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1969 Camaro SS 396 L78 With An M22!

Chevrolet’s naming convention for options isn’t always the easiest to understand, but if you are going to learn just one Regular Production Option code (RPO) you might want it to be L78. This RPO is for the 375 horsepower big block 396 V8 engine! They built about 4,800 Camaros in ’69 with this option and this project is said to be one of them. It’s going to be a major undertaking to restore this one, but it’s all there with its original engine and M22 4-speed transmission. If you’ve been looking for a big block Camaro project, you can find this one here on eBay in Brighton, Colorado with a current bid of $17,900.

The seller claims that the 396 turns over, but that they haven’t attempted to start it. There’s a fair amount of corrosion visible in the engine bay, which is never a good sign. Whenever you see a firewall with this much rust, you can’t help but wonder what the underside looks like.

While the interior needs a ton of work, it looks like all the major components are present, well except for one major component but more on that in a moment. The M22 4-speed is a heavy duty close ratio gearbox and has been nicknamed the Rock Crusher. If you’ve ever experienced one, you know why they call it that! So what exactly is missing from this interior? Well, the floors for one! Seriously, take a closer look and you’ll notice that the floors are non-existent.

Alright, saying this Camaro is going to be a big project might be a serious understatement, but if it really is a genuine L78 it would be worth restoring. Being a Camaro means you can get every nut and bolt to restore it. It’s really just a matter of how badly you want one and if you are willing to sell a kidney to pay for it! So, do you think this one will end up being restored or is the next owner buying it just for the drivetrain and VIN?

Comments

  1. Avatar Jack M.

    There is definitely enough there to restore. Doesn’t make sense at this price to part it out.

    Like 9
  2. Avatar JohnD

    LR suspension appear collapsed????? If so, not good . ..

    Like 9
    • Avatar JEG123

      I don’t see the suspension problem. I spent a lot of time under this vehicle; back in 69′ and I currently have a resto-mod 69. This car had three leaf springs. The other 69’s with less HP had only one. Better have traction bars. This has the roof line of an RS so I think its an RS/SS but without the hide-a-way headlights. Oldtimer moment.

      Like 2
      • Avatar Steve R

        Hidden headlights and reverse lights in the lower valance were the main outward signs of an RS, this car has neither. The roofline for an RS is the same as any other Camaro hardtop. This car does not have the RS option, it’s a standard SS.

        Steve R

        Like 8
    • Avatar JEG123

      Oh, yes. The hockey sticks are another hint of RS.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Doug

        JEG123, incorrect on the roofline or the hockey stripes. Side stripes are SS not RS

        Like 5
  3. Avatar Dirtymax

    Doesn’t retain all factory parts as it says in the listing, pretty sure it left the factory with a floor. Supprised that wasnt mentioned in the listing but hey, the new buyer will figure it out

    Like 14
  4. Avatar Steve R

    The fact that the car is sitting on a lift yet they didn’t bother to show pictures of the undercarriage is pretty telling as to the extent of the rust. At least the owner says it’s not for the amateur restorer.

    This would have been a beautify car when new.

    Steve R

    Like 20
    • Avatar Redsresto

      That’s because there is no undercarriage…

      Like 9
  5. Avatar 2cool2say

    This is a great example of a cool car with the right options, but the extensive rust is off-putting. I think it’s best to buy a solid car, unless you enjoy welding, cutting, scraping, grinding and sanding endlessly to only then start at ground zero.

    If you can’t afford a dry car, then you can’t afford a rusted one either…

    Like 20
  6. Avatar Mark

    That’s a lot of rust since it was parked in 1975. It can be restored. It has a lot of options and even the original AM FM radio.

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Dirtymax

    Even with no floor it is still a good car to restore given the options. I’d love to hit the loud pedal on a new 396 with the rock crusher and posi. They ain’t makin any more of ’em

    Like 11
  8. Avatar Ike Onick

    SS 396 L78 With An M22!

    Somebody had better get there PDQ and make a bid ASAP. OK? LOL!

    Like 5
  9. Avatar Lroy

    Excellent investment, concourse restoration candidate as long as numbers matching. All parts are available worth the $30k needed to make it worth $70k

    Like 2
    • Avatar JohnD

      Concourse, concours, Coors lite, who cares! This’ll be a stunner no matter the venue!

      Like 5
  10. Avatar Tom

    Dynacorn body and rebuild every nut and bolt.

    Like 17
    • Avatar Bingo

      Exactly.

      Like 3
  11. Avatar 68custom

    rebody for sure if it has numbers matching drivetrain the price is fair.

    Like 2
  12. Avatar Flip

    Love the 69 Camaro’s
    Owned one just like it in 1980 w the 325 hp 396.
    Lemans blue, 4 sp w factory air and front endura bumper
    Was very clean back then w original paint. Bought from original owner; still have a copy of the window sticker
    Sold it for 2500 when I needed money to buy my first house.
    This car will need more then just 30 k to restore, so you always run into the cost of purchase vs what the car is worth when finished.
    A re-body and transfer of serial numbers to another chassis, even Dynacorn is unfortunately illegal in most states.
    Great car; but marginal on return on sweat equity.

