We had a 66 Caprice with the 396/4bbl and it was STRONG!......replaced it with this exact model down to the color and it was much weaker with smog and the 2bbl but it lasted 200K and never complained before living on another 100K right down the street! It towed an 18 foot boat and packed 6 people to Mass in style!
Two things: 1) the light-hearted jaunty music is a great accompaniment (along with a couple of Quaaludes) to the hair-raising borderline out-of-control turns and panic stops 2) I have to get the announcer's shirt
lol Oh man! A '69 Impala, a second-hand Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette Stereo (which meant you could remove the Audiovox FM Converter you'd put in) with a 40 watt Power Booster and Jensen Triacs, a frosty quart of beverage, and a couple 'Ludes (They're delicious!). Some of the best times I had in my life.
In '69 more people were looking for smooth, quite, easy running in the full size Chevy's. Caprice sales were over-taking Super-Sport sales. The smaller cars is where the performance buyer was shopping. The drive-train in this car would have fit the bill for those looking for unpretentious luxury (no startling secondaries, low continuous rpm, nice tip-in throttle response). Chevy was just covering all its bases with this set-up. If you wanted more you just checked different boxes on your order.
It is a 396 with 2bbl carb single exhaust maybe 2.73 highway gears. Its good for driving 75mph all day with the a/c on. Try that in a 69 toyota or honda they did not even have a/c and they had trouble going 65mph.
@Edward Martinez Dream on dude. Oh, wait: You're one of those "there do one of them thar furrin' thangs" kind of guys, I get it. th-cam.com/video/pa0dCkx2Xis/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Hagerty
@Edward Martinez PS: I'm sorry. I like to go around corners and stuff. Modern Impala/Holden SS can do that. BMWs could do that back then even. This COULD NOT LOL
I bought a 1969 Impala very rusty in 1975 for $200 when I was 16, my first car. I added black cloth seats from a junkyard Caprice, much better than the torn vinyl, with vice grips to adjust the front seat since I did not take the time to add the electric motor. Mine had the 327 smallblock that needed a valve job soon, otherwise a very reliable engine for the time. The 2-speed automatic was reliable, but with the high rpms at 60 mph it got a maximum of 12 miles per gallon. As the video shows, the soft suspension was more for comfort than speed with no sway bars. My next car was a 1972 Barracuda, and most replace the torsion rod front suspension now because it is so bad.
Jeff, my second car and most loved car was a 1969 impala, mine I did a motor job on it with a racing cam, put $300 in stereo equipment. I stripped it too primer, and cover the seats with a seat cover, and fixed the rust. I fell in love for the first time, she’s not with us anymore. I learned a lot about her and myself. Still remember sunsets and our long conversations. Got to meet her daughter and we had a few laughs. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I had a 69 Belair my dad bought new and gave it to me as my first car with 50k miles. 327- 2 bbl. Low compression, slow, and a dog. BUT- It rode like a dream and had the best power steering of any of these old sleds. It was a great car to just ease around in. Gm dropped compression ratios dramatically in 68/69 accross the board and began dropping big blocks from the menu. The 70's were looming . 1969 was the last year for the 327,and the 350 was coming on. It was tuned to be a dog too, but probably the best foundation to build from.
There are still way too many brand fans out there that swear by one brand even though there is no basis in fact. That really hurt the US industry and I will explain. I started in the car business in the early 70's and saw this first hand. My parent's generation actually was the greatest generation. They made it through the great depression and fought against Germany and Japan in WW2. Basically, there was no way they would ever buy a car made in Japan or Germany. There were exceptions but not many. When my generation started driving, it was different. we didn't really have any problem with Japan or Germany so we bought their cars. The US manufacturers took this built in customer base and thought it would last forever. They built worse and worse cars. In the meantime, Japan started getting their act together and was making a great car by the mid 1970's where an American car was in dire need of repair at 100,000 miles a lot of people were buying Japanese cars and never having to take them back to the dealer. They did their scheduled maintanance and the cars just kept on running. Finally, after the sales dropped to bankruptcy levels, they tried to correct the problem. Unfortunately for them, the Japanese and now Korean manufacturers got even better. combine that with the ridiculous price of cars and the fact thatAmerican cars aren't 100% American they haven't recovered yet. When people stand up for their brand you can actually tell the ones that don't think. They are the ones that always think that everyone is biased against them if they don't get a great review. They are the ones that say this show was favoring a brand when it gave another brand a good review. The plain and simple facts are this. The US went from making great cars in the 60's to making crap. They dealt with emissions laws by retarding timing and lowering compression because it was the cheapest way. They didn't even address the fact that when you lean out an engine they run a lot hotter. Oh well, it doesn't really matter now. The die is cast.
That was then.. but now American cars are making a great comeback.. especially when compared to 30-40 years ago.. even in the last 10 years US cars (most brands) have made a incredible comeback.. the MAIN thing is the US needs to stop outsourcing everything and keep it domestic, not Mexican.. or even Canadian, although they have higher quality standards then Mexico it seems..
I don't believe that the Japanese made cars that were better than US brand cars. Remember, Dodge and Plymouth imported Mitsubishi vehicles branded by the Chrysler brands, as well as Buick importing Opels from Germany, then Isuzu in Japan. Quality of all vehicles was substandard. If you look at most classic vehicles today, most US brands survived, most Japanese did not.
