[red 69er]

I own a 69 ss two door post with a 325 horsepower 396, 3 speed trans, bench seat, and some door panels tat I have not seen on another chevelle. I was told that it was rare but I would like to get more information on how rare, if anyone has any information it would be nice to know.

 

[Keith Tedford]

We too have a '69 300 Deluxe SS396 Chevelle. They come with the 300 Deluxe Chevelle door pads which don't have the SS396 emblems. The dash and steering wheel do. They aren't being reproduced yet and good ones are hard to come by.

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

 

[Cam]

Unfortunately there isn't a breakdown as to how rare groups of option combinations are. An SS396 based on a 300 Deluxe coupe is pretty rare; the 3 speed is very rare also. I couldn't say if that makes it more valuable to Chevelle enthusiasts at large. The 3 speed is less performance-oriented, but I think if it were my car I would want to keep it stock. Somebody should preserve one for posterity! Then again, I'm enough of a freak to actually enjoy driving a 250/Powerglide.

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

 

[elcamino72]

It sounds like you have a real bare bones muscle car there, I wouldn't suppose that car has many options. Do you have a pic? I'd like to see it. Also red, I noticed you just joined, its nice to have you here. Make sure you take full advantage of this site, it has alot to offer.

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Bryan Shook
Burgettstown, Pa.
1972 El Camino
www.geocities.com/motorcity/speedway/6673
[email protected]


[This message has been edited by elcamino72 (edited 10-10-99).]

 

[von]

red, '69 SS 300 Dlx 2 dr post sedans are very rare. The door panels are different than hardtops due to the vent windows. Probably the only door panel to find is a nice used one off another '69 300 Deluxe 2 dr post sedan. I think SS and non-SS panels on these are the same. L89SEDAN, right? von

 

[red 69er]

thanks everyone for the information it has came in useful. I wish I could show some pics so you guys can see what it looks like but I'm on webtv.

 

[ACES-70]

Hello,,,, So U own a SS post car huh :0) lucky devil,,, OK here is the poop,, There were a total of 400 SS cars built on the 300 chassis,,, posts and coupes,,unfortunatly there is no xact break down of horse power transmission combinations,,but the post car is by far the rarest of the bunch,,does it have the original Taxi Cab white stripped seats?? rubber floor mat?? Von was correct on the door panels,, the window crank handle is in a different spot and the tops of the panel front side is shorter to compinsate for the wing window,,, only a 300 post car panel will fit,,there is no difference between the base an the SS door panel for there are NO emlems on the panels,,is this a matching #s car??? original color etc.??? please feel free to email me for assistance,,I have learned alittle about these xtremely rare cars in the past 2 years,,my web page is www.members.home.net/northern/bowties or my e-mail is [email protected] red huh :0) sounds like a nice one Look forward to hearing from U L89SEDAN

 

[Len]

L89SEDAN, not quite sure where you're getting the "400" figure from, but as I sit here looking at 2,XXX pages of actual Chevrolet Production Totals, the only figure of "400" that I see is for the RPO "L89 ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS" which is the count for YOUR L89 car.

The totals for ALL 13427- V8 "Chevelle 300 2 dr Coupe", "U.S. PLANTS INCLUING EXPORT & IMPORTS FROM CANADA" is 5,620.

The total for ALL 13437- V8 "Chevelle Deluxe 2 dr Sport Coupe", "U.S. PLANTS INCLUING EXPORT & IMPORTS FROM CANADA" is 7,181.

There ARE different totals & model numbers for 6 cyl. Chevelle 300 & 6 cyl. Deluxe as well.

There is NO breakdown of how many of the 13427 or 13437 vehicles WERE SS396 cars. ONLY A GUESS CAN BE MADE. If that's where the "400" figure came from "red 69er" should be told that.

The total of 1969 "RPO Z25 SUPER SPORT" Chevelles was 86,307 which INCLUDED the above mentioned "cheaper" models.

(models RPO Z25 was available on)
13427
13437
13637
13667
13680

(total of Z25 = 86,307, NO further breakdown of RPO for production of EACH of the above).

NOTE** this isn't intended as a SMART-A$$ reply. Nor am I trying to start an argument. It's a just a peeve of mine to see "figures" tossed around without validity.

