1969 Chevrolet Chevelle

350/250

Automatic

136399B345648

Clear

It’s somewhat hard to write a description for a car, so please bear with me as I hop around a bit, to try & give you the complete picture. Likewise, if you read anything that turns you off about the car, please be sure and read all the way to the bottom of the page before you make any decisions. Thanks in advance for your time! My Grandmother bought this New October 29, 1970 here in Gainesville, FL; Aside from a few trips to the Great Smokey Mtns & going to see relatives in Georgia, the car has been here in Gainesville ever since. Her name was Maidee, known to me as “Dee”, hence the license plate. She stopped driving in the late ‘90s, and my Uncle owned it until I bought it from him about 3 yrs ago. He was in the process of a full restoration when he realized that, due to health issues, he could not continue. To begin with, let me point out that this is a 4-door hard top (or “Sport Sedan”, as Chevrolet called them at the time); No Pillar(!), which is the key to it’s beauty, in my humble opinion. 4-doors w/ pillars are Ug-Ly; No pillar = lots of open real-estate when all of the windows go down, which is the only way that I drive it. 2-door rear windows are only ½ the size, and ½ the view. I’ve always been a 4-door fan myself, but No-Pillars-Allowed….lol Here’s everything the car Doesn’t need: He had the original 350 2 barrel/250 HP motor & Powerglide transmission rebuilt over the years that he owned it. The car had 89K miles when he got it, 98K miles when he had everything rebuilt (not that it needed it…), and it currently has 106K miles, so @ 8K since rebuild. The original pistons were re-ringed; Original crank turned + new bearings. The transmission overhaul was extensive, and included all bands, clutches, etc. The original open/non-posi 2.76 10 bolt rear-end was also brought back to spec. My automotive enthusiast Uncle, now somewhat elderly, had no receipts to provide, hence, I don’t either. It starts as fast as you can get your hand off of the key, and runs like a sewing machine; Uses Zero oil, as expected. The first time you hear & drive it, your reservations about relying on my word for everything described having been done will evaporate. He ran synthetic motor oil, brand unknown; I’ve been running Redline & Amsoil synthetic motor oils (& Amsoil synthetic tranny/PS fluid), with a K&N 2 qt “truck” oil filter, which fits perfectly/no ground clearance issues at all. I change every 5K, in spite of extended recommended intervals for expensive oil. The first thing that I did when I bought the car (after changing the oil & filter to my desired brands) was to head to my local exhaust guys. My Uncle had already converted it to dual exhaust (1 7/8” front to rear w/ factory-style mufflers; Perfect for a fuel mileage/low-end power V8), but I’m a firm believer in cross-over pipes, so I added one. It wasn’t loud to begin with, but the x-over pipe dropped the exhaust note by at least 20%; People always comment on how quiet the car/exhaust is. The rebuilt Powerglide trans was properly serviced/filter/bands tightened when I changed to the Amsoil Synthetic fluid; I also added a larger capacity finned aluminum pan to it. As a firm believer in “Retro-Tech” (applying new technology to old ideas), I’ve installed an MSD Electronic Distributor, MSD 8.5mm wires, and MSD 6AL 40th Anniversary Commemorative CD Box & Coil (Only 4,000 produced, Lifetime Warranty, and it just seemed appropriate for my 42 yr old Chevelle J). When I changed the power-steering fluid to Amsoil Synthetic, I also added a return-line filter to it (stainless screen w/ an internal magnet; Looks like a small metal body fuel filter). Also installed a K&N air filter in the stock housing, and creatively but safely shimmed it so that there’s an opening around the circumference of the filter to allow more air in; The added 4 barrel sound when putting some foot down is just an added bonus. If you prefer the stock/totally quiet configuration, it can be converted back in under a minute. Also in the name of Retro-Tech, and not being a fan of external points-style voltage regulators, I installed a later model GM 120 amp Alternator w/ internal regulator (the model number escapes me for the moment, but can be provided, if you desire). I also trunk-mounted the Optima Yellow-Top battery, which is wired w/ 00 gauge cable front to rear. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to electricity & wiring, so there are no hack jobs here. I won’t say that every single connection is soldered, but you won’t have any issues with anything that I’ve done. Uncle also added a 4-row radiator, and the thermostat is a 195. Even mid-summer here in Florida idling in traffic, it never goes above 200-205; NEVER. A lower thermostat would produce equally reduced results, I’m sure. As was/is originally equipped, the car came with Power Steering & Manual 4-wheel Drum Brakes. When I got it, it stopped “ok”. In the meantime (and once it was being driven on a regular basis again) the master cylinder went out, as did one of the rear wheel cylinders. I replaced both rear wheel cylinders as per usual, but the currently listed replacement Master Cylinder that I installed has larger than stock reservoirs and, just looking at the outside, appears to have larger than original piston diameter(s). After replacing these parts, the car stops very well. While it’s not power disc brakes, even from interstate speeds, the car stops much better than you’d imagine, given the configuration; You won’t be disappointed. Uncle said he’d “done the front brakes”, but I’ve never had them off, and can’t speak to their condition. The hubcaps currently installed and shown in the pics are from a 64/65 SS; I liked the spinner center caps, and preferred them to the mini-moons w/o trim rings that came on it stock. Wheels are still 14” steel originals, btw… I’ve also added mechanical oil pressure & engine temperature gauges below the dash, and that’s a “live” hood-mounted fuel pressure gauge that you see. Speaking of fuel, I installed a Carter Electric Fuel Pump back at the tank, which draws through a Russell Pro Canister Fuel Filter mounted adjacent to it at the underside/rear. I removed the stock mechanical fuel pump & pushrod, and replaced it w/ an aluminum block-off plate. Body wise: The car was repainted the original color in the late 80s, when Grandma had a parking lot fender bender at the local grocery store. It was literally at parking lot speed, and on the right front corner, if memory serves. Otherwise, the car has NEVER been hit; Period. While sitting at the mechanic’s shop for an extended period for the motor/trans overhauls, something was (apparently) set on top of the car, hence the absence of paint on top of the driver’s side. Other than that noticeable flaw & for its age, the paint still doesn’t look very bad overall. ALL exterior emblems & lenses have been replaced. Uncle had bought them, and I installed them over the last year or so. I also have an extra grille, and several pieces of exterior chrome trim that will be included, as well as a New in the Box interior floorpan pad/sound deadener (long sealed box; Very heavy). I also have every-single-piece & part that I have removed/replaced from the car. The original green vinyl interior is in amazingly good condition. The driver’s seat is torn & the passenger headrest is shot (likely exchanged from the driver’s side before I got it) but otherwise, front & rear seat vinyl is Very Good++ bordering excellent. There are a couple of interior plastic panels missing, and the rear deck covering is gone, which brings me to….. What the car Does need: It has the “typical of the period” General Motors rot around the front & rear windows; It’s not all that bad, but bad enough that the car leaks. I have been VERY diligent about not letting it affect the trunk & interior as it usually does, though. I keep it dry after driving in the rain, and if I hadn’t told you, you’d never know the first time you sit in it. There’s no evidence, either visual or “olfactory”; In other words, it doesn’t smell(!)….lol It smells like the interior of a ’69 Chevelle; Period. I’m out of time for the night, and need to get the auction listed. I will amend my description further over this weekend, as well as adding more pics. Thanks for your patience! Terms of sale: A $500 non-refundable PayPal deposit is due within 24 hrs of auction close. If alternative arrangements are not made IN ADVANCE of auction close and this requirement is not met, the car will be immediately relisted, and Negative feedback will be left. Sorry to sound so harsh, but I’m weary of being jerked around by those not serious about purchase of higher-dollar items. Beyond that, I am Very easy to get along with. My workload is sometimes unpredictable and, as such, I’m sometimes buried in it for days at the time. That being said, it may take me as long as 7 days (on the outside) to be able to meet shipping obligations, if such are arranged. It probably won’t take me that long; I’m just saying that to be safe. There is a shipping hub about 75 miles NE from me in Jacksonville, just off of Interstate 95, which I will be glad to drive the car to for