GM of Canada documented 69 Impala SS 427 Convertible at Legendary Motorcars

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

GM of Canada documented 69 Impala SS 427 Convertible at Legendary Motorcars

rebelrouser · Poncho Master!

That's not a Z24 option code car is it? Or was that the 427SS "B" body cars with that option had the domed hood?

LandShark68_2+2 · Guru

It could very well be that car. It was coming to the London cruises right up until the pandemic.

Looks exactly the same.

Scott

Canadian Poncho wrote:

I wonder if this is the same car I used to see at the London cruise nights?

CLICK HERE

Photo of 1969 Chevrolet Impala SS

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

rebelrouser wrote:
That's not a Z24 option code car is it? Or was that the 427SS "B" body cars with that option had the domed hood?

The domed hood only happened for 67 and 68 as far as I've ever seen. 69 was just emblems. (Unless I'm wrong!)

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Looks like a car 65Camino and I spotted in Riverdale area of Toronto about 4 years ago in a back laneway. It was for sale then and was decent enough. By 1969 there was no SS427 car but there was an SS with a 427 option which this would be.

68beaumont · Guru

Agree with Carl, by 69 no more domed hoods for ss427 models.

NOS · Poncho Master!

there is a similar car in the London area; original owner. But i don't think his has the the rear antenna. We supplied the complete interior for the restoration. In fact in the day there was another dark green one and also a yellow one.

Dale @ NOS

-- Edited by NOS on Thursday 10th of December 2020 10:29:41 PM

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

73SC wrote:
By 1969 there was no SS427 car but there was an SS with a 427 option which this would be.

Ray, I want to disagree with you. I think the only SS Impala available in 69 was an RPO Z24 Impala SS427. But I was wrong once before.... I know there's a couple of experts on this forum who will know the answer.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

4SPEED427 wrote:
73SC wrote:
By 1969 there was no SS427 car but there was an SS with a 427 option which this would be.
Ray, I want to disagree with you. I think the only SS Impala available in 69 was an RPO Z24 Impala SS427. But I was wrong once before.... I know there's a couple of experts on this forum who will know the answer.

Let me rephrase , the car I looked at was not a Z24 but was an SS with a 427.

To your point about the car : "69 was just emblems" , I took the time to look it up and you are wrong too. Hemmings descibes it as follows:

"Available on the two-door sport coupe, custom coupe, or convertible, the RPO code Z24 SS 427 cost $422.35 for 1969 and came with the 390-hp L36 Turbo- Jet 427 big-block engine. The 10.25:1 compression ratio L36 was equipped with a Quadrajet, cast-iron intake manifold, ovalport heads, a hydraulic cam, cast-aluminum pistons, forged steel rods and crankshaft, a two-bolt main block, and chrome underhood dress-up items.

A three-speed manual transmission was included, but Muncie wide- or close-ratio four-speeds were optional, as was a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic. The 12-bolt rear could be fitted with various rear axle ratios and optional Positraction.

Specific suspension components, power front disc brakes, and 15-inch wheels with "red-stripe" G70 x 15 tires improved handling and stopping power.

Identification was limited to a "427" callout above each front fender marker lamp, and "SS" emblems were affixed to the grille, fenders, decklid, and steering wheel. The grille was blacked out but had bright horizontal accents.

Unlike the 1967 and 1968 SS 427, "Impala" emblems adorned the '69 version. Bucket seats with console were now optional with the SS 427 after having been standard in prior years.

Though not publicized by Chevrolet, the potent L72 425-hp 427 could be ordered at extra cost. Some of the upgrades it enjoyed over the L36 included a Holley carburetor on an aluminum intake manifold, freer-flowing rectangular-port heads with larger intake valves, a more aggressive camshaft that also featured solid-lifters, forged pistons, an 11:1 compression ratio, and a four-bolt-main block.

Myriad additional options such as variable-ratio power steering, A/C, Rally wheels, sound systems, tilt steering wheel, power windows and seats, and much more were also offered.

Chevrolet built just 2,455 SS 427 Impalas in 1969, the same model year it produced 86,307 Chevelle SS 396s."

Howmac · Guru

In 1969 , the SS ( Z24 option) only came the L36 or the secret L72 , and no other engine combo was available . I have a 69 SS427 (project) , built with one of these L72's . Only 546 of these engines were ordered for the full size passenger models ( Impala , Biscayne, BelAir etc...) There is even one documented wagon !

Gillis · Addicted!

Thats the mate to one of the cars we lost in a garage fire. 427-390 Turbo 400 convertible. Red with black interior and top. Was a nice car. Too bad.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Howmac wrote:
In 1969 , the SS ( Z24 option) only came the L36 or the secret L72 , and no other engine combo was available . I have a 69 SS427 (project) , built with one of these L72's . Only 546 of these engines were ordered for the full size passenger models ( Impala , Biscayne, BelAir etc...) There is even one documented wagon !

Howard, could a 69 Impala SS be ordered with a 427 as Ray stated but not have RPO Z24?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

73SC wrote:
Let me rephrase , the car I looked at was not a Z24 but was an SS with a 427.
To your point about the car : "69 was just emblems" , I took the time to look it up and you are wrong too. Hemmings descibes it as follows:
"Available on the two-door sport coupe, custom coupe, or convertible, the RPO code Z24 SS 427 cost $422.35 for 1969 and came with the 390-hp L36 Turbo- Jet 427 big-block engine. The 10.25:1 compression ratio L36 was equipped with a Quadrajet, cast-iron intake manifold, ovalport heads, a hydraulic cam, cast-aluminum pistons, forged steel rods and crankshaft, a two-bolt main block, and chrome underhood dress-up items.

