Chevrolet CHEVELLE 1972 User manual

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19 72 Chevrolet CHEVELLE . . -
OW NER'S MANUAL
IMPORTANT OPERATING, SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
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It ' WORD TO CHEVELLE OWNERS ...
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This manual has been prepared to acq~aint you with the operation and maintenance of your 1972 Chevelle. and to
provide important safety info , rmatiort~1 ', e ,' ,' , urge yO ,utoraad it carefully and follow the recommendations c, ontained to
help assure the most enjoyable and tro ' blefree operation of your vehicle. , .
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When it comes to service. remember th your Chevrolet dealer knows your vehicle best and is interested in your
complete satisfaction. Return to him for uardian Maintenance Service and any other assistance you may require.
To assist dealers in handling your needs. Cevroletmaintains a number of Zone Offices throughout the country. ShOUld
you have a problem that cannot be handled . through normal channels. follow the procedure presented in SectionS of
this manual under the heading. "OwnEir Ass rt ance" . .
We would like to take this opportunity to tha k you for choosing a Chevrolet product-and ~ a ' ssure you of our continuing
interest in your motoring pleasure aridsatisfl\ftion.
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FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMY I GM 1: ' _" ~ ' DeIco. · ... 1 GI
KEEP YOUR GM CAR ALL GM. SPECIFY GENE, ... ,
MOTORS PARTS IDENTIFIED BY ONE OF TH E" _ ,
TRADEMARKS: .... _____ .......!,,.,..,.;.::=.,,-.L....---'.
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Chevrolet Motor Division
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1"~ " 1' , :2 :CHEVELLE
O'NNER'S
1\1I,\NUAL
CHEVROLET MOTOR
DIVISION
GENERAL MOTORS
CORPORATION
DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48202
)411 information. illustrations and specification~ con-
'tained in this manual are based on the latest product
Information available at the time
of publication. The
right is reserved to make changes at any tim.e without
notice.",
~Part No. 328785
ST 305-72 '
Third Edition
February 1972
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Sect"on Table of Contents ,~ , Page
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2 Startin~d Operating ............... : ......... ·'1·. I~L .• .. · ~ .. ,13
Steering Column Controls .................. : ........ t .·;~;. , t r .... 14
, " / '·:··< :j'.> ;,:"':.i ':' > '-X""'"
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Instruments and Controls .................... ; ...... . t' .. ...•••....• 22
Floor Controls ..... : .. ' ..... ; ....................... ; .......... " 35
Other Controls and Featul1ils ........... , ............ '; ........... 36
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Safety Checks ............. '; ...................... ; ... Center Insert
3 In
Case of Emergency ............ ' .............. .
40
4 Appearance Care ....... ' ........................ .
44
5 Service and Maintenance ..................... .
48
6 Maintenance Schedule ...... ; ................ .
7 lVIinor Trouble Shooting
...... .
8 Specifications, Owner
Station Information ...... .
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You canoperate your new car from
its very first mile without adhering
to a formal "break"in" schedule.
However, during the first
few 'hun-
dred miles of driving you'can, by
observing a few simple precautions,
add to tpe future performance and
economy of your car.
It is recommended that your
speed 'J
4fJrin
g the first 500 miles
be c ,"
"- fined to a maximum of 60
M.P.', ., but
do not drive for ex-
tenddperlods at anyone constant
spe ,
eil;b'er fast or slow. Dtir-
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inge this ;, perJod; avoid'full thr,ottle
st~ ' sand, .i{possible; .· avoi4 ff hard
st t s espeCi~IlY : Q'uring the fi 'tst 200
mJ'
es ofoperati6Ilsince Qrake mis-
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use during this period will destroy.
much future brake efficiency.
Always drive at moderate speed
until the engine has. completely
warmed up.
If you plan to use your new car
for trailer hauling see additional
information on page 11.
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'.
BEFORE DRIVING YOUR CH EVELLE "
DRIVER CHECKLIST
Before Entering Car
1. See that windows, mirrors and
lights are clean.
2. Visually note inflation condition
of tires.
3. Check that area to rear is clear
if about to back up.
