Rolling Project: 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
The muscle car movement was in full swing in the late 1960s and the Chevelle SS 396 was right upfront. Nearly 20% of all Chevelle production in 1969 were the SS 396 and most of those were 2-door sport coupes like the seller’s car. This example is said to have been off the road for nearly 30 years and looks to be restorable, although it has some rust, and its drivetrain is no longer there. Located in Millsap, Texas, this roller is available here on eBay where bidding has reached $6,600.
Chevrolet rolled out the Chevelle in 1964 as a mid-size gap filler between the full-size Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne and the compact Chevy II/Nova. All of GM’s divisions (except Cadillac) got into the muscle car game that year, and the SS 396 would come from Chevy. It was an option on the Malibu in 1964-65, a series of its own from 1966-71, and option status again after that. Out of 455,000 Chevelles that were built in 1969, more than 86,000 had the Z25 package, the SS 396 (before it became a 402, but that’s another story).
This ’69 Chevelle will have an uphill climb to get back on the road, but these cars can go for north of $50,000 when they’re either restored or nicely original. At one time, this Super Sport was gloss black with a matching vinyl interior. The body is going to need work, such as attending to the rust that’s in the lower fenders, passenger side door, and both rear quarter panels. These cars are said to rust around the windows, but there seem to be only minimal issues on this car. The windshield is missing along with the grille.
For a car that likely spent much of its life outdoors, the interior will need just about everything replaced. The seat covers, carpeting, dash pad, and steering wheel are all going to need to be renewed. This looks to have been a factory A/C car to begin with, but none of the hardware seems to be present anywhere now. Nor is the 396 cubic inch V8 or Turbo-Hydramatic transmission that the auto would have rolled off the assembly line with.
The seller hasn’t owned the car for too long and can only offer a bill of sale to the buyer. He says he has proof of purchase from the previous owner that dates to the 1990s, whether that will be helpful at the DMV remains to be seen. The odometer reading is 65,000 miles, but there is no indication of originality. If you’ve always wanted a SS 396 Chevelle of this vintage, do you see this one making a comeback?
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Comments
It ain’t making a comeback in my shop! And neither is this POS ’69 Skylark for 5K. People have lost their damn minds.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/d/valrico-buick-skylark-convertible-1969/7332832836.html
Umm, okay…
Looking at the firewall it wasn’t an AC car. I does have “Astro Ventilation”, typical of those cars. Good thing ebay ad states it’s ready for restoration. I didn’t know if it needed to stew outside a little longer, lol.
Back in the 80s I knew a guy that liked to smoke the special stuff and work only when he felt like it. He had about 7 or 8 1960s muscle cars (Chevelle, Camaro, Charger, etc.) in his back yard that he claimed would be worth a lot of money someday. They were all rusted/damaged, missing parts, most missing titles and beyond what was considered worth working on back then. He probably got them in trade. I didn’t know if they were hot and didn’t ask.
Guess he was right. We’ve now arrived at that time when a rusted out, neglected hulk without a title is worth a lot of money. Either that or a lot of people are smoking the special stuff.
There is no proof this car is actually an SS. Without the original drivetrain or supporting documentation in the form of a build sheet, protect-o-plate or window sticker it’s impossible to verify how it left the factory.
That being said, I’m not sure why people are worked up about the bidding on this car. It’s rough, but appears to be fairly solid. There are desirable options such as bucket seats, disc brakes and factory tach and gauges. The opening bid was $4,000 with no reserve. There are a lot of projects in far worse shape and higher asking prices
Steve R
Remember the VW Transporter cut up and in boxes? so, yeah…
The SS was an option package from 1969-1973, not a separate model. In 1969, it was available on the Chevelle 300 Deluxe as well as the Malibu.
People must be smoking too much that cracky rag weed on here again! Steve R is correct, the days of the 70s and 80s are gone people, of going out and, finding these cars in a field or barn for a 100 dollars! You are talking about 50 year old cars, that have managed to make it to this point, that is why they are considered SURVIVORS! No one said you had to buy them, stop complaining about the shape and price, and go drop a cool 40, 50, or 60 K on one restored I figure you will complain about that also! Enjoy and admire and respect the Survivor, that is where the true value is found.
Pass that spleef over….man I’d pay a million for that gem.
I found this car for $1250 two years ago, and it came with a motor. And I’m not really complaining. If you want to drop that kind of jack on a rusty hulk that will take big bucks and a lot of time to revive, be my guest!
Meanwhile I’ll take mine out and run it up the freeway at 80. Or 100.
Besides the bucket seats, disc brakes and factory tach with gauges in questionable condition is there anything else that hasn’t been taken. There is no mention of a 12 bolt rear.
These were wonderful cars at one time and someone will probably try to turn it into their dream car.
Problem is, when I look at drivable 68-69 Chevelles in the eBay sold listings, there are some good cars at $20-$35K (some of which I saw here first). I know this car is going to sell for more than $4K, so its hard to figure how it makes sense.
Take the selling price, then add a bonded title, a lot of new sheetmetal, cost of metal work, cost of paint & body, interior (including resto or replacement of the gauges), engine, trans, etc. All for a car that can not be verified as a real 396 SS. Plus the time it takes to do the work or wait while it’s being done. Starting out with something better would be miles ahead.
Dan, your comment is actually fact based upon the idea you have the 20-30 grand to drop! However, if you don’t like the majority, you can pick this Survivor up and drop your own engine tranny in place and be cruising by the weekend. The rest of the car comes together as you can afford it! The key word Afford it is what makes these cars possible for the vast majority of car people. 6k versus 20-30k is reality!