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1969 Camaro L78 questions

9K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  firstgenaddict 
#1 ·
Hello,

i found what i believe to be a pretty rare 69 camaro...its been sitting in a garage for the past 33+ years.....its an original L78 69 RS/SS...the cowl tag reads - - for special paint...the car is all black, no stripes with a silver rs grille...big block hood, console gauges, factory tach, backup lights, the antenna is in the rear on the passenger side quarter.....he said the original short block was hurt back in the early 70's but still has the heads which are casting number 3919840 date codes H28 8 and J29 8...the trans he is saying is the original TH400 and it has a yellow tag on it that reads C69x 335 X and CX69 1231 the code on the cowl tag is 12A for production....the original shortblock is gone but it does still have the original 12 bolt rearend in it, factory front disc brakes and big block heater core...the car is an early production non X-code car...it was norwood built...the interior is in beautiful shape..standard black.....any info you can give would be great...car's value, what casting numbers and date codes to look for to build a numbers matching 396, etc.....thanks....
 
#2 ·
Call me an ambulance!!! Sounds awesome, everythings there! There is a 272 casting 4bolt block on this site for sale but I think its Jan, to late for that car.
Good luck with that I'd be all over it even if I had to sell some cars:hurray:
 
#3 ·
There are plenty of specific, physical clues to check for if it is in fact unrestored as it sounds it is. Parts can get changed over the years of course, but you can usually tell fairly easily on an unrestored car.

Check the tach, the crossmember, the fuel and brake systems and components, firewall piercings, chalk marked X code behind the rear seat, etc. Of course, you will also want to check every part # and date code on the car.
 
#6 ·
Mine is a May car. That one sounds good. Can't help with value but here's a look at the my trany before a wash last year, then the X code. Can you post some pictures?


 
#8 ·
It's my understanding that it makes the car somewhat desirable.;)
 
#11 ·
If it is not a numbers matching engine now, chances are it will never be. You can find the right block and date code, it will only be a date correct engine. Not a numbers matching. Don't let people tell you it is numbers matching, when its not.
 
#15 ·
Nothing special about Tuxedo Black though GM hated painting cars black in the day. Nothing special about being "spoiler-less". You'd never know it but not many non-Z28 cars had the spoilers (RPO option D80),..probably about 5%. Silver grill would have been the call on a black car as stated above.

The special paint code may have been a hockey stripe "delete". Hockey stripes were used on SS's which all 396 cars were. Is it original paint? Hockey stripes?

How many fuel lines, tank to engine bay? Q-Jet 396's got two fuel lines,..a 3/8" main and a 1/4" return. Holley equipped 396's (L78 for instance) only had one 3/8" fuel line.
 
#17 ·
ALL black Cars have Silver Grilles!

From the CRG...
Grille Colors and Usage
The following two tables illustrate the rather complicated use of grille styles and colors for 1969. As noted below, Tuxedo Black cars are the exceptions for grille color; all black cars received silver grilles.
 
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