1970 Chevelle SS

How to spot a genuine SS Chevelle / El Camino
by: Daniel Carr (Part 3)

In 1970, there were two different SS packages available. One was the “Z25″ SS-396 and the other was the “Z15″ SS-454. There were only two engine choices for the SS-396: the 350 and 375 horsepower versions. It was a confusing year for 396 buyers. The 396 engines now actually displaced 402 cubic inches, but were still called a “396″ when installed in an SS. There was also a new 330 horsepower “LS3″ big-block “400″ engine option available for the non-SS Malibu and El Camino Custom. To confuse things even further, there was a 400 cubic inch 2-bbl small-block available (only in the ‘70 Monte Carlo).

The Malibu “400″ big-block was also actually a 402, and was basically an overbored version of the 325 horsepower 396 motor that had been available on the ‘68 and ‘69 SSs. The “Malibu 400″ package, produced from ‘70-’72 on the Chevelle and El Camino is fairly scarce today. The reason is that many of these big-block vehicles have been converted to SS clones. In stock form, the Malibu 400 and El Camino 400 carried “400″ emblems on the fenders.

A very limited number of SS Chevelles with the 375 HP 396 and the “L89″ aluminum heads were produced in ‘70.

There were two engines available for the ‘70 SS-454 : the 360 horsepower “LS5″ and the 450 horsepower “LS6″. The ‘70 LS5 Chevelle is actually rarer than the ‘70 LS6 Chevelle. The LS6 was only available in the ‘70 Chevelle, the ‘70 El Camino, and the ‘71 Corvette. It was never available to the public in *any* other cars. The ‘70 LS5 motor used in the Corvette was identical to the Chevelle LS5, but for marketing reasons the Corvette rating was 390 horsepower. There was purported to be one known LS6 Chevelle with the L89 aluminum head option, but it is now generally believed that this car (and its documentation) is fake. Chevrolet also had an experimental LS7 engine that was supposed to be available in the ‘70 Corvette, but never materialized. However, the LS7 heads were available over the counter at GM dealers in ‘71 and ‘72. No factory built LS7 cars were ever sold to the public.

The ‘70 & up SS now had a completely different dash than the non-SS models. The ‘70 SS would have either “SS/396″ or “SS/454″ emblems on the fenders (and on the tailgate of the El Camino). The Chevelle SS had a white “SS” logo in the black rubber pad on the rear bumper. Both the Chevelle SS and El Camino SS had a large “SS” grille emblem (without any engine size).

The SS models also had a hood with a large bulge in the rear center. Hood stripes were an extra cost option with this hood. There was also a “Cowl Induction” option available. It had “Cowl Induction” emblems on either side of the bulge and a door on the top of the bulge that would open automatically when the engine needed extra air. The Cowl Induction option was NOT standard on any SS – it was always an extra cost item. The Cowl Induction option came with hood stripes. You could, however, delete the Cowl Induction stripes at no cost.You could get the stipes without the Cowl Induction option (at additional cost). All of the ‘70-’72 SS cars came with hood pins, except for some of the early ‘70 models (those built around April of 1970 or earlier) that were not ordered with Cowl Induction.

The ‘70 SS came with the same wheels used on the ’69s.

1969 Chevelle SS For Sale

How to spot a genuine SS Chevelle / El Camino
by: Daniel Carr (Part 2) 

From 1969 on, the SS was no longer a separate model. Instead, it was now an “SS” option package added to a 300 Deluxe model, Malibu model, or El Camino Custom model. 1969 was the only model year that the SS package could be ordered on the base model Chevelle 300 Deluxe (as a 2-door coupe or a 2-door post sedan). The only SS option in ‘69 was the “Z25″ SS-396 package. The ‘69 and up cars are harder to authenticate because the VIN can not be used to confirm if the car is an SS. 

There were two colors that were exclusive to the ‘69 SS. “Monaco Orange” (code 72) and “Daytona Yellow” (code 76). If either of these paint codes appear on the cowl tag (and the cowl tag is genuine) then that would prove the car to be a genuine SS. 

