Elite Dealer

1965 Chevrolet Chevelle

$40,995

Vehicle Details

Make

Chevrolet

Model

Chevelle

Year

1965

Mileage

4,631 miles

VIN

AMS38220

Body Type

Coupe

Transmission

Automatic

Engine

350

Description

1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS with a 138 vin indicating a true SS. Believed to be the original 283 V8 motor with power steering and power brakes. The car runs excellent, drives excellent fire up excellent and is ready for a new driver.

The body is solid and straight all over with a small few less than pencil size bubbles on the front of the hood. The interior bucket seats and rear bench is in great shape, free of rips and plenty soft. Restrosound radio in the dash throwing out the jams and a nice set of wheels and tires for a great stance.

MILES: 4,631 DRIVE TRAIN: 2WD ENGINE: 350 CYLINDERS: 8 EXTERIOR: Red INTERIOR: Black INTERIOR TYPE: Vinyl TRANSMISSION: 3 Speed Auto Please Note The Following **Vehicle Location is at our clients home and Not In Cadillac, Michigan. **We do have a showroom with about 25 cars that is by appointment only **Please Call First and talk to one of our reps at 231-468-2809 EXT 1 **

Classic Chevrolet Chevelle Buyer's Guide

Full guide

Mike Sullivan

Muscle Cars

1964–1977

~5 min read

Updated Apr 2026

Definitive buyer's guide for classic Chevrolet Chevelle 1964-1977. SS variants, COPO and LS6 authentication, A-body frame inspection, engine code verification, current market pricing.

This guide covers

✓ 10-point inspection checklist

✓ Common issues & what to avoid

✓ In-person inspection guide

✓ Market pricing by year & condition

✓ 5 FAQs answered

✓ History & fun facts

Read the Full Chevelle Buyer's Guide

Chevrolet Chevelle Market Overview

Based on 262 Chevrolet Chevelle listings currently on ClassicCarsArena.com

262

Listed Now

$62,468

Avg. Asking Price

1964–1977

Year Range

Price Position on Our Site — Below Average

This car: $40,995

Low: $2,500 High: $379,970

Transmission Distribution

Automatic 59% ◄

Manual 32%

Condition Distribution

Excellent 21%

Good 8%

Fair 1%

Data from ClassicCarsArena.com listings Browse all 262 listings →

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Classic Chevrolet Chevelle Buyer's Guide

The Chevrolet Chevelle launched in 1964 as Chevrolet's mid-size A-body entry, and within two years it had become the foundation of one of the most successful muscle-car lineages in American automotive history. The 1970 LS6 SS454 Chevelle remains the high-water mark of factory muscle-car horsepower from the entire era — a rating of 450 horsepower from a stock 454 that put GM's Chevelle definitively at the top of the 1970 muscle-car hierarchy. Across fourteen model years (1964-1977), the Chevelle market is one of the deepest and most active segments in the entire American collector hobby — with documented original SS454 cars commanding six-figure money and clean driver-quality cars remaining attainable. This guide covers what every buyer should verify before paying premium money for any Chevelle SS variant.

What to Check Before Buying

✓

Order PHS Documentation Report ($50-$80) — Pontiac Historic Services maintains Chevy A-body records too. Confirms original engine, trans, axle, options.

✓

Verify SS option code on cowl tag — 1964-1969: RPO code in cowl tag. 1970-1972: SS is stand-alone model — verify VIN body code.

✓

Read engine stamp code (front pad below head) — KL/KK = 1969 SS396/375. CRV/CRW = 1970 LS6 SS454/450. CSU = 1970-1971 LS5 SS454/360.

✓

Cross-reference engine casting number — Casting on back of block. 396 (3855961, 3902406), 402 (3963512), 454 (3963512, 3999289).

✓

For LS6/Z16 claims, demand specialist authentication — Re-stamped blocks and cloned cowl tags are well-documented forgeries. $200-$500 specialist inspection mandatory.

✓

Inspect perimeter frame at body mount points — Body mount bushings collapse and water pools above. Frame rust here = $1,500-$3,500 repair minimum.

✓

Probe frame at front kick-up — Behind front wheels. Solid steel resists; rotten metal flakes.

✓

Check trunk drop-offs and rear quarters — Magnet test for filler. Lift trunk mat to inspect drop-offs and rear pan.

✓

Verify 12-bolt rear end (SS cars) — SS Chevelles use 12-bolt; base cars use 10-bolt. Check casting and verify gear ratio against PHS report.

✓

Compression test all eight cylinders — Should read 145-185 PSI uniformly. Variance >15% = head gasket or worn rings.

Common Issues

Chevelle rust follows the GM A-body pattern: lower rear quarters, trunk drop-offs, frame rails (especially under the rear seat where the body mounts to the frame), floor pans, cowl seam, lower fenders ahead of the doors, and rear window channels on coupes. The 1964-1967 cars use a perimeter frame; the 1968-1972 cars use the same basic perimeter frame with revisions. Both rust at the body mount points and at the rear frame kick-up where the body mount bushings collapse and water pools. Mechanically, the small-block 327 (1964-1968), 350 (1969-1977), and the big-block 396 (1965-1969), 402 (1970-1972), and 454 (1970-1973) V8s are all bulletproof when maintained. Common issues include worn timing chain on tired engines, leaky oil pan and valve cover gaskets, broken motor mounts (a Big Block specialty), and tired Quadrajet or Holley carburetors. The Muncie M20/M21/M22 four-speeds are robust; the Powerglide, Turbo 350, and Turbo 400 automatics are equally durable. The Chevelle's 12-bolt rear end (Chevelle SS-specific) is strong; the 10-bolt (base cars) is weaker but still durable. Differential whine on deceleration indicates worn pinion bearings — $1,500-$2,800 to repair properly. Electrical issues are universal classic-car concerns: brittle 50+ year-old wiring, failed voltage regulators, worn ignition switches, and failed cowl tag retainer rivets. Many cars have been restored with reproduction wiring; verify the harness routing and connector quality before purchase.

