Cameron, I don't think we've seen photos of your Chevelle. Would you post some?
Few people have seen my Garage Queen outside of the garage. It is a genuine Oshawa-built 67 Chevelle Malibu six-cylinder sport coupe.
My late aunt bought it new on March 20, 1967. She found herself to be a widow in 1966 and later traded in my late uncles 1965 Oldsmobile 98 sedan as it was too big and thirsty for her. The car was actually built and shipped December 15, 1966 to Wills Motors in Caledonia, Ontario where it was put into service as a demonstrator. I was told that Mrs. Wills herself actually used it for a short time with dealer plates. I actually didn't even know she owned the Chevelle because whenever Aunty Janet came to visit, we gave her a ride from her place in Hamilton and our place in Ancaster. She passed away from cancer in May of 1985 and I bought the car from her estate on June 7, 1985 with about 30,000 miles.
I haven't had it on the road in years, in fact I have owned it since 1985 but I never actually put in on the road until 1992 (7 years to the day after purchase). One year I was putting it away for winter when I had an incident. While driving, I saw my hood start to flutter and I knew it was coming up within a millisecond, so I hammered the brakes hard and got it stopped instantly (not bad for 4-wheel drums). Then I heard metallic knocking and I shut it down and pushed it home. Seeing as I just quit my job to go to school I didn't want to put money into at the time. Fast forward through a horse lea$e, extensive house renovations, new car, daughter in University out of Province in Vancouver, plus we love to travel (been all over the place) it just took a back seat. It is in my semi-heated garage and is out of sunlight so it is safe. I just didn't expect to have it inactive for so long, but I always knew it was there to get back to.
I decided to have another six built just to have fun with. It is hot rodded and pretty cool, but I also learned that putting a 292 crank in a 250 block means I have to run an electric fuel pump. It can nickel and dime you to death, plus I didn't want to destroy the originality of the car since it is important to me. Also since the car was repainted in 1982 I don't have an aversion to redoing it, but again to do it right I will want to put some money into a paint job that I can be proud of. Excuses, excuses. Anyway:
No tears or rips, but a little fading (appears much worse due to the camera flash)
The greasy bullet:
Replacement rad but I still have the original with damaged finger guard. Non-stock battery cables due to thieves cutting the originals to steal the battery in the 1970s. I have correct spring ring replacements from Lectric Limited. I also have numerous other parts like NOS Delco fuel pump and other stuff just waiting to be enlisted:
Low deck 250 with custom early 6-counterweight 292 crank, reflowed lump port head with bigger valves & hardened inserts, custom Diamond forged pistons & custom Eagle I-beam rods, ARP studs throughout, Harland Sharp roller rockers, GM marine 292 h.o. cam (kind of like a so-called R.V. cam), Offenhauser 2x1 intake with water heat, twin staged dinky 2-barrel carbs with primaries / secondaries for intake velocity and better breathing, Stovebolt cast iron 3-into1 headers, plus lots of cleancing & machining. The engine was cheap, the rebuild & custom parts were NOT! I still want to get a serious damper before running it but ATI wants money for engineering my special application. More serious bucks. That, plus I will need to run an electric fuel pump & I would want a proper stealth fuel system & regulator with a return line. More stupid money and I don't want to start the whole chain of upgrading the original alternator & electrical system on a survivor. Ugh, Paralysis by Analysis.
The car is stock currently and it seems as though I will keep it that way. 4-wheels drums, Powerglide, no power accessories. It actually drove like a dream, and get this, at 60 mph it delivers an honest 30 Imperial MPG. I was actually expecting about 19 to 25. Why would I want to destroy that?
Right now we are trying to settle my mom's estate as she passed away last December 26th (I miss you mom.)
Anyway, that is where is stands presently. I really do intend to seriously clean it up and make it nice.
-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Saturday 12th of January 2019 12:37:53 AM
very nice i love that origional green? what is itturqouise? and what a mean 6 banger i likem too congrads on keeping that timepiece and thanks for sharing it hope it gets on the road soon!
Isn't it the 292 cam, not crank that prevents the fuel pump from working??
Thanks Randy
I didn't believe it until I saw that the long crank throws & counterweights run awful close in the crankcase, and there isn't room for the fuel pump in that location. The tall deck 292 block has the fuel pump & RHS motor mount swapped. The cam for a 292 is just another incidental, designed to work the fuel pump at the relocated position. I was already committed so we forged ahead.
