The Extraordinary Chevy Classic the 1969 Chevelle SS 396

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396

The 1969 Chevelle SS 396 is one of the most popular Muscle Cars ever produced. And, still it’s one of the most desirable and collectable muscle cars. The Chevelle was one of the best selling cars of the 60’s and 70’s. And, it still is one of the most popular Chevrolet models.

Watch a Classic TV Commercial of the 1969 Chevelle SS 396.

A Brief History Of The Chevrolet Chevelle.

he Chevelle, introduced by Chevrolet in late 1963. Chevy needed a model between the full size Impala and the smaller Chevy II. The new mid size Chevelle was produced from 1964 to 1977. It was offered in many different body types. It was available in 2 Door, 4 door, Convertible, Pickup and Wagon configurations.

The first SS models were available with the 220 Horsepower 283 cubic inch V8. But, by early 64 the other GM divisions like Pontiac. Installed bigger more powerful engines in their mid-size cars. SO, by mid-1964 to the SS’s top engine was changed to the bigger 300 horsepower 327 cubic inch V8 engine. In 65 they increased the 327’s power to 350 horse power. But, clearly due to the competition that was not enough. In the muscle car trend of those days. Like true Hot Rodders the boys at Chevy add more cubes. So, the Big block Chevelle SS 396 was born.
For 1968 the Chevelle was completely redesigned. Now, with a shorter wheel base, new curvier body lines, longer Hood, and Shorter trunk lid. Due to, its new sexy muscular looks the car was an instant success.

Black 1969 Chevelle SS 396

 The 1969 Chevelle SS 396.

Only slight changes were made to the Chevelle in 1969. Now, only the 300 Deluxe and Malibu series were available. The base model 300 series were discontinued. The SS became an Engine and Styling option again in 69. The option was offered on any 2 door 300 Deluxe, or Malibu series Chevelles.

PRO Z25 – The 1969 Chevelle SS 396 Package.

For 1969 the SS was offered as a separate package again. No longer a separate stand alone model. the Pro Z25 Super Sport package could be ordered on any 2 Door Chevelle configuration. The base Pro Z25 package was available for only $347.60. And, as a separated option the buyer had a vast flexibility of options when ordering his or her SS. They could order a bare bone 300 Deluxe or a more Luxuries Malibu.

The PRO Z25 SS package came standard with the L35 396 cubic inch 325 horsepower engine. A 3-speed manual transmission. F40 Heavy Duty suspension. Blacked out front grilled and rear cover panel with the SS 396 emblem on the center. SS 396 emblems on the front fenders. Twin bulge hood with chrome lovers. Chrome wheel well and drip rail moldings. Wider tires, 5 spoke 14” sports wheel with SS center cap and chrome trim ring. Power front disc brakes were now standard on all SS packages.
There were also a vast number of upgrade options for the 1969 Chevelle SS 396 package. 3 more powerful 396ci engines, the L34, L78 and the lightweight L89. Optional 4 Speed manual gearboxes and automatic Turbo Hydromantic 400 transmission. A vast number of rear axle gear configurations. Tach, performance gages, Bucket seats and center console just to name a few.

1969 Chevelle SS 396 Convertible

1969 Chevy Chevelle SS 396 Performance.

The performance of the Chevelle SS 396 varied depending on Drivetrain, engine and Trim options. Bellow are some performance numbers of Chevelles tested by Car magazines back in 1969.

1969 Chevelle SS 396 Magazine Performance Test.

Black 1969 Chevelle SS 396

1969 Chevy Chevelle Drivetrain.

The Chevy Chevelle lineup for 1969 was full of drivetrain options. It was possible to order your car with a vast combination of engine, transmission and axle. Your Chevelle could be an economical grocery getter of fire breathing Muscle Car.

Chevrolet Big Block 396

1969 Chevelle Engines.

The standard engine for 69 was the Turbo-Thrift 230 straight-six 230-cu.in with 140hp . The overhead-valve engine featured a 3.875-inch bore and 3.250-inch stroke.
While the standard V-8 was the 200hp Turbo-Fire 307. Optional engines (excluding Super Sport models) included the 155hp Turbo-Thrift 250 straight-six. The larger 250 had the same bore as the 230 but with a longer 3.530-inch stroke. Both six-cylinder engines featured seven main bearings. Hydraulic valve lifters and 18-quart cooling capacity, which made them rugged, long-lived powertrains. A 350 cubic inch offered in 255hp and 300hp varieties. The small-block V-8s all feature five main bearings and 17-quart cooling capacity.

The 1969 Chevelle SS 396 Engine Lineup.

Base Engine.

