When will they take off?

by Olof Thu May 24, 2018 2:52 pm

I've always wondered why they never been popular. Why have they not got the attention as the late 71/72 A bodies? They are also in my view better looking than the later 78 and up. Sure they have the Buick turbo's etc and some other return of muscle but they are more mundane looking that the brutish bulky look of 73-77.

It's not like I'm overly interested of driving the price up of the car's itself but spares as in newly made are few and far between. Will there be a day when this change and they start getting traction? It's been like dead more or less compared to the explosion of anything before 72 more or less.

Cheers O

by REVINKEVIN / Mr. 600+HP Thu May 24, 2018 3:46 pm

Hey Olof. This is how it goes. People like what other people like. Human nature. People have been told that only cars from the Muscle Car era are worth collecting. You can ask any older Chevelle owner and he will gladly tell you the older Chevelles are way better. Better suspension? No. Better 10 bolt rear end? No. Comfort? Hell no. Thing is if your car could not be had with a high compression Big Block then it is garbage. The 73-77 A body cars are from the Dark Ages of American automobile industry. New safety regulations and new emissions standards meant all car companies had to take power out and add safety in. Cars got heavy and 1/4 mile times when up. Fast forward to now, you can build what you want. We call it "Rolling your own"...

by JF74chevelle Thu May 24, 2018 5:05 pm

I completely agree, add in a port after market support and that’s a big reason most sway away from these cars. I could care less...more for me. I’d never ever give up my 74 with a 73 Laguna nose for any other year Chevelle, to me they just don’t look as good. And who cares about th stock engine, built your own and have fun with it. I tore everything out of my car. I built my own 350, took out th auto for a 4-speed, new rear end with a true trac 3.73s. Coil overs beefy suspension. And it rides like a new Camaro

by impalamonte Fri May 25, 2018 8:07 am

2x that REVINKEVEN & JF

Every cruise in are the usual suspects ! Pre 72.....Camaros , Mustangs , Chevelles.......AND Vettes out the A$$ , all years. And lets not forget the guys that go to their local Mopar dealer for the latest Challenger....line them up together and install the spinning mini disco ball in it to attract attention! Poor guys barely know where the gas cap is! And another thing.....these guys just buy the OLD cars. Few are actually doing the actual wrenching and then want to talk like they actually know something when they have paid someone to install a set of new fangeled valve cover gaskets. UGH!!

An old slogan most will remember...." DARE TO BE DIFFERENT" .

Im fine with "those" people not liking them....no creativity....they just run with the heard.

by thatfnthing Fri May 25, 2018 9:11 am

Let's face it. Our cars were just meant for a better class of people. Wink

by Podor Sat May 26, 2018 8:35 am

Our cars are starting to get some recognition. Holley has a '74 wagon with an LS they use in shows. Roadkill had Earl Camino, a '76 (I think) Elky. Tony Angelo bough a '74 Chevelle after filming those episodes. They are a fantastic value. All had disk brakes up front, strong 8 1/2" rear ends, and superior handling to any other A body from the factory. The interiors were still good quality vs the G body. For a guy that's going to rip out the drive train of whatever I would buy anyway, there is no better car.

To be honest, I'm sick of the G2 Chevelles. They're everywhere, and they all seem to be a SS. I always wanted a '68/69, but not so much any more. I still think the lines of our cars are very sleek. Drop them 2" and fill the wheel wells and there is nothing meaner out there. If I were to get a G1/G2, it would be a wagon, just because it's not played out.

I wouldn't mind if they got a little more respect, but I don't really want them to be real popular. Then they will get scooped up by people that buy them as an investment, which is killing the other Chevelles.

by Roadcaptain S3 Sat May 26, 2018 9:07 am

It's also generational. Many people want cars that they had or wanted when they were younger. Go to a street rod show and most of the folks there are in their 70s and up. Find a 50s -early 60s car and you'll likely find a person who was in high school during that era. "Muscle" car owners are mostly in their 60s.
It's a good bet that most of us are in our 40s and 50s and many of us owned G3s as kids. I've been seeing many more 70s cars at shows, especially TAs Z28s etc along with 80s and even some 90s cars.
Prices for 40s and 50s cars are dropping as older guys pass on or sell off.

