COPO *Big cars*

[Casey Marks]

Hey guys ..... again, you must remember to talk S L O W L Y when bringing me up to speed on all this cool Chevy stuff. http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

I was wondering if there was a provision in the COPO program to get something above-and-beyond the available drivetrain in the big cars (Biscayne, etc) ? I realize the COPO program was not just tailored for performance, but other things as well. Just curious if an informed buyer could've gotten something beyond what was on the check-box sheet in their big 'ole Biscayne ? I've always had an liking for those big tubs ..... http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/laugh.gif

[Chevy454]

You could get the L-72 in the bigger cars, so there may not have been a COPO provision for them engine-wise. And, I think(?) you could get any trans in them, but maybe the rear is where some "hush-hush" activities may have taken place.

Anyone have any info for this "big tub"..er, I mean ABOUT these "big tubs" http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/wink.gif!

[JoeC]

Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum claims their 427 425 hp L72 full size wagon is a COPO. I also saw another web site that claimed their L72 wagon is a COPO car. I don't know if they have documentation to back up the claims or not. You didn't need the COPO system to get the L72 in a 1966, '68, and '69, full size car but in 67 it was not an option. Some say that a few 1967 L72 full size cars did escape the factory. If this is true, were they done using the COPO system? I do not know but the big boy L72s were cool. You didn't even have to get the SS option on some of them.

[Dan 68 Chevy II]

McGrober Factory Muscle cars in Phoenix,AZ. has a 68 or 69 Impala wagon with a 427/425. It was ordered by the owner of a Dealership back then,had very low miles,loaded with options and had the window sticker.When I saw it I had to laugh ,because I thought so unusual.Imagine picking up the little ones at school in this,don't make like that any more.

[68TopStock]

I hope this is not too far off the track, of the original post. In the April 12, 1968 DragWorld, (AHRA's main weekly pub.) an announcement is made, with pics of AHRA receiving a new Chevy fleet, through Fred Gibb Chevrolet. 8 vehicles were delivered to Jim Tice, President of AHRA, for track use at 1968 AHRA events.

The shipment included 6 427 Caprice wagons, a Caprice convertible, for Mrs. Tice's personal car, and a Corvette for Jim Tice's personal use, as well as being the official pace car for all AHRA championship events. No mention is made of the HP or powerplants in the convertible or Corvette. All the wagons appear to have woodgrain sides, the pic is black and white, no colors mentioned. Fred had a '68 similar wagon that was red, with the woodgrain side. It may have been 427 powered, as it was a tow vehicle.

[Chevy454]

Wasn't there an L-72 wagon in Muscle Car Review within the last year or so? Maybe the ULTIMATE family truckster! http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/smile.gif

[Rat_Pack]

That wagon at Floyd Garrett's that Joe C. is talking about I believe was just ordered with the L72 under normal RPO procedures. I was up there yesterday and was looking the window sticker over but I don't remember a COPO id code on it anywhere. It did list all of the RPO's including the L72 just as any other car would have back then. There is a license plate made by the owner of the car on the front of it stating it is a COPO but I think that was done to draw attention to it at a show or even at Floyd's. The car is a neat car and loaded with options and it does have low miles since I believe it was a drag car at one time. There is a neat little picture of it with the racing decals and Cragar SS mags from way back taped to the drivers side rear window. That is one wagon that I would not mind having, even with the woodgrain.......RatPack.............

[Keith Tedford]

Back in '67 I was in the show room at Nurse Chev-Olds in Whitby, Ontario. The salesman was doing cartwheels trying to get me to order a 427-435HP Biscayne. He claimed that this was the only way you could get the engine other than the Corvette. There was no mention of COPO or anything like that. I never saw any literature on the subject and never ordered the car. It is just a curiosity. Nurse did sell quite a few 302 Z/28 cars in those days as well as a red COPO Camaro in '69. They were home to the UOP Shadow race team when ever they raced at Mosport.

[Casey Marks]

A 427-435 Biscayne ?? http://www.yenko.net/ubb/smilies/images/icons/shocked.gif

Now that would be neat !

[Chevy454]

Keith:

It's interesting that the salesman knew about it, yet that option wasn't found in any of the literature...that seemed to be a rare thing back in the day.

I have heard "tales" of 427/435hp police cars ordered by the Nevada(?) state patrol on another site (I believe it was Chevelles.com?). It's kind of like the 427 El Caminos that people claim the Air Force used...you hear about them, but never see them.

[JoeC]

The story I heard on the 435 HP Impala was that they were 4 door Nevada State Police cars 1969.
I had posted a question about the USAF ElCaminos on another site after seeing it on team Chevelle. A guy sent me an email saying he remembered seeing them when he was in the Air Force. He didn't remember if they were 425 HP or 375 HP but he did remember they were fast and loud and pretty well beat up when he saw them. He thougt the AF may have modified them for more HP. He said they were blue with USAF letters on the driver side door. There was no passenger side door. There was a plane (I don't remember the model) that when it had a full payload it had to have wheel struts holding the wings from hitting the ground. The wheels would drop off when the plane left the runway. Two ElCaminos would go out and pick up the wheel struts. If the plane returned with full payload the two ElCaminos would be waiting and would race after the plane. The passengers in the two elcaminos would have to install the wheel struts under the wings before the plane slowed down or the wings would drag on the runway! That's what he told me as best I can remember.

[Belair62]

Pretty sure that would be a U-2 spyplane.It has wheels at the outer edge of wing tips.They are still in service and probably doing a bit of duty over Afghanistan right now. A local police dept here had hemi and 427 chase cars. Never saw under the hood.Just the back seat !

[Mr70]

That 1969 Kingswood Wagon is in January 2000 Muscle car review.It never says COPO exactly.Only that it does have L-72 on it's window sticker still apllied to the window.It took 4 tries to order it,and 6 months to deliver.It currently has a CE block and was drag raced for a while.This car is all still orignal.I would be looking for a buildsheet or something to see what was the factory engine if it was a dealer transplant.

There is a Black 1965 4-door Biscayne in Muscle Car Review Janary 1999.It came with a 396/425HP and a 4 speed.It never mentions COPO,but is presumed to be 1 of 1.It is also in July 1990 MuscleCars Magazine.

[L72COPO]

Spent three years in the Air Force during the middle 60's. While stationed on Guam, during late 67 early 68, I witnessed many take-off and landings of the U-2 spy plane. As stated previously they did require a wheel drop on take off and reinstalled at landing to keep the wing tips from draging. This was not due to payload but due to an extremely wide wing span. All the chase vehicles I saw were Ford pick-up trucks with no special engines just standard USAF equipment. To reinstall the wheel assembly on landing the planes were going slow enough for the ground crew to actually run along the side of the plane.

[MikeA]

I remember reading in MCR (I think) about the Air Force El Camino chase cars. I will look for the article this weekend.

Mike

[bobwak]

That car is a COPO car and my grandfather owned it!

[Belair62]

Any idea why it was a COPO ???