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.

63 Chevy Impala Super Sport

I was thinking back on a trip me and a friend took recently to Indiana to look at a  Numbers Matching 1963 Chevy Impala Super Sport on the web. We knew this SS probably needed some work, but we decided to take the gamble and fly all the way from Florida. Other than running into some scheduling problems with the owner of the vehicle the traveling and trip itself didn’t have any speed bumps.

Click image to see photos from our Indiana trip

When we lost our foggy gazes we quickly snapped back into focus and realized we were here to FULLY inspect the entire vehicle. You could immediately tell the paint was starting to fade and the chrome striping was dinged and missing in some parts.  I thought to myself, it wasn’t that big of a deal and if everything else was good we would soon own a piece of American history. Once we opened the door I was surprised at how good condition the interior was for being a 46-year-old car. I decided  to start the engine and I tell you what, when I turned that ignition and heard the engine roar: I was in pure bliss, possibly even Heaven itself. I was immediately transported back to a time when the American Muscle Car reigned and was the fastest, most beautiful beast on the streets (and it still is in my opinion.) Needless to say the engine sounded excellent, we popped the hood and looked like two kids at a candy store. The sound of that engine was simply put… mesmerizing. As our eyes continually scanned the rest of the engine bay we noticed some rust spots but shrugged it off as wear and tear, nothing we couldn’t fix.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to and end. We quickly realized why this was a,  “too good to be true moment”. The owner probably didn’t want us to know that the entire underneath of the car was completely rusted out. To give you a good example of how much you could probably stick your fist in a hole where the shocks are mounted. The floor panels looked weak and about ready to cave in. The drive side door had two 8″ sections of Bondo where they had to piece the door back together.

Rusty Bottom

It doesn’t get any better from here on, as the trunk itself was missing the whole bottom. It looked like someone had tried to spray some black rubber material on the back quarter panel to hide something. These are things you should warn people about before they travel 900 miles to come see your vehicle. He knew that we were planning to drive this vehicle back and didn’t think of our safety, not only was this thing rusted but all four tires where dry rotted. I’m sure it would have fallen apart once we got on the highway.

We decided to hang our heads and walk away on this one. We spent the rest of the day looking at other classic cars such as a 69 Firebird and a 66 Impala Super Sport, but found the same problems of rust. Now let me ask you, is this typical of the Midwest? We see rust here and there in Florida since we are so close to the ocean but man, it sure does seem like these classic cars are sitting in the snow too long and are being destroyed by weather. Should we stay out of the area, or can you still make some good finds up North? Click here to see images of our trip