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1969 Camaro Identification

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8K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  Kurt S 
#1 ·
Hi,

Can anyone tell me if a1969 Camaro was ever sold with a 396 engine that wasn’t a SS car?
My Camaro has a 3/8 fuel line and a big block heater core but is not an X- xx car tag.

GM Official Production Date: September 23, 1969
ST 69 12437 (69 Camaro V8 coupe)
VN31900 BDY (Van Nuys plant body assignment number)
TR 723 (interior trim midnight green standard interior)
 
#3 ·
Surely must be September 1968 production not 1969? There seems to be a digit missing from the body number you stated, but VN had ceased production of '69 MY well before September.
 
#4 ·
So, transmission is gone, it has a 10 bolt rear end not sure if it is original.
It has a single 3/8” fuel line.

Cowl tag
ST 69 12437 VN 319000
TR 723 5A BDY PNT -E


Joe
 
#5 ·
I think they all had 3/8 line in 69. Maybe not 6 cyl. ? With out the return line would indicate no Quadrajet carburetor. The only SS (350 & 396's) without a Q-Jet was the L78 (396 solid lifter) which had a Holley.

You should check the rear end codes. Front disc or drum brakes ?
 
#6 ·
OK, thanks for that. It's a Special Paint car, per the '-' on the tag, with Parchment vinyl top.
Curious though - where did the September production date come from? Car has a May 1969 trim tag. Is the VIN around 9L530xxx - 9L531xxx?
 
#7 ·
Drum brakes. Where on the rear end am I looking and what am I looking for?

Thanks

Joe
 
#8 · (Edited)
All 69 SS cars had front disc brakes. It appears to have been a small block, non SS (assuming it has a V8 VIN) and the BB heater core has been modified/changed.

Here's the rear end code locations. 1967-69 Camaro Drivetrain Decoding There isn't a partial VIN so build dates are used to determine if it fits the car build date. Should check the casting date on the differential as well...

EDIT: I should mention and as you know, without a numbers matching engine, transmission or documentation, almost anything is possible with these 50yr old cars. Usually things have been changed/modified over the years. An example would be those front drum brakes. Hard to imagine someone replacing disc brakes with drum, but even that has happened as some drag racers preferred drum ! The rear end may be your best clue.....
 
#9 ·
Can I get all your numbers, BadCo? VIN, Trim Tag, and anything else...
I'd like to add your car to my database (1969 LA built Camaros)

As said above... your VIN should be around L530xxx-L531xxx. First week of May, 69 build.
I'd guess base car (I6 or 307 V8)
 
#10 · (Edited)
#16 ·
Well, that is interesting! Your car was built as car 380 in the A period with a BDY of 319000, my car was built as car 208 in the A period, but has a BDY of 335864 (order number was later then yours). My SS350 convertible model might have held it back a bit in the line :)

Joe, your car has special paint with a parchment top, any idea what was special about the paint?

ps, I wish people (hope it wasn't you Joe!) would not sand the cowl tag :( modern phones can do a close up and read the numbers just fine, no need to damage the tags.
 
#11 ·
Wow, that was a big miss by NCRS, LA plant stopped making Camaros in July 1969. The last batch were all 5A dates (1st week May), but actually built June/July. I would say your car is one of the early ones as my 05A has a later BDY number then yours.

From a CRG post

In 69 there was one strike at the Los Angeles assembly plant that basically ended 69 production there. It started April 19th and ended in Mid June. They only reopened the plant to clear the cars that were actually on the line at the beginning of the strike, which was about 1200 Camaros, plus probably the same amount of Chevrolets, and Impalas.
 
#17 ·
Yes... I track the BDY numbers, as well. They aren't in line (1, 2, 3, etc...) but they do track well enough that you can see the pattern.

The LA plant code also tracks the VIN / build date... even better than the body numbers...

So good that I'll make the guesstimate that BadCO69's VIN is between...L530353 and L530398

Am I right? :wink2:
 
#14 ·
Hummm, can believe they screwed this up so badly. Wasn't cheap either!

Thx,

Joe
 
#15 ·
So what are the chance this was an actual SS car? any other way to check?

-Joe
 
#24 ·
Yes. The body # was the order number for both plants in 69. And orders could sit for a while before being fulfilled. That body # is really low - I'll guess the special paint held up the car.

I wonder if it was originally frost green. Probably some other light green. You'll have to look in some protected places to find the original color.

How did you do on the axle code?
 
#21 ·
Steve,

I am afraid I am guilty, I used steel wool, so the custom paint is the rally stripe going all the way down to the rear cowl panel. This is the only picture I have ever found showing these stripe. These were a dealer installed option.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wtkdaukn31n8kmq/Custom Paint.jpg?dl=0


This is a picture (not my car) of the color and vinyl top in the color that this car was originally from the factory, minus the rally stripes.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/6mr2742nxq8ryl0/69copogreen01.gif?dl=0


Yes BadCO69's VIN is L53037x 0-9 LOL

Joe
 
#22 · (Edited)
Joe, that was me (Kevin), steel wool is OK, but looks like a previous owner did some sanding, oh well, at least it was not sanded all the way through.

So I was reading up on the assembly process here CRG Research Report - Camaro Assembly Process

Normally for an SS-396, Fisher would paint the Rocker and tail pan blackout.

If the car required Z28, Z10, or Z11 stripes or a black rear end panel or rockers, they were masked and manually sprayed in the in-line repair booth/oven system after the reflow oven, including the cowl vent panel; spoilers were painted body color separate from the body, and were final-installed to the deck lid just prior to the repair booth. The rear window filler panel, deck lid and spoiler were masked and sprayed stripe color in the repair booth, and baked in the repair oven before the body went back downstairs to the Trim Shop. The paint guns in the repair booth were fed from manifolds that were part of the main color circulating system so that the repair booth used exactly the same paint the main color booths were using.
And the only reason behind the "-" special paint was for Fisher to do something different with the paint process from the firewall back. A special color or a Z/28 stripe delete.

For an SS was a tailpan or rocker blackout delete even orderable?

Joe, if your car was a Frost green with parchment top and normal blackouts, then I cannot figure out why the "-" was on there.
 
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