to better keep an eye on it, including a set of voltage, temperature, and oil pressure gauges mounted under the dash. And a column shifter is just plain mean; you don't keep that unless you can run seriously fast. There is no radio, just a block-off plate, which also signifies that performance was paramount to the builder. On the other hand, you get factory A/C (not currently functional but it's complete) so this car isn't totally crude. The seat covers show almost no wear, the carpets are nicely kept, and it's possible that those are the original door panels. Glance in the trunk and you get matching black carpets, spatter-finish paint, and a full-sized spare for emergencies. Just because it's affordable doesn't mean this car cuts corners.

The 350 cubic inch V8 is a later block, perhaps from the late '70s or early '80s, that doesn't really make a difference in terms of performance, because this is a very strong runner. It's pretty correct-looking with Chevy Orange paint on the block, and some chrome valve covers as dress-up, but few folks will know that's not how they came. There's a 4-barrel carburetor up top, but it still exhales through cast iron exhaust manifolds, which are great for controlling noise and heat and they don't leak like headers do. They dump into a full Magnaflow exhaust system with X-pipe, so it sounds seriously nasty and we love the chrome tips poking out from under the rear bumper. The TH350 3-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly and smoothly thanks to a fresh rebuild and out back there's a 10-bolt rear end that's sturdy enough for small block street duty. The addition of power brakes with front discs is of course a nice welcome. And flashy torque thrust wheels give it a performance look, complete with 215/65/15 front and 275/60/15 rear radials.

Not exactly a sleeper, but this Chevelle packs more heat than you'd expect from its unassuming looks. An impressive machine that gets even better from behind the wheel. Call today!