The American car market is not doing that great. If pick ups and crossovers are your thing there is a certain amount of success. There is no more Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth or Mercury. The traditional American manufacturers are discontinuing passenger cars in favor of SUBs and Crossovers. When 2021 gets here Lincoln will have discontinued the MKZ and the Continental. Ford Mustang will be the only car available from Ford. Chevy Impala is going away soon. Malibu and even Camaro is in jeapordy. The iconic Corvette is safe. 2019 will be the last year for the few remaining Buick passenger cars. Cadillac CTS and XT6 may be the only remaining passenger cars in the lineup after 2019.
This was a worst case scenario Chevy. 700lb engine and 265hp - it's just destroying those front tires. It would have been way better acceleration, and especially handling with a 300hp/350. They didn't even bother measuring mpg at car and track and hwy mpg is supposed to be what the 396 2bbl was about. 13.7 sec 0-60 and 1/4 mile at 75mph - not all 60's cars were supercars.
The 1969 396 2bbl (L66) engine was a one year only option to respond to Ford's 390 2bbl offering. Chrysler and Pontiac offered the same with their 383 and 400 engines as well. The thought behind it was to offer big block performance when needed with 2bbl fuel economy. Chevy set their 2bbl cars with either a 2.29 or 2.56 rear gear. Others were set up similar. Dismall performance and dismall fuel econ. A 350 4bbl with higher gearing was a better alternative.
I had the 427, 335hp with a th400, drove it for years, towed a trailer to alaska, and many other places. Bought it from the original owner for $1000.00 around 1990
I had a '69 Impala Custom Deluxe Coup with the 300hp 350 and Quadrajet carb. It was a fast car! Just wondering if anybody else survived the hair raising and somewhat terrifying ordeal of having a broken original motor mount? It was an experience to remember, because there's no way in hell you'd forget it. Ever! lol
I paid $300 hard earned dollars for my 69 in 1979 and drove it home from the DMV on my 16th birthday. It had a 396 2 barrel BB, turbo 400, positrac rearend. Green with white vinyl top. Loved that car.
IsraeliDF7, it had a Turbo Hydra-matic. Powerglide was only offered in '69 with the 250-6, 327-V8 and both versions of the 350 V8 (255 and 300 hp) while all engines from the 6 banger to the 390-horsepower 427 were offered with Turbo Hydramatic (Turbo 350 with the 6 and 327, 350 V8s and Turbo 400 with the 396 and 427 V8s).
I had a '72 Caprice in college with only a slightly bigger engine - the 400. It looked and handled about the same. On hard cornering, the tires are so compressed that it looks like the hubcaps are touching the pavement. Ouch.
Whoever checked off the boxes on the factory order of this new this Impala deserves a dunce cap! should have checked off F41 suspension, which was a $10.00 option in 1969.
That hopeless boat sank in almost ALL tests. When Budd was done at the end of the day, he hopped in his FORD or his MOPAR and drove home in style and performance.
Come on people... all you folks out there bitching and complaining about this, that or the other on this car.. really??? it wasn't meant to be a Corvette or any other sports car.. these damn things were meant to be a family car, or a car for grandma and grandpa to drive, mostly likely never on a freeway, and most CERTAINLY never going 70 mph. They were designed to be slow, methodical cars that transported people from point A to point B in relative safety and comfort, not speed and sports car handling.
I'm surprised the trim ring didn't go flying off at 4:53! I always found Chevys to handle better than Fords, but this guy liked the '69 LTD much better than the Impala..go figger. A '69 big block Impala is worth thousands more than a '69 big block XL.
A 69 Impala was probably the best liked car I ever had. It had a 350ci 300hp and apparently beat this 396. Gas mileage? Not so good. I couldn't keep my foot out of that 4 barrel. It could smoke them tires.
that car shows us how far behind tire technology was back then. it was very scary to drive such a large car with such small tires. and good brakes were just coming along at that time too. only luxury cars came with good brakes. everything else had drums! those old beauties can now enjoy today's tire and brake technology, making for one heck of a performance barge.
Not entirely right: The tire technology was far more advanced. The problem was, the Big Three continued using cheap ass bias ply tires even though much better radial tires had been available by then for years. Check out European cars and what tires they used in 1969 - a huge difference. GM waited until 1973 before they finally caved in and switched.
@PotatoGunsRule I had a 1973 Impala Custom coupe with a 350 2bbl. It was one of the last years for true durability and dependability. No pollution control devices except for an air pump which was easily removable. It ran on leaded gasoline and the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission was more solid and shifted smoother than most computer controlled automatic transmissions today. My Dad purchased a 1978 Caprice and its lightweight transmission overheated and burned up in less than 32,000 miles.
You got that right buddy. My 73 Caprice coupe had almost 250K miles on the original small block 400 and THM400. The only weak link was the driveshaft, coupled with my dumb ass kid lead foot. I finally had to let the caprice go do to excessive rust
@@donk499 The biggest downfall with the car, other than the rust susceptibility you mentioned, was its ugly appearance. The bloated looking rear treatment, and to a lesser extent, the blunted front design, made it the most unsightly full size Chevrolet since the boxy 1964 model.