The PRO L35 – 396 cubic inch engine rated at 325 horsepower. With Rochester four barrel carburetors, 10.25:1 compression and two-bolt-main block.
The PRO L34 – 396 cubic inch 350 horsepower engine. With Rochester four barrel carburetors, 10.25:1 compression and two-bolt-main block.
The PRO L78 – 396 cubic inch engine rated at 375 horsepower engine. With 11.0:1 compression, a Holley 4150 four barrel carburetor and mechanical lifters. Iron heads with 2.19-inch intake and 1.84-inch exhaust valves. Aluminum intake, forged steel crank and four-bolt-main block.
The very rare PRO L89 – 396 cubic inch engine rated at 375 horsepower engine. With 11.0:1 compression, a Holley 4150 four barrel carburetor and mechanical lifters. Lightweight aluminum heads, with 2.19-inch intake and 1.84-inch exhaust valves. Aluminum intake, forged steel crank and Four-bolt-main block.

All 396 engines wore chrome valve covers. Buy, only the 350hp and 375hp varieties came equipped with an open-element air filter. In the later part of the 1969 model year all the 396 engine displacement was increased to 402 cubic inches. But, the 396 name remained.

The 1969 COPO 427 Engine Option.

The COPO L72 – 427 cubic inch 425 horsepower engine. With 11.0:1 compression, and Holley four barrel carburetor. This engine was only available through the Central Office Production Order (COPO) only. All Chevelle with the L72 427 engine had no external engine badges. And, made it a true sleeper.

Wow! No fancy Hemi heads or Cross-ram intake. No bells and whistles. Just pure horsepower and Torque!………

The Chevy Chevelle Engine.

Watch a classic video of the Chevy 396 Big Block Engine.

The Chevelle Transmissions.

In 1969 Chevrolet offered many transmission options for the Chevelles. Varies 3 or 4 speed manual and 2 or 3 speed Automatic transmissions were available.

Manual Transmissions.

M13 – 3 speed base transmission
M20 – 4 speed with 2.52:1 low gear ratio.
M21 – 4 speed close ratio, with a 2.20:1 low gear.
M22 Rock Crusher – 4 speed Heavy Duty close ratio, with a 2.20:1 low gear.  Only available with the 375hp 396ci engine without air conditioning.
Chevrolet offered a safety starter switch for the first time in 1969, which prevented the car from starting without having the clutch depressed.

Automatic Transmission.

M35 – Powerglide 2 speed
M38 – Turbo Hydra-Matic 350 3 speed.
M40 – Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 3 speed.  All Automatic SS Models.
Only the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 was available for the SS 396 Models. The other automatics were available for the 6 cylinders and smaller V8 cars.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Transmissions Options.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Rear axle.

All the 1969 Chevelles came equipped with solid, semi-floating rear axles. Axle were available with a wide range of ratios depending on Engine and transmission options. The differentials were also available in 10 bolt or the heavy duty 12 bolt configurations.
All Chevelle SS models came with 12 Bolt rear axle. Ratios ranged from 2.73:1 to 4.88:1.

Chevelle Rear Differential Code.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Styling.

Compared to 1968 only Miner styling changes were made in 1969. Changes included the removal of front window vents. A chrome bar that stretches across the new front grill. And, bigger flush mounted taillights.

The Chevelle was available in many exterior and interior color and trim combinations. Side racing stripes where available and could be ordered in different colors.

Colors

There were 15 solid exterior body colors in 1969, and 7 two-tone paint options.

Chevelle Exterior Colors Options.

Two Tone Color Options.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Styling.

Compared to 1968 only Miner styling changes were made in 1969. Changes included the removal of front window vents. A chrome bar that stretches across the new front grill. And, bigger flush mounted taillights.
The Chevelle was available in many exterior and interior color and trim combinations. Side racing stripes where available and could be ordered in different colors.

Colors.

There were 15 solid exterior body colors in 1969, and 7 two-tone paint options.

Chevelle Exterior Colors Options.

Two Tone Color Options.

Vinyl Top Colors.

• Black
• Parchment
• Dark
• Brown
• Dark
• Blue
• Midnight
• Green
• Convertible Top Colors
• Black
• White
• Racing Strip Colors
• Black
• Blue
• Gold
• Green
• Red
• White

The Chevelle Interior.

Like the rest of the car the interior came with an incredible array of options and nine choices of colors. You could order very bare bones or a comfortable and luxuries interior. The Chevelle came stander with a vinyl front bench seat, padded dash, standard Strong vinyl door panels. Bucket seats and a center console were available as an option. Even, on all the SS Models. Other options included air conditioning, tilt Steering, rear defroster, power windows and door locks just to name a few.

