1971
1972Guide to the 1972 Heavy Chevy
As the 1971 Heavy Chevy was, the 1972 Heavy Chevy was based on the base 13437 (1C37 VIN) Chevelle Sport Coupe only and the amenities were austere to say the least. Since bucket seats were not an option available on the base Chevelle series, bucket seats could not be ordered with the Heavy Chevy option either. Interior fabrics and colors were restricted as well. The YF3 option sold 9,508 units in 1972 in the U.S., 870 in Canada. Just the fact you have a 1C37 Chevelle Sport Coupe does not automatically make it a Heavy Chevy anymore that the fact you have a 13637 Malibu Sport Coupe make it a Z15 SS-optioned Malibu.
Looking at the individual items packaged with the YF3 option, there is nothing in there that could not be installed by a person in their own driveway to 'clone' a Chevelle Sport Coupe into a factory YF3 optioned Chevelle Sport Coupe.
As with non-SS and SS-optioned Malibus, two dash assemblies were available. The basic sweep-style speedometer with fuel gauge was standard and a clock was optional. The round-type dash pod was used when RPO U14 Instrument Panel gauges were ordered. The gauges were identical to those offered in the Malibu series and included the speedometer, tachometer, fuel, water temperature, ammeter, and clock. The oil pressure indicator remained a warning lamp and was housed in the tachometer.
The YF3 option included not only the wild laser stripes down both sides but "Heavy Chevy" decals on the front fenders, on the trunk and hood as well in lieu of the typical "Chevelle by Chevrolet" emblems. Other items included in the YF3 option were a black accented grille, special domed hood with locking pins, 14"x6" rally type wheels with special center caps. Stripes were only offered in black or white with black being available on any color except Midnight Bronze and white being available on any color except Antique White.
Stripe Color Chart
Engines/Transmissions
The Heavy Chevy could be ordered with any V8 engine except the LS5, 454 cubic inch V8. The Powerglide transmission was only available with the 307/200hp engine while the two 350 engines (L65 & L48) got the Turbo-Hydra-Matic 350 and the 402 engine (LS3) got the Turbo-Hydra-Matic 400 and all were column-shift units along with the standard 3-speed manual transmissions. The optional manual 3-speed and manual 4-speed (M20 wide ratio) was available behind any of the three optional V8 engines as a floor-shift unit but no consoles were available in the Heavy Chevy since that would require bucket seats which were not an option.
Standard Interior Equipment
Several more interior colors and fabrics were offered for 1972, only Light Covert and White were not offered. Floor covering consisted of a color-keyed vinyl-coated rubber mat in lieu of carpeting & no trunk mat was supplied. Glove compartment and courtesy lamps were not standard equipment but could be ordered via RPO ZJ9, Auxiliary Lighting equipment.
Door panels were sparsely attired in the base Chevelle Sport Coupe and the Heavy Chevy option did nothing to dress these up. The 1972 model year base Chevelle door panels were color coordinated with the interior and featured raised panels and an wood-grained strip in place of the white stripe used in 1971. Interior color choices were limited in the base Chevelle to black, dark green, medium tan, and dark blue.
Only the 1972 Nomad series (1B36 series) shown above had plainer door
panels. Note door panels carry the same design but without the faux
wood-grain strip.
Exterior Equipment
Standard exterior trim was as austere as the standard interior trim. The grille did not get the center bow tie emblem but the Heavy Chevy did get the grille outline moldings the standard Chevelle did not. The lower windshield reveal molding was narrower than the Malibu & the windshield wipers did not depress below the windshield and not have an articulated left blade. Bright wheel opening, rocker, and roof drip moldings were also absent although two-tone and vinyl-topped Heavy Chevys did get the normal trim separating the body and roof. The tail lamp lenses were a plain red lens without the bright trim rings or Argent Silver paint.
Various Paperwork
Dealer invoices can be wrong - paint color is listed as "Pacer
Gold" and not the correct "Placer Gold."
Even GM of Canada can get things wrong. Both of these are 1972 Heavy
Chevy Chevelles. The "Number Produced for U.S. Sale in Canada (same
model no. only) is different; 1,151 vs. 931. Both of these Heavy Chevys
are registered here.
Even though GM changed the format of the VIN for 1972, Fisher Body still
used the familiar Style number format for their trim tags. This one
happens to be for a base Chevelle built in Arlington, TX. but note the
Style number of 13437 where the VIN for the car would begin with 1C37.
Exterior Equipment
Standard exterior trim was as austere as the standard interior trim. The grille did not get the CHEVELLE emblem but the Heavy Chevy did get the grille outline moldings the standard Chevelle did not. The lower windshield reveal molding was narrower than the Malibu & the windshield wipers did not depress below the windshield and not have an articulated left blade. Bright wheel opening, rocker, and roof drip moldings were also absent although two-tone and vinyl-topped Heavies did get the normal trim separating the body and roof. The tail lamp lenses were a plain red and red/white lens without the bright trim rings or Argent Silver paint.
With the YF3 option, the typical "Chevelle by Chevrolet" emblem
on the deck lid was removed in favor of the "HEAVY CHEVY"
decal. The build sheet will note this "deletion" with RPO
BW1 DELETE RR ORNA, BW1 RR END ORD DEL or such verbiage depending on
the assembly plant.