    Like 4
  13. Avatar Dacriz

    Unfortunately mother nature claimed this one. I say salvage as much as possible but dynacorn the body. Even trying to bring the body back to presentable would involve many many reproduction parts. Keep the drive train etc and put it in a new body etc and drive the snot out of it. My 69 is a hard core driver and I love it that way. It has an Ls-2 and t56.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar PRA4SNW

    Auction just ended. Sold at $25,100 with 50 bids.

    It looks like several people saw some potential here.

    Like 2
  15. Avatar Just passing through

    I don’t think the Camaro came with an M22 in 1969. I believe if it is original equipment it would sport am M21.
    I restored a 1969 SSRS a number of years ago, and it cost a lot to finish it properly. It was in far better condition than this blue beauty. It can be done, but it will not be cheap.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Steve

      IIRC anything with solid lifters got an M22 in 69. In any case the m22 was available.

      Like 4
    • Avatar Roy Blankenship

      M20, M21, and M22 were available as options.

      Like 1
  16. Avatar John

    Gone

    Like 1
  17. Avatar Sam Shive

    Drivetrain and Vin….Then Buy This …..http://realdealsteel.com/c-1105811-bodies-1967-69-camaro.html

    Like 2
  18. Avatar BRAKTRCR

    Anybody want to buy a kidneyl? Let me know.

    Like 0
    • Avatar BRAKTRCR

      Whoops, it’s gone, as John just mentioned. $25K wow. Guess I get to keep my kidney

      Like 0
      • Avatar Densa

        OK, you sell one kidney for the car. Now you have to sell your other kidney to restore it!

        Like 3
  19. Avatar Dave

    In 1971 I bought my first car, an immaculate 69 Camaro RS from Ellis Brooks Chevrolet in San Francisco. Under 15 k miles for $2,600. White with black side hockey stripes, dark blue vinyl top and interior. 350/250hp auto with the deluxe interior. No high performance car in any way for the times, but my first car, my first car love. Loved that car!! Sadly it was stolen. Bought a 71 Placer Gold, blk stripes Z28 to replace it. But always loved that 69 RS look like no other Camaro. Married, children and family, always said I’ll get another 69 RS….time past to quick, prices sorred out of sight. The 69 will always be my back in time dream car to own again.

    Like 1
  20. Avatar John

    That has the true SS hood with the 8 blocks on it, I had that hood on my 69 back in the day. Don’t see that hood around too much.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Wrong Way

    If you can get the kind of money selling a kidney to redo this! Where do I need to go to sell mine?

    Like 1
  22. Avatar Oliver Felix Rojas

    Worth a restore to the right person with the right connection, resources and commitment.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar ACZ

    This one brings back a lot of memories. I had one, a darker blue, RS/SS, 396-375 with a TH400. 4.56 twelve bolt. Just sheer, raw power. A real beast. You never forget a car like that.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Dave Laf

      3.56??

      Like 0
      • Avatar Dave Laf

        I stand corrected. There is a 4.56 offered. And it would have been a 3.55. Thats what I get, for typing without thinking. I hate being like everyone else. 🙂

        Like 0
  24. Avatar Howard

    Even though I’m a Mopar guy my first car was a 69 Camaro RS, and I owned it for 28 years. There is a seam on these cars where the firewall mates with the upper section of the body just under the cowl. Over time the sealer goes bad, and water runs down the firewall undetected under the carpeting and rots out the floor boards. Sometimes the lower part of the firewall and the lower body mounts that attach to the subframe also rot away as a result. If that is the case with this car than it would be better to rebody it.

    Like 1
  25. Avatar Matt steele

    This car is worthy of a full restoration. Would not be worth it to pay somebody else to restore it for you you would have to be the person with enough knowledge to do-it-yourself and that’s who will buy this car

    Like 0
  26. Avatar Matt steele

    I’d give my left nut..for it..I’d give both..I’m 54..lol

    Like 0
    • Avatar Wrong Way

      You just might still need those nuts? 54 isn’t old enough to not need your nuts anymore silly!

      Like 1
  27. Avatar John

    I’m past 54yo. and definitely not planning on having anymore kids, so I know I don’t need my nuts anymore! lol!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Wrong Way

      Dammit boy, I am almost 70 and I still use my nuts on occasion! LMAO

      Like 2
  28. Avatar Kevin

    I got a 69 Chevy with a three ninety six…….

    Like 0
  29. Avatar Steve

    Go run to the bathroom, grab a snack and get comforable, folks. I have a tale almost too good to be true…

    Back in the late 70’s/ early 80’s, I knew of a 69 Camaro L78 396/375 hp, M22 4 spd car that was very similar to this. The main difference is one that you rarely see, the /L89 aluminum head option. It originally belonged to a friend of my oldest brother. Back in the late 70’s when he was in high school, the car was wrecked (driver was racing a guy in a newer Trans Am and “lost it” at high speed, car was spun and hit a telephone pole square in the trunk, rupturing the gas tank and engulfing the car in flames. Fortunately the fire dept. showed up before the whole car burned, but it got right up to the fire (!) wall before they got it put out, leaving the front clip untouched.

