Go Back   The Supercar Registry > General Discussion > Supercar Features


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-10-2019, 02:45 PM
Xplantdad's Avatar
Xplantdad Xplantdad is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: AZ
Posts: 32,388
Thanks: 7,439
Thanked 5,345 Times in 1,875 Posts
Default Grady Burch's 1969 COPO Chevelle!

Thank you to Grady Burch, Mike Angelo, MuscleCar Review,Drew Hardin and Richard Prince for allowing me to repost this wonderful article of the amazing restoration of Grady's COPO by Mike Angelo.


Mike will be adding additional photos as time permits of the restoration-showing the detail that was put into this Chevelle!

Quote:

Rare Garnet Red 1969 Chevrolet COPO Chevelle Gets a Whole New Life




Written by Drew Hardin on September 18, 2019
Photography provided by Richard Prince


It’s believed that about 300 Chevelles went through Chevrolet’s COPO program in 1969, receiving 427ci engines and other high performance gear. Of those, an estimated 66 remain. So having one of these rarities in a collection is a landmark achievement. Collector Grady Burch has two: this recently restored Garnet Red example and an unrestored original Dusk Blue COPO he’s owned since 1987. Both Chevelles will be displayed together at the 2019 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Illinois November 23-24 (mcacn.com).

For years this COPO Chevelle was known in the supercar community as the Ribbon COPO for the multicolored ribbons of paint on the hood and trunklid. Little is known about the car’s history, but Grady is sure that back in the day no one had any idea it was rare. As the hobby matured, though, and knowledge grew about the COPO program, its provenance was eventually uncovered.

In 2014, Grady’s pal Phil Wojnarowski was offered a chance to buy the car. At the time Phil had just purchased an orange COPO Chevelle and so wasn’t in the market for another. Grady wasn’t sure he wanted it either. “It needed paint, and the original drivetrain was gone except for the rearend.” Ultimately, the owner made Grady an offer he just couldn’t pass up.

Grady and his frequent car co-conspirator Mike Angelo were working on Grady’s brown COPO Camaro at the time, but once the Camaro was finished, they started in on the Chevelle. “There aren’t that many Garnet Red COPO Chevelles,” Grady says. “Even including Yenkos. We counted between seven and 10 cars at the most.”

When Grady and Phil first inspected the car, “it didn’t look too bad,” Mike said. But once he got into it, he realized the Chevelle was going to need “a lot of bodywork. There must have been a gallon of Bondo on the back end of this car.” In the end, the Chevelle “got a full trunk pan, repairs to the inner and outer wheel tubs, the lower valance behind the rear window, and we replaced the taillight panel,” Mike says. The front half of the car needed some patches on the floorboards, Mike says, and a new hood.


Meanwhile, Grady worked on the car’s driveline. To the Chevelle’s original COPO-specific KQ-code rearend he added a date-code-correct, CE-code replacement engine that was rebuilt by Joe Zeoli. The M22 four-speed behind the motor is also a date-code-correct, CT-code replacement transmission. “I bought what would have been bought by Chevrolet as a service replacement,” says Grady.

“I tried to use as many original parts as I could, and N.O.S. parts that I’ve collected,” he explains. “There are some repro parts here and there, but by and large they’re either original or N.O.S. I’ve been collecting parts, not just for this car, but just collecting, for years.” Even so, Grady wants to acknowledge the help he got from other friends in his search for hard-to-find parts, with a special shout-out to Phil Wojnarowski.





At a Glance

1969 COPO Chevelle
Owned by: Grady Burch, Hinckley, OH
Restored by: Mike Angelo, Green, OH; Joe Zeoli, A-1 Automotive Machine Shop, Greensburg, PA
Engine: 427ci/500 (est.) hp L72 V8
Transmission: Muncie M22 Rock Crusher 4-speed manual
Rearend: KQ-code 12-bolt with 4.10 gears and Positraction
Exterior Color: Garnet Red
Interior: Black vinyl bench seat
Wheels: 14×7 SS
Tires: F70-14 Goodyear Wide Tread GT
Special parts: 41,261 original miles

Attached Images
                            
__________________
Bruce
Choose Life-Donate!

Last edited by Xplantdad; 11-10-2019 at 03:24 PM.
Reply With Quote
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Xplantdad For This Useful Post:
big gear head (11-10-2019), Damien (11-10-2019), John (05-28-2021), ruralrte66 (11-10-2019), SS427 (11-10-2019), YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY (11-14-2019)
Attachments - The Supercar Registry tn_trunk package tray.JPG tn_trunk outter.JPG tn_trunk outter house.JPG tn_trunk outter house repair.JPG
O Garage vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.
Click here to view all the pictures posted in this thread...
  #2  
Old 11-10-2019, 02:58 PM
big gear head's Avatar
big gear head big gear head is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: KY
Posts: 3,079
Thanks: 4,695
Thanked 1,104 Times in 628 Posts
Default

