Super clean southern car. MQ-coded L78 spec 396. Beautiful paint and bodywork. Slightly custom cloth and vinyl interior with buckets and a console. Period-perfect Keystone wheels. Big, brash, and rambunctious, this is what a Chevelle SS is all about.

The awesome thing about Chevy’s Malibu/Chevelle is that it can be all things to all people. Need basic, affordable transportation? No problem, they could put a 6-cylinder in it. Want something that breathes fire and leaps over tall buildings? How about a big block SS? This particular 1969 Chevelle looks, acts, and talks like the genuine article, sporting all the right parts except the big price tag. We believe it is a real SS, but 1969s are notoriously difficult to document—all the clues are certainly there. Finished in Cortez Silver, it’s a little sophisticated, the proverbial iron fist in the silk glove, although the black SS stripes certainly give it away. This car lived almost the entirety of its life down south, so rotten body panels and floors are a non-issue and the finish work is quite good—the quarters are really straight. The ’69 Chevelles have a crisp, angular look that’s a little leaner and tauter than the ‘70s, and this car certainly has an aggressive demeanor. Correct SS emblems and 396 callouts suggest to onlookers that this car is serious about performance and you won’t mistake it for anything else. It looks right.

The black interior has been subtly upgraded with cloth inserts in the seats that really look good. It’s also a bit more comfortable on hot days than black vinyl would be, and the material looks suitably OEM. The dash is standard SS with big, round gauges and this is a big clue to this being a real SS—if someone was going to the trouble of swapping the dash to build a fake SS, why wouldn’t they add the tach and auxiliary gauges? It does have a correct SS steering wheel and you know this car is serious because there’s a radio block-off plate in the center of the dash. Aftermarket gauges monitor voltage, oil pressure, and temperature, and if you look closely, you’ll note that this was a factory A/C car, although some of the equipment has been removed (a compressor and brackets is included with the car, but it will need a condenser, accumulator, and lines to be functional). GM’s “horseshoe” shifter is one of the coolers designs of the era and with a center console the Chevelle has an all-business feel from behind the wheel. The trunk is completely solid and includes a fresh reproduction mat.

The engine is an MQ-coded 396 cubic inch V8, which means it came from a 1968 Camaro and was built to L78 375 horsepower specifications. Obviously it has a few upgrades today, including a big Holley double-pumper on top, a medium-rise intake manifold, and long-tube headers, all familiar horsepower building components. Chevy Orange paint on the block along with a few chrome dress-up items makes it look well-detailed under the hood and you’d better believe it delivers. It’s a little grumpy when it’s cold but once it’s warmed up, it has a thundering exhaust note thanks to a pair of Flowmaster mufflers and the big cam has an awesome lope. A big aluminum radiator keeps the equally big engine cool and it includes both power steering and power front disc brakes. The TH400 3-speed automatic is a good companion to the built big block, offering fantastic point-and-shoot performance and we believe there are 3.55 gears in the 12-bolt out back, offering a nice compromise between performance and highway comfort. You can see just how clean it is by looking at the floors and even the rockers still show their factory spot-welds. Keystone wheels are a proper 1960s accessory and they carry fat 255/60/15 BFGoodrich T/A radials with lots of life left in them.

Chevelles remain perennial favorites simply because they do everything well. This one delivers big block performance, an awesome attitude, and an attractive price. It’s super clean, full of expensive parts, and nicely upgraded. And there’s room to take it up a few notches if that’s what you want to do. Is that what a hobby car is all about? Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.