Before Driving Off
1. Lock all doors.
2. Position seat.
3. Adjustinsideandoutsidemirrors.
4. Fasten seat belts.
5. Check that warning bulbs light
when key
is turned to statt
position. , >i
6. Release parking brake (and 'see
that brake warning light turns
off) .
7. Be sure you understand youl.'cat
and how J~ operate it safely) "
~t
Keys
Two separate keys are provided
for
your car. Each key has a differ-
ent cross section so that it
/i can be
inserted only in certain
lS~ks.
• Key with > square head
(stamped "e") - for ignition
switch and 'door lo.cks. :"
• K$y with oval head'(stamped
"O! :) :.... for all other locks.
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ALL OTHER . ,
lOCKS
,The code nUD:lberof each. k~y is
st~mped on the " ~knock out".pllJg
in the key head. Your Chevrolet
!! dealer removedth~~e plugs and
placed them with th~ ; spare set of ,l
keys in the sp~cialJ<:ey envelope
that was given ·
:r to yoti at time of
delivery. For your protection:
• Record the numbers on the key
envelope and .discard the key
plugs.
. 'Keep the key envelope in a safe
place such
as 'your wallet, Not '
In Th~ Car.
In the event the original keys are
lost, duplicates can be made by
your dealer
or a locksmith using the
., key code information.
'l!esiire to l(Jck the; :glove box or
consol~ compartments and remove
the key from
the carwhenever it is
necessary to leave the ignition key
'. with an attendant:
Door Locks ,
Front and'rear side doors ··' can
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4:"'
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be locked from the inside by de-
pressing the passenger guard door
lock buttons located on the upper
door panel. All doors canbe locked
from the outside by first depressing
the door lock button and closing
the door.
The front doors can also be
locked by using the key.
All models have as a standard
safetyfeature overriding doorlocks.
When the doors are locked, the
door'latch mechanism
is inopera-
tive, preventing inadvertent open-
ing of the door by movement of the
inside handle.
REMINDER: Avoid hanging ob-
j~cts on the right hand coat hook
in such
away that you block the
driver's vision to the right rear
quarter.
REMINDER: Always lock the
doors w,hendriving, for greater se-
curity in the event- of an accident
and for security against entry by
unwelcome persons while momen-
tarily stopped.
Seats
Folding seatbacks are equipped
with self-latching mechanisms and
release controls designed for the
convenience of entering and exit-
ing passengers.
Manually Operated Front Seats
-Pull forward on the seat adjuster
lever, located on the driver's side
of the front seat, to unlock the seat
4
and allow adjustment to the front
or rear. As the seat slides forward,
it tilts slightly to provide best pos-
ture and increased driving ease.
Re -
lease the lever to lock the seat in
the desired position.
Back Locks (Manual) -For your
safety each folding front seatback
has a lock which must be released
before the seatback can be folded
forward.
The release lever
is located at
the lower side of each backrest
nearest the door. Move the lever
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upward, then pull the seatback
forward.
Keep seat belts and buckles clear
of mechanism when tilting folding
seats forward or backwards, to pre-
vent damage tothese beltrestraints.
Standard Seats - The release
knob is located at the lower rear of
each backrest nearest the door. Lift
the knob upward, then pull the
seatback forward.
Strato Type Seats-Located on
the upper side of each backrest, a
button release must be pressed
;,' DAY-NIGHT
: {
EVER
(J
while pulling the seatback forward.
The
lock will latch when the
s~tback returns to its upright po-
SItIon.
Inside Rearview Mirrors
Switch mirror to night position to
reduce glare from following head-
lights.
To raise or lower, grasp mir-
ror and exert sufficient pressure by
pushing
or pullirig to move mirror
support rod toward
or' away from
windshield, and
up or ~ down. The
hidden, upper ball joint, where the
support rod meets the roof, and
the
knee joint at the lower end of the
5 ,
rod work together to permit setting
the mirror at a variety of heights.
Head Restraints
• Head restraints are designed·to
help reduce injuries due to "whip-
lash."