VIN tag doesn’t tell you much

If someone had a nice ‘69 Malibu, and a rusted out ‘69 SS, it would be easy for them to simply move the SS equipment over to the Malibu. As long as they did not alter or move the VIN plates or cowl tags, this would be perfectly legal, and since the VIN tag doesn’t tell you much, there would be almost no way for you to know. 

From ‘69 on, single-piston disk brakes were STANDARD equipment with the SS package. These brakes are easier to find parts for than the earlier four-piston disk brakes. 

Chevrolet literature indicates that the only way to get a 396 was with the SS package. However, there appears to be at least one late-production Chevelle that was built with a 396 and all the required SS equipment, but the “Z25″ SS-396 option was not listed on the car’s build sheet. It is believed that this car came from the factory with “SS” emblems, but that is not 100% certain. 

Again in 1969, the only available SS engine was the 396 (in the same flavors as in 1968). In 1969, however, it was possible (if you knew who to talk to) to order something called a COPO 427 Chevelle. COPO stands for “Central Office Production Order”. The COPO program allowed dealers to order equipment that was not usually available (such as special paint, special engines, etc.) Unlike the ’68s, the ‘69 Chevelles had their 427 engines installed at the FACTORY, not the dealership. This makes the ‘69 427s more legitimate in the eyes of collectors today. You didn’t necessarily have to go to Yenko or some other special dealer in ‘69 to get a 427 Chevelle. Your local dealer could usually get you one if you filled out the right paperwork. While the ‘69 COPO 427s had basically the same equipment as the SS-396s, they were not generally considered SSs because they did not have any external “SS” or “427″ identification. They were the ultimate sleepers. Any genuine ‘69 COPO 427 Chevelle is quite valuable today. There are also unconfirmed reports of a ‘69 COPO 427 El Camino. 

In addition, there was an “L89″ aluminum head option available for the ‘69 375 HP 396. Few were ordered. 

1969 SSs had “SS/396″ emblems on the front, back, fenders, door panels, on the dash above the glove box, and on the standard SS steering wheel. The ‘69 SS also had the twin-bulge hood like the ’68s, but the bolt holes where the hood hinges attached were slightly different. The ‘69 SS came with 14″ SS wheels with “SS” center caps. The ‘69 SS stripe option consisted of a black, white, or red stripe which ran along the upper body sides. There are also reports of a few ‘69 SSs with dealer-painted hood stripes, similar to the stripes used on many ‘70-’72 SSs. 

Another rare car, produced only in ‘69, was an SS Chevelle built on the 2-door post sedan, the “Chevelle 300″. This was the only year that a 2-door post sedan SS was produced. Most of the ‘69 SSs, and all the ‘70-’72 SSs, were built upon the 2-door Malibu pillarless coupe.

1969 Z-28 Camaro ralley green with comfort weave interior. This car is documented and certified by the GURU Jerry McNeish. This is a very early z 09D of 68 with a born with engine build of 9-11 cool stuff. The M-21 trans shifts smooth and the born with rear is a nice 355 perfect for cruising.The paint is bb cc on original sheet metal its crisp and laser straight. Some of the options are console with gauges, tilt wheel,with wood grain interior. Car comes with restore pics and all engine parts with detailed pictures. The flow masters exhaust is not original but with the stock manifolds this baby sounds great and scoots. What better investment than a ## match documented 1969 Z. ONLY $57,900

Erics Muscle Cars is proud to offer this 67 corvette 427/400hp fact a/c tri-power tank sticker fully documented 1 repaint correct color combo goodwood green/white stinger and interior (rare) need $77,500 obo

Erics Muscle Cars is proud to offer this real 66 Chevelle SS. The beautiful big block is just out of paint shop after being taken down to bare metal and getting a new Marina Blue paint job. No expense was spared as all chrome, trim and rubber is being replaced. If you want a show quality 4 speed Chevelle….look no further. ONLY $42,900

Chevy SS - Real or Not?

How to spot a genuine SS Chevelle / El Camino
by: Daniel Carr (Part 1)

It is easy to spot an SS Chevelle compared to a “plain-Jane” model. However, it is not so easy to tell the difference between a genuine SS and a plain Malibu which has been altered to look like an SS. There are far more SS “look-a-likes” out there than people realize. There may even be more SS clones out there than genuine SS.