It's a sharp looking car, it would be a very tough choice between this and the 1969 LTD 429 they tested. I would lean more to the Impala if it had at least the 396 4bbl, a 427 or 454 with a 4bbl would be the obvious choice, the 396 2bbl is a wretched dog from the looks of it. There were high output 4bbl 327s and 350s at that time that would have likely beaten this down IMO.
hendo337 You're right I had a '70 (same basic car) with the 350/300hp that was fast for what it was. Added Some station wagon sway bars and 255 tires and that thing cornered great!! Have a '68 now see my page
My parents had a 69 Impala custom coupe, blue with a black vinyl top, blue interior and 350 small block. It had the biggest trunk I have ever seen, we could put our Christmas tree in it and shut the lid.
Our '66 Ford Galaxie 500 4DHT had the 250hp 390 2BBL. Was a solid, reliable car but a low compression, smog pump-choked invalid. I remember trying to get it to 100 mph and it couldn't do it. My parents then bought a new 68 T-Bird coupe with the 360 Hp 429, liked it so much they bought a used 67 T-Bird 4DR with suicide doors and the 428. The 428 was more refined and plenty fast, but the 429 was a monster and rocketed the car past just about anyone. BUT, neither could handle at all, even after we outfitted them with stiff shocks which made them much more nimble (back then, stiff shocks coupled with soft springs made for a decent controlled but not harsh ride). They were straight ahead cruisers and stop-light drag shamers.
When you took a deep breathing big block Chevy, lowered the compression, and put a tiny 2bbl on it, it just didn't work at all. It just killed them. Now a 66' and later 390 Ford, which is all torque and didn't breath in the first place, with a small 2bbl and 2.75 axle was a great combo, peppy, smooth, and 17 plus mpg on the highway on a good day. ( With REAL gas)... I've had several and have one now.
In '74 I tried to buy a '69 GTO; dad said no. Wond up with a '70 400 Caprice. First thing I did was replace the the springs with 9-C-1s & over sized radials. In '77, got a CanAm.
I have A 69 Impala with A Freshly rebuilt 350 I’ve been working on it for 5 years , With The Right Power Train such as A 572 Chevy Motor This Car would Seriously Move like A 63 Nova !
When i was11-15 years old my uncle was a police man here in Texas and he and i would go to the drag strip in his Police cars , 67 plymonth fury 440ci, 68 Ford custom 390ci PI, 69-70 Ford custom 428ci PI,69-70 Chevrolet Biscayne 427ci, and 71 Dodge Polara 440ci , and with out a doubt the Ford 428 Police car were the fastest by far, Chevy and dodge had no chance FYI :)
My dad is a retired policeman here in North Carolina & he also said that those Ford 428 Police Interceptors were by far the fastest police cars offered by the big three back in the day. On more than one occasion, he recalled exceeding 140 mph during pursuits. He said even the Polara & the legendary 440 Plymouth Gran Fury of the early-mid 70s couldn't touch it.
Usually when you see a car spin to the left like that, the passenger side rear brake is missing a C-clip back there that clamps down the parts. It won't fly apart on you but when you hit the brakes it won't let the brake fully press against the drum. It makes the ass end move in that direction. If you were to reverse it to the other side the car will spin towards the right.
They did so many crazy things back in the day. I remember my dad had a 1971 Ford with a 429 with a 2 barrel carb! This was before the smog stuff and low compression engines, so hard to tell why that particular Chevy 400 was so pokey. I was just a kid back then but dad used to flip back and forth between Chevy and Ford for family sedans and truth be told, neither of them were all that great with regard to quality. The Fords seem to go faster when I would sneak out with one of them.
My Uncle had a 1970 Chevrolet Caprice and I had the chance to drive it alone. It was a decent handling car that never exhibited anything like what was shown in this video. At 110 MPH, the worst thing that happened was that the hood would flutter. He had a 400 in his though so, it was much quicker than this car. I could smoke up the tires easily. Look at 0:53. The car goes through effortlessly. Another thing, ONLY a car with brakes out of allignment would spin, under hard braking like this car.
these were available with hide-away headlites (!) and 4-speed manual! luv those barges with the stick in them. too bad we cant get things like that today.
Auto reviewers are supposed to review vehicles of all kinds, including ones like this...which are closer than to what many people drive. The typical motorist doesn't get the biggest motor available.
These old B body chevrolets had horrible suspension geometry. They get positive camber in compression, and the stock springs are super soft so they wallow like pigs. Because of the positive camber issue they have bump steer issues when you go over bumps. We won't even mention the weird ackerman angles at high steering angles. They really need a taller spindle, stiffer springs, and redesigned steering arms. A bodies were almost as bad, but at least didn't have the bump steer issues.
I have a 1969 with a factory four, engine was swapped with a 454. She is fast going straight but corners forget about it, its like trying to turn a cruse ship around a buoy
That was part of the downfall of Detroit. Toooooo many engine and trans choices( maybe 1 6cyl., a 307, 2 or 3 327, 3 350, 2 or 3 396 and 2 or 3 427 engines).
"there should have been a light to tell us we were moving"?1?! "it couldn't punch it's way through a kleenex" "on the 0 to 60 run ......we did not know if it would go that fast" OMG ROFLMAO... I love it!!
I imagine the younger engineers told Chevy to supply the Auto Review show with a 427 4bbl. Impala but the geezers said no...lets give Bud a soft 2bbl. car so we can look like idiots!
The driver's side tire was underinflated and the brakes were out of alignment. I used to drive a Chevrolet Caprice of this year and I assure you that they handled better than what was shown. This test was rigged. Then, as now, it is all about keeping the work force ballanced out. Now, it is a global thing though. German cars are being held high to help the European Union.
