Vehicle Description
Real H-code Street HEMI. One of 57 automatics built. 30,165
original miles. Never raced or used in winter weather, very solid
throughout. Beautiful paint, updated bucket seat interior. Runs and
drives beautifully! Those hardcore guys buying the Belvedere 2-door
sedan were few, as only 156 were built and only 57 of those were
backed by a TorqueFlite transmission-a pretty rare piece. This EE1
Dark Blue Belvedere shows only 30,165 miles, a figure we believe is
authentic. It spent almost the entirety of its life in the Pacific
northwest so it's untouched by the ravages of a rust belt winter
and aside from some updated seat covers and the custom paint job on
the sides of the car, it's almost entirely original. It spent the
first part of its life as a fair-weather toy and show car; despite
being built for combat, it doesn't appear to have ever really
turned a wheel in anger. The bodywork is laser-straight and in
excellent condition, and while the Belvedere sedan bodywork won't
win many beauty contests, it's purposeful and the paint job
enhances what's already there-check out the way the custom stripes
wrap around the rear window. The chrome trim is in excellent
original condition with no evidence of previous accident damage or
trauma. The interior isn't 100% stock, wearing a set of custom seat
covers that were probably installed when the paint was done in the
'80s and some slightly plusher carpets. The rest, however, appears
original, including the tooled door panels, dash pad, and
headliner. Factory gauges include all the vitals, and are joined by
a trio of vintage Stewart-Warner instruments that include an oil
temperature gauge and which were probably installed when the car
was almost new. Buckets and a console were added at some point, and
the only options appear to be the HEMI V8 and a Music Master AM
radio in the dash. The trunk is massive and includes a newer trunk
mat and you can see that the tire well underneath is in excellent
condition. Chrysler wasn't doing matching-numbers in the
traditional sense in 1966, but all the clues suggest that this is
the car's original engine and don't worry, it is a real H-code car.
It has been detailed and upgraded with a deeper oil pan and an
upgraded Mallory ignition system, but otherwise remains stock. A
pair of Carter AFB carburetors feeds it from a correct air cleaner
assembly and the crinkle-coated valve covers give this big engine
its nickname, 'The Elephant.' It lives up to its name Street HEMI
by being easy to start with a decent idle and good manners when
you're just out driving rather than looking for a fight. It stays
cool and if you keep your foot off the floor it doesn't act like
the era's nastiest powerplant. Of course, there's always torque on
tap and just a gentle squeeze of the accelerator launches it
forward without any apparent effort. The undercarriage is original
and in fantastic condition with no evidence that this car has seen
winter weather. The TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission is
virtually indestructible and has great street manners behind the
big HEMI. Out back, the 8.75-inch rear end has been recently
serviced with bearings and seals, and with 3.54 gears inside, the
Street HEMI lives up to its name of being usable in the real world.
It's punchy but cruises at 70 MPH on the highway. Manual steering
and manual drum brakes were part of the deal when you were buying a
car built for combat. Long-tube headers dump into a newer
stock-style exhaust system, so it has a nice rumble that never gets
annoying and since it's a full-sized B-body, ride quality is
excellent. It surely came with plain steel wheels when it was new,
but it's currently wearing a set of perfectly vintage Cragar mags
with 235/60/15 white-letter radials. This isn't a show car or a
points car, but the world is full of perfect cars. This is a HEMI
you can drive and enjoy as intended without worries, a car that's
beautifully sorted and properly tuned, and which drives right. You
don't have to be afraid of cracking the throttle, just so long as
it's aimed where you want it to go. Call today! Harwood Motors
always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections
on any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.
