69 Chevelle SS 396 4 SPEED $$

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by GNVAIR
I stand by what I said. A good show quality paint job around here can cost $5000. That wouldnt include any sheet metal or labor for sheet metal which gets VERY expensive for 68-69 Chevelles. Have you ever priced fenders? The fronts are like $400@ Then there is the interior stuff and drivetrain related stuff.
Dude, you could easily put another $10k into it without blinking.
Personally, I would look for one that is done. You would be surprised what you might find for $10-$15k
Just stay away from Black Tie Classics in Berlin, NJ

Screw the fenders, ever price NOS quarters? I think they are up to a grand or more on my Camaro (I paid $175, I'm dating myself). I know for a 70 Chevelle they have gone for as high as $1500 each. I don't know how high they are on a 69. I think the 67-69 Chevelle might be interchangeable. Either way, NOS is going to cost you a lot. Then add in bumpers and stuff, new gas tank, wiring, etc. It makes my head spin thinking about all the money I spent. My damn 69 Camaro racecar cost me less!!

BTW, the RS fenders on my Camaro are about $850 last time I checked (I paid $125).

 

[NJTurbo]

Art,

Not to highjack my own thread, however i remember seeing somewhere around here you twisting things on your S2 car. What is the deal with that and how to prevent it as my car has paint like glass.

 

[gn1220]

The Chevelle fenders only fit '68-'69 but they are still available at your local GM dealer. My buddy just bought one, along with some other items like a grill and such, that one would think would have been discontinued long ago. I think the price was around $300 for a Genuine GM fender.

Show us some pics. If the car isn't that bad, go ahead and buy it and enjoy fixing it up. If you do it right you can always get your money back. Besides, if you do have $20,000 in it, you still have 10x the car than anything you could buy new at Crapolet for $30-40,000

 

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by njturbo
Art,

Not to highjack my own thread, however i remember seeing somewhere around here you twisting things on your S2 car. What is the deal with that and how to prevent it as my car has paint like glass.

Suspension, suspension, suspension. Yes, I have a little outward dimple in the front of the roof right along the windshield. My drivers side quarter also is starting to get a slight ripple.

Either Wolfe bar or the new HR Parts and Stuff bar. I think I'm eventually going to go with the HR bar. Even though I love welding I'm just too damn lazy to weld in the Wolfe bar.

Because of money reasons I pulled the ATR bar off my other car and put it on the stage car. This should help a little but will not solve the problem.

 

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by gn1220
The Chevelle fenders only fit '68-'69 but they are still available at your local GM dealer. My buddy just bought one, along with some other items like a grill and such, that one would think would have been discontinued long ago. I think the price was around $300 for a Genuine GM fender.

Show us some pics. If the car isn't that bad, go ahead and buy it and enjoy fixing it up. If you do it right you can always get your money back. Besides, if you do have $20,000 in it, you still have 10x the car than anything you could buy new at Crapolet for $30-40,000

NOS parts become available and they disappear. When they are available the price drops, when they are not available the price goes up.

My suggestion is never to restore a car to make a profit, it rarely works out. I've restored probably 10 cars to various states and rarely do you make a lot of money. If this car is a hard top you'll be hard pressed to get more than 20K, probably less. My car is immaculate and wins shows all the time (In fact it placed in the Summit Virtual Show that there was a thread about a few weeks ago) and I'd be hard pressed to get 20K. If my car was a convertible then 20K+ is easy. In my opinion, you'll make more money slapping it together and selling it as such. If you have a fairly rust free car in need of paint, a motor that only needs freshening and the interior is good you can "clean" this car up and make a profit provided you didn't pay too much. Doing a frame off restoration on a car that isn’t all that rare is only going to make you break even money wise let alone your time. Took me about 12 years and easily 14K, probably more.

 

[GNVAIR]

In 1969 the Chevelle SS models became and option on any model Chevelle. That option code is Z15. Problem, is I dont remember if the cowl tag on the firewall will have it stamped into it. Best bet is to check the pad on the block (passenger side above the water pump ..........its basically an extension of the deck surface) and see if the numbers match the vin. If the engine is a 396 and the numbers match, then obviously it is a legit SS model as Chevrolet didnt build big block Chevelles unless they were an SS model.......unless ofcourse its a Yenko which I doubt.
The all of the sheet metal on the 69 with the exception of the trunk lid is unique to the 69. 68 doors, hoods and fenders will bolt on, but they are different.

 

[gn1220]

You could get a non SS COPO with a Big Block

 

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by gn1220
You could get a non SS COPO with a Big Block

If that car is a COPO I'll buy it! Was the 396 a COPO option? I don't think it was. I believe on the Camaro the COPO's were the 427 engines.

Yenko bought COPO big block cars and then pulled them and put in his own engine. He did this because the car would already be set up for a big block with 12-bolt 4:10's, suspension, transmission, etc.. Just pull out the engine, put the new one in, a few interior modifications, few stickers and you're ready to go! I don't remember if he purchased COPO 427's or 396's. Been a long time since I've thought about COPO's and Yenko S/C's.

 

[gn1220]

396 was a RPO. 427 was COPO for Camaro and Chevelle. Actually, COPO was for anything out of the norm, different colors, different interiors, etc for anything from pass. cars to school buses.
Is COPO Central Office Production Order or Corporate OPO?

 

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by gn1220
396 was a RPO. 427 was COPO for Camaro and Chevelle. Actually, COPO was for anything out of the norm, different colors, different interiors, etc for anything from pass. cars to school buses.
Is COPO Central Office Production Order or Corporate OPO?

Central if memory serves me right.

Never realized that COPO was also for things like busses, ambulances, etc. Is COPO still around?

 

[gn1220]

I read about the COPO cars, and trucks, in Musclecar Review many moons ago. I will look and see if I can locate the article and get some more facts. Unreal what the Big 3 did in the glory days.

 

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by gn1220
I read about the COPO cars, and trucks, in Musclecar Review many moons ago. I will look and see if I can locate the article and get some more facts. Unreal what the Big 3 did in the glory days.

One word, "ZL-1"!

 

[GNVAIR]

As I stated in my last post, the only way a 69 Chevelle would have a big block is if it was an SS396. The exception to the rule is the Yenko 427's that started as regular Malibu sport coupes.
The 69 Yenko's were unique in that because they were COPO cars, they were produced by GM with the 427. The engine swaps were not done at the dealership as others had done.
The COPO (Central Office Production Order) was originally set up within GM for dealers to order multiples of special equipted vehicles (such as police cars or taxis).
Don Yenko was the first to utilize it for performance vehicles in 1965 with specially equipt Corvairs that were sold as Yenko Stingers.
Yenko originally did engine swaps on Camaros, Chevelles and Novas much like Nickey, Baldwin-Motion, etc. But the demand grew so great that he approached GM to set up COPO's for Camaros and Chevelles and later on for Novas.
Back to the car at hand. If the Chevelle in question is a real SS, then it will be a 396 car unless someone has documentation of a dealer doing a swap and even then, it would still have originally been a 396 car.