Why do you gotta take the enjoyment out of everything for us? If you think the their basic and shitty than why did you bother to go look at the video on there? If the modern cars agree with you than go look at those than. Some people appreciate the older cars for what they represent. And just because the older ones weren't built better with high tech like most modern ones they still will look better than the today's cars ever will.
'69-76 were the worst years for most of these full size cars. I agree, aesthetically they were nice to look at, but that's about it. They had huge engines that got lousy mileage and no power. They were all hood and trunk with less leg room than today's cars. The fit, finish and rustproofing on them left a lot to be desired. That compiled with all the new safety and emissions regulation retrofits really turned a lot of people off to these big boats and onto the new Japanese cars that got good mileage, were cheap to repair when they needed it and had a small sticker price. Instead of the big 3 paying attention to the customers they were losing, they beat their partiotic chests and waved flags. They got their asses handed to them in the 80's and 90's...which lead the auto industry to where they are now!
That should be about what my Sister's Challenger will run the 1/4 Mile in.........hell my V-6 Chrysler 200 would be nearly done with the 1/4 mile by then too!
In 1969 my father rented a two door impala and took all six of us to lake George NY and we watched the moon landing from our hotel. I remember my father had trouble with the side column ignition switch; it was a new design. The 68 had a better design, especially the dashboard.
I always thought it was funny in recent years whenever some young kid got ahold of one these 4,000 pound plus luxo barges from 68 - 73, and thinks that just because it is a Ford GM, or Mopar, and has a V8 that how he now believes he has a Muscle Car.
I don not care how it accelerates or handles. I own one and just love it based on its looks!
We had a 66 Caprice with the 396/4bbl and it was STRONG!......replaced it with this exact model down to the color and it was much weaker with smog and the 2bbl but it lasted 200K and never complained before living on another 100K right down the street! It towed an 18 foot boat and packed 6 people to Mass in style!
Different time, different design philosophy. I'd still love to own one of these today!
Me too, maybe a convertible though
On those sharp turns I thought those tires were going to roll right off the rims..... we sure come a long way in auto & tire design.
I prefer narrower, higher profile radials actually. Track straighter than wide tires.
Two things: 1) the light-hearted jaunty music is a great accompaniment (along with a couple of Quaaludes) to the hair-raising borderline out-of-control turns and panic stops
2) I have to get the announcer's shirt
lol Oh man! A '69 Impala, a second-hand Pioneer AM/FM/Cassette Stereo (which meant you could remove the Audiovox FM Converter you'd put in) with a 40 watt Power Booster and Jensen Triacs, a frosty quart of beverage, and a couple 'Ludes (They're delicious!). Some of the best times I had in my life.
I wish they would've tested a Impala with the 427/4 speed combo with 3.55 gears, I imagine that could go 0-60 in less than 7 seconds.
+Doobie1975 A major reason for this car's slow acceleration was the transmission. Those ancient 2 speed powerglides were awful.
+itsmegp46 That was not a Powerglide. For 69 most of them came with the 3 speed Turbo hydramatic, wich was the only automatic avaliable on the 396
Im surprised Chevy had a 2-bbl 396...I assumed they were all 4-bbl engines...
I have the 427 with the TH400, it hauls!
In '69 more people were looking for smooth, quite, easy running in the full size Chevy's. Caprice sales were over-taking Super-Sport sales. The smaller cars is where the performance buyer was shopping. The drive-train in this car would have fit the bill for those looking for unpretentious luxury (no startling secondaries, low continuous rpm, nice tip-in throttle response). Chevy was just covering all its bases with this set-up. If you wanted more you just checked different boxes on your order.
"There should have been a light to tell us we were moving" HAHAHA LMAO!!
There should be a light to tell you that your doorhandles are scraping the pavement in turns
🤣🤣
Reviewer is brutal...
It is a 396 with 2bbl carb single exhaust maybe 2.73 highway gears. Its good for driving 75mph all day with the a/c on. Try that in a 69 toyota or honda they did not even have a/c and they had trouble going 65mph.
Yup..... Cruisers.
😂 and they look like war losers 😂 with tails Tucked between them 😀
True. But you could get a BMW 2002 that would run 85-90 all day long and comfortably seat 4 and it actually handled.
@Edward Martinez Dream on dude. Oh, wait: You're one of those "there do one of them thar furrin' thangs" kind of guys, I get it.
th-cam.com/video/pa0dCkx2Xis/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Hagerty
@Edward Martinez PS: I'm sorry. I like to go around corners and stuff. Modern Impala/Holden SS can do that. BMWs could do that back then even. This COULD NOT LOL
I bought a 1969 Impala very rusty in 1975 for $200 when I was 16, my first car. I added black cloth seats from a junkyard Caprice, much better than the torn vinyl, with vice grips to adjust the front seat since I did not take the time to add the electric motor. Mine had the 327 smallblock that needed a valve job soon, otherwise a very reliable engine for the time. The 2-speed automatic was reliable, but with the high rpms at 60 mph it got a maximum of 12 miles per gallon. As the video shows, the soft suspension was more for comfort than speed with no sway bars. My next car was a 1972 Barracuda, and most replace the torsion rod front suspension now because it is so bad.
Jeff, my second car and most loved car was a 1969 impala, mine I did a motor job on it with a racing cam, put $300 in stereo equipment. I stripped it too primer, and cover the seats with a seat cover, and fixed the rust.