• Select one of the two positions-
up or
down-which places the top
of head restraint closest to the
top of your ears.
• Do not use head restraint above
the lip detent position.
• Head restraint can be raised by
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pulling up until you feel the
,spring t?-tch ·seat in the detent
position.
• To lower, release latch at base
of supporting rod and push down
on restraint.
• Do not operate vehicle with head
restraints removed, since occu-
pants lose the protection pro-
vided.
Occupant Restraint Belts
Lap and shoulder belts provide
added security and comfort for you
and your passengers. Proper use
and care of these belts will assure
continuance of this security.
Lap Belts
• Adjust front seat to satisfaction
of driver and
sit erect and well
back in seat.
• In a singl~ motion, pull webbing
across
lap ·far enough to permit
inserting metal latch plate end
of seat belt into the buckle, un-
til a snap
is heard. If not pulled
out far enough to reach, let belt
rewind into the ·retractor to re-
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lease lock mechanism, so belt
can be pulled out to the proper
length.
• Position belt across lap as LOW
ON HIPS as possible. To reduce
risk of sliding under belt, adjust
to a SNUG
FIT by pulling belt
firmly across lap in direction of
retractor so it can take up slack.
• Seats next to side windows have
retractors which are designed
to automatically take up excess
webbing and maintain tension
on the lap belt.
• Lap belts on rear seats should be
positioned and secured
as shown
on illustration, and adjusted to
a SNUG
FIT by pulling on the
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end of the belt extended from the
adjustable latch plate.
• To lengthen a rear seat lap belt
place adjustable latch plate at
right angles to the belt webbing
and pull on latch plate; belt
should then slide easily through
the adjustable latch plate.
• To unfasten lap belts, depress
push button in center of buckle.
Seat Belt Buzzer/Light
Reminder
• The front . outboard lap belts
(those next to side windows)
are linked to a buzzer and light
which remind occupants to fas-
ten seat belts.
• On cars with automatic transmis-
sions, the buzzer and light are
designed to come on when the
ignition switch
is on, the trans-
mission selector
is in a forward
drive position, and the driver's
or right front passenger's lap
belt
is not fastened.
• On manual transmission cars,
the reminders are designed to
come
on with the transmission
7
in any·gear position, .except that
they do not come
on when the
parking brake
is engaged.
ADJUSTABLE LATCH
PLATE CENTER SEAT
BELT. TURN AT
RIGHT ANGLE TO
LENGTHEN .
NOTE: .The right front seat con-
tains a weight detector which
is !
designed to activate the buzzer and
light whenever a nominal weight
-, is
placed on the seat. The weight de-
tector cannot distinguish between
a passenger and any item of lug-
gage or cargol therefore such items
should be placed elsewhere
in the
car, prefera~ · in the trunk.
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If s~at belt system or reminder
system dQe.snot wQ'rk , asdescr,~bed,
see your Chevrolet ~ealer for in-
formatipn and as'sistance.
Shoulder Belts
• When properly' worn with a lap
belt, a shoulder belt can provide
important additiortal protection
against impact with the car in-
terior by restraining forward
motion of the upper torso in a
collision. This
is particularly
true in the case of a frontal im-
pact, which
is the most frequent
type of
~ccident.
• To fasten the shoulder belt, un-
stow it
andplace the .knob on
the sHoulder belt eng of the
key~
hole ()ll the lap belt latch' plate.
Tilt the knob
as necessary, to
pass it through the slot'. 1''011 the
knob firmly
up~arsl to seat it at
the narrow, end'of ~he }.<:eyhole,
then fasten the lap belt. :
8 > •
• Shoulder belts are lengthened
and shortened in the same man-
ner
as center seat lap belts.
• Shoulder belts should have suffi-
cient slack to insert a fist's width
between your chest and the belt.
This can be checked by insert-
ing a clenched fist between the
belt and your chest with thumb
against chest and back of hand
facing upward.
• When not in use, the shoulder
belt may be stowed by leaving
it attached to the lap belt and
allowing the lap belt to rewind
into its retractor. Take up re-
SHOULDER BELT, ,-,
.STOWAGE
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