Chevelle interior Options.

Chevelle Interior Colors.

• Black
• Dark Blue
• Dark Gold
• Dark Green
• Dark Red
• Dark Saddle
• Dark Turquoise
• Medium Blue

Chevrolet Chevelle Chassis.

The Chevelle used a full frame chassis with the body mounted on top. Built on the mid-size GM A-Body platform chassis. 112” Wheel Base Coupe, 116″ wheel base sedan and wagons. A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout that was shared with other GM mid-size cars.
The platform was used on many body styles. Such as, coupe, sedan, convertible, and station wagon.
The frame used a fully boxed front section and cross member. To support the engine and front suspension. All hardtop models used C shaped channel side rails. While, the convertible models used stiffer boxed side rails.

All GM A-Body Platform Models.

• Chevrolet Chevelle
• Chevrolet El Camino
• Buick Special,
• Buick Skylark, GS, GSX
• Oldsmobile F-85
• Oldsmobile Cutlass , 442
• Pontiac Tempest
• Pontiac Le Mans, GTO
• Acadian Beaumont

Suspension.

The Chevelle has an independent front suspension. With, ball joint upper and lower unequal length A-shaped control arms. Coil Springs, telescopic shock absorbers, and link type anti roll bars. The rear suspension consisted a solid rear axle with coil springs. Telescopic shock absorbers, lower trailing arms and diagonal anti-torque upper arms. Riding on 7.35 or 7.75 size tires mounted on 14” wheels.

1969 Chevelle SS 396 Suspension packages.

F40 Heavy Duty suspension package. Stiff springs and shocks, .937-inch Front sway bar.
F41 Special Performance suspension package. Stiffer springs and shocks, 1.125-inch Front sway bar and .875-inch rear sway bar with stiffer bushings.

Brakes.

In 1969 all SS 396 models came stander with front 11 inch power disc brakes and 9.5 inch diameter rear drums.

1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Production Numbers.

1969 was the best year for the Chevelle SS. Chevrolet sold 86,307 SS 396s. Over 9000 were ordered with the L78 375hp Engine. 400 were ordered with the light weight L89 396 engine.

The 1969 Chevy Chevelle SS 396 L78.

For an option that wasn’t even on the showroom brochure or dealer sales albums. Chevrolet produced 9,486 Chevelles with the mighty 375 horsepower 396 PRO L78 engine package. Just think, not even the sales people at the local Chevy dealer new about the option. Only a select number of dealers had the Special Product Order form and knew the magic code to order the L78. The word about the L78 got out thanks to a few magazine articles. Many read the articles ad quickly went out to find a dealer find one.

Chevelles with the PRO L78 Package came with many upgrades. First and most impressive was the 396 cubic inch engine 11.0:1 compression rated at 375 horsepower @ 5600 rpm. The 415 lb-ft Peak torque of came on at 3600 rpm. The engine came with iron head with 2.195-inch intake and 1.845-inch exhaust. Solid Lifters with 1.70:1 rockers. The cam had .520 lift, 316 Intake and 302 exhaust duration. Aluminum domed pistons, with forged steel rods. Forged steel crank, and heavy duty four bolt main block. A Holley four barrel carburetor and dual-plane aluminum intake.
When ordering the L78 Package you also got the F41 heavy-duty suspension. Reinforced boxed lower and upper control arms. To handle the massive torque of the engine. A heavy duty rear axle with ratio options from 3.07:1 to 4.88:1.
Just how fast was a stock 1969 L78 Chevelle right out of the box? The 1/4 mile in 14.07 seconds @ 101 mph.
Wow! Incredible especially on those old bias tires.

COPO Chevelle The Ultimate Sleeper.

The Muscle Car war was at its peak in 1969. Other manufactures were offering cars with engines over 400 cubic inches like the Chrysler 440 and the 426 Hemi. So, Chevy decided to build a limited number of very special Chevelles with the 425 horsepower 427 cubic inch L72 engine. GM had a ban on engines over 400ci in mid-size cars. So, to circumvent the rule, they used the Central Office Production Order (COPO) system. This system was only used for special fleet orders for Taxis and Trucks. However, only a hand full of people knew about this. And so, only 323 COPO Chevelles were built. The COPO cars came with the 427ci Engine, Al the upgrades of the L78 package and special heavy-duty rear axle with heat-treated 4.10:1 gears.
All COPO cars came with no special badging or engine emblems. From the outside, they look like a standard 300 Deluxe Chevelle.
The COPO ran the quarter mile in the low 13 seconds. Making, these cars the ultimate sleepers.