'69 Impala SS

[Snake45]

'69 Impala SS427 wasn't the most common musclecar back in the day, even rarer today. References are not exactly thick on the ground. There's a beautiful restored one in Fathom Green in the latest issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines. 

Yeah, I know, kits are rare, but there are resins floating around (Modelhaus?), and every once in a while a "distressed," workable promo comes up on eBay. 

[randyc]

That is an intereting car.  I have the 70 - just needed the wire wheel covers.   May not ever build.  Not a lot of differences are there?  (Just looked - yes there are some major differences in the grille).   the 69 is much better looking.

For a detailed chassis, could one use the 67 Impala?   

 

[larman]

I have a pretty decent '69 Impala SS. It's a decent restorable built up, but it doesn't have an opening hood. I had 4 '68s over the years, 3 hardtops and 1 convertible, and foolishly sold them. Made decent $$$ on them, but I do have serious sellers remorse on one of the hard tops that was a very good  started built up with the box. I would love to see a new kit of either the '68 or '69, and also  the '65-'69 Bel Air or Biscayne. These cars are highly overlooked IMO....

[Motor City]

I remember a '69 in my cousin's neighborhood in Detroit as late as 20 years ago.  The owner parked it in the street!  For those who don't know, the only way to get an Impala SS in '69 was with a 427 engine.  There were no distinguishing features like the '68 had with the appearance package (domed hood, 3 louvers on the front fender).  I knew a guy who had one, but it was rather plain.  It was a white hardtop with black vinyl top and white interior.

The AMT kit was of the custom coupe version.  The front suspension had a plastic post for each wheel that allowed you to turn the wheels one way (or splayed) if you desired, but it didn't sit straight.  I ended up selling it and bought the MPC convertible version with the conventional front axle.  

Anyone have a windshield for a '68 convertible kit they would like to unload?  Mine has a brown defect in it that should have been rejected at MPC when it was made.  My buddy's Dad built the custom version with the clear canopy, but threw the other parts out!

 

 

[Snake45]

I still have an original unbuilt AMT annual. I'd never have bought it, but I won it in a contest in 1969. If/when I ever actually do build it, it'll be a tribute to my folks' real '69 Impala: white with green vinyl top and interior. Theirs was a 4-door 327, but I'll build the kit in those colors anyway.

And no, it's not for sale or trade. 

[ChrisBcritter]

I had one as one of my childhood builds; the less said about it, the better... I do remember painting it with AMT lacquer; some sort of copper or bronze. Think I might still have one wheelcover.

[Classicgas]

I would love to see a new tool 69 Chevy.

[Can-Con]

"Vic's Resin" has one now but the bumpers aren't plated. 

I got this one years ago at an NNL East. I think it's the same one Vic sells now. 

I used the