1972 Chevelle SS 454 with a 4-speed and air conditioning! And it’s a real SS! No clone here! Has the “W” in the VIN denoting an SS454 and I also have the build sheet to go with it! Original floorpans and quarter panels, not a chopped up or “panel replaced” example, one solid original car with performance upgrades to make it a beast! I have been having a blast driving around! Tons of torque and she handles tight around corners with very little lean, feels like a sports car! And the exhaust tone of the cammed 454 is what we muscle car people live for! So sweet!
Drivetrain- The motor has had work done on it for much more power than original including the later desireable 336781 heads, aluminum Weiand intake and high dollar Quick Fuel Technology carb. I don’t know for sure if the block is original as there are no numbers stamped on the the front pad. It appears to have been decked for more compression. It does sport Hooker headers and dual exhaust. I do not know what cam was used, but the awesome lopey idle and quick revving lets me know it’s the right one. Underneath is a 12 bolt 3.73 posi rear with aluminum case Super T-ten Borg Warner 4-speed transmission puts all that power to the ground very effectively. I don’t know the gearing used in the tranny, but definitely built for quick acceleration! Starts right up every morning, solid and strong and no smoking exhaust. The clutch is tight with no slipping and the transmission shifts as it should. This was a recent build and you will see pics of the clean, sludge free cylinder heads below. All very well done, even reflects in the quality fasteners used.
Suspension- All new front and rear tubular control arms with new springs and Bilstein shocks and fat sway bars. Tight and handles like a sports car! I think the control arms/springs are lowering it a bit for better handling, see the side pictures for the stance. I know you will be happy with the way it feels and the power steering and power brakes make it all the more better!
Exterior- As I said above, this is a solid original body with what appears to be all original panels and floorpans. A little rust is starting right behind the rear wheels, way less than even what typically shows up. Very common and an easy fix to be able to keep the original quarters. One repaint has been been done in the original Sequoia Green and done very professionally!! NOT a cheap respray by any means at all! Deep shine and color that rivals or beats the factory finish. It is an older repaint with a few small touchups/blems here and there, but nothing that takes away the sweet look! Not a 20k dollar, 100 point perfect show stopping finish, but far above what some would call driver quality. I loved it! If this was going to be my personal car, I would redo the spots behind the rear wheels and that’s it. The white vinyl top is excellent also with no tears or cracks, appears to have been replaced as it looks new.
Interior- Extremely nice and original! I had one lower panel replaced in the drivers seat because of a couple seam splits and my upholstery guy said these appeared to be the original seat covers! Not dried out or hard, just that great feel of the originals. While the seat was out getting fixed, I removed the passenger side to get pics of the full carpet, you will see below. I think it may have been replaced as it’s too new looking to be from 1972, but you can see they used a high end kit with the snaps and everything! The dash is not cracked and it sports the gauges on the dash panels. Aftermarket gauges are mounted below as the original dash mounts are not working. But, the tachometer and speedometer are working! I also found the clock and radio are not working. I did not try to figure this stuff out, it may well just be a ground issue.