In the next couple of weeks, I will post, by year (68 – 73) a “what to look for” when searching for your Chevelle / El Camino Chevy SS. This article was written by Daniel Carr and posted over at chevelles.com

68  Chevelle SS / El Camino SS

In 1968, the SS was a separate model (the “SS-396″). Therefor, it can be identified by the VIN number. For example, a 1968 El Camino with a VIN number starting with “13880″ would be a genuine SS-396 model, while a ‘68 El Camino with the VIN “13680″ would be a non-SS “Malibu” version of the El Camino. All genuine Super Sports from 1966-1968 have an “8″ as the third digit of the VIN.

1968 was also the first year you could get an El Camino SS, and it is the only year for a separate El Camino SS model.

Genuine ‘68 SS-396 Chevelles had chrome trim pieces on the lower body sides both in front of, and BEHIND the rear wheels. The non-SS versions had the same trim in front of the rear wheels, but not behind them. None of the ‘68 Chevelle or El Camino models came with wheel well trim.

Genuine ‘68 SS-396s could come with standard Chevy rally wheels, or even with plain “dog-dish” hub caps. In ‘68, disk brakes and tachs/gauges were NOT standard equipment on the SS – you would have to pay extra for those. In fact, the MAJORITY of ‘68 SS-396s have all drum brakes. In ‘68, the disk brake option utilized 4-piston front brake calipers. Parts for these brakes can be difficult to locate today.The “F41″ suspension option (rear anti-sway bar) was not available at all in ‘68.

The only available engine in the ‘68 SS was the 396. It came as either the 325 HP “L35″, the 350 HP “L34″, or the 375 HP “L78″. At least one ‘68 SS-396 Chevelle with the “L89″ aluminum head option has been reported.

The ‘68 SS models had “SS/396″ emblems on the front and back, on the door panels, above the glove box, and on the steering wheel. On early ‘68 SSs, the front side marker light bezels had a foil insert that said “SS/396″. On later ‘68 SS production, The bezels simply said “396″. The steering wheel emblem also said “SS/396″ on early production, and simply “SS” on later production vehicles. The ‘68-’69 SS hoods had twin bulges, while the non-SS hoods were “flat”. The two raised bulges each had a chrome grille on the top, near the rear edge of the hood.

The ‘68 SS stripe option was either a black, white, or red stripe which ran across the front header panel above the grille, angled downwards towards the bottom of the front fenders, and then along the lower body sides to the back.

In ‘68, there were some special Chevrolet dealers such as “Baldwin Motion” and “Yenko” who sold Chevelles with hopped-up 396 or even 427 motors. The 427 motors were installed at the DEALERSHIP, not the factory. These cars would usually have other dealer installed items such as emblems, hoods, stripes, etc. These cars are quite valuable today, but only if they have documentation proving their authenticity.

In Canada, GM sold a very unusual vehicle that was basically a Chevelle, but it was called a “Beaumont”. It had the same chassis, engine, and sheet metal as the SS-396 Chevelle, but with a Pontiac derived front grille and dashboard. It was called the “SD-396″, and even had “SD-396″ decals on the lower front fenders.

This is a classifieds site which caters to customers who are interested in buying, selling and/or trading for a Chevy Muscle Cars.

Everyone is welcome to submit an ad for free (dealers included).

I’m still tweaking the site so when you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think. I’m open to any and all feedback.

Hopefully this is one more step in becoming your number one sport for Chevy muscle cars.

Mecum Auction Block

I wanted to write and tell you about my experience at the Mecum auction two weeks ago. What a great experience; Let me first start by saying, this is the largest and most extravagant auction Mecum holds every year. If you ever get a chance to go to the Indianapolis or Kissimmee auctions, I would strongly suggest doing so. The cars or I should say, creatively restored “to mint condition” cars were amazing!

Starting Wednesday, there were approximately 1500 cars that went across the block that weekend, and 80% of those cars were unbelievable. This was literally the “Holy Grail” of muscle cars! Everywhere you turned, there was a car that brought you back to your good ole’ days; Chevy’s, Buick, Pontiac, Ford, everything your heat desired.

The auction prices went anywhere from $2,000 – to 6+ MILLION! This was Indianapolis’ Concourse De’ Elegance, not the same type of classics, but they held their own with the big boys in Pebble Beach. Oh and by the way, Mecum set a record with the most cars sold by this company and the most revenue produced for the auction.