I fell in love for the first time, she’s not with us anymore. I learned a lot about her and myself. Still remember sunsets and our long conversations. Got to meet her daughter and we had a few laughs. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I had a 69 Belair my dad bought new and gave it to me as my first car with 50k miles. 327- 2 bbl. Low compression, slow, and a dog. BUT- It rode like a dream and had the best power steering of any of these old sleds. It was a great car to just ease around in. Gm dropped compression ratios dramatically in 68/69 accross the board and began dropping big blocks from the menu. The 70's were looming . 1969 was the last year for the 327,and the 350 was coming on. It was tuned to be a dog too, but probably the best foundation to build from.
I'm surprised the tires stayed on the rim. I bet after the first turn the air pressure was down to about five psi.
There are still way too many brand fans out there that swear by one brand even though there is no basis in fact. That really hurt the US industry and I will explain. I started in the car business in the early 70's and saw this first hand. My parent's generation actually was the greatest generation. They made it through the great depression and fought against Germany and Japan in WW2. Basically, there was no way they would ever buy a car made in Japan or Germany. There were exceptions but not many. When my generation started driving, it was different. we didn't really have any problem with Japan or Germany so we bought their cars. The US manufacturers took this built in customer base and thought it would last forever. They built worse and worse cars. In the meantime, Japan started getting their act together and was making a great car by the mid 1970's where an American car was in dire need of repair at 100,000 miles a lot of people were buying Japanese cars and never having to take them back to the dealer. They did their scheduled maintanance and the cars just kept on running. Finally, after the sales dropped to bankruptcy levels, they tried to correct the problem. Unfortunately for them, the Japanese and now Korean manufacturers got even better. combine that with the ridiculous price of cars and the fact thatAmerican cars aren't 100% American they haven't recovered yet. When people stand up for their brand you can actually tell the ones that don't think. They are the ones that always think that everyone is biased against them if they don't get a great review. They are the ones that say this show was favoring a brand when it gave another brand a good review. The plain and simple facts are this. The US went from making great cars in the 60's to making crap. They dealt with emissions laws by retarding timing and lowering compression because it was the cheapest way. They didn't even address the fact that when you lean out an engine they run a lot hotter. Oh well, it doesn't really matter now. The die is cast.
That was then.. but now American cars are making a great comeback.. especially when compared to 30-40 years ago.. even in the last 10 years US cars (most brands) have made a incredible comeback.. the MAIN thing is the US needs to stop outsourcing everything and keep it domestic, not Mexican.. or even Canadian, although they have higher quality standards then Mexico it seems..
I don't believe that the Japanese made cars that were better than US brand cars. Remember, Dodge and Plymouth imported Mitsubishi vehicles branded by the Chrysler brands, as well as Buick importing Opels from Germany, then Isuzu in Japan.
Quality of all vehicles was substandard. If you look at most classic vehicles today, most US brands survived, most Japanese did not.
The American car market is not doing that great. If pick ups and crossovers are your thing there is a certain amount of success. There is no more Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Plymouth or Mercury. The traditional American manufacturers are discontinuing passenger cars in favor of SUBs and Crossovers. When 2021 gets here Lincoln will have discontinued the MKZ and the Continental. Ford Mustang will be the only car available from Ford. Chevy Impala is going away soon. Malibu and even Camaro is in jeapordy. The iconic Corvette is safe. 2019 will be the last year for the few remaining Buick passenger cars. Cadillac CTS and XT6 may be the only remaining passenger cars in the lineup after 2019.
This engine couldn’t punch its way through a wet Kleenex lmao. This is really funny actually, but I love our 68.
The road course looked like a Cannon-esque car chase from 7 years in the future. Wheel covers flying off , massive boat wallowing side to side.
This was a worst case scenario Chevy. 700lb engine and 265hp - it's just destroying those front tires. It would have been way better acceleration, and especially handling with a 300hp/350. They didn't even bother measuring mpg at car and track and hwy mpg is supposed to be what the 396 2bbl was about. 13.7 sec 0-60 and 1/4 mile at 75mph - not all 60's cars were supercars.
True. I own a 300hp/350 and it's nothing like this. Still a boat but no as much of a pig as this.
i find it funny that on the last brake test he said it took 155 ft from 60 mph but didnt mention that the car did a 180* spin during that 155 ft
That's not an easy maneuver to do. And that Chevy Impala did it perfectly - all by itself! Lol
The 1969 396 2bbl (L66) engine was a one year only option to respond to Ford's 390 2bbl offering. Chrysler and Pontiac offered the same with their 383 and 400 engines as well. The thought behind it was to offer big block performance when needed with 2bbl fuel economy. Chevy set their 2bbl cars with either a 2.29 or 2.56 rear gear. Others were set up similar. Dismall performance and dismall fuel econ. A 350 4bbl with higher gearing was a better alternative.
Still, the torque must have been nice with that 2bbl 396.
I had the 427, 335hp with a th400, drove it for years, towed a trailer to alaska, and many other places.
Bought it from the original owner for $1000.00 around 1990
I had a '69 Impala Custom Deluxe Coup with the 300hp 350 and Quadrajet carb. It was a fast car! Just wondering if anybody else survived the hair raising and somewhat terrifying
ordeal of having a broken original motor mount? It was an experience to remember, because there's no way in hell you'd forget it. Ever! lol
I also wonder what performance would've been like if they've tested this car with either the 3.08 or 3.23 gearing system yet kept the same engine.