carrier transport, if necessary. I have both shipped & received cars from this location over the last 10 yrs. Outside of that, I’ll be happy to accommodate any reasonable shipping requirements that need be met to get your new Chevelle to you.On Oct-03-12 at 21:36:21 PDT, seller added the following information: Apologies for having taken SO long to complete my description! My Brother & Wife were in an accident last weekend, and it’s been Many trips to the hospital + normal long workdays for me. Anyway, thanks for your patience, and here’s the final product:I didn’t realize until After the auction was listed that eBay didn’t previously accept my HTML-based description, which is why it appears to be one long paragraph immediately above & hard to read, and eBay limits my ability to post "above", so please read below, as the original description has been reposted, amended, and added to. Thanks again for your patience & understanding, and please don’t hesitate to ask if you have ANY questions! If you want to speak in person, please send me a message, and I’ll respond with my phone number asap.It’s somewhat hard to write a description for a car, so please bear with me as I hop around a bit, to try & give you the complete picture. Likewise, if you read anything that turns you off about the car, please be sure and read all the way to the bottom of the page before you make any decisions. Thanks in advance for your time!My Grandmother bought this New October 29, 1970 here in Gainesville, FL; Aside from a few trips to the Great Smokey Mtns & going to see relatives in Georgia, the car has been here in Gainesville ever since. Her name was Maidee, known to me as “Dee”, hence the license plate. She stopped driving in the late ‘90s, and my Uncle owned it until I bought it from him about 3 yrs ago. He was in the process of a full restoration when he realized that, due to health issues, he could not continue. To begin with, let me point out that this is a 4-door Hard Top (or “Sport Sedan”, as Chevrolet called them at the time); No Pillar(!), which is the key to its beauty, in my humble opinion. 4-doors w/ pillars are Ug-Ly; No pillar = lots of open real-estate when all of the windows go down, which is the only way that I drive it. 2-door rear windows are only ½ the size, and ½ the view. I’ve always been a 4-door fan myself, but No-Pillars-Allowed….lolHere’s everything the car Doesn’t need:My Uncle had the original 350 2 barrel/250 HP motor & Powerglide transmission rebuilt over the years that he owned it. The car had 89K miles when he got it, 96K miles when he had everything rebuilt (not that it needed it…), and 98K when I bought it; It currently has 106K miles (so @ 8K since rebuild). As an aside: A couple of manuals do not list the 250HP/2Bbl motor as available until the ’70 year model, though some online resources list it as an option in ‘69. If memory serves, it was produced early ’70, making it a somewhat (but not totally) “late” ’69. Even though the still original air cleaner has been painted over in black, I am 100% POSITIVE of the “350/250” typical-for-the-period red-silver air cleaner decal that resided on top of it all those yrs ago, and know 100% For-Sure that this IS the Original Motor for the car; Just fyi…. The original pistons were re-ringed; Original crank turned + new bearings. The transmission overhaul was extensive, and included all bands, clutches, etc. The original open/non-posi 2.76 10 bolt rear-end was also brought back to spec. My automotive enthusiast Uncle, now somewhat elderly, had no receipts to provide, hence, I don’t either. It starts as fast as you can get your hand off of the key, and runs like a sewing machine; Uses Zero oil, as expected. The first time you hear & drive it, your reservations about relying on my word for everything described having been done will evaporate. He ran synthetic motor oil, brand unknown; I’ve been running Redline & Amsoil synthetic motor oils (& Amsoil synthetic tranny/PS fluid), with a K&N 2 qt “truck” oil filter, which fits perfectly/no ground clearance issues at all. I change every 5K, in spite of extended recommended intervals for expensive oil. The first thing that I did when I bought the car (after changing the oil & filter to my desired brands) was to head to my local exhaust guys. My Uncle had already converted it to dual exhaust (1 7/8” front to rear w/ factory-style mufflers; Perfect for a fuel mileage/low-end power V8), but I’m a firm believer in cross-over pipes, so I added one. It wasn’t loud to begin with, but the x-over pipe dropped the exhaust note by at least 20%; People always comment on