[drptop70ss]

Anyone got an original 69ss? I just looked at a 69 that seems very original except for the wrong 396 and hugger orange paint..The car has a rear swaybar, and the rear lower arms have tubes in them for support of the bolts but the arms arent "boxed" like I normally see. Did 69s have rear bars? body of car is straight, floors and trunk excellent, rust in lower fenders and behind the rear wheels (normal spots) interior needs to be restored, but overall a good start. Not sure if I should get it or not, price is $3500. Any opinions?

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet

 

[dcarr]

The rear anti-sway bar was an option on a '69 SS. This would be the F41 suspension. The standard suspension in a '69 SS was the F40. Starting in '70, F41 was a standard part of the SS package.

I have not seen control arms like those. It sounds like someone may have added the rear anti-sway bar.

If you can verify that the car was originally orange (the Chevelle orange was called "Monaco" orange, unlike the Camaro orange that was called "Hugger") then it is probably a real SS since the orange was an SS-only color.



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Dan Carr
[email protected]
Team Chevelle Gold Member #11, ACES #701
Author of the GMC Sprint, El Camino, and '68-'72 SS Authentication pages.
See my GM A-body fleet at:
www.rmi.net/~dcarr/cars/cars.HTM

 

[Bob Tiley]

Look for 3/8" fuel line on the frame under the passsenger door. Big Block cars came with 3/8" steel lines and small block cars had 5/16" lines. Take a dial caliper or micrometer to check them.

 

[bigyellow]

Hugger orange and Monaco orange are the same color. Mine is orig. orange and had touch ups done in Hugger and matched perfectly.

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ACES member #3339
Owner of 69' SS396 Chevelle

 

[pro454chev]

buy it! ask about a build sheet, there not that hard to locate, under seats, behind door pannels if you really need to know if it's a true ss, 69 is an easy year to clone! $3500 with a bb in good shape come on! buy it!

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[pro454chev]

i also have an original 69 ss, Bob's right about the 3/8 fuel line, someone also could have put that line in, i known the original owner of my car, he bought it new it then traded hands four times, like i said find a build sheet! mine had only one ss emblem which was on the grille, ss's didn't have emblems on quarters, some took the malibu emblems off when they cloned, look for filled holes inside the quarters, my fenders were replaced with new, never put ss emblems back on, repainted three times filled the holes in the rear section (between the trunk lid and bumper)took out the big block front springs and put small block springs and put in a 350, you see my went the other way from ss to a small block malibu clone?

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[drptop70ss]

Thanks for the info, Ill check into it further..funds are low, Im in the middle of house additions, but I will try and see what I can do..the orange isnt original, it is painted over the original glacier blue which is showing through in door jams, etc..Its a bench seat auto on the column car, but would be a nice driver. Ill keep ya posted!

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet

 

[drptop70ss]

I am going back tomorrow to look at this car again, and I just remembered something about the car, it had a 68 grille/front bumper. Does that mean the radiator support was also swapped to 68, or are they the same? I dont remember if the hood release was still the 69 unit or was 68. The fenders had the correct marker lights so they should be original. Im just trying to figure out how many parts I have to find to get this back to original.

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet

 

[Joe Harrison]

I would consider the car bogus. For the price which seems to be a good deal,except for the front end change out,(69 to 68) I would buy it, if it is a clean driver that you make a nice car out of. You just dont find big block Chevelles, bogus or not for $3,500 if they are nice cars. Anyone can through a B/B into a pile of crap and ask big dollars for it, but if the car is nice and it is only $3,500 and you have the money "Go for it". After you get it home you can start to investigate the "DEAL" you may find out you have an original SS, but I would not count on it. If the car turns out to be an original SS after getting it home then you just got a really good deal, if not then you still got a good deal on a nice modifed chevelle and you can't go wrong there if you bought it for a fair price, and after all it's still a big block Chevelle, who cars if it's not original. It's still one bad ass ride!!!!!!!

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Gold Member #164
sites.netscape.net/1969ss/homepage
San Diego CA.




[This message has been edited by Joe Harrison (edited 10-09-99).]

 

[drptop70ss]

Just went back to check out the car again, found the 3/8 fuel line along with a smaller return line..is this right? Rad support and hood release were still 69 stuff, only grille and bumper were changed. No filled holes in trunk for malibu emblems. The tag team told me the car was orginally blue with a painted white top according to the trim tag, but I couldnt find any trim holes filled in the trunk area. Did painted roofs have vinyl top trim or nothing? Looks like a real SS, will decide before tomorrow whether to get it or not. Thanks for the info!

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet

 

[BULKSS]

Something I always look for when buying a SS is if it has the control arm braces at the frame Mike

 

[Dean]

but not ALL SS's had the braces, did they ?

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Dean Call
Overland Park KS
Team Gold member #3
A.C.E.S. # 00235
N.C.O.A. # 4350

macc.chevelles.net
edit;
I shouldn't have put it that way cause I only know from rumors I've heard


[This message has been edited several times by Dean (edited 10-10-99).]

[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 10-10-99).]

 

[BULKSS]

Sorry guys I got some bad Info I was told only SS cars had those braces Mike

 

[drptop70ss]

Braces are there, and Ive seen them on every SS car Ive had, plus some monte carlos..still havent decided what to do, very strapped for cash at the moment...thanks for all the info you guys gave, this is definately an awsome site!

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet

 

[plain 69]

Those braces are on big block cars only. I think 66 was the first year and 72 was the last year. The only ss's from 66 on that did not have them were the 71-72 small block ss's. I have a 67 manual and it says that those braces are for controling wheel hop under hard acelleration.

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Malibu 307 (aka 406 smblk)
69 SS 396(aka 454)
Wolf in sheeps skin