I'll still take it over my modern shitbox anyday. You could easily do things to upgrade your ride.
@ 4:51 the hubcap is touching the pavement.
That's Chevy handling! Lol
bias ply tires + land yacht
Actually, it is a wheel.
Trim ring
🤣
These tests were done at a neat race-track in Mi…Grattan …great little 2.5 mile race course
The body roll is insane
Chevy's Ralley Wheel Design was the best look for it's time-
lol I think at some point, everyone was just stealing a missing hub or beauty rim back and forth from each other.
My 1st car as a teenager in 1975 100,000 safe miles A fantastic car of the day
I paid $300 hard earned dollars for my 69 in 1979 and drove it home from the DMV on my 16th birthday. It had a 396 2 barrel BB, turbo 400, positrac rearend. Green with white vinyl top. Loved that car.
Gotta love that faux pop-jazz. All the wow and flutter fit the video, perfectly!
IsraeliDF7, it had a Turbo Hydra-matic. Powerglide was only offered in '69 with the 250-6, 327-V8 and both versions of the 350 V8 (255 and 300 hp) while all engines from the 6 banger to the 390-horsepower 427 were offered with Turbo Hydramatic (Turbo 350 with the 6 and 327, 350 V8s and Turbo 400 with the 396 and 427 V8s).
This is way better than the car shows of today
I had a '72 Caprice in college with only a slightly bigger engine - the 400. It looked and handled about the same. On hard cornering, the tires are so compressed that it looks like the hubcaps are touching the pavement. Ouch.
Heavy-duty suspension would have firmed up things, and rear anti-roll bar definitely would have helped handling.
I luv the look of the '69 Impala, but damn that go around on the track! 😳
All the performance of a Kleenex box on an ice rink!
I've got a 69 caprice, slightly resto-modded. Glad to see it's not just mine that starts to spin out of control when you get on the brakes lmao.
Looks more like it had sponges instead of springs.Love the 60-0 braking test!Yikes!!No wonder they had to develop ABS.
Hey--it was good enough for Darren on "Bewitched"!
I would love to see a review on the 1968 Biscayne 6 cyl with 3 on the tree
Whoever checked off the boxes on the factory order of this new this Impala deserves a dunce cap! should have checked off F41 suspension, which was a $10.00 option in 1969.
Most people would rather have the pillowy soft ride
That hopeless boat sank in almost ALL tests. When Budd was done at the end of the day, he hopped in his FORD or his MOPAR and drove home in style and performance.
Come on people... all you folks out there bitching and complaining about this, that or the other on this car.. really??? it wasn't meant to be a Corvette or any other sports car.. these damn things were meant to be a family car, or a car for grandma and grandpa to drive, mostly likely never on a freeway, and most CERTAINLY never going 70 mph. They were designed to be slow, methodical cars that transported people from point A to point B in relative safety and comfort, not speed and sports car handling.
Well said, Hank, I completely agree!
I'm surprised the trim ring didn't go flying off at 4:53! I always found Chevys to handle better than Fords, but this guy liked the '69 LTD much better than the Impala..go figger. A '69 big block Impala is worth thousands more than a '69 big block XL.
A 425 hp 427 69 imp is more rare than a 429 69 xl I believe
Love my 69 custom. Olympic gold with a white top, 327. Mostly original.
...."There should've been a light to tell us we were moving"....
that driver has some balls i saw at least two times where he almost rolled it.
05:16 - the narration doesn't fit the footage which shows just how dangerous that car is, even when it was brand new.
A 69 Impala was probably the best liked car I ever had. It had a 350ci 300hp and apparently beat this 396. Gas mileage? Not so good. I couldn't keep my foot out of that 4 barrel. It could smoke them tires.
0 to 60 in 13.7 seconds? LMAO! 'The ride is extremely quiet".... as long as you drive it in a straight line and don't do any cornering, lol.
A Holly 4bbl carb would solve that problem.
that car shows us how far behind tire technology was back then.
it was very scary to drive such a large car with such small tires.
and good brakes were just coming along at that time too.
only luxury cars came with good brakes. everything else had drums!
those old beauties can now enjoy today's tire and brake technology,
making for one heck of a performance barge.
Not entirely right: The tire technology was far more advanced. The problem was, the Big Three continued using cheap ass bias ply tires even though much better radial tires had been available by then for years. Check out European cars and what tires they used in 1969 - a huge difference. GM waited until 1973 before they finally caved in and switched.
@PotatoGunsRule I had a 1973 Impala Custom coupe with a 350 2bbl. It was one of the last years for true durability and dependability. No pollution control devices except for an air pump which was easily removable. It ran on leaded gasoline and the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission was more solid and shifted smoother than most computer controlled automatic transmissions today. My Dad purchased a 1978 Caprice and its lightweight transmission overheated and burned up in less than 32,000 miles.
You got that right buddy. My 73 Caprice coupe had almost 250K miles on the original small block 400 and THM400. The only weak link was the driveshaft, coupled with my dumb ass kid lead foot. I finally had to let the caprice go do to excessive rust
@@donk499
The biggest downfall with the car, other than the rust susceptibility you mentioned, was its ugly appearance. The bloated looking rear treatment, and to a lesser extent, the blunted front design, made it the most unsightly full size Chevrolet since the boxy 1964 model.
@@jeffersonianideal I guess that explains it, I always loved the 64 models!
