With so many clones and tributes flooding the market, the seller emphasizes that this 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 is the real deal. It also demonstrates why we should never judge a book by its cover. It looks pretty sad, but life in a favorable climate has protected it from many of the rust problems that often plague these classics. It will require deep commitment to recapture its former glory, but the desirability of the SS 396 should make it worth the effort. The seller has listed the Chevelle here on eBay in Costa Mesa, California. Frantic bidding has pushed the price to $12,100, but that figure falls short of the reserve.
In its glory days, this SS 396 would have been a pretty striking vehicle. Its Garnet Red paint would have accentuated the inherently aggressive styling of the Second Generation Chevelle range. Time hasn’t treated it kindly, but the images suggest it is far from a lost cause. The tired paint is beyond salvation, and the new owner will probably adopt a bare metal approach to achieve a high-end restoration. The panels have a few dings and dents, and there is rust visible in some lower extremities. The trunk pan has a gaping hole, and the buyer will almost certainly invest in a replacement to address the problem. However, that could be as bad as the news gets. The remaining underside shots confirm that the floors are rock-solid. Some trim pieces will probably require replacement or a trip to the platers, and the windshield sports a substantial crack.
The Californian climate that has protected this Chevelle’s steel so admirably has exacted a high toll on its interior. Trimmed in Black vinyl, almost everything looks baked and damaged. The new owner could buy individual pieces, but that probably isn’t the best solution. A trim kit could cost around $3,800, but it would contain everything required to return the interior to as-new condition. It would be a comfortable place once restored, courtesy of the air conditioning, bucket seats, console, and pushbutton radio.
For a desirable classic to represent the best chance as a long-term investment prospect, it typically should be numbers-matching. This Chevelle ticks that box, retaining its original 396ci V8, three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission, 12-bolt rear end, power steering, and power front disc brakes. The big-block is a beast, and with the factory quoting a power output of 325hp, the SS 396 was undeniably a muscle car with genuine performance credentials. The seller recently located the car hibernating in a Los Angeles garage, a spot it had occupied for over three decades. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t run or drive. However, they installed a battery, confirming that the motor turns freely.
It is sometimes challenging to determine the desirability of a classic, but this 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396 leaves no doubt. The 38 submitted bids are the tip of the iceberg, because the Listing View and Watch List tallies of 528 and 73, respectively, demonstrate that plenty of people like what they see. The solid action could potentially develop into a bidding war as interested parties throw their hats into the ring. Are you tempted to join the party? If so, what would you be prepared to pay for this genuine SS 396?
While this car is worthy of a restoration, it first must be bought for the right price. This car can easily swallow $50k-$70k on a full resto, so one has to consider the value once restored. Unless you are doing most of the heavy lifting yourself, or have a love affair with this particular ride, total investment needs to fit into this equation. I guaranty once this car is torn down, there will be a multitude of surprises, awaiting the new owner.
True that. My camaro was presentable and appeared ‘mostly’ rust free before I decided on a re-do. By the time it was all said and done, it got new quarters, interior floors, trunk floor and dropoffs, seat supports, outer wheel houses, a new deck lid, rockers, radiator support, one new inner fender, and one door shell. Also did minor rust repair on the front fenders. Yes, I’m verrry skeptical of ads that claim an older unrestored car is rust free.
In the early 90s I owned a 1968 Impala 4 door hardtop with a 396 and auto trans. Overall the car was a bit rag tag, but that motor was a BEAST. Even then, when it was about 25 years old, it could chirp the tires hitting second gear if you romped on it just right. Then our first son came along and I had the choice of putting money into fixing up the car, or raising my son. My wife was pretty determined it wasn’t going to be the car, so I sold it to a guy in New Jersey who just wanted the motor. I hope that thing is in some hot rod today still leaving rubber on the asphalt somewhere.
It’s rough, but has matching numbers and is complete. Missing pieces will nickel and dime someone restoring a car to original. Potential buyers need to check if all the small parts are correct, such as carb, distributor, brackets, etc. The trunk is rusty enough that I’d search for how the water got in there, id focus on the area around the rear window channel.
This car will be interesting to watch, not sure where the reserve is set, but it’s the same seller that has the red 1973 featured on this site a few days ago with the $49,000 asking price.
