Greetings everybody, this is my first post on this website and I’m looking for some advise. I purchased an 1970 El Camino 396 SS in March of 2008, and now I’m wondering if it’s a genuine SS vehicle, or just clone. I have the build sheet from under the gas tank which is in very poor shape, covered with wheel well undercoating, etc. The vehicle is an L34, M20 4 speed, bench seat El Camino.

On the build sheet, there is no “Z25 SS” option listed. There is an “ZL3 SS 396 CONVER—“ listed. There is also another option “ EXT ORN SS396” . The build code for this second option is eligible.

Can anybody tell me what I got here? Thanks, Tom
- I also posted this question under the El camino section.

ZL3 SS 396 CONVER—

Some plants only used this code so its proof of it being an SS 396 optioned vehicle.


Yes its a SS396. The L34 engine was the standard SS396 engine.

Yes Tom, from what you have described, you have a genuine Elky SS. RPO Z25 and ZL3 SS396 Convers were interchangeable, depending upon the assembly plant where the car was built. Is yours a Baltimore car?

Thanks for the information guys; my Elky is from the Van Nuys plant. A little info about myself... I recently retired from General Motors after 38 years. I began my career with GM in 1970 at the Van Nuys plant. I worked on the assembly line from 1970-1974, then on to others areas of the business. I can't tell you how many SS Chevelles and SS El Caminos I got to drive around the plant back then. Smoked the tires whenever possible. So when this Van Nuys built SS came along, naturally I had to have it. It's pretty clean, but before I throw too much at it, I wanted to be sure that it was a real SS. Thanks again, Tom.

Tom -

Welcome to Team Chevelle. Glad that we could put your mind at ease regarding the lineage of your "new" Elky SS.

I see that you just joined TC as a member (kudos) just a few weeks ago, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're unfamiliar with what goes on here.

As well as Chevelles, El Caminos, Monte Carlos, and GMC Sprints have been documented, there's still a number of "black holes" regarding information such as certain letter designations on Fisher body tags or how certain things were done at the assembly plants.

I, and more than a few thousand fellow TCer's would love to know what your jobs were at the Van Nuys plant - especially as they relate to working on the line - so let us know. You never know, you might just be able to educate us all.

Hello Big White. The Van Nuys Plant was actually two separate plants from 1948 to 1968. One plant was the Fisher Body Plant, and the other was the Chevrolet Plant. There was an actual physical wall separating the two facilities. In the late '60s GM began consolidating these facilities under the General Motors Assembly Division. So GMAD took over responsibility for the manufacture of all vehicle lines and Fischer Body was dissolved.

I started with GM at Van Nuys in the second half of 1970, after the UAW waged a long national strike. At that time, we were building ' A' Body’s, Wagons, El Caminos, Chevelles, Monte Carlos and the ' F' bodied Camaros and Firebirds. We were working six days a week, nine to ten hours a day.

I began in the Hard Trim department installing windshields, and later side drip rail molding etc. After about three months, I was transferred to the “Chevy side” of the plant to the Chassis Department on the final assembly line. I worked hanging tires, installing grills and trim, building bumpers etc. Nothing glamorous, but it did pay the bills. I eventually moved into numerous Management positions at the plant, transferred to Product Engineering in Detroit for a number of years, and finished up back in California heading up our Service Engineering team for the Western part of the US until November 1st, when I retired.

Now I just want to play with my Elky.- Tom

Tom,

Welcome to the forum. I work for GM as a product development engineer in Warren, MI. Good luck with your El Camino SS. I've learned a ton about my car since I have been reading and posting on this site.

Mike

Hi Mike, small world. I was an EGM at Midsize Engineering from 1992-1999. Take care, Tom.

I started with GM at Van Nuys in the second half of 1970, after the UAW waged a long national strike. At that time, we were building ' A' Body’s, Wagons, El Caminos, Chevelles, Monte Carlos and the ' F' bodied Camaros and Firebirds. We were working six days a week, nine to ten hours a day.Welcome to TC, first of all. Like to pick your brain on something, I'm curious about the work schedule - at least for the 70-74 years you were there. Was a six day work week the norm or a short time thing and, do you know if was that way at other plants or just Van Nuys?

Edit: Reason I ask is there's been some discussion about 5- or 6-day work weeks in the past here and first hand knowledge would be welcomed!

Hi Dale. I think that General Motors was trying to play catch up on lost production from the national strike of 1970. Most manufacturing plants ran long hours until mid 1971. We at Van Nuys ran long hours until sometime in 1971, then it dropped to nine hours per day( two shifts), every other Saturday which was pretty much the norm for most of the 1970's. Hope this helps.- Tom

Hello and welcome Tom. Glad to see the flag by your name. Congratulations on your retirement and you SS el camino purchase.

What is the date code on your Trim Tag?

Thanks for sharing, Tom. I'm sure as more people come to know you're a former GM employee with plant experience you'll probably get asked as many questions as you get answers. Again, welcome aboard. :thumbsup:

I think Tom is a great asset to our community. He might be able to fill the gaps where we have questions about GM in those years he worked there.

Thanks for the info tom.

Hi Tim. The date code on the cowl tag reads "013", which I believe is the third week of January, 1970. Here's a link to a pictures of my toy. Thanks, Tom

http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt139/nutsforcars_2009/?action=view&current=DSC_0012.jpg

http://s605.photobucket.com/albums/tt139/nutsforcars_2009/?action=view&current=DSC_0013.jpg

Check the date again, probably "01B" which would be January, 2nd week. Very nice Elky!

Tom, I have been curious, along with others. What days of the month would a car have been started if the trim tag show 01A?

Example, if Monday was the 30th of Dec., Tuesday is the 31st, Wed. is Jan.
1st, and so on. Could the car be started in Dec. or would it be Jan.1st or 2nd or 3rd or 4th or 5th or 6th or 7th?

Hi Tim. Vehicles were started any day of the week, that is the body side rail/rockers were setup on body trucks in the Body Shop, followed by the floor pan, etc.
If my memory is correct, the cowl tags/ VIN plates were installed in the Hard Trim Department, which was after the Paint Shop.
The Hard Trim Department was about twenty hours later in the assembly process after body setup, so vehicles could have been setup in the Body Shop on say a Friday, but not reach the cowl tag install until the following week. I don’t know if the cowl tag week date is the Body setup date, or the date the tags were actually installed.
Once the plant began building newer vehicles with laser engraved VINs, then the VINs were burnt in before leaving the Body Shop. - Tom