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.

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.