In this section I have compiled photos and descriptions of all of the manuals and brochures I have collected which are specific to the 1965 model year and the 1965 Chevelle. The one item I have yet to find is the 1965 Dealer Book but those are elusive, typically incomplete and usually excessively expensive to acquire. Any leads on such items would be appreciated however, please e-mail me with any information on these documents. The shop manuals look used (creased covers, greasy fingerprints, etc.) because I do use them. All the shop manuals and brochures I have are GM originals not reprints. The shop manuals were intended for use in Chevrolet dealership service departments though they were also sold to the general public.
Click the text to see a picture of the listed document:
Salesman's Book, all Chevrolet. This large binder contains sections outlining standard and optional equipment and full color photos of all models of all Chevrolets for 1965. The back section contains paint chips and fabric samples for all the varied interior trim styles available in all models. This is the book the salesmen would have had at their desk to show the customers what models were available, what equipment was available and images of all the cars so they could see what their new car would look like. This copy of the book contains addendums to correct a few misprints throughout the book and covers some of the mid-year changes to the Chevrolet line up.
Engineering Features Book, all Chevrolet. This 101 page book outlines all the mechanical features of all Chevrolet models for 1965. The book compares and contrasts changes from the previous model year. The book goes into detail at a layman's level concerning the body, chassis, suspension and drivetrain structures.
Chevrolet Fingertip Facts book, all Chevrolet. A companion book to the Salesman's book and the Engineering Features book the Fingertip Facts book expands on the Salesman's book information but not quite to the level of technical detail as found in the Engineering Features book.
Owner's Manual, 1965 All-Chevrolet line brochure (includes Corvette), customer accessories brochure and salesman's "custom features accessories" and pricing booklet. The owner's manual I have is specific to my car and it's build date. Mine is an original GM publication. My copy is a second edition dated November 1964. Various editions were placed in the '65 models as the model year progressed and the information was corrected, updated and changed from edition to edition. Since my car was built in December of 1964, this edition is correct to my car. This edition is the first to include L79-specific data (in the engine spec chart in the back) since this option was added after the start of the model year. It has a slight amount of wear and some slight smudges but is an excellent original copy. Reproduction owner's manual do not specify an edition or publication date (found on originals in the lower right hand corner of the first page) and I do not know which edition the reproductions were copied from.
1964 Chevelle Shop Manual. There is no such manual as a 1965 Chevelle shop manual, only supplemental manuals (see below) are specific to 1965 models. I don't know if Chevrolet followed this same practice with other similar-model-year models. Shop manuals typically cover operations such as removing and replacing major components but do not cover in detail how to repair or rebuild those components. There is a great section in the front concerning model breakdowns, where to find serial numbers and so on. This section is repeated in the Chassis Manual for 1965-specific data. The manual is large and thick, roughly 450-500 pages.
1965 Chassis Service Manual. This manual IS specific to the 1965 models. Unlike the main shop manual this manual contains 1965 model information. This manual covers the Chevrolet, Chevelle and Chevy II (excluding Corvette and Corvair) models. Think of this manual as the 1965-specific data supplement to the main (1964) Chevelle shop manual. The chassis manual includes data concerning the 1965-specific L79 (350hp/327ci) engine. Like the Shop Manual, this book covers how to remove and replace major assemblies, not how to repair or rebuild them. The manual appears to be roughly 175-200 pages in size.
1965 Chassis Overhaul Manual. This manual illustrates how to repair and rebuild major assemblies. These manuals are invaluable information useful in restoring and maintaining an old car. The manual looks to contain 100-125 pages.
1965 Body Service Manual. It took me a long time to find this one. The other manuals are fairly common and the others are all reproduced. I would have settled for a reproduction of this manual but none has been printed yet to my knowledge. I recently found this used original manual for sale and snatched it up before it was gone. This manual also has some data for the body and trim for all GM A-body intermediates. Additionally, all 1965 Chevrolet lines except the Corvette (Chevrolet, Chevelle, Chevy II and Corvair) are featured in the manual. The manual appears to be 200-225 pages.
1965 Chevelle sales brochure. This is the brochure that was available at the dealerships for prospective buyers. It illustrates all the models and trim levels available on '65 Chevelles. If I only had more space on this site I could offer pictures of all the pages of the brochure. Many of the cars depicted in the brochure are highly crafted drawings instead of photos. Very early versions of the brochure have a picture of a yellow SS on the back cover sporting trim on the rear fenders just ahead of the rear wheel (simulate brake cooling slots) that never made it into production. Even on later brochures you can see how these trim items were airbrushed out of the photo. Early version of the brochure do not contain information on the L79 option. Some photos depict what are clearly pictures of a 1964 Chevelle which has been airbrushed to make it appear to be a 1965 model. In one photo of a white car it is clear the car has 1964 Malibu SS emblems on the rear fenders (the style and shape of the script is different from 1964 to 1965). The document is 16 pages long.
1965 Chevrolet Colors paint chip brochure. TThis is the paint chip brochure used for all Chevrolet models. This is as good of a scan as I could produce but the colors are not reprsented in their full glory. Take note of the Evening Orchid, Glacier Gray and Crocus Yellow Super Sport-only colors. I'm not sure I have a very high opinions of some of the two-tone combinations that Chevy made available.
Sun Tune-Up charts. Sun, the manufacturer of automotive diagnostic equipment, printed these very useful reference sheets for each engine in each model and make of car. I was only able to get my hands on the 350hp/327ci and 300hp/327ci sheet for the '65 Chevelles. I would have liked to get such a chart for each engine offered in the Chevelles that year, but these were all the dealer had. This information is straight from Chevrolet manuals I'm guessing but it is accurate and lists part numbers for various components which are not listed in the shop manuals.
1965 Chevelle Assembly Manual. This manual was NOT available to the general public. This 300+ page manual was used by assembly line workers. It illustrates how the cars were to be assembled. It is a wealth of information on how these cars were to look from the factory. There are many part numbers, terrific illustrations and specific instructions in the book. This manual is only available as a reproduction (less than outstanding photocopies actually) but is a such a valuable tool it is worth every penny ($20). This manual answered dozens of questions I had about my car even though I had had my car over 10 years when I got the manual. If you are restoring a car and a reproduction manual is available I strongly urge you to buy a copy. The historical information and technical information that can be learned from just browsing the book is fascinating.
AMA Specifications and Product Features outline. Again, these items were not available to the general public. The AMA (Automobile Manufactures' Association) spec sheets are engineering specification sheets filed with the AMA to register the model line. Some of this data can be found in the shop manuals, but much of the data is unique to this 24-page document. Copies of this document are available from Chevrolet. If you supply them with the VIN of your car they will send you a copy of the AMA spec sheet specific to your make and model. My copy is specific to 327-powered '65 Chevelles. I also have a copy of the AMA specs for the Z16 ('65 Malibu SS396). The Product Features outline is another 24 page document similar to the AMA specs but aimed at the layman and more of a sales tool. This outline is also available from Chevrolet and came to me with the AMA specs. This document is a combination of general shop manual data, AMA spec data and sale brochure data. It lists the options available, order codes, dimensions and capacities. Both documents are photo copies of originals.
Salesman Accessories Catalog (all Chevrolet) and Salesman Selling Points Exam Book (all Chevrolet). These books were used by salesman to help them become familiar with available accessories and to learn the selling points of all Chevrolet models. The selling points book was accompanied by filmstrip presentations for training purposes.se books
If I can help with reference data from any of these documents, please e-mail me. I also have compiled a collection of photocopied articles concerning '65 Chevelle information from various Chevelle club publications.
