The 1969 Camaro has been described as one of the best looking muscle cars of all time. While only the third year of production for the Camaro, several changes have made it a standout. New fenders, door skins, rear quarter panels, grille and taillights gave it a wider, lower appearance. Inside, the Camaro received a redesigned dash and more comfortable seats. The 69 Camaro also had two ram air induction systems for the SS. The first was a new special hood with a rear facing inlet and cold-air duct underneath the hood. The second was a dealer installed cowl plenum kit that came with a special air cleaner and adapter. There were over 130 regular production options (RPO) available for the 69 Camaro allowing buyers to truly build their own Camaro the way they wanted.
New bodywork and fancy upholstery won't produce a legend. Real performance is what Camaros were known for. Available engines ranged from the 250 cu in 6 cylinder rated at 155 bhp, 302 V8 at 290 bhp (Z-28 only), 307 V8, two 327 V8s, two 350 V8s, three 396 V8s, and the big news was the availability of a special 427 big block V8. The 427 V8 never appeared on 1969 dealer order sheets. The 427 Camaro was specially ordered by dealers who were in the know. They were legitimate factory built vehicles and are known as COPO cars (Central Office Production Order).
I found my Camaro SS 396 at a Seattle area dealership. I cannot confirm that it was born as a true SS 396 but the cowl tag does indicate that it was a V8 car and wears the correct Code 71 LeMans Blue paint with Code 727 Ivory/Black standard bucket interior, and Code E white vinyl top. Code X11 indicates that it was a non-SS396, non-Z28 car but includes SS350. However Chevrolet coded many Camaros as X11 which included cars with 6 cylinder engines as well at the 307, 327 and 350 V8 engines. The engine code is T0402JO19J249243 which translates to:
T - Tanawanda Engine Plant
04 - April
02 - Second day of the month
JO - 1969 396 265 hp Police TH
1 - Chevrolet
9 - 1969
J - Janesville, WI Assembly
249243 - VIN of the vehicle the engine was installed in
So to be technically correct, my Camaro is a SS 396 tribute car.
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