@@donk499
In matters of taste, there is no right and wrong...just good and bad.
It's a sharp looking car, it would be a very tough choice between this and the 1969 LTD 429 they tested. I would lean more to the Impala if it had at least the 396 4bbl, a 427 or 454 with a 4bbl would be the obvious choice, the 396 2bbl is a wretched dog from the looks of it. There were high output 4bbl 327s and 350s at that time that would have likely beaten this down IMO.
hendo337 You're right
I had a '70 (same basic car) with the 350/300hp that was fast for what it was. Added Some station wagon sway bars and 255 tires and that thing cornered great!!
Have a '68 now see my page
There was no 4bbl 396 offered in '69.
cheaptricked
Didn't know that.....makes sense then
Low compression big block or not, that car is murdering the front tires ( yipes)
Every car in all of these tests sound exactly alike. I think the engine sound was added to all these tests.
+trucking604 Well the brake sounds definitely were.
Good Grief ! I think he dismounted the tire on that one right-hander !! Good Lord what a test
@4:54 holy cow. It's on the rim!!
Man, talk about a soft suspension. I think I saw 1 tire come off the ground on a corner!
And the other wheel riding on the hubcap!
@@jondoe8889 Steel wheels, not hubcaps.
I think I saw the bottom of the front fender throwing sparks.
My parents had a 69 Impala custom coupe, blue with a black vinyl top, blue interior and 350 small block. It had the biggest trunk I have ever seen, we could put our Christmas tree in it and shut the lid.
I can confirm that the trunk would get 4 people in the drive-in for free. Tested it many times! I think 1 person could damn near live in it! lol
Outstanding, luv the turtleneck & wood paneling, buddy. Jeez, what a sloppy cow. Awesome
Our '66 Ford Galaxie 500 4DHT had the 250hp 390 2BBL. Was a solid, reliable car but a low compression, smog pump-choked invalid. I remember trying to get it to 100 mph and it couldn't do it. My parents then bought a new 68 T-Bird coupe with the 360 Hp 429, liked it so much they bought a used 67 T-Bird 4DR with suicide doors and the 428. The 428 was more refined and plenty fast, but the 429 was a monster and rocketed the car past just about anyone. BUT, neither could handle at all, even after we outfitted them with stiff shocks which made them much more nimble (back then, stiff shocks coupled with soft springs made for a decent controlled but not harsh ride). They were straight ahead cruisers and stop-light drag shamers.
"couldn't punch it's way through a wet Kleenex" ... HAW HAW HAW!!
Had a 1968 Impala fastback with a 307 and it handled just like this thing did, only slower. Huge trunk though.
When you took a deep breathing big block Chevy, lowered the compression, and put a tiny 2bbl on it, it just didn't work at all.
It just killed them.
Now a 66' and later 390 Ford, which is all torque and didn't breath in the first place, with a small 2bbl and 2.75 axle was a great combo, peppy, smooth, and 17 plus mpg on the highway on a good day. ( With REAL gas)...
I've had several and have one now.
I got sea-sick watching that thing wallow through the corners....My Dad's '66 283 Impala actually was a much better car in the handling department.
It should have been lighter and had better weight distrbution, both would help with that!
In '74 I tried to buy a '69 GTO; dad said no. Wond up with a '70 400 Caprice. First thing I did was replace the the springs with 9-C-1s & over sized radials. In '77, got a CanAm.
I have A 69 Impala with A Freshly rebuilt 350 I’ve been working on it for 5 years , With The Right Power Train such as A 572 Chevy Motor This Car would Seriously Move like A 63 Nova !
When i was11-15 years old my uncle was a police man here in Texas and he and i would go to the drag strip in his Police cars , 67 plymonth fury 440ci, 68 Ford custom 390ci PI, 69-70 Ford custom 428ci PI,69-70 Chevrolet Biscayne 427ci, and 71 Dodge Polara 440ci , and with out a doubt the Ford 428 Police car were the fastest by far, Chevy and dodge had no chance FYI :)
My dad is a retired policeman here in North Carolina & he also said that those Ford 428 Police Interceptors were by far the fastest police cars offered by the big three back in the day. On more than one occasion, he recalled exceeding 140 mph during pursuits. He said even the Polara & the legendary 440 Plymouth Gran Fury of the early-mid 70s couldn't touch it.
Usually when you see a car spin to the left like that, the passenger side rear brake is missing a C-clip back there that clamps down the parts. It won't fly apart on you but when you hit the brakes it won't let the brake fully press against the drum. It makes the ass end move in that direction. If you were to reverse it to the other side the car will spin towards the right.
So to the car people, I've got a question; If the rear wheels are the ones that were driven, why put the drum brakes on them instead of up front?
I'm from Australia my dad owned a 67 Impala 327. White 4 door.
They did so many crazy things back in the day. I remember my dad had a 1971 Ford with a 429 with a 2 barrel carb! This was before the smog stuff and low compression engines, so hard to tell why that particular Chevy 400 was so pokey. I was just a kid back then but dad used to flip back and forth between Chevy and Ford for family sedans and truth be told, neither of them were all that great with regard to quality. The Fords seem to go faster when I would sneak out with one of them.
Can't imagine driving one of those land yachts like that!