As far as the G3, prices are way up compared to 10-15 years ago. IF you can find one, you'll pay double for a good one compared to the early 2000s.

by pila Sat May 26, 2018 4:31 pm

I've been so stuck on the G3 generation, that the older ones (& certainly not the later ones !!!), don't do much for me ! Ive owned 4 Elcos & 2 Chevelle/Mailbu G3 cars. Being a bit different & stubborn sometimes, is why my '75 Elco has a 507 inch Caddy engine it it ! I do have/keep a few spares, like a driver's door, a hood, a tail gate & other misc spare parts... etc

We are the chosen few I tell ya, G3 lovers !! Very Happy

by Hs1973 Sun May 27, 2018 6:36 am

Im not a fan of he g3s getting to popular since that will make the Price go up, wich in turn will make it more difficult for us with avarage income to get a projekt or running car to enjoy. Of course it could mean more of them Being saved from the boneyard. Im happy with having a car most dont know and let he other guys drive the same camaros as everybody Else. I love my chevelle and have always liked the style of the 70s models. And since Nobody seems to want them i can get one at an afordable Price.

by Dinomyte Sun May 27, 2018 7:53 am

I have to say there are two sides to this. It's nice to go to a cruise where you're the only one of your kind. Like the Studebaker guy. Roadcaptains3 is quite right these are the cars from our childhood, they bring back memories, and as Podor said, I'm replacing the drive train anyway, suspension updates, etc etc.

90% of the mechanicals on my car have been replaced / rebuilt to be better in some way or other. I've tried to build the car like I would have in high school, late '80s.

The car is for me, my kids, my nieces and nephews. As my niece Joanna (about 8 years old at the time) said one day about my '77 vs. my brothers 2005 Malibu, "How come uncle's Malibu is so much cooler than ours?"

On the flip side it would be nice to be able to find parts a little more easily.

by Podor Sun May 27, 2018 8:02 am

Dinomyte wrote:I have to say there are two sides to this. It's nice to go to a cruise where you're the only one of your kind. Like the Studebaker guy. Roadcaptains3 is quite right these are the cars from our childhood, they bring back memories, and as Podor said, I'm replacing the drive train anyway, suspension updates, etc etc.

90% of the mechanicals on my car have been replaced / rebuilt to be better in some way or other. I've tried to build the car like I would have in high school, late '80s.

The car is for me, my kids, my nieces and nephews. As my niece Joanna (about 8 years old at the time) said one day about my '77 vs. my brothers 2005 Malibu, "How come uncle's Malibu is so much cooler than ours?"

On the flip side it would be nice to be able to find parts a little more easily.

Reproduction parts would be the best benefit. It would be great to find some replacement interior plastics or a nice digital gage package. I will say there are so many more parts now vs 20 years ago when I had my '74.

by Roadcaptain S3 Sun May 27, 2018 8:22 am

As far as parts, nothing is easy to find unless you have a "catalog car" and there really aren't too many of those.
Outside of Mustang, Chevelle, Impala, Tri Fives and a few others, we're all in pretty much the same boat.
If you think about it, G3s probably aren't that much harder to find parts for than say a 64 Buick. According to a friend, mechanical stuff is easy, body parts and little trim pieces are a bear to get unless it's common with Chevelle.
Unless you have on of the usual cars that you see everywhere all the time, parts are only going to be available used.
Example: I had a few 65-68 Mustangs. You could build one of those out of a catalog. 69-70 is harder. 71-73 aren't that much better than G3s believe it or not.
I had a 64 T bird. About half the stuff you need is available and it's really expensive.
Then you get into the fit and quality of re-pops. A LOT of it is junk.
I have an old Jeep wrangler. You literally can build one from a catalog. The problem is that anything you order is a 50/50 on whether it's going to fit properly or whether it's going to work or last any time at all.

So, yeah. Parts for G3s can be a PITA, but not that much more trouble than most of the old cars out there. And the truth is that even if repops were available for your car, you'd probably still use NOS or good used OE when you could find it.

I always hear guys with catalog cars say "you shouldn't buy a ________ because parts aren't available". Bullsnot. They're out there. It just takes more effort than poking some buttons on your phone.
And that's kinda part of the fun and a little bit of the reward, ain't it?

by Dinomyte Sun May 27, 2018 11:52 am

I just want a little easier, took me 2 years to find seat belts, I gave up looking and then they fell in my lap. (Thanks to Mcarlo77), yes you're right ask the right person the right question and it will happen. Not to mention you're right about the thrill of the hunt, I got all excited about finding a new '75 bumper that I drove out and picked it up the same day.

by Olof Thu May 31, 2018 4:44 pm

Hi Folks,

Well for me it's not value, it's mainly spare parts availability if it's more that tinker with the car then there more parts available not just new but also used since people will take the time to part them out. Being on the wrong side of the pond make it easier if the car is bit more recognized. Thing such as sought after moldings would also be remade which makes things easier when you restore.

Since we have a few A Body cars (1G, 2G and 3G) I would say, I like them all, yes 2G Chevelles are way common and also the reason why we don't have one Smile

.

We got some very rare car's and 3G are easy compared to those

Cheers Olof

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