Sharp-eyed spotters will see the motor mount & fuel pump positions swapped on the low deck 194 / 230 / 250 vs. the tall deck 292. Also note the lifter gallery access plates are taller on the 292 & the water pump housing is different as well, all giving testimony to the 292's taller height. I wanted to run downdraft carbs and I was concerned about hood clearance so I started out wanting to build a bored out 250, but then my builder has been into stroker motors for decades and he talked me into it. It will not be a revver, it will be a low to mid range torquer that should embarrass some V8s. The original plan was to replace Powerglide with a professionally-built TH350 that I already have (got it for $100 from a neighbor that switched to a 4-speed manual behind his stout 383 SBC). Anyway I would rather throw that motor into a less original car and have a blast with it. Of course dual glasspacks and twin exhaust outlets aimed straight out back would be appropriate.
very nice i love that origional green? what is itturqouise? and what a mean 6 banger i likem too congrads on keeping that timepiece and thanks for sharing it hope it gets on the road soon!
The original colour is the Canadian exclusive J-code Verde Green, which in the U.S. was an exclusive Buick color. In Canada we got 18 colours as opposed to the U.S having 15 colors. Any Canadian GM cars built in Oshawa could have come with it, Acadians, Beaumonts, Chevelles, Parisiennes...
Thanks for fulfilling my request Cameron. I truly enjoyed seeing the photos and reading your write up. In fact I enjoy any post you create! You are a wealth of GM knowledge!
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Thanks for fulfilling my request Cameron. I truly enjoyed seeing the photos and reading your write up. In fact I enjoy any post you create! You are a wealth of GM knowledge!
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Almost forgot, but I know we all love seeing the old GM "Monthly Listing of Vehicles Shipped" that GM used to give you as part of the documentation service. I got this back in the 80s. I blanked out the key codes (the reason GM stopped sending out this info).
Bear in mind that this is only a small snapshot in time of 50 cars and is not a large enough sample to accurately portray the true statistics overall. Most of the cars are lightly optioned.
Every car that went to the prairies had a block heater, h.d. battery & alternator.
Only 1 car on the list had disk brakes (it is loaded as well). Only 2 cars had 4-speeds but they were also the only cars shown with Positraction, plus they were sport coupes with black buckets, consoles, tachometers & F40 suspension.
3 convertibles, all had power tops.
4 base 300 2-door "post" cars, all had sixes & automatics, none had radios.
1 wagon and it was stripped except for cold weather equipment.
4 2-tone cars and none were in official combinations offered in the U.S.
1 car had a 327 and it had an optional 11" clutch, plus it was a 4-speed with a 12-bolt 3.07 posi rear. It also was the only car on the list with a h.d. radiator (GM Canada docs say no V01 rad on the 327s but there you go...)
Notice as well the presence of the D55 option, which was a discretionary console. When the Malibu SS was being built you had no choice since it was included unless it was a 3-in-the-tree. The Malibu SS was phased out about 3 weeks prior to the date shown, therefore all A51 cars shown were just Malibus with buckets. One is shown with buckets & no console, just a column shift Powerglide. Perhaps it was ordered by a dealer that didn't get the memo that the Malibu SS was history. Oops!
No SS396 cars were shown on this sample. It may have been due to scheduling or it may have been due to the relative scarcity.
Thank you too Cameron for the write up. I too have grown a real appreciation for the 250 six and have enjoyed thousands of miles with one. Thanks for sharing that and also your great insite into these car discussions.
Great write up - NICE car. Thanks for the info on the sixes. You could drop the stroked 250 into it for cruising and have the original six all restored, sitting on an engine stand, ready to drop in with a couple hours work...
The shipping list is cool. That car, serial number 106114, would be interesting to track down. They must have ticked every box on the options list. With all the options, I'm surprised they chose the 275 HP 327 - I think this is the one you point out has the HD clutch and V01 rad.
Great story. Love the car. My younger brothers 1st car was almost the same, only it was red, same black interior and a 230 not the 250. It was a friend of mines grandmother's car. Our first upgrade was pulling the powerglide and putting in a TH350, made for much more spirited driving.
Will a TH200-4R bolt up to the sixes? Lower first gear than either the PG or the TH350, overdrive for the highway, same length as the powerglide & TH350. I think it'd be a great match.
Thanks for fulfilling my request Cameron. I truly enjoyed seeing the photos and reading your write up. In fact I enjoy any post you create! You are a wealth of GM knowledge!
vtotally agree with that very informative posts indeed
Cam, i have always loved the look of your 67 Chevelle because they have always been on my list of sweet heart Chevy's. I had one from 1980 to 1983 but it was not as nice as yours. Cam, i was so looking forward to seeing that monster six 292 see service in the 67 but i can appreciate why you kept her stock. Good luck with the project. Cheers. George
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1957 Pontiac Pathfinder Deluxe sedan restored 261 six
1974 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon low mileage original 400 V-8
totally agree with that very informative posts indeed