Chevette A Look Back.

[70 copo]

Posting a good image of one. I know people who loved them, also people who thought they were a joke. My sister had one on the west coast and ran the wheels off it. Anyone here ever own one?

American Yugo??:eek2:

[Ralph Spears]

I owned 2 of them. A new 1977 Chevette Scooter ( no back seat - no glove box door - silver painted bumpers ) 4 speed paid $ 2,599 for it new and sold it 2 years later for $ 2,500 loved it !!! Then I ordered a new 1979 Chevette Loaded A/C 4 speed Ho engine F-41 suspension custom interior great cars never had a problem with either of them

[70 copo]

Yea here is a fast looking Shov-it.

[carnut4life]

My first car was a 70 Chevelle SS 396 that I bought for $250 in the spring of 1987 minus the motor and trans. Ended up buying a 69 Caprice with a 265HP 2 barrel 396 and a TH400 tranny for it for $275 for the Chevelle, but in between those two cars my Dad found me a silver 1977 Chevette in Pulaski, IA for another $250. Drove it for 6 months and it ended up spinning a rod bearing when it kicked down into passing gear going up a hill on the way to my buddies house. That car was a total POS, wouldn't go over 75MPH down a hill and got terrible mileage for what it was but I wish I could go back and beat the crap out of it again and fill the spare tire well with ice and beer again. My fondest memory of it was hearing that Mike Tyson had beat Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in the summer of 88. I still like to say my first driver was a Vette!

[big gear head]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulmVJrVR73M

[wheelhop]

In my opinion this car was a direct copy of a volkswagen rabbit. Anyone who admits to owning one also dated their cousin in high school ! (just kidding)

[Xplantdad]

Gregg Peterson's Chevette...local SoCal (Santa Ana) guy


First pic by Bill Eaton (427TJ). Second pic was the cover of Hot Rod.

Car is still around and painted pink now...and has a blower...

[Lynn]

In my opinion this car was a direct copy of a volkswagen rabbit. Anyone who admits to owning one also dated their cousin in high school ! (just kidding)

It was in reality based on the third generation Opel Kadette.

Suspension parts even interchange. GM owned Opel, but quit importing them after 1975 because German labor was too high, and they could not price them competitively. That led to two things: Chevette, and the "Buick Opel by Isuzu" which confused everyone. GM also owned a major stake in Izuzu at the time. Some of the German designed components made it into the Opel Isuzu.

Head spinning yet?

[1969L89]

Back when I was a punk teenager I worked for a NAPA Auto Part store for about 6 months as a delivery driver. I would drive my 69 SS L78 Chevelle to work and then take the Chevette out for deliveries. To say I drove it like a rental is a gross understatement. Every shift was close to redline and I rarely hit the brakes as I downshifted to slow down. I beat the living daylights out of that poor thing and it never failed us or missed a beat. When I came back from runs I parked on a slight incline and the compression was so bad it wouldn't hold the car in gear. I had to apply the parking brake. I miss that little green Chevette but I miss more being a care free teenager without a worry or problem in the world.

[SMS]

I had a diesel Chevette. Slowest car in the world. Had to make a premeditated run at every hill on the highway. Also back then you could only get fuel in the truck lanes. That was always interesting....

[Ralph Spears]

I still have the original Delco AM/FM stereo radio from my 1979 Chevette, I put in a cassette radio and saved the original when the car was new.

[wheelhop]

I had a diesel Chevette. Slowest car in the world. Had to make a premeditated run at every hill on the highway. Also back then you could only get fuel in the truck lanes. That was always interesting....

Our family car when i was in High School was a 74 Pinto wagon and then that thing fell apart and we got a diesel rabbit. The diesel rabbit was a great car but as you say, you had to be committed to pull out into traffic or go up a hill.

[PeteLeathersac]

'

We had a bunch of 'em, one of GM's greatest unsung, drive the wheels off cars!
Awesome w/ snow tires also tough mechanically but thin door bottoms/floors/inner fender shock mounts their worst problems here in the rust belt.
We used to retrofit HD Delco starters to them as the nosepieces fit w/ bracket notched for HD length also I remember one jumping the timing belt and roadside repair adding black tape to the idler pulley making it larger to offset stretched belt length and off to the races again!
Last was an '87 Acadian 5-Spd. Coupe Dad got from a Bingo winner for $5500, should've kept that one as it was Rust-Checked from new.
:burnout:
~ Pete

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[70 copo]

When I was a kid I had several Vega's and a V8 Monza.

The Vegas were tortured with peddle to the floor neutral drops but I could not kill them. Rust at the frame (where the lower passenger side control arm was mounted) finally killed each Vega and the Monza too.

Rust never sleeps.

[Tenney]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulmVJrVR73M

https://bringatrailer.com/2014/10/03/super-sleeper-427-powered-1978-chevrolet-chevette/

[earntaz]

When I was a kid I had several Vega's and a V8 Monza.

The Vegas were tortured with peddle to the floor neutral drops but I could not kill them. Rust at the frame (where the lower passenger side control arm was mounted) finally killed each Vega and the Monza too.

Rust never sleeps.
Bought my 71' Vega new at Doc Stewart Chev in Clovis, NM. Separated from the AF and drove it back to Wisconsin. Found a Cortez Silver Yenko Deuce to drive and I gave the Vega to my Dad and he drove the hell out of it ... put 96K miles on it and the only things replaced were the starter and the throwout bearing ... it then went to my brother who dropped a 350 in it. Last I heard it is still on the streets in Green Bay.
IMHO the problems with the Vega where for the most part caused by the loose nut behind the steering column ...

[70 copo]

My Factory V-8 Monza Build Sheet.

[Lynn]

My favorite video with a Chevette. Not just a Chevette, but a Chevette Scooter.

(we used to refer to them as a "Shove it"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdabt8Z661o

[Burd]

Back in the 80’s I’ll never forget this, I was getting a set of duals on my car under the table, when this gal pulls up and says her Chevette has been making a noise in front for a while, The owner of the place pops the hood, the top of the strut broke and it beat a huge hole in the wheel well/fender. We were cracking up
My bud Dan at Cincy classics has a mint one for sale, if anyone wants one. Lol