Keith Adelsberg’s 1967 Chevrolet SS427
If you want to take a deep dive into 427-powered, full-size 1967 Chevrolets, ask the man who owns one. Or you can ask Keith Adelsberg, who owns several, including a ’67 Caprice that his father bought for him when he was 15.
The pride and joy of Keith’s family of ’67 Chevys is this numbers-matching 427 SS, which he accurately explains is not an Impala. “The SS427 was a model all to itself with its own RPO code (Z24),” Keith says. “There are no factory installed Impala nameplates on the car.”
It’s estimated that fewer than 75 of the 2,124 SS427 models manufactured in 1967 survive, Keith says. His SS427 is a highly optioned version of the nearly 3,900-pound cruiser. He found the car in a Kansas shop where it was awaiting restoration. The car was complete, but the engine and transmission had been removed for rebuilding.
The car was the color Keith wanted – Marina Blue – and was almost rust-free. Once he began the restoration, the car was disassembled. All hardware was bagged, labeled and evaluated to determine if it could be re-used, restored or replaced. Keith has been collecting full-size ’67 Chevy parts since he was a teenager, so he had a large inventory of parts available. His years of scouring ’67 manuals, dealerships, and swap meets paid off, as most of the unusable pieces on this car were replaced by NOS parts. Keith says the hardest pieces of find were the diecast hood inserts unique to the ’67 SS427, and five year-correct NOS Goodyear Speedway Wide Tread tires.
The original ’67 427 powerplants produced 385 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 460 foot-pounds of torque at 3,400 rpm. The engine in Keith’s SS is a bit stronger, thanks to upgraded internal parts. A 750cfm QuadraJet four-barrel carb sits on a stock cast-iron manifold. Four-piston disc brakes in the front and stock drums in the rear are mated to stock suspension components. The 12-bolt Positraction rearend houses 3.55 gears. A Muncie M-20 four-speed manual transmission handles the gear-changing chores. Original 15-inch Rally Wheels hold the G70-15 Firestone tires that Keith had on the car in Scottsdale.
The light blue interior features multiple options, including: factory air-conditioning, power driver’s seat, deluxe seat belts, AM/FM radio with Multiplex, tinted windows, rear window defroster. Other original options added during the restoration includes a tilt steering column, simulated walnut steering wheel and passenger-side mirror.
What’s next for Keith? He’ll continue to preserve the history of full-size big-block Chevrolets by restoring a just-acquired, 17,000-mile original ’67 SS427. We can’t wait to see it.
Photos by John Jackson & Damon Lee