how quiet the car/exhaust is. The rebuilt Powerglide trans was properly serviced/filter/bands tightened when I changed to the Amsoil Synthetic fluid; I also added a larger capacity finned aluminum pan to it. As a firm believer in “Retro-Tech” (applying new technology to old ideas), I’ve installed an MSD Electronic Distributor, MSD 8.5mm wires, and MSD 6AL 40th Anniversary Commemorative CD Box & Coil (Only 4,000 produced, Lifetime Warranty, and it just seemed appropriate for my 42 yr old Chevelle J). When I changed the power-steering fluid to Amsoil Synthetic, I also added a return-line filter to it (stainless screen w/ an internal magnet; Looks like a small metal body fuel filter). Also installed a K&N air filter in the stock housing, and creatively but safely shimmed it so that there’s an opening around the circumference of the filter to allow more air in; The added 4 barrel sound when putting some foot down is just an added bonus. If you prefer the stock/totally quiet configuration, it can be converted back in under a minute. Also in the name of Retro-Tech, and not being a fan of external points-style voltage regulators, I installed a later model GM 120 amp Alternator w/ internal regulator (the model number escapes me for the moment, but can be provided, if you desire). I also trunk-mounted the Optima Yellow-Top battery, which is wired w/ 00 gauge cable front to rear. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to electricity & wiring, so there are no hack jobs here. I won’t say that every single connection is soldered, but you won’t have any issues with anything that I’ve done. Uncle also added a 4-row radiator, and the thermostat is a 195. Even mid-summer here in Florida idling in traffic, it never goes above 200-205; NEVER. A lower thermostat would produce equally reduced results, I’m sure. As was/is originally equipped, the car came with Power Steering & Manual 4-wheel Drum Brakes. When I got it, it stopped “ok”. In the meantime (and once it was being driven on a regular basis again) the master cylinder went out, as did one of the rear wheel cylinders. I replaced both rear wheel cylinders & rear brake shoes as per usual, but the currently listed replacement Master Cylinder that I installed has larger than stock reservoirs and, just looking at the outside, appears to have larger than original piston diameter(s). After replacing these parts, the car stops very well. While it’s not power disc brakes, even from interstate speeds, the car stops much better than you’d imagine given the configuration; You won’t be disappointed. Uncle said he’d “done the front brakes”, but I’ve never had them off, and can’t speak to their condition. The hubcaps currently installed and shown in the pics are from a 64/65 SS; I liked the spinner center caps, and preferred them to the mini-moons w/o trim rings that came on it stock. Wheels are still 14” painted-steel originals, btw… I’ve also added mechanical oil pressure & engine temperature gauges below the dash, and that’s a “live” hood-mounted fuel pressure gauge that you see. Speaking of fuel, I installed a Carter Electric Fuel Pump back at the tank, which draws through a Russell Pro Canister Fuel Filter mounted adjacent to it at the underside/rear. I removed the stock mechanical fuel pump & pushrod, and replaced it w/ an aluminum block-off plate. Body wise: The car was repainted the original color in the late 80s, when Grandma had a parking lot fender bender at the local grocery store. It was literally at parking lot speed, and on the right front corner, if memory serves. Otherwise, the car has NEVER been hit or otherwise traumatized; Period. I can see no evidence of the bender now, and I know what “mud” looks like….lol While sitting at the mechanic’s shop an extended period for the motor/trans overhauls, something was (apparently) set on top of the car, hence the absence of paint on top of the driver’s side. Other than that noticeable flaw & for its age, the paint still doesn’t look very bad overall. ALL exterior emblems, lenses, and bezels have been replaced. Uncle had bought them, and I installed them over the last year or so. I also have an extra grille, and several pieces of exterior chrome trim that will be included, as well as a New in the Box interior floorpan pad/sound deadener (long sealed box; Very heavy). I also have every-single-piece & part that I have removed/replaced from the car. The original green vinyl interior is in amazingly good condition. The driver’s seat is torn on the bench (seat, bottom 1/2) & the passenger headrest is shot (likely exchanged from the driver’s side before I got it) but otherwise, front & rear seat vinyl is Very Good++ bordering excellent. There are a couple of interior plastic panels missing, and the rear deck covering is gone, which brings me to…..What the car Does need:It has the “typical of the period” General Motors rot around the front & rear windows; It’s not all that bad, but bad enough that the car leaks. I have been VERY diligent about not letting it affect the trunk & interior as it usually does, though. I keep it dry after driving in the rain, and if I hadn’t told you, you’d never know the first time you sit in it. There’s no evidence, either visual or “olfactory”; In other words, it doesn’t smell(!)