Steve R
In the eBay ad it shows the numbers stamped on the block.
Is it me or do the last 3 digits (746) look larger?
With an automatic and the smallest of the Big Block 396 engines your restoration costs on this one will never be recouped upon sale.
I am old and cheap…..even if car is an original as stated, I guess to really restored it, the buyer $12k bid as listed in this article is alot short of the reserve on this car? This car probably sold for little over $3k new. And from pics the interior is shot. The engine doesn’t run It needs a paint job and probably alot more rust repair then is implied in this article…..I got a ’70 Chevy Impala Custom Coupe in 1976 from neighbor who was original owner. It had few dings & looked like a little surface rust. I did what I could on body work, not being a body-man and since my father had repair shop….so access to air compressor. I would guess this car, like my Chevy has rusted quarter panels behind the wheels…from windshield & trunk rusted leaks.
Get it running steering and stopping – do the mechanical stuff, fit the new interior kit and enjoy
Looks like a flood car. 2500.00 max, and that’s just for the 0riginal 396.
They do have some killer weed in CA, this guy must have a lot.
ahhhm .. NO
You could easily get double the above mentioned amount from the usable parts visible in the pictures, significantly more if you were willing to strip it to it’s skeleton and ship parts.
I’d be surprised if you couldn’t take this car apart with basic 3/8 and 1/2 drive sockets set and a basic wrenches. This car hasn’t been subjected to salt driven rust.
Steve R
looks fairly solid. the frame is in mint shape. depending on the reserve will tell if it’s a good buy or not. it will swallow every bit of 50k + to bring it back to factory fresh. i bought a parts car from Hesperia ca 16yrs ago and i will say all the metal is mint, but the interior is cooked. California cars can be very solid or a bit rusty as this Chevelle proves.
Somebody with deeper pockets than me will probably restore this car. I like 69 SS396s as well as anyone- I owned 2 L78 cars as a teenager..sigh. If only…life and ignorance got in the way. I hope someone does right by it!
yup, that paint will clean up better than youd think.. and then itll be an original ruby paint, ’69 Chevelle SS
As a survivor enthusiast id rather original imperfect than shiney cheap import replacement.
325hp is plenty for me, its not a drag car nor should it be.
Just the sound of a 396ci out of quality dual exhaust is music to my ears. Drop it off at Warners in O’side with Jimmy.
Im not far from there, i happen to be in SD picking up a ’65 GTO, so if anyone wants me to inspect it..
I can haul it to you too.
One like this would be hard to turn down if it was a little closer to home; I’ve always been partial to ’69 Chevelles, and relatively complete units are great to work on.
I’m not a big fan of STV A-C units but they actually do work pretty well, when they work. If they don’t you still have 4×80 A-C.
Now, if this was a 300 2-door coupe with a six, three-spd, and the lone option of an AM radio, I would be on my way down there as I write this. I know some would scoff at this but I had a ’69 Chevelle 300 2-door, c/w Six, 3-spd and AM radio. It would be a dream come true to find one that hasn’t been converted to a “NUMBERS MATCHING” SS396…
In the eBay ad it says: “the paint on the entire car is original. It has never had any body work or paintwork.”
I guess the seller cannot see the big spot on the driver’s quarter that had a prior repair and spot repaint with visible bondo cracks. Or that the passenger fender has obviously been replaced and repainted. The black E-coat of replacement GM sheetmetal is visible over headlights, and the entire jamb under the hood is peeling down to the black E-coat. Not to mention the light gray primer visible on the side which is not anywhere else on the car (except that quarter panel repair), and the crooked / high SS396 emblems on that side. With the pin stripe matching across all of it, and passing right through the repair on the quarter, you have to assume the pin stripe was all redone, and/or the entire car was repainted when one of those other repairs was done (or maybe it all happened at the same time).
Not that it really matters given the overall condition of the rest of the car (which looks like the driver never saw an obstacle that they did not want to run into). But statements by sellers that are quite obviously untrue to anyone with functioning eyeballs really annoy me!
The internet has done 2 things well. Brought cars into the light for the hobby.
