Rebuilt 350 V8: 1969 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate
On two occasions (1959-60 and 1969-72), Chevrolet elected to brand its full-size station wagons separate from sedans and hardtops. Kingswood was the equivalent of the Impala, and the Kingswood Estate was equal to a Caprice. This 1969 Kingswood Estate is in very nice condition, though it wears an older respray and sports a rebuilt V8. Located in San Clemente, California, this big Chevy has been a one-owner car for the last 16 years and is available here on eBay for $21,000 OBO.
Chevrolet had four levels of big wagons in 1969, beginning with the Brookwood (Biscayne). A step up from there was the Townsman (Bel Air) and the Kingswood cousins we mentioned before. Optional on the Kingswood Estate were hideaway headlights (which the seller’s car does not have) and faux woodgrain paneling on the exterior doors and tailgate (which this car likely did have until the repaint). The trim pieces that surrounded that paneling were not removed along with the appliques. We can’t quantify how many Kingswood Estate wagons were built in 1969 as Chevy tended to bundle those kinds of numbers together.
The seller purchased this wagon in 2008 and kept it in the garage when not in use. He/she had it repainted in the original Lime Green color in 2012 and it’s held up well except for a couple of spots on the rear quarter panels. We’re told that new panel inserts will come with the wagon if you see the need to replace them. The interior is also good, and a spare headliner goes with the deal for the buyer to take care of.
This is the nine-passenger version of the transport with a rear-facing third rear seat (to spy on the cars behind you). The seller has upgraded the suspension with new stock parts and the numbers-matching 350 cubic inch V8 was rebuilt about 2,000 miles back. It’s been tweaked a bit with a mild uplift on the crankshaft and the motor sports a 4-barrel carburetor to help push the wagon down the road. The radiator is also new, as are the brakes. The old-school Cragar wag wheels seem out of place, but maybe that’s just me.
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Comments
One of my best friends father had this car in the same color with a 396. His was optioned the same, ac, crank windows and so on. I replaced the spare tire well for him as that was the only rust on his car. Long gone now, both my friend and the car.
Liven up Russ, Cragars would look good on a hearse!
This car really needs something to break up all that area where the wood grain was, more wood grain, a contrasting color, something. Other than that , it looks like a nice long roof if you were looking for one.
Ah, memories. When I got my license, my dad had a 69 Kingswood wagon. 327, three on the tree.
I have a soft spot for classic wagons, and this fills the bill nicely. The Good: the 350 V8 is a good sized engine, A/T, A/C. The Bad: no power options, the engine could be bigger, the woodgrain trim is still there, even if the woodgrain isn’t. The Ugly: two tons of road-hugging weight!
These were quite heavy, and even a 350 might be straining under the load, especially if asked to pull a trailer. A 393 or a 427 might be a better choice, unless you dropped in a modern LS or LT mill as part of a restomod project. I would remove and save the trim for the Di-Noc phony wood and leave it for the next buyer to decide if they want to reapply the vinyl wood wallpaper to the sides of this beast. Adding four-wheel disc brakes and some suspension upgrades might also be in the cards, again if you want to tow something.
My friends parents had a 69 Kingswood Estate 9 passenger 427 hideaway headlights in brown with a tan interior used to pull a Shasta trailer.. that was some car !!
really like these from Down Under.
They were chunky, durable’n 4WD
(Holden,s by name brand in Oz)
My friend’s dad had a 1970. He learned to drive in that car. Going up icy hills with his fresh license that winter, was a white knuckle trip.