1966 Chevelle
With the 1966 Chevelle there were some big changes for Chevy coming up. Given the success of their previous models, this year’s model really had to have something changed in order to stay ahead of the growing competition.
As other General Motors intermediates this new model benefited from a total skin change but we can’t say the same thing about its size. The SS models benefited from a new hood which did not have functional vents and also from a blackout grille. The engines were still going pretty strong and they were tuned around 400 which were mandatory this time around. As a result of these times the 396 CID V8 engine was made as a standard by the manufacturer. Now any car you would buy would come standard as the Chevelle SS 396s, which was very good news for the buyers who had to pay some big bucks in the past in order to enjoy these models.
This year compared to other years, which featured the 375 HP Z16 396 engine, had some major drawbacks when it came to the engine for it got detuned and rated only at 325 HP using a base Turbo Jet guise. You could get a 360 HP if you would choose to go with the L34 optional form. The compression levels for both were the same, 10.25:1; the only difference was that of the L34 which had a larger 4 barrel, a stronger block and a taller cam. The price was also increased totaling an extra of $105 and 1/3 of the buyers of the SS 396 had it ordered. When it came to the mid quarter mile results of this year’s model the results weren’t that special. The L34 got mid 15 seconds with a speed of 90 miles per hour.
The 66 Chevelle did not use any underpinnings and reinforced brakes, it just settled with the standard Chevelle braking system and suspension pieces. The price for this model was stacked at 2776 dollars which made the 66 SS 396 a fairly affordable car.
With the coming of spring, Chevy had its L78 396 engine released which was basically an updated Z16 engine. What differentiated it from the Z16 were the new exhaust manifolds and the solid lifters. The compression was 11.0:1 and it also benefited from the 427 CID V8s large valve heads. Thus the best was yet to come.