Also exploded the prices on cars making them out of reach for the average hobbyist wanting to have cool ride on the weekends. And with the aftermarket getting crazy money on reproduction parts made in china. So what was a Hot Rodder’s atmosphere for fixing up old cars becomes a collectors only market.
At least I got to participate in the Rodders Hobby. And not the collectors inflating the market. But that is free enterprise, and on top of that cars are leaving the states for places abroad done by pirate scalpers.
There are and always have been enthusiasts oriented cars at reasonable prices. They just aren’t the same 1960’s and early-1970’s cars that have been in demand for 50+ years. Start looking at newer cars, like 1980’s F-bodies or Fox Mustangs, mid to late-90’s Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs, C3 and later Corvette’s, any number of pickups, 4×4’s, even a good cross section of imports. They may not be at the top of somebody’s wish list, but even in the early-1980’s me and my friends couldn’t afford our dream cars either. Whatever did instead, was figured out what we could afford and focused our search to that price range, we never had problems finding cars that were fun to drive, this Chevelle would now fall into that category, but wouldn’t have then. I had some friends that wouldn’t compromise, most never bought anything, but still complain about how overpriced cars are.
Look at the other cars this seller has listed. He currently has 4 others listing and had 4 others over the last 90 days. He’s finding them somewhere, same goes with every other flipper featured on this site.
Steve R
Makes the 1968 Beaumont Deluxe from July 8th on this platform look like a bargain, eh?
https://www.craigslist.org/view/d/blue-springs-1968-pontiac-beaumont/sX9kXW84LRMa3J71f2DqX7
Not really.
Steve R
Seems like buyers disagree here but you’ll have a hard time getting the restoration costs back. Today’s market favors all-original cars with special options, such as the L78. This is a standard engine automatic that’ll be completely restored. Chevy built a lot of them, and many have been restored, and many clones made as well.
Seems like most of the commentators have come to the same consensus I have. This guy is good at finding restorable old classics that are in dire need of restoration, but setting prices way out of the price range of your average car buyer/classic car lovers pocket books. With the cost of the body work, minimal though it might be, the miriad number of replacement parts – some of which may not be easy to obtain and needing to be reproduced and the countless hours needed to bring these beauties back from the dead, my only option would be to buy a competed restoration leaving me no satisfaction of having brought a classic back to life but saving my grandkids somewhat of an inheritance when I leave this mortal coil to be buried in whatever classic car I’ve just completed. ROI is the key. If I can’t make money on the project or even finish it because of the initial startup costs and continuing project costs then I might as well look elsewhere, missing the opportunity to work on a what could be the opportunity of a lifetime.
So surprising…a candidate for the crusher and the owner wants north of 12k…….”there’s one born every minute”
Would love to acquire this and return it to glory. Same engine and transmission options in mine that got away from me more than 50 years ago when I was young and dumber that I hope I am today.
People can poo-pooh the 325 hp version of the 396, but with a little tweaking they do very well. My car had a hole-shot capability that would leave other street racers wondering how I was already 2 car lengths ahead while they were still trying to find traction off the line.
Hope this one finds a good home and is restored.
I love 69 SS, my cousin had an orange one 396 4spd.but there’s something strange about this one. For a car that’s in California how did it get this rusted and completely beat up looking. Honestly it looks like maybe this car was in a flood and it sat in the water for quite a while.
I have to disagree with you as far as flood-outs go. Over the years I’ve dealt with three flood-outs and you would certainly be surprised what one really looks like. The worst was a 3/4 ton that went through the ice into an alkali-laden lake. For years after we dried that out there were joints in the cab that grew fuzzy white “beards,” and despite the owner smoking huge stogies, on a hot summer day you could smell the alkaline.
The auction ended on 8/9/2026 with a high bid of $18,400 RNM. There were 46 bids from 14 bidders.
Steve R
Relisted for $28,999 BIN or offer.
Steve R
So many guys whine about EVERY car (probably because it’s better than their car) and make claims like “it’s a flood car” or “replaced fenders” when something like this is obviously neither. Those who have actually restored a car properly will appreciate original cars over the shiny/hiding who-knows-what. Values are subjective but a car is what it is. Hopefully a knowledgable buyer will restore this very original car correctly. Sure it isn’t perfect but you just don’t see real SS Chevelles unrestored and unmolested much anymore.