Can anyone answer this question for me. I have seen production numbers for 1969 L78 Chevelles(2 door hard tops) @7333 units. But I have also seen total Tonowanda engine production @8876. The Tonowanda numbers say they are total production numbers produced. How can this be if they are also producing this engine for the other car models(Camaro,Impala,...)? Does anyone have a better break down. I was always under the impression that the '69 L78 Chevelle was rarer than the '70 LS6 and LS5.
Does anyone have something that shows manual and automatic break down?
Thanks, Joe

Please no double posting.

Can anyone answer this question for me. I have seen production numbers for 1969 L78 Chevelles(2 door hard tops) @7333 units. But I have also seen total Tonowanda engine production @8876. The Tonowanda numbers say they are total production numbers produced. How can this be if they are also producing this engine for the other car models(Camaro,Impala,...)? Does anyone have a better break down. I was always under the impression that the '69 L78 Chevelle was rarer than the '70 LS6 and LS5.
Does anyone have something that shows manual and automatic break down?
Thanks, JoeI would think the number stated for Tonawanda engines is w-a-y short. Weren't all 396 engines built in Tonawanda? Chevelle World indicates 87,030 as the total L34/L35/L78/L89 options sold in 1969. Dan Carr's fine poster of 68-72 Chevelle production totals (http://www.designscomputed.com/auto_pub/a_body_68_72.html) shows 86,420 SS optioned Chevelles in 1969 and 8,876 of those to L78s alone. The difference of 610 engines could be attributed to maybe one total including Canadian and export cars where the other doesn't...can't say. :confused:

Dan's poster also has mathematical probability number's breakdown for engine/transmission/model combinations, i.e., how many 350hp Malibu Sport Coupes were built with an automatic or 4-speed.

Dale, I agree with the 8,876 L78 engines and the 610 extra cars. Of the 610 extra cars, 400 had the L89 engine. It is highly feasible that the remainig 210 bodies were used for the COPO option.

Also, there were 7,389 manual trans., and 1,487 automatics.

My 69-L78 was built in Maryland 1 of 201 imported to Canada which is exciting for me especially since I have it on the road again. I reasearched stuff for 5 years like you guys found 9,486 [coupe's verts post & Elkey's] were made and of these 722 had the first year option F-41 suspension . From show me car magazine muscle car revisited by a group of journalists America's top 10 Chevelle S/S models were listed as follows
1- 1970 SS 454 LS6 2- 1965 Z-16 396 3- 1969 427 COPO 4- 1969 SS L78
5- 1971 SS 454 LS6 6- 1967 SS L78 7- 1966 SS L78 8- 1972 SS 454
9- 1965 SS 327/350 10- 1968 SS 396 Interesting --tim--

8876 is the total number of L78's produced for all bodies in '69. The 300 post coupe(144), 300 hard top(184), Sport Coupe(7333), Convertible(216), and El Camino(999). What I had read made it sound like 8876 was the total number of engines produced, instead of the total number of cars.
Out of the 7333 Sport Coupe L78's produced, I'm trying to figure out what the real break down of 4 speed and automatics are. Joe