How Many 69 L89 Chevelles?

[hvychev]

In the winter edition of Muscle Car Review Mag there is an article of the car at Floyd Garretts Museum. In that article is a Monoco Orange 69 L89 Chevelle. In the article they say that there was only 6 made. I know, I know don't believe a word of what is said in mags! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I am just curious because in my expedition of the lost Fencl Tufo paperwork there was a stack of paperwork on a 69 L89 Chevelle. The vehicle was equipt as follows. Glacier Blue, Parchment interior, black vinal top, L78, L89, M21, 4.10 axle ratio, buckets, console, & 8 track. Other items listed on the invoice were F62 & G32 springs, head rests, & Z25 SS 396 equpt. List price on the car was $4425.70. Before anybody decides to track the car down a title search was already done on the car and the car met it's fate at the county fair demolition derby as a dirt track car with a cool inbetween story.

The point is that between this car, the featured magazine car, and Mickey Hales old car that makes three. Are they saying that there were only three more? How many were really made? Any good gusses? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Musclecarkid]

I believe there were 400 69 L89 Chevelles built.Very few were in the rare 300 Post cars. Maybe the 6 cars they are refering to were SS-396 L89 post cars?

[Alss]

The car in Floyds is indeed a post.

ALbert

[Schonyenko2]

Frank, Ron Norman has one of those L89 post chevelles. Fathom green. Neat ride. S.

[William]

Rons car is indeed nice but he is quick to point out that it was cloned from a 325hp car. It is a gennie Camaro L89 engine though.

[Schonyenko2]

I stand corrected. Still a neat ride. S.

[olredalert]

----------Dont forget my old black-on-black 69 El Camino. The one and only 1969 L89 El Camino ever built!!!! Still exists with around 16000 original miles somewhere near Cleveland, I think. One of one. I believe its the rarest of the 1969 L89s.............Bill S

[camarojoe]

How do you know it was the only one ever built?

[68l30]

I'll be parked right next to it this weekend Bill! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Great truck for sure....I'll see if I can get the cover off it and take a few pics.I know it was out once last year...I'm not exactly sure on the # Joe,but I do know there is a nice bit of "paper" for this truck to back it up as an L-89.Once owned by Bill and also Joe Hrudka.....


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Tom Hartman]

Where will you be parked next to it at? I live in Garrettsville, (between Cleve. and Youngstown) and would like to see it.

[70 copo]

Mark has a nice L-78/L-89. It is 4 speed Black with red Stripe. 8800 Mile original car - very nice. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[68l30]

Tom,sorry I won't be at a show... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif Just the yearly ritual of putting the Camaro away for the winter.I keep it parked with a family members collection.

Welcome aboard as well! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif Charles Auto is a big sponser of our local club the NEOCC.We may have met at the Fall Classic a few weeks ago or at one of the local cruises.


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[camarojoe]

I don't doubt they existed, I just question how anyone can be sure there was only ONE built. I would think there would have at least been a handful. 69 Elco's are cool... wish i still had mine! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/flag.gif

[camarojoe]

btw 68l30, your care package is on the way, sorry for the delay, last week was a bear! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[68l30]

Thanks! Commin' just like Christmas.. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Mr70]

When with the NCOA,there was a documented 69 FG L89 in Texas,& remember another one,Blue,in Arizona I thought.I can't find those issues at the moment.

[68l30]

"One of One" has surrounded this truck for years, in Bill's defense.I myself,can't be sure.I wouldn't go out on a limb on that claim in this day and age,that's for sure. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif I have spoken with many people in this area,Cleveland, that remember this truck back when Hrudka (Mr. Gasket) had it.There may be more out there somewhere......with documents(?) .


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Belair62]

I wouldn't mind having it even if it was 1 of 5 !!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[Tom Hartman]

We may have met and I don't remember. I am member #106 of the NEOCC, I am a founding member in 1994. I did the Summit Racing show the NEOCC put on this year and last. I was fortunate enough to bug Mark until he took me for a ride around the parking lot in his Motion '68, WOW what a car!

[Bruce]

I have no proof other than a fond memory of riding in a black with red stripe 69 El Camino SS396 4-spd car in the fall of 1971 that had the L89 in it.
It was the nicest car in my high school parking lot, it was the 1st time I had layed my eyes on a big block with aluminum heads.
I tried to locate this car about 15 or so years ago but ran into a dead end, was told it had been totaled.
I still have memory recall about that ride. Today at 49 awesome, then at 16 cool.

[NCGuy68]

I've seen the Orange 69 L89 Chevelle sitting in Floyd's several times. The owner has extensive documentation on it from GM of Canada.

Its quite a interesting car and one of my all time favorite Chevelles. I encourage everyone to see it. You will not be disappointed!

[olredalert]

-------I probably should rephrase my statement. I bought the car from the original owner. It was, of course a real L89. I sold it in a weak moment to Bill Lippay(SP) for Joe Hrudka who was doing a substantial amount of work for Joe at that time. I had no idea then (circa 1975) that the car was as rare as it is. Bill L and I talked several years later and he related to me that they had done some amount of research on the car and found it to be the only 1969 L89 El Camino built. If any of you know Bill, hes not a guy to stretch the truth,,,,,,,,ever! I have taken his word on this for years, but as so often happens with these GM cars one can be proven wrong.
-------Thinking back now, he didnt say it was, in particular, the L89 alone. He possibly could have meant L89 with an M22.
------- No matter what it was and is as far as production numbers, its the most unusual of all the Chevelles I have had. Should never have let it go!
-------Hope this is a better way of rephrasing my statement............Bill S

[Belair62]

Whatever the numbers are...doesn't much matter....just the fact that Hrudka owned it makes it pretty cool !

[68l30]

Good point on the M-22 Bill.... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif I was thinking along those lines.... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[442w30]

I think most of you know that with the current documentation available, it is impossible to throw out production figures with accuracy. There's no proof it is "1 of 6" or even the El Camino's "1 of 1" (leave that one for the Mopar guys). These numbers float around because some "expert" or self-proclaimed expert thinks it is this or that. How long has the "1 of 18" LS6 ragtops been floating around? Now tell me, LS6 experts, how many invoices do you guys have in your collection? Certainly more than 18!

The SS was an option in 1969, right? So it is known how many SSs were built, total. It's known how many L89s were installed, right? But by bodystyle? That info doesn't exist, and any attempt to speculate doesn't do anything positive for the hobby.

[69L89RAG]

There was a 1969 Convertible L-89 that sold in the Atlantic City Auction this year. Anyone know anything about it?

[JoeC]

Here is my guess on numbers.
I would think the L89 production would roughly follow the overall Chevelle production of aprox 20% convertibles and 5% El Caminos.
So, 400 L89 Chevelles would be aprox 80 L89 convertibles and 20 L89 El Caminos. This estimate sounds better to me then just pulling numbers out of thin air.

[442w30]

Was the one in AC red?

[Don_Lightfoot]

I may be wrong, but I think the Atlantic City car was Blue. Here's a body pic I have.

[Don_Lightfoot]

Engine pic.

[olredalert]

--------Understand that from my viewpoint I didnt feel that I was pulling things out of "thin air". This was info from a very wealthy, very well connected in the automotive industry icon of sorts (Joe Hrudka, AKA Mr.Gasket). It was my thought at the time that he made a couple of calls somewhere within the GM umbrella and was told this fact. I may have been wrong to take his word. On the other hand, one could make the case that the number of L89 El Caminos would not follow the normal path of other 69 Chevelles as far as percentages are concerned. El Caminos were workhorses 95% of the time. They were normally bought for far different reasons than other Chevelle SSs. The 396s were desireable from a power standpiont for towing purposes, but the L89 option and L78 option wouldnt have appealed to the guy who needed an El Camino normally. It isnt too long a leap to imagine that the numbers of L89s in El Camino SSs would be far less than in other SS models percentage wise..........Bill S

[Belair62]

That makes sense Bill.....it makes sense someone like J Hrudka would order a truck with an L 89 !!

[68l30]

I don't think Hrudka was the first owner,third I believe....... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif


Steve http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[Belair62]

Oops...first owner must have been a hi-po freak too...

[Schonyenko2]

Another reason/s that people bought new hipo caminos was 1 if you were a farm boy wanting that kind of power you could buy it and write it off as a farm truck. Also it was an easy way to get around the killer insurance rates as it still was classified as a truck even with an LS6. Traction alway seemed to be a problem with them though. Would an elky have a different frt pad stamp than a chevelle for the L89 option? S.

[Mr70]

No...Same engine suffix & plants as Chevelles had.

[olredalert]

--------The original owner ordered the car from Slaton Chevrolet on Federal Highway (Rt.1) in Ft.Lauderdale. Slaton was a very high performance oriented dealership all thru the musclecar era. I bought a loaded 70 Elky SS 396/350/AC (White/black) from them new! Orig. owner owned a high perf shop in Oakland Park. Did a bunch of go-fast boat type work for a long time. Hes still around and a Corvette buddy of mine that has a shop right next to his recently told me he was doing some Harley work now. His idea was to have a rolling showcase of performance with his Elky, but he got sidetracked and only did a few things, fortunatly. He ended up storing it and driving his regular half ton all the time. By the time 75 rolled around it had accumulated 16,000 miles but it looked like 1600. The original paint was simply unbelievable. He had never had so much as a feather in the bed.
--------In 1975 when I heard about the car I wanted it so bad I went to a loan shark for the money. I then worked my butt off for a couple of months and paid him off. I used the car less than a 1000 miles in the next year and sold the car for a whopping $5500. At the time I thought I was doing pretty good as I only paid $4000 for it. Maybe three years ago before the present owner got the truck I heard Joes son was finally going to sell and I offered $35000 for it, but he wasnt interested. Wanted $50 large, and I thought it was to much. Oh well, wasnt meant to be!..........Bill S

[JoeC]

I made a mistake in my above post.
SS convertible production is roughly 2 percent of total 2 door V8s. (not 20 percent) so the total L89s would be roughly 8 of the 400 not 80.
I mixed this up with my "guess" for LS6 convertibles which is about 80 units.
El Camino production is roughly 10 percent of total 2 door V8s but I figured SS ElCamino was a lower percentage so to be conservative I used 5 percent. So my guess would be roughly 5 percent of the 400 L89s would be 20 L89 El Caminos in 1969.
I use conservative numbers to come on the low side of production. As I said this is my guess.
In my opinion any car with a mass production total under 100 units is an very low number.
If you use the percent of total to "guess" at production numbers at least you see where the numbers come from.
Often, I see low production numbers quoted but there is no explanation of the origin of the numbers.


Quote from Dan Carr's web site......
"In 1968, the SS-396 coupe, SS-396 convertible, and SS-396 El Camino were separate models, unlike later years where the SS was simply an option package. This means that the exact production totals for the different 1968 SS-396 models are known. Records show the 1968 SS-396 totals were comprised of 55,309 coupes, 2,286 convertibles, and 5,190 El Caminos. This equates to 88.1% coupes, 3.6% convertibles, and 8.3% El Caminos. This shows that the SS El Camino was probably a significant component of the SS total for any given year"

[442w30]

Going by my experience with other brands, as well as brands that have more definitive documentation in regards to production figures, I don't think you can use a general percentage on a ragtop. I believe ragtops (and Elkys, too!) carry different weight. For example, it's not unusual for ragtops to have a higher percentage of AC installations than hardtops. While this would be contrary to logic (as one can lower the top for free AC!), there's also the factor that a ragtop buyer may have been more upwardly mobile and in a different life place than the typical hardtop buyer. We can assume people didn't want to go fast in a ragtop and would settle for a regular 396 or maybe there's a guy out there who wanted the best of everything. There's just no way to estimate. If you don't believe me, check out production figures of 442 sport coupes with the W-30 package versus ragtops. I think you'll be surprised on the skew.

[olredalert]

JoeC,

--------Im in general agreement with your percentages. But in the case of 1968 it should be remembered that this was the first year for the SS396 El Caminos. Earlier years could get the big-block but never the SS, although many SS hoods and emblems have been added to 66/67s after the fact. I think this pushes the number of 1968 SS El Caminos ordered up a bit, as there was some pent up demand to buy SS El Caminos in 1968. By 1969 this pent up demand probably had petered out and SS Elkys ordered may have fallen off a bit.
--------As I spew out my unsubstantiated theories it occurs to me that 1969 was possibly a longer production year for Chevelles and Elkys as well so maybe my drivel is just that!!!!!........Bill S

[Mr70]

"1969 was possibly a longer production year for Chevelles and Elkys as well so maybe my drivel is just that!!!!!"

Of the six plants producing the 1969 Elco,only 3 continued barely one month longer.Oshawa Canada plant was a new addition starting with the 1969 model year,but stopped production after July,& didn't produce solid lifter models anyway. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[JoeC]

Maybe I should have not posted this method of guessing at production numbers but this is what I use. As I say it is a rough estimate and can not be accurate because you have to guess at the percentage. I use this because some times people ask for a rough estimate of a cars production. For example they may just want to know if there were 10 made or 100 made or 1000 made and if we know how many of the RPOs were made but don't know the breakdown of each model, I use the overall percentage to "guess" at a number.