My Uncle had a 1970 Chevrolet Caprice and I had the chance to drive it alone. It was a decent handling car that never exhibited anything like what was shown in this video. At 110 MPH, the worst thing that happened was that the hood would flutter. He had a 400 in his though so, it was much quicker than this car. I could smoke up the tires easily. Look at 0:53. The car goes through effortlessly. Another thing, ONLY a car with brakes out of allignment would spin, under hard braking like this car.
these were available with hide-away headlites (!) and 4-speed manual!
luv those barges with the stick in them.
too bad we cant get things like that today.
Hideaway lights only offered on Caprice for '69.
And 6 cylinder engines with 3 speed manuals on the column were only available on Bel Airs & Biscaynes😂!
Auto reviewers are supposed to review vehicles of all kinds, including ones like this...which are closer than to what many people drive. The typical motorist doesn't get the biggest motor available.
Jejej the music i love those old reviews...😁🤣😂👍
That was a good car show, far better than that Davies that only read out loud what the Communication Department of the automakers would hand to him.
These old B body chevrolets had horrible suspension geometry. They get positive camber in compression, and the stock springs are super soft so they wallow like pigs. Because of the positive camber issue they have bump steer issues when you go over bumps. We won't even mention the weird ackerman angles at high steering angles. They really need a taller spindle, stiffer springs, and redesigned steering arms.
A bodies were almost as bad, but at least didn't have the bump steer issues.
I have a 1969 with a factory four, engine was swapped with a 454. She is fast going straight but corners forget about it, its like trying to turn a cruse ship around a buoy
I don't understand why Chevy would have the 327 4 4bbl V8 and a 2bbl 396.
What's the point?.
That was part of the downfall of Detroit. Toooooo many engine and trans choices( maybe 1 6cyl., a 307, 2 or 3 327, 3 350, 2 or 3 396 and 2 or 3 427 engines).
"there should have been a light to tell us we were moving"?1?! "it couldn't punch it's way through a kleenex" "on the 0 to 60 run ......we did not know if it would go that fast" OMG ROFLMAO... I love it!!
DID EVERYONE SEE HOW IT WENT WALLOWING THROUGH A RIGHT TURN ON THE LEFT FRONT SIDEWALL? AND THE WAY IT DID A 180* IN BRAKING? WHAT A JUNKBOX!!!!!
I imagine the younger engineers told Chevy to supply the Auto Review show with a 427 4bbl. Impala but the geezers said no...lets give Bud a soft 2bbl. car so we can look like idiots!
The driver's side tire was underinflated and the brakes were out of alignment. I used to drive a Chevrolet Caprice of this year and I assure you that they handled better than what was shown. This test was rigged. Then, as now, it is all about keeping the work force ballanced out. Now, it is a global thing though. German cars are being held high to help the European Union.
Why do you gotta take the enjoyment out of everything for us? If you think the their basic and shitty than why did you bother to go look at the video on there? If the modern cars agree with you than go look at those than. Some people appreciate the older cars for what they represent. And just because the older ones weren't built better with high tech like most modern ones they still will look better than the today's cars ever will.
Todays cars wont even be around in 30 years because they are to expensive and complicated to fix
'69-76 were the worst years for most of these full size cars. I agree, aesthetically they were nice to look at, but that's about it. They had huge engines that got lousy mileage and no power. They were all hood and trunk with less leg room than today's cars. The fit, finish and rustproofing on them left a lot to be desired. That compiled with all the new safety and emissions regulation retrofits really turned a lot of people off to these big boats and onto the new Japanese cars that got good mileage, were cheap to repair when they needed it and had a small sticker price. Instead of the big 3 paying attention to the customers they were losing, they beat their partiotic chests and waved flags. They got their asses handed to them in the 80's and 90's...which lead the auto industry to where they are now!
Right on everyone with stink in new cars can disban themselves right now good comment coololds85
The tires roll under right to the whitewalls!
Lol I was waiting for the rocker trim to scrape the pavement 😆
How did we ever survive when cars handled like this! LOL Gorgeous land crusier though.
at what point does pulling to the left become i am now heading in the opposite direction?
Putting a 2bbl on a 396 is very anti- productive! Why?
13.7 secs to 60. It would have been easier to time it using a calendar.
That should be about what my Sister's Challenger will run the 1/4 Mile in.........hell my V-6 Chrysler 200 would be nearly done with the 1/4 mile by then too!
Watching this video, its no wonder the Mopars of the era where considered better handling cars.
'love the wood paneling behind Bud.
That Carburetor couldn't punch it's way through a Mouse Fart.
In 1969 my father rented a two door impala and took all six of us to lake George NY and we watched the moon landing from our hotel. I remember my father had trouble with the side column ignition switch; it was a new design. The 68 had a better design, especially the dashboard.
Joe blo I'm collecting these now and I just say I wish I grew up in that time
A 383 fury would eat this car up.
No doubt about it, that 383 was/is a beast! Hell, I have a '74 Plymouth Satellite Sebring w/318 that would smoke that Impala like a cheap cigar.😂
Dude is it legal to lift these videos for use on your own channel?
Someone was fired after this review!!!
You are correct can't argue your point.
Does anybody know where I can find the music they used?
Did they have the F41 suspension package for the full-size models then?
I always thought it was funny in recent years whenever some young kid got ahold of one these 4,000 pound plus luxo barges from 68 - 73, and thinks that just because it is a Ford GM, or Mopar, and has a V8 that how he now believes he has a Muscle Car.
I always laugh at the constant screeching of the tires in these videos.
STUNNING