A three-speed manual transmission was included, but Muncie wide- or close-ratio four-speeds were optional, as was a three-speed Turbo Hydra-Matic. The 12-bolt rear could be fitted with various rear axle ratios and optional Positraction.

Specific suspension components, power front disc brakes, and 15-inch wheels with "red-stripe" G70 x 15 tires improved handling and stopping power.

Identification was limited to a "427" callout above each front fender marker lamp, and "SS" emblems were affixed to the grille, fenders, decklid, and steering wheel. The grille was blacked out but had bright horizontal accents.

Unlike the 1967 and 1968 SS 427, "Impala" emblems adorned the '69 version. Bucket seats with console were now optional with the SS 427 after having been standard in prior years.

Though not publicized by Chevrolet, the potent L72 425-hp 427 could be ordered at extra cost. Some of the upgrades it enjoyed over the L36 included a Holley carburetor on an aluminum intake manifold, freer-flowing rectangular-port heads with larger intake valves, a more aggressive camshaft that also featured solid-lifters, forged pistons, an 11:1 compression ratio, and a four-bolt-main block.

Myriad additional options such as variable-ratio power steering, A/C, Rally wheels, sound systems, tilt steering wheel, power windows and seats, and much more were also offered.

Chevrolet built just 2,455 SS 427 Impalas in 1969, the same model year it produced 86,307 Chevelle SS 396s."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I'm confused now. Which of those items in the list above could not have been ordered on a 1969 regular Impala, other than emblems? I thought you could buy a 69 Impala with the same choice of 427's, any of those transmissions, the 12 bolt, suspension and wheel stuff etc.

Howmac · Guru

The L36 and L72 could be ordered on any model.

The 69 SS427 only came with the L36, L72, and the Z24 package also included chrome valve covers , chrome Air Cleaner lid as well as disc brakes ( and 15" wheels to go over the disc's)

There is no such thing as a 69 Impala SS with any other engine . You see a lot of 427/335 hp blocks in Impala's advertised as an SS car , but that engine was not offered in the SS427 option .

-- Edited by Howmac on Friday 11th of December 2020 09:12:15 AM

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

I dont se why you couldnt order a 427 without the SS option. You could do it on a Chevelle. I have seen a couple of Chevelle big block cars that werent SS models. People tag big block Malibus as Malibu 400s but it was a big block Malibu with a 400 emblem. I have also seen 300 delux big blocks.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

But could any of the above listed stuff besides the engine be ordered on any 69 regular Impala? I am looking in Ray's list trying to figure out anything that might be specific to a Z24 car other than the emblems? Could you not actually build the same car except it wouldn't be an SS? i.e. I could order a 69 Impala with an L36, any of those transmissions, rear axle choices and equip it with disc brakes, red stripe tires etc could I not? It would be the identical car except it would not have Z24 so it wouldn't have SS emblems.

My point being, if it's true there was nothing special about the 69 SS, it's no wonder it was pretty much a marketing failure if people could spend less money and get the same car. Maybe there's some special equipment on it I'm missing.

Howmac · Guru

Yes you are correct ... That is why there seem to be more SS's available than were actually produced. LOL.

Forgot to mention the SS grill is the same as a Caprice grill with the stainless horizontal accent strips .

1969 is the easiest year to clone an SS which is why there is so many out there . The only way to tell if it is a true Z24 , is if you have documentation , build sheet or have the original engine as the engine suffix codes are unique to SS only

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Weren't these cars built at the Sainte Therese plant?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Howmac wrote:
The only way to tell if it is a true Z24 , is if you have documentation , build sheet or have the original engine as the engine suffix codes are unique to SS only

Do you have any idea why on earth they would do that? It's not like that for any other years is it?

gparis7 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

For clarity, the SS427 package was offered for only 3 years, 67, 68 and 69.

In 67 and 68 you could get an SS without a 427, e.g. a 396 or a 327, but it did not carry the same codes as a true SS427. An SS427 was designated by the cowl code Z24, but unless it also carried the code Z03 (for SS) it could have been a bench seat car. My 68 SS427 convertible carries both codes and is a bucket seat car. But there were a number of cars that were true code Z24 SS427 cars, but which were not the code Z03 SS. Quite a few of the Canadian cars came from Ste. Therese, which was the build plant for my car.

1969 was a little different in that there was no Impala SS that was not an SS427 (Z24). You could not buy any other configuration of 69 Impala SS except this package.

I'm not an expert but I know more about the 68 and 69 cars than the 67 as these are the years I either owned or seriously pursued. However there are a number of experts on the web, and one of them has built an extensive database.

Here's a link to an informative web site dedicated to1967-69 Z24 cars.

http://id3480.securedata.net/impalass427/1967_SS427.htm

elkykid · Veteran Member

I owned a 1967 Impala SS 427 M20 Convertible that was a non Z24 option car did not have the dome hood it was equipped with power bucket seat, speed minder, am-fm radio. I purchased the car in Gimli Manitoba it was sold new out of Winkler.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

elkykid wrote:
I owned a 1967 Impala SS 427 M20 Convertible that was a non Z24 option car did not have the dome hood it was equipped with power bucket seat, speed minder, am-fm radio. I purchased the car in Gimli Manitoba it was sold new out of Winkler.

I remember when that car sold, likely to you, and headed west. Do you know where it is now?