autoevolution
 

1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon Barn Find, More Like Graveyard Find

Someone would have to be extremely passionate about restoring Chevys to pay $3,000 or more for extra parts for this project. But weirder things were bought and paid for in the past, so it’s anyone’s guess. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years this is gonna sit front and center at some auto show winning prizes left and right for its concourse restoration brilliance.
1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon 14 photos
Photo: Screenshot from Mr. Goodpliers YouTube Channel
1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon
It clearly has no headlights, given that the entire front part of the car is missing. Nor does it have a front grille attached, let alone a bumper. But what it does seem to have is the complete factory GM Chevrolet Big-Block 396 CI (6,489 cc) V8 engine that, back in the day, produced no less than 265 horsepower (269 ps) with 400 ft-lb (542 Nm) of torque. It did 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) in 10.6 seconds.

Not the fastest in the parking lot, but it is a purebred American station wagon at the end of the day, measuring 216.7 inches (5,504 mm) in length and dragging around 4,636 lbs. or 2,103 kg. It’s longer than the latest Range Rover, which comes in at 198.9 inches (5,052 mm).

Coming back to the engine, the owner has said it ceased and that it’s not rebuildable. However, for the unicorn buyer who would want nothing more than to restore this, the owner has also said he has a compatible 427 CI (6,996 cc) V8 engine block and heads for sale, in case this one is too far gone for a revival.

1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon
Photo: Screenshot from Mr. Goodpliers YouTube Channel
He didn’t specify from what model the 427 was, but the ‘69 Chevy Kingswood Estate was known to cruise around with that engine under its hood, churning out 390 hp (396 ps). So maybe the future buyer would want to pay extra just so they could have more ponies under there.

On the exterior, except for the rust, it will also require a lot of bodywork. A panel from the front right side of the car is completely gone, it also has spots on the roof where body filler was applied, and on the trunk, there's a huge gash indicating that someone tried to cut it open to get inside. Luckily in the case of the latter, the current owner has a replacement gate. He also said that he might have the original wheel rims for it.

Some doors work, others not so much, like the one on the driver’s side, which also has a dent on the outside. The handles seem to work fine, so that might be a case of the old frozen latches. The 95-liter gas tank is in good condition, according to the owner, and it’s sitting pretty on a cushion inside the car. The original front seats were replaced with blue ones for some reason.

1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Station Wagon
Photo: Screenshot from Mr. Goodpliers YouTube Channel
The cap it all off, if the state of the $3,000 car won’t be enough of a deterrent for someone, maybe the difficulty of actually getting it out of the junkyard will. It’s not positioned in the most accessible spot, lying between other cars and metal. A crane could fix that, but that would incur other issues in and of itself. Not to say it would be impossible for someone extremely determined.

Now, for the parts the car might need, the Chevy owner also has a ‘69 Impala. The same year Kingswood is based on the Impala, so much of the front side of the Impala is compatible with it. Even the front doors can be swapped, but not the back ones, though.

The Impala has the top part of the rear window frames more rounded, in an arch shape, while the station wagon has a flatter, squared shape. The front grille is busted up on the Impala as well, but he has a good one separate from it, along with headlight bezzles.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Codrin Spiridon
Codrin Spiridon profile photo

Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive).
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories