Marty Snyder's (Hawkeye) 1969 COPO Chevelle
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Presented here is a 1969 COPO Chevelle in its original color of Tuxedo Black (10 10) with its original drivetrain (L72, M21, KQ 4:10) in largely unrestored condition other than a repaint in or around 1979.
Sold new from Landers Chevrolet in Hurricane, WV on July 12, 1969 to Gary Clary of Lesage, WV. After returning from Vietnam, Gary purchased the Chevelle for $3317. A $317 deposit was paid and his parents signed the finance agreement. 3 years at $95.83 per month. Initially the car was a daily driver while Gary worked at the Amherst Coal Company for 21 years. In 1990 he started working for Gallagher Ford, which became Turnpike Ford of Huntington. 4 owners: Gary Clary 7/12/1969 - 2/24/2002 James Clary 2/24/2002 - 6/15/2019 Randy Greathouse 1/23/2020 - 7/1/2020 Marty Snyder 7/1/2020 - present NCRS Shipping Data Report states the GM official production date was 7/1/1969. Other than the COPO option and an AM Radio this is a very plain Malibu. No side stripe, gauges, power steering, tilt steering, vinyl top, etc. The original black bench seat interior remains completely unchanged. Other than the cooling hoses, plug wires, master cylinder, and exhaust, the drivetrain remains original. Other notable original items: shocks, fuel pump, radiator, trunk mat, and spare tire. Well, and everything else. The OO and his brother had several race cars and hot rods. They enjoyed modifying and painting their race cars and show cars. Luckily this Chevelle was left alone. It mostly was stored while they enjoyed their other rides. At some point it was parked in the corner of a garage/barn until it was purchased by the 3rd owner (Randy Greathouse) from the estate of James Clary (2nd owner and brother of OO) with 38,547 miles on the odometer. Randy did hire Patrick Glenn Nichols Musclecar Barn Finds to make a video of the Chevelle. https://youtu.be/qzxdGY9kuu8 In June of 2020 I placed a wanted ad on this site for a 1969 Chevelle and I got a call regarding this COPO. I discussed the car with Phil Wojnarowski, as I knew he and Van Hurst had previously inspected the car. Shortly afterwards I was on my way to the border of Ohio and WV to close the deal. To say I was excited and full of joy is an understatement. Over the next 2 years, 7 months and 3 weeks I carefully brought the car back to being road worthy. No matter what happened in life during that span of time, each day when I walked past the car in the garage it always brought a smile to me. In March of this year it made its first return to the streets since being last registered in 1988. During my ownership I have made contact via the internet with several people that knew of the car and were close friends with the brothers. What does the future hold? I plan to keep the car in its current as found condition as much as possible. I want to honor the original owner and his brother who were extremely proud of this Chevelle. This is a real dream come true scenario for me. Purchasing an untouched COPO, learning the history of previous owners and making some great friends along the way has truly been a pleasure and an honor for me. Last but certainly not least, I want to thank some folks that have given advice, knowledge, parts and encouragement along the way. Phil Wojnarowski was the first call I made. I genuinely don’t know if I could have done this without Phil’s knowledge, help with some parts and all around support. Thank you!! Ray Hurst, Eric Jackson, Dave and Dan Schutzbank and Rob Zallo were also great help with knowledge, encouragement and some memorabilia. And to my wife Marion for understanding what this has meant to me and for being the voice behind so many encouraging conversations. Cheers!! Marty Attachment 245441 Attachment 245442 Attachment 245443 Attachment 245444 Attachment 245445 Attachment 245446 Attachment 245447 |
I would like to thank Marty for sharing his amazingly cool COPO Chevelle with all of us!:worship:
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Wow love the COPO and kudos for preserving it! Can't beat black.
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That's an amazing car.
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----When I saw the pic of this COPO today all I could do was say WOW!!!! So very cool....Bill S
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Very nice,is it still holding all 20 short factory lug nuts as found 3 years ago?
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Thanks for sharing Marty, fantastic car!! Great counseling from some of the coolest guys in this hobby!! - Bill W
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Very cool story and car. Good group of guys willing to help and from first hand experience, Phil is certainly as good as they come. Always available and willing to do anything necessary. Congratulations Marty. You should be proud as she is a beautiful example of a COPO.
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Amazing car! It’s in great hands.
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Just a beautiful, amazing untouched COPO. I can't think of a better caretaker than Marty. The history of days gone by will live on !!!! Rob
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Congrats Marty, and I couldn't agree more with the positive comments about Phil Woj.
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Such a cool car! Congrats and thanks for sharing your story.
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Congratulations Marty. You are going to be a great caretaker for this amazing car.
The knowledge that we share on this site and amongst friends is invaluable. This will help preserve this beauty and other survivors to come along. Cheers and thanks for sharing. |
Stunning!
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What a great find - thanks for sharing. Bring it to MCACN for everyone to see!
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My dream car!!
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Super cool car - and in good hands - well done!
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An amazing COPO that has found an excellent caretaker, congratulations.
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Also very interesting that the OO's last name was Clary :)
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The ultimate Chevelle IMO.
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WOW, how cool is that? Just awesome.
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Photos of random details
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Thanks everyone for the kind comments.
Here are a few details. Original spare tire with original paint rim. If someone could help me decode the date of the tire I would be very appreciative. |
Trunk photos
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Splatter paint details
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Gas station photos
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It was a beautiful sunny 80° day today so I took the ole’ COPO for a drive. I found this building that was turned into an old fashion gas station. It was a cool spot for some photos.
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That's beautiful Marty!! :cool2:
Did you find some inspiration yesterday?? :grin: I haven't seen one of those tag frames in decades! - Bill W |
Did you find some inspiration yesterday?? :grin:[/QUOTE]
I did!! Being surrounded by all those Chevelle’s absolutely gave me some inspiration. |
I haven't seen one of those tag frames in decades! - Bill W[/QUOTE]
I find it humorous, but my wife does not like it. I am on the search for something a little more fitting for the COPO.:3gears: |
Every time I look at this Chevelle I am just amazed at how beautiful/special/significant car it is.
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Amazing car and owner! Great to see it out!
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Beautiful!
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Copo
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Still have some great weather here so I took the COPO out for a short spin. Of course had to grab some photos. The clouds eventually moved out and the clear skies in the distance made for a great day.
Cheers, Marty |
Amazingly cool!!
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That’s great that you are driving it!!!
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Awesome Marty! Can't wait to see it in person and congrats again!
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Great ride,thanks for sharing!
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Hello all, how about some more pictures of Marty’s amazing survivor COPO. Yes he does drive it !! No sitting in the garage for this Chevelle. Marty and I have become great friends because of the sYc forum. We live only a short drive from each other and attend lots of cars and coffee type cruises. Here is Marty’s Day 1 COPO Chevelle and my Day 2 Camaro from a cruise this afternoon. The cars are great, the friendship is better!!! Life is good!!!
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Great Day!!
Thanks for posting the photos Rob. I couldn't agree more, the cars are great but hanging out with you is the tops!! Your Day 2 Camaro is definitely one of the best I've seen. Cheers my friend. Looking forward to our next meet up.
Marty |
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