    The car was originally lemans blue with a white D90 hockey stripe on the side, SS hood, white vinyl top and white Z87deluxe interior. I remember the car when it was running, and coincidentally, even though this was Texas, it was the Gulf Coast and the back half of the car was already something of a rust bucket as well, with cancer already affecting the rear quarters before the wreck. The car sat outside at the owner’s parents’ property as is with a tarp over the front for quite a while. I tried to buy the car when I was in high school in the mid 80’s, but the owner wouldn’t budge on selling. I moved away, but later found out that due to financial situations (owner was a motorcycle mechanic and was given the chance to buy out the franchise from his boss) forced its sale. (I later found out that my dad knew that the car was put up for sale, but didn’t tell me about it, since he felt I was “wasting my money” on old cars. I later pointed out how much 69 Camaros, especially L78/L89 cars are now worth, with only 311 L89 Camaros built in 69.)

    It was a small “community” of gear heads where I grew up, and I later found out through a friend that still lived in the area that the new owner was a friend of a friend that bought the car because he already had a 69 camaro, also an SS, but originally an L48 350/300 hp car, frost green IIRC from our conversations, as it was in primer when I saw it. It was an auto trans car, but with dark green deluxe interior. Coincidentally, it had been wrecked pretty hard in the front (I can’t remember what the story was there, or if I ever asked), but the rest of the car was solid and whatever engine it was equipped with was pulled and installed in a 56 Chevy Bel Air he had.

    The owner said that the two Camaros were made one over the course of a weekend. He made it a running, driving car in a few days, swapping the whole front sub-frame, never pulling the front sheet metal loose, from what I was told. He was driving it around in primer with the blue front clip for a while in the early 90’s. It was never “restored” when he owned it, just used as a “hot rod”/ musclecar should be.

    The original L78 car had yellow Lakewood traction bars chrome 5 spoke Cragars all around, with 15×7’s up front and 15×10’s and big N50/15’s out back. This all got swapped over, with new tires, but even though they were rusty from sitting outside (he rattle canned painted them with that “chrome bumper paint” popular back in the day, the Cragars, sticking out from under the rear fender wells, had the look that has had me hooked on “Day Two” musclecars since.

    The L48 car still had dog dish hubcaps on steel wheels (not even rallys, I guess they were optional even on the SS, because years later, my brother owned a black with red hockey strip 69 SS with the same wheels) and I saw the car later with those wheels on it and the owner said he would put those on when he went to get the car inspected, so they “wouldn’t hassle him as much”. He drove it from time to time, in primer, and I would see it on weekends when I would go home to visit my folks on the weekends and made it a point to make a few laps around the town where he lived before heading the last 15 miles or so to my folks place. He eventually dyed the dark green interior black and installed a ZL2 cowl induction hood, then got it painted the original blue.

    This all leads up to the VIN switching business. The third hand story story goes that right after he got it painted, his wife got fed up with his spending all of this time and money on cars (she said that the money spent on the paint job on the blue Camaro (she had only known it to be in grey primer) was the “straw that broke the camel’s” back) and filed for divorce. She went after “the Camaro” he had owned for years and having still owned what was left of the burnt L78 and wrecked L48, dug the trim and vin tags out of his safety deposit box, screwed/ pop riveted them onto the shell and told the soon to be ex-wife’s lawyer where to find the L48. (Unbeknownst to her, he had switched the VIN tags and had the L78 titled in his sister’s name, as someone had tipped him off about her fooling around on him. However, she did get the 56 Bel Air, which she promptly sold.)

    My friends and me lost track of him, but he and the car were gone by the late 90’s. I wonder what happened to it, and anytime I see a lemans blue (most popular color in 69, with 12% ordered in this color) 69 Camaro with the white D90 stripe, I check to see if it is has the white Z87 deluxe interior and an L78, as I do when I see a black at 1.7% ordered in this color (third most rare, next to butternut yellow with .8% and champagne with .5%) most rare color in 69,) with red D90 stripe, Z87 black deluxe interior and L48 350/ 4 speed that was my deceased brothers years before.

    You see a lot of 69 Camaros at shows and such, but there were so many options that many of them were unique. I haven’t come across what I felt was either one since. (It seems most SS cars had black D90 stripes, instead of the blue white and black red combos of these cars from my youth.)

    Like 1
    • Avatar Dave Laf

      I got up and got a drink half way through. Best time to be alive, am I right?

      Like 1
  30. Avatar michael kiendzior

    my buddy bought this car.. car is well over 60k and its only half way finished.. will be all original when finished.. adding the missing smog and other missing parts…

    Like 1

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