What to Look For

PHS Documentation is the gold-standard verification for any Chevelle SS claim. PHS (Pontiac Historic Services) is misnamed — they actually maintain documentation for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, and Oldsmobile A-body cars. The PHS Documentation Report ($50-$80) confirms the original equipment of the car: engine code, transmission code, axle ratio, paint code, options, and dealer destination. For any Chevelle SS priced over $45,000, PHS documentation is mandatory. For 1964-1969 cars, verify the SS option code on the cowl tag. The 1965-1969 SS cars used specific RPO codes (Z16 for the 1965 SS396, L78 for the 1966-1969 396/375 hp). For 1970-1972 cars, the SS package was an actual model designation — the second character of the VIN identifies the body style and the engine code is in the fifth digit. Engine verification by casting numbers and stamping is essential. The 396 (casting 3855961, 3902406, others), 402 (casting 3963512), and 454 (casting 3963512, 3999289) big-blocks all have specific casting numbers that verify originality. The two-letter stamp code on the front of the block (just below the cylinder head, on a flat pad) identifies the specific engine type. The most desirable codes are KL/KK (1969 SS396/375 hp), CRV/CRW (1970 LS6 SS454/450 hp), and CSU (1970-1971 LS5 SS454/360 hp). Frame inspection is the second non-negotiable. Crawl under the car with a flashlight. Probe the perimeter frame at the rear body mount points and at the front kick-up. Body mount bushings collapse over 50+ years and water pools above them, rotting the frame from inside the boxed sections. Replacement is $2,000-$5,000 per side if needed. For LS6 SS454 claims (1970 only), demand specialist authentication. The genuine LS6 has the CRV (manual transmission) or CRW (automatic transmission) engine stamping, the COPO-route documentation, and specific build sheet entries. Forgeries exist with re-stamped blocks and cloned cowl tags.

Price Guide

Base Chevelles (1964-1977) remain the bargain entry into A-body ownership. Driver-quality 1964-1967 base cars run $22,000-$40,000. 1968-1972 base cars (the most popular era for cosmetic restomod builds) run $25,000-$45,000. 1973-1977 Colonnade-body Chevelles are dramatically cheaper — $15,000-$28,000 for solid drivers. SS Chevelle pricing varies dramatically by year and engine. 1965 SS396 Z16 (the rare launch-year SS396, only 200 built): $95,000-$220,000+ for documented examples. 1966-1967 SS396 cars: driver-quality $45,000-$75,000, documented L78 SS396/375 hp $80,000-$140,000. 1968-1969 SS396: driver-quality $50,000-$85,000, documented L78 cars $95,000-$160,000. 1970 SS454 cars are the high-water mark. LS5 SS454/360 hp: driver-quality $70,000-$120,000. LS6 SS454/450 hp: $120,000-$280,000+ for documented numbers-matching cars. The 1970 LS6 SS454 convertible (rarer than the hardtop) is $220,000-$450,000+ for documented examples. 1971-1972 SS454 cars have appreciated dramatically since 2018. Driver-quality 1971 SS454/365 hp: $55,000-$95,000. Documented 1972 SS454 cars: $60,000-$120,000. The 1971-1972 cars represent the smart-money entry into SS454 ownership. Project cars (running but rough) start around $15,000-$28,000 for base Chevelles and $30,000-$60,000 for SS variants. Stripped roller candidates: $8,000-$18,000 for base cars, $20,000-$40,000 for SS variants.

Did You Know?

The 1965 Z16 SS396 was Chevrolet's launch of the 396 cubic inch big-block in the Chevelle, and only 200 cars were built — making them among the rarest production muscle cars ever produced. The Z16 package included the 375-horsepower L37 396 V8, four-speed manual transmission, heavy-duty suspension, special wheels, and unique trim. Documented Z16 cars now command $95,000-$220,000+ depending on condition, and require specialist authentication through the National Z16 Registry. The 1970 LS6 SS454 was the high-water mark of factory muscle-car horsepower from the entire era. The LS6's 450-horsepower rating (gross horsepower) was the highest factory rating Chevrolet ever applied to a passenger-car engine through that point in history. Only 4,475 LS6 cars were built across 1970 production (hardtops, convertibles, and El Caminos combined). Documented numbers-matching LS6 cars now trade for $120,000-$450,000+ depending on body style and equipment. The Chevelle was discontinued after the 1977 model year, replaced by the Malibu nameplate that had originally been a Chevelle trim level. Total Chevelle production across 14 model years exceeded 5.7 million units, making it among the most successful mid-size GM nameplates of the era.

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1965 Chevrolet Chevelle

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Original Factory Colors

Official paint codes for the Chevrolet Chevelle (1965).

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Model History