1968 Chevelle Malibu - Like Father Like Son

My older son treated me to a round of golf this past Fathers' Day Weekend and much to our delight, this lovely 1968 Chevelle Malibu was in the parking lot of the golf course. He parked his 2017 Camaro a couple of spots up from it and we both went a bit weak in the knees the closer we got to it. I guess there is is some truth to the adage, "like father like son". 

Might be cliched to be a fan of these cars but seeing my son's reaction to this one, there is something to them.  Even in retina searing "Butternut Yellow". Although my wife didn't join us, I know she likes them too although I'm not so sure she'd approve a purchase order for anything yellow that wasn't a banana. 

Those of a particular vintage may be familiar with the "Chevelle" moniker but few may know exactly what one was. In short, any intermediate Chevrolet made between 1964 and 1977 was a "Chevelle". The origin of the name the subject of conjecture. Some say it's a mashup of Chevrolet and "gazelle", a gazelle a somewhat smaller impala although most people use the terms gazelle, impala and even antelope interchangeably. Others say that "Chevelle" was meant to invoke a smaller Chevrolet; the "Chevette" nameplate was rumored to be in play at first too. 

Not that there's anything "small" about this car as its certainly "full-size" by today's standards, but everything being relative, it's got nothing on the full-size dreadnaughts of the day. The new-for-'64 Chevelle was dimensionally all but identical to the seminal 1955 Chevrolet and bridged the literal huge gap between the compact Chevy II and the seemingly always getting larger Impala. Our '68 here is roughly three-inches longer, nearly two-inches wider, all but two-inches lower and a whopping 800-pounds heavier than a 1964 Chevelle. 

The near half-ton of extra weight certainly doing our subject's 327-cubic inch, "Turbo-Fire" V-8 any favors. I wasn't about to pop the hood to check which one of the three 327 engines this might have had with 250-, 275- or 325-gross rated horsepower. Safe to say, at least it doesn't have a "307" or the "Turbo-Thrift", inline-six. I don't like taking pictures of interiors but it this has a column shifted automatic (2-speed Powerglide) and bench seat. This is no muscle car. 

Chevelle's came in four different guises or trim levels for 1968 on two different wheelbases. Our Malibu coupe here rides on a tidy 112-inch wheelbase, four-door models and station wagons rode on 116-inch wheelbases. "Above" the Malibu, which was also available as a pillared and hard top four-door, was the SS396 Sport Coupe and convertible, below it the entry-level "300" series. There was also a luxury-themed "Concours" model that was only available as a four-door hard top. Chevelle wagons for 1968 were all called "Nomad". Sigh. So many Chevelle's and only so much space in the garage. 

Chevrolet riveted or glued "Chevelle" to their intermediates for only fourteen model years but I think it deserves a plaque in the Chevrolet Hall-of-Fame right up there Impala, Caprice, Monte Carlo, Corvette and Camaro. Malibu too, I guess. Chevrolet intermediates were dubbed "Malibu" after GM downsized all their mid-sizers for 1978; those stubby little cars survived through 1983. 

Subsequently, Chevrolet affixed "Malibu" to a series of compact and intermediate sedans starting in 1997 and is still doing so currently. The most recent Malibu, while actually a fine, modern  transportation conveyance, not exactly the stuff dreams are made of like our '68 here. Fore! 

1964 Chevelle - An Expensive Parts Car

 

1964 and 1965 Chevelle's don't row my boat but I thought this find here worth my while because, if anything, thanks to the milky sunshine we get up here this time of the year, the pictures are just so casually and nonchalantly awesome. It's for sale down in Akron with an asking price a jaw-dropping $12,000. I hope that includes this super-cool trailer as the car is listed as a "roller" and not running. She doesn't have a title either hence the "parts-car" moniker.  

These cars along with similar offerings from Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile, Cadillac never got one, were part of General Motors all-new for 1964 intermediates. At Chevrolet it fit the literal and figurative gap in size between the Impala and the Chevy II. GM hit a home run with these cars as their full-size or "standard-size" cars had gotten too big and the Chevy II was really too small. For growing families at least. 

These cars were, interestingly, sized about the same as Chevrolet's seminal 1955 models. They handled similarly as well too. That's not surprising given it has almost same suspension system the '55 had; the upper control arms and shock mounts on the frame rails visible next to what's either Chevrolet's 194 cubic-inch "Hi-Thrift", one-hundred twenty horsepower inline six or the "Turbo-Thrift", 230 cubic-inch, one-hundred fifty-five horsepower mill. "Thrift" is a marketing speak for "slow". 

Although, the VIN number junkie I am, I've deduced that the "56" would indicate this car to be a "Malibu, 8-cylinder". Something's up. Either the tag there is wrong, which is not likely, or someone swapped in a six-cylinder engine somewhere over the last fifty-six years. Geez, it could even be a Chevrolet "250"; which would probably provide as much seat of the pants poke as the optional one-hundred ninety-five horsepower, "283" V-8 it most likely was born with. If you think someone swapping out a V-8 for a six sounds loopy then you didn't live through the gas crunches of the 1970's. 

 

If I'm correct and this car had  a motor-swap, the lighter in-line six no doubt helping out handling too. I can't tell from the engine photo if this has power steering or not but I'd guess it doesn't; even if it had a V-8 originally. Good thing it has this over-sized steering wheel to help the poor driver out. For certain there's no power brakes; this car would be a handful to drive. Especially with a heavier V-8.  

Twelve-grand is a lot of money for a car that's being sold as a parts car. At least the panels appear straight and there appears to be no rust on the body. That's incredible for a car up here in road-briney northeast Ohio. If you're interested comment below and I'll hook you up with the seller. Something tells me this will be here for a while.