As far as "red 69er" knows, (if I, or someone else hadn't spoke up) he has what he was told is "ONE OF JUST 400 BUILT".

Example.. I was once looking at a nice black '55 Bel-Air 2 dr hardtop at a show and the owner walks up and says: "Yeah, it's just one of fifty Chevrolet painted black with factory air that was ever built". YEAH, right.

Thanks.

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our Website: sites.netscape.net/thebowtiegang/homepage

[This message has been edited by Len (edited 10-12-99).]

 

[ACES-70]

There is no written numbers,, the figures I have gotten have been from the xperts in this field,, and thats the figures aprox 400 300 dlx post cars,,with the SS option,, MAYBE 6 were L89 cars,, how many coupes no one seems to have an idea,,,I dont go by books,,they dont always tell the truth,, If U find something in writing that my figures are not correct, please let me know,,I will pass it on to the guys in Detroit that helped me research this,,, no harm intended 69'r its a xtremely rare car no matter wat any one tells U,,, L89SEDAN

 

[Len]

The figures I "quote" are taken DIRECTLY out of 2,050+ pages of ACTUAL CHEVROLET PRODUCTION REPORTS... I obtained PERSONALLY in 1987. (I've got that many or more pages of TRUCK reports as well). ***Check the last page on my website.

NOT just out of "some book".. (well actually MY book!). Cause you said quote: "I dont go by books,,they dont always tell the truth," end of quote. EXACTLY...and people ALWAYS DO TOO??

MINE (my book) DOES (tell the truth). If it's not in Chevrolet's reports, it's NOT IN MY BOOK. I am VERY leary of any "NUMBERS" I hear "QUOTED".)

Well I guess CHEVROLET is/was.. er-u-hum not "telling the truth" or just doesn't know what the he!! they were doing spending all that money on those stupid computer generated Production Reports anyway, huh?

Can some of these xperts be similar to the ones saying "there were ONLY 16 1970 LS6 convertibles".... or some of the same that says "only one of 5 L78 convertibles" or etc. etc. etc. adnauseum(?).

Mad? No I'm not.

How about if YOU show ME some numbers and I'LL then believe YOUR xperts and throw out all of this Chevrolet Accumulative Production Total Reports "crap"/paperwork.

I'll can sit and GUESS or EXTRAPOLATE "GUESTIMATED" "figures" (what your number is) or "numbers" ALL day long with "THE BEST OF 'EM". But in the end, where does that get us? Just wild-assed GUESSES.

If that's what your numbers are, Why not just say it. That "These numbers are the best GUESStimate that so-and-so? can come up with for a given total. And what factors/specifics (if any) were used in arriving at that number.

red 69er's CAR IS RARE. And I'm NOT trying to tell him otherwise..

quote: "69'r its a xtremely rare car no matter wat any one tells U,,, L89SEDAN".

same here: "no harm intended".

------------------
our Website: sites.netscape.net/thebowtiegang/homepage

 

[dcarr]

For the past couple of years, I have been working on a project to estimate the production totals of all the '68-'72 Chevrolet A-bodies.

I agree that a lot of the production figures that are thrown around are just numbers off the top of someone's head. Someone has only seen one or two of a certain car in their life so they start telling other people that only 20 or whatever were made. So that number starts to circulate around until it is believed. Then somebody else will figure "well, if there's only 20 then there must be only 8 with a 4-speed". Then they tell that to someone else. It gets circulated around, but at some point, the 4-speed part drops off. Now its down to only 8 or whatever made. I believe that this has happened with the LS6 convertible and LS6 El Camino. Every time I turn around, someone is claiming a lower and lower number.

My project is taking a different approach. I use hard data from Cheverolet whenever it is available or can be derived. I also use Tonawanda big-block production records. In cases where there is no data available (for example - how many of the 4475 LS6 cars were coupes convertibles and El Caminos), I am using simple statistical analysis to come up with an UNBIASED estimate. All the data will be published on a large color poster and the numbers will be color coded. For example, green will indicate hard data from Chevrolet and yellow will indicate a statistical estimate.

The poster will show all models and variations (SS options, for example), broken down by engine type (and transmission type on big blocks).

The data charts are all finished. I'm working now to collect the car pictures I want to have on it.