Lights! Camera! Action!

If you had a pulse, being in their environment, made your heart race! The anticipation, speed of the auction, the lights, the camera’s, the gestures, the people, the auctioneers, the experts, the clapping and applause was something surreal! You really have to be able to contain yourself or you can get caught up very quickly and find yourself going home with a beautiful car you couldn’t afford.

Before our car went across the block it was extremely intimidating. I decided to walk along side our car before it got to the block, but that also meant, I had to walk side by side with some real heavy hitters too, which were, a Chevy Impala 409 and a 70’ Chevelle Convertible, not that we didn’t have a beauty to sell, but if you know about muscles, you know how intimidated I was.

Everything goes through your mind at that moment; did we pick the right paint color? How does the body look? Should we have put the top up or down? What mistakes did we make in the process? Why is this person looking at the car that way? Did we set the right reserve price? Did I turn off the oven when I left the house on Thursday? Everything and anything goes through your mind – you really find yourself racing for answers before it goes across; and then all of sudden….there you are, in the front of everyone – Lights! Camera! Action!

I found myself yelling inside my head!

I thought; “Holy Smokes, my car looks HOT” but, there was no time for admiring my prize at that moment, it was game time! I had to put on my game time face! I had two guys asking me question after question. One guy was the actual auctioneer, leaning over the stage looking “larger than life” asking me, what’s the price? Will you take lower than the reserve? What color is the top? I found myself yelling inside my head “re-iterate the key points to them!!!!!” So I blurt out “make sure to tell the audience, it’s a 4 speed, bucket seats and a convertible” What? I thought “of course they know it’s a convertible you idiot – the top is down.”

I didn’t even notice how fast the price was increasing by $500 increments. Ok, Ok…calm down clammy hands! Breathe in, breathe out. At this point everything’s in slow mo and this guy’s talking to me as if I took some Hallucinogen…”dooooooo yoouuuuuuu waaaaannnnt tooooooo seeelllll iiiiiit aaaaaat tttthhhiissss priiiiiiice?” And then complete silence – I couldn’t hear a thing! I wanted to ask them my own question… “Can I go back to my Mother’s womb where it’s nice and warm?” But, you’ve got to answer the question now, remember…game face! Wake up, look at the screen and make a decision! I said, in slow mo…“nooooooooo” and he said “how much is it going to take to sell it?” I gave him a figure, which was lower than what I really wanted to sell it for; he then told me the price he thought I could get for it. After about, what felt like, an hour of silence I shook his hand and walked off the auction block with my beauty. The price wasn’t right for either of us and we ended up where we began…back in the waiting facility where all the cars go to the famous “the bid goes on”.

What a Rush!

It’s over! I looked at my watch to check the time, thinking “wow that seemed like forever” came to find out I was up there for 3-4 minutes. 3 to 4 minutes! All the driving, flying, restoring, preparing, discussing, decision making, thinking, worrying and everything it took to get to this point…it took 3-4 minutes. But what a rush! it was like being on some kind of extreme adrenaline drug for only 3-4 minutes. I would do it all over again just for the experience and the things I learned. It really was something amazing!

So next time you’re watching the Mecum auction on television, just remember, each person standing up at the auction block is going through the same thing that every other seller is going through; thinking…”can I go back to my Mother’s Womb where it’s nice and warm?”

1969 Oldsmobile 442

The Spring Classic Mecum Auction in Indianapolis starts Wednesday May 13, 2009 and will run through Sunday the 17th. Over 1,250 cars will cross the block and our good friend will have his beautiful 1969 Oldsmobile 442 convertible on that famous stage, Sunday around 12:40.

Mecum offers two great ways to watch the auction live. Mecum’s Webcast streaming video and high-definition TV coverage ( check you local listings).

Here at Chevy Super Sport we’ll be streaming Saturday and Sundays auction live for your viewing pleasure.

Here are some of the cars that will be up for sale:

• 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster
• 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle convertible
• 1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible
• 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28
• 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS
• 1969 Plymouth Road Runner
• 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda Convertible
• 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

Let us know what you think of the auction and/or any of the classic cars in it. See you on the 16th