71 Chevelle 2 door 454 Wagon info needed

71SSNova · #1 03-13-2006, 06:38 AM

My brother has found a 71 Chevelle wagon that was supposedly a project at GM to see how they would sell and is looking for info on it. Any engineeers from the Arlington, Texas plant in 1971 would be nice.
The previous owner has some paperwork that we have not seen yet but is suppose to be about the car. I have no idea if it is handwritten, GM letterhead or what, so I can not say much for it.
Supposedly, 6 of these wagons were made as delivery wagons. 2 door, All Chevelle SS goodies, including buckets, console, gauge package, stripes, posi 12 bolt 410 rear with sway bar, cowl induction hood and a 454. 2 were crushed and the other four made it out the door. Previous owner states he bought the car from someone close to the engineer that got this one out of the factory.
Anyone have any info to back up this.
We both have seen this wagon but the owner was not around to pop the hood. It is a 2 door and if someone other than GM built it, they did a heck of a job.
Thanks, Dan

**bigchevydaddy** · #2 03-13-2006, 10:56 PM

Evidently the SS wagon concept found favor, albeit in 4-door form, as they were offered in '73-'74 I think.

They didn't make many, although a few are still out there.

**Rainer** · #3 03-16-2006, 12:21 AM

This would be a good question to post in the forums over at Team Chevelle: www.chevelles.com

rarewagon · #4 01-19-2007, 08:10 AM

Do you have any photos of this wagon? Would love to see it.

Steven Benson
NewRarewagon.COM

Hank Williams Jr · #5 01-19-2007, 10:52 AM

I dont know if this helps much...but I remember maybe 10 years ago or more reading in the 'letters' section of a car mag (cant remmber which one) , - some dude wrote in saying he just picked up one of those...a 454 wagon, and he was basically asking the editors how rare it was.

I think he implied it was some kind of SS car, or had 'SS like' equipment to it.

The editors basically told him they had never heard of such a car, and if his car was 'real' it would be VERY rare.

L78 ELCAMINO · #6 01-19-2007, 12:25 PM

In the mid sixties my father worked at a tool and die shop in Detroit, Fridays after work he and a few of his pals from work would ride up and down Telegraph Rd and Woodward Ave in my dads 65 Chevy Suburban trying to drink Strohs beer out of business. After repeated occasions of being left in the fumes of high octane fuel by what he called "snot nosed brats with ten times the HP as IQ", my dad ordered and took delivery of a 66 Suburban that came off the lot of Tenneyson Chevrolet in Farmington Michigan with a 427/425 big block mated to a stout Turbo-Hydro tranny. Before my dad passed away I picked his memory to see if he could remember if it was factory built or dealer converted. It did come with a factory warranty as it was always in the shop having the center carrier bearing replaced, which was the reason he traded it back in a year later for a 67 427 Caprice. Was it possible that it may have been a special order COPO Suburban? Or if dealer converted how could that be explained to GM with the constant warranty repairs? My older brother was relentless in always wanting to use dads suburban on weekends to leave his tricked out and very quick 55 Chevy in the driveway. Would the factory actually have built such an animal if the dealer had the right connections and knew the protocol to pull it off? Possibly a case of the right hand not knowing what the left was doing similar to the recent Berger/GMMG Camaro venture. I witnessed more arguments between my parents during that year then the entire rest of my childhood. Anyone ever see or hear of something of a similar nature?
Thanks

L78 ELCAMINO · #7 01-19-2007, 01:00 PM

I stand corrected. After reading a letter my brother had sent me not long ago, it turns out it was not a 427 but rather a Hi-Perf 396. It was a special order though and it is still up in the air if it was dealer or factory assembled.

StriperSS · #8 01-20-2007, 02:34 AM

The only year that a wagon could be ordered as an SS was 1973, and you could get it with either the 350 or 454. You couldn't miss one if you saw it, as the graphics were pretty bold.

Hank Williams Jr · #9 01-20-2007, 11:44 PM

Does anybody have any photos? I have never seen a 73 SS...

I find any Big Block/special wagons to be cool.

StriperSS · #10 01-21-2007, 03:35 AM

I just did a quick search, and found this one. Not the best color combo. It is a two tone, but this one is pretty subtle.
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/sh...500/ppuser/335

John C