BTW, Nick's L89 sedan will be pictured.
The total number of '69 SS post sedans that I came up with was 1,400 (but only 6 of those had L89). The LS6 convertible total came out to 95. The LS6 El Camino total was around 500. The LS6 coupe total was around 3900.

------------------
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

 

[ACES-70]

Well guys,, I guess what I have thought to B true is not,, I would like to see these papers that Len has,, sounds like he has the real McCoys,,,B nice if we could see those published some place to ,, in a book or perhaps Len maybe U could share them with Chuck Hansen,, and surely he would wanna put them in our Magazine to kill all the guessing thats been goin on,, wat a great hobby we are into,, after 11 concorse Chevelle's there is still so much to learn :0) L89SEDAN p.s. Looking forward to the poster,, I know U have put alot of time and energy in it, lot of us here on T/C are awaiting its arrival Thanx L89 T/C Gold#009

[This message has been edited by L89SEDAN (edited 10-13-99).]

[This message has been edited by L89SEDAN (edited 10-13-99).]

 

[dcarr]

Hey Len,

For my poster project (see my previous post in Chevelle Tech under "69 SS post"), I've been using reprints of some Chevrolet documents showing RPO totals for Chevelle. These were printed in an older book put out by the NCOA.
What is nice about those documents is that they have a code (for '70 & earlier, anyway) which indicates which Chevelle models could recieve that RPO.

I had heard about your Tailfins & Bowties book a couple of years ago. Someone gave me the PO box address from their copy (over the phone). I tried to write but the mail came back undeliverable. Anyway, I later found a used copy with the '53-'78 info. Glad to see you have a web site for it now. Is there an updated version for '53-'78 ? I'd also like to get the '79 & up info.

The info from your book confirmed what I had seen from the other sources. It sure was neat to see the 4-speed Monte Carlo totals !
I was able to look at the data and derive a few more interesting totals, such as the number of '71 SS-454 Montes built in Canada.

Question - it looks like all the '68-'72 Chevelle option totals reports include only the cars that were built OR sold in the US. That is, except for 1970. That report shows only the US-built cars, but not the imports from Canada like the other years. Do you agree with this ?

Maybe we can work out an agreement where I list your book/website on the poster ?

Have you ever seen any production totals for the various paint colors ?

BTW, After extensively researching the '71 & '72 A-body (Chevelle, El Camino, & Monte Carlo) production totals, there seemed to be a discrepancy. I discovered that the RPO totals include the options from GMC Sprints (see the GMC Sprint section at this site).

Does any of that truck info that you have cover GMC ?


------------------
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

[This message has been edited by dcarr (edited 10-13-99).]

[This message has been edited by dcarr (edited 10-13-99).]

[This message has been edited by dcarr (edited 10-13-99).]

 

[Joe Harrison]

I can't remember the numbers but this is the way I broke down to "estimate" the production numbers for my 69 SS 396. It is a bench seat 325 H/P car with a 3-speed MC1. I don't have the numbers in front of me so don't take any of this as the number I came up with. I took how many 3-speeds MC1 tranys where installed in the total production of chevelles and divided the number of SS's made in 69 by that number. I came up with about 3,200 or somthing like that. Who knows what the number is, I wish I did. I do know that by just having the base trans in my car makes it a little more hard to find, than your standard 4-speed car. All this will do is give you an close guess. If GM ever releases the records or if they even still have we all may know the truth. Until then enjoy your Chevelle's. If any of you want to see my car just click on the link below, leave me a note in the guest book that you stopped by.

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

 

[dcarr]

Joe,

You are right, there are not many 3-speed manual SSs around, even though that was the base transmission in the SS.

It is difficult to estimate accurately how many '69 MC1 SS cars were built because the MC1 was available on everything from the 230 L6 up to the L78 396. A very rough guess can be obtained by looking at the percent of the total Chevelle production that came with MC1s (15,748 MC1s / 503,352 cars = 3%). Apply that percentage to the number of SS cars (0.03 * 86,307 = 2,700 MC1 SS cars).

The '69 Tonawanda records break down the 396 production for manual and TH-400, but they lumped the 3-speed and 4-speed manuals together.

My poster will show the 396 totals broken down into manual and TH-400 totals, like the Tonawanda records.

BTW, A *really* rare care is any '71 or '72 with the LS3 402 and the MC1.

------------------
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