1966 Chevelle SS 396

A showroom stock, ready to rock ’66 Chevelle gets put back better than new!

Photography by Colin Date

1966 was a year of big changes in automotive styling, and Chevrolet’s iconic Chevelle brand was certainly no exception. FoMoCo had axed the boxy Fairlane look for good, finally putting that car on a sleek new platform. Even the Mopar camp had taken their somewhat bizarre Coronet and Belvedere line to new eye-catching levels by doing some serious streamlining. Yes, if you were around in ’66, you were eyewitness to a dramatically altered automotive landscape - and I mean that in a good way!

Even if you’re a diehard fan of the boxier “first” Chevelles (1964-’65), there’s no denying the all-new ’66 was a complete stunner. Aerodynamic “Coke bottle” styling, fresh new grille and taillights, and a very distinctive C-pillar with a wind-swept design on the SS models created a package that buyers couldn’t resist.

Four series of Chevrolet’s mid-size were available: Super Sport 396, Malibu, Chevelle 300 Deluxe, and Chevelle 300. Twelve models were spawned out of these series too– convertibles, sport coupes, wagons, and 2 and 4-door sedans. How does that compare to today’s Malibu line-up? Well, never mind...

Want a little more variety? How about a choice (depending on the model you select) of 3 different “standard” engines? The 120 horse Hi-Thrift 194 cubic-inch Six, the 195 hp Turbo-Fire 283 V8, or the 325 horse Turbo-Jet 396. Then of course, there was the “optional” engine line-up. Extra cost engines included the 140 horsepower Turbo-Thrift 230 cube Six, the 220 horse Turbo-Fire 283 (V8), the 275 hp Turbo-Fire 327, or the top-of-the-heap 360 horse Turbo-Jet 396. Today’s Malibu has, well, two engine choices. That’s not to demean Chevy’s current mid-size in any way; it’s just to illustrate how things were more than a tad different 43 years ago.

In addition to all those engine choices for 1966, you could select from 4 different transmissions as well. The standard tranny was a fully-synchronized 3-Speed manual unit. Extra cost optional trannies included a full-sync 4-Speed (floor mounted), an Overdrive automatic, or the legendary Powerglide -a three-element torque converter with hydraulically controlled 2-speed planetary gearing (P-R-N-D-L).

The top-of-the-line Chevelle for ’66 was, of course, the legendary Super Sport 396. You could order this beast in Coupe or Convertible form. Standard firepower with this model was the 325 horse Turbo-Jet 396 cube V8, with the manly 360 hp 396 being optional. With either engine, the 3-Speed tranny/floor mount shifter was base equipment. The 4-Speed (floor mount shifter) and Powerglide were both optional.

On the outside, all Super Sports got distinctive non-functional louvered hood “scoops”, polished stainless steel moldings on the wheel openings, sill area (rockers and rear quarters), as well as unique SS 396 badging.

Our feature car is the perfect example of how a tired, 48 year old Chevy should be treated. The car was purchased in July of 2005 for the princely sum of $2,800. And yes, it’s an all-original, numbers-matching Chevelle SS 396. Not only that, it’s from sunny San Diego. How does that happen? It just goes to show you, deals on these cars are still out there - you just have to keep looking.

The car (with the exception of the engine) was restored by JH Restoration in Riverside, CA in just about one year. Now it wasn’t all that easy. This Chevelle required a lot of new items - including new floor and trunk pans, a completely new interior, all new moldings, grille, glass, weather stripping, wiring, tires, etc, etc. In other words, a complete resto.

James Ferguson re-built the 360 horse 396 back to factory specs - check out the detail under-hood; showroom fresh with boat loads of torque; ready to light ’em up!

The car was originally Lemonwood Yellow with White interior, so the owner decided they wanted something a little more spectacular looking when this baby was all put back together. The decision was made to go with Artesian Turquoise (which was expertly sprayed by Starside Design in Riverside, CA) with a Two-Tone Turquoise interior. Does the term “show stopper” come to mind? It should, the car won “Best GM Restored Vehicle” at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV. Now that’s one Sweet Chevelle!

Captions:

INTERIOR:

Ah, the glory years of interiors! Yes, when it came to color choices inside the SS396, you could go hog wild. Eight color choices were on the list for ’66: Red, Blue, Black, Bronze, White, Bright Blue, Fawn, and Turquoise. Front and rear seatbelts were standard. Interiors were all-vinyl. Originally, our feature car sported a White interior, but was changed to Two-Tone Turquoise.

Strato-bucket seats are the perfect complement to a fully-loaded interior featuring floor console, Sports Styled Steering Wheel with Simulated Walnut, Power Windows and Air Conditioning.

ENGINE:

The big bad 360 horse 396 - the top offering for Chevelle for 1966.

The 360 hp Turbo-Jet 396 features a 4-barrel carburetor, chrome-plated rocker covers, air cleaner, and oil filler cap.

Cast aluminum pistons • 10.25:1 compression ratio • 4.094 x 3.76 (bore and stroke) • 360 hp @ 5,200 rpm • torque: 420 lbs-ft. @ 3,600 rpm