….lol It smells like the interior of a ’69 Chevelle; Period. It does not have the (or any) original spare tire or jack (but I DO have the Original Owners’ Manual :). The hood-mounted fuel pressure gauge was a hack job, and one of the “fins” of the cowl venting on the hood was ungracefully cut away to make room for the braided stainless fuel line to it, so will need to be tended to; It’s not a major deal, but worth mentioning. The Left Rear tail & reverse lights come & go; Probably a minor ground or socket(s) problem, but worth mentioning. The original interior headliner seam is apart side to side along the driver’s head & front to rear along the outer edges, but is still for the most part…”up”. It was originally equipped with an AM Radio (of course, which I still have), but there’s a fairly late-model Alpine FM/CD Player and a pair of Sony 3-way 6x9s in the rear deck, all of which I’ll include/leave as-is; If you have no interest in the stereo components, I’ll subtract $75 from the winning bid, and remove them prior to shipping. As mentioned above, there’s some rot around the F & R windows; There are also some spots of “surface” rust in a few places. None of them are near what I’d consider bad (and I’m a “car guy”). If you want pics of the worst of these places, just let me know, and I’ll send them to you, if I can’t already get them added to the auction. The original Rochester 2 Barrel carb was replaced (maybe twice) over the years, but I still have the one previous to now, and included. When I first got the car, it had a slight off-idle dead spot; You’d have thought the accelerator pump was going bad. As I drove it more, though, I realized that it was something in the idle circuit, or low-speed jetting. The local hotrod shop guy has lots of experience with 60s/70s Detroit Iron, and he said that GMs from ’69-‘72+/- (while they were still figuring out Emission Controls) came from the factory extremely lean, and that the addition of dual exhaust to this one likely “sent it over the edge”. I had him ream the idle/air circuit tubes ever-so-slightly, which improved the off-idle spot, but when I added the MSD Ignition pieces, it returned. I can only imagine that the idle/air tubes need reamed a bit more to fix it, but I just didn’t want to go any further at the time. It’s not a major issue once it’s reached operating temp, but when it’s cold, you’ll notice it. Finally, I have some extra odds & ends that will be included, but most importantly, I’m pretty sure that I have every single piece & part that was ever removed from the car, as original, but within reason.As mentioned above, it is SO hard to describe a car in detail (at least for a true car-guy…), but I’ve done my best. If you have ANY questions at all, Please do not hesitate to let me know, and I will respond promptly. Thanks again for your patience!Terms of sale: A 20% non-refundable PayPal deposit is due within 24 hrs of auction close. If alternative arrangements are not made IN ADVANCE of auction close and this requirement is not met, the car will be immediately relisted, and Negative feedback will be left. Sorry to sound so harsh, but I’m weary of being jerked around by those not serious about purchase of higher-dollar items. Beyond that, I am Very easy to get along with. My workload is sometimes unpredictable and, as such, I’m sometimes buried in it for days at the time. That being said, it may take me as long as 7 days (on the outside) to be able to meet shipping obligations, if such are arranged. It probably won’t take me that long; I’m just saying that to be safe. There is a shipping hub about 75 miles NE from me in Jacksonville, just off of Interstate 95, which I will be glad to drive the car to for carrier transport, if necessary. I have both shipped & received cars from this location over the last 10 yrs. Outside of that, I’ll be happy to accommodate any reasonable shipping requirements that need be met to get your new Chevelle to you.