1966 Chevrolet Biscayne

Well, here’s the barge.

Owing to my father’s love for derelict American iron, I laid eyes on on this otherwise ordinary mid-60s grocery-getter and had to have it. For those unfamiliar with classic American cars, the Biscayne was the factory-stripped version of the esteemed Bel Air, which itself was the step down from the luxury Impala. By stripped, I mean it has cloth bench seats, manual windows, manual steering, and even non-power assist four-wheel drum brakes. At its core, it was billed as an affordable, basic means of familial transportation. However, that also means it’s rock-simple to work on—a mechanic’s blessing.

The Biscayne, like the Bel Air and Impala of the era, was offered with a lunch buffet list of engines and transmissions: a pair of torquey-if-small inline six offerings, a handful of small-block V8s, and the famous 396, 402, and 427 cubic-inch big block V8s, all mated to your choice of 3- or 4-speed manuals, the drag-racing favorite Powerglide 2-speed automatic, or the “Turbo-hydramatic” 3-speed slushbox. My car hits the lower end of that spectrum, with its 250 cu. in. (4.1L) inline six and 3-speed column-shift manual.

After sitting for roughly six years, untouched, all it took to bring this goliath to life was a can of gasoline and a fresh battery. The suspension and steering were terrible and the brakes were worse, and all three required complete overhaul. For now, I went back with the four-wheel drum setup, though I plan to upgrade to power disc brakes as soon as my bank and time accounts allow for it. I may air bag it one day.

For powertrain, I deeply considered a number of engines, including a 2JZGTE, but settled on the factory six-popper for now. Everyone has a V8, everyone wants a V8, and I wanted something different. The Chevy inline six has had a reputation of durability and a mild racing pedigree for decades, so I dove right on in.

Thanks to a very informative book, inliners.org, 12bolt.com, Stovebolt Engine Co., and Clifford Perfomance, my knowledge and enthusiasm in hopping up these engines grew. With 77k original miles, I figured the engine was still in good shape. A compression test confirmed that. I threw some new gaskets into the bottom end and promptly sourced a junkyard head for some minor performance work.

I purchased a lump-port kit for the asthmatic intake ports and performed some mild bowl-blending, gasket-matched the exhaust ports, and milled .040in off of the head surface for a small bump in compression. I then installed larger 1.84in intake and 1.6in exhaust valves and much stiffer performance SBC valve springs. To support the added airflow requirements, I bolted on an Offenhauser 4-barrel intake manifold topped with an Edelbrock 500CFM carburetor and a pair of cast 3-1 exhaust headers. For ignition, I ditched the old distributor and upgraded to an HEI system with 8.5mm spark plug wires.

For now, I’ve also stuck with the column-shifted 3-spd, because it’s a ton of fun to drive, and 80% of the people I’ve encountered have never even seen one. In a way, it’s a pretty effective antitheft device. At some point I’ll likely swap in a modern 5-speed with overdrive and swap to a lower rear axle ratio, but frankly, I’m impressed with how much the head work improved the power and performance of that old engine.

No, it isn’t fast, but it’s a blast to drive.

The exterior? Well, it’s seen better days, but I enjoy the #ratrod #patina. The previous owner used white latex-based house paint and slathered it onto the car, which quickly blew off of the car when he drove it, so he says. Try as I might, haven’t been able to remove it without digging into the paint underneath. Any suggestions on paint/body are very welcome.

Current wheels are replica Corvette Rallyes in 15x8 front and 15x10 rear; previous wheels were Cragar Super Spoke 330s in 15x8 (yup, it would have looked like the Supernatural car if I still had them).