Sweet! Will this be at MCACN?
__________________
Freddie
1969 Camaro RS/SS396 (427) 4 speed
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-10-2019, 03:02 PM
Xplantdad's Avatar
Xplantdad Xplantdad is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: AZ
Posts: 32,388
Thanks: 7,439
Thanked 5,345 Times in 1,875 Posts
Default

Yes it will!
__________________
Bruce
Choose Life-Donate!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 11-10-2019, 03:16 PM
olredalert olredalert is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Marine City, Mi.
Posts: 8,799
Thanks: 27,107
Thanked 3,735 Times in 1,579 Posts
Default

----Love the car and love, love the pinner white walls!!!! Can't wait to see this monster at MCACN along with my other favorite a certain Dusk Blue COPO…….Bill S
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 11-10-2019, 03:52 PM
Ryan1969Chevelle's Avatar
Ryan1969Chevelle Ryan1969Chevelle is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Beautiful Elora Ontario Canada
Posts: 5,816
Thanks: 404
Thanked 670 Times in 386 Posts
Default

Killer car!!!

Can’t wait to see it at MCACN!!!

White Walls make the whole car, no question!!!

Ryan W31
__________________


1969 Beaumont 350 Auto White Sold
1969 Beaumont 307 Auto Green Sold
1969 Chevelle SS 396-L35 Auto Blue Sold
1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass 'S' Sports Coupe W31
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 11-10-2019, 06:15 PM
SS427's Avatar
SS427 SS427 is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Pleasant Plains, IL
Posts: 10,131
Thanks: 2,641
Thanked 3,763 Times in 987 Posts
Default

Stunning!
__________________
Rick Nelson
Musclecar Restoration and Design, Inc
www.musclecarrestorationanddesign.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62r-6vgk2_8
specializing in (only real) LS6 Chevelle restorations
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 11-10-2019, 08:52 PM
m22mike's Avatar
m22mike m22mike is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: West of CAK
Posts: 5,001
Thanks: 766
Thanked 828 Times in 398 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SS427 View Post
Stunning!

Well....we certainly had a good roll model as we followed along with your Red Yenko Chevelle. Your thread, along with Chevelle guidance from Grady and Phil They kept reminding me it was not a Camaro, but it is just another Chevy, right.... With no paint on the rear suspension. As you know Rick we were close behind you during your build, but we were in secret squirrel mode as Grady wanted the big finish to be at MCACN. AND the cool artical and cover in this issue of MCR, thanks MCR and Drew Hardin .... Plus posting pictures every day messes with nap time. It was fun talking with you along the way, and thanks for all your help.
Both The Grady 69 COPO Chevelles will be side by side at MCACN , so make a point of seeing both cars. If you have never seen the Blue car, it is the world standard for a un restored original COPO Chevelle.
Pictures of our build to follow, and MORE shots of the "Ribbon COPO" for sure, it was a cool period paint job.


Mike
Reply With Quote
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to m22mike For This Useful Post:
Bill Pritchard (11-22-2019), Orange72 (11-20-2019), SS427 (11-11-2019), Xplantdad (11-10-2019)
  #8  
Old 11-10-2019, 07:19 PM
Zedder's Avatar
Zedder Zedder is offline
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,292
Thanks: 91
Thanked 604 Times in 336 Posts
Default

Wow!
__________________
Mark

1996 Carrera & 1993 Fat Boy
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 11-10-2019, 08:37 PM
flyingn's Avatar
flyingn flyingn is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Cinnaminson , NJ
Posts: 2,148
Thanks: 5,843
Thanked 562 Times in 243 Posts
Default

great job! Love it!!
__________________
Frank Szymkowski

1971 Torino 351c 4v GT convertible. White/white with black,4 speed, shaker, am/fm, ps/pdb, buckets/console, ac, flip headlights

1969 GTO Judge Warwick blue/blue, RAIII, 4 speed, tach/gauges, safe t track, flip headlights, 3.55's, ps and radio.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 11-10-2019, 10:05 PM
Mr. Chevy's Avatar
Mr. Chevy Mr. Chevy is online now
Yenko Contributing Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Northern Ohio
Posts: 4,615
Thanks: 287
Thanked 704 Times in 347 Posts
Default

I saw this car in person the other night. Pictures do it no justice!!

Mike "out did" himself on this car!!

It is absolutely stunning!!

Awesome work Mike!!

Rich
__________________
"This is Sheriff Buford T. Justice, I'm in pursuit of a black Trans Am, he is all mine so stay out of the way"
Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Mr. Chevy For This Useful Post:
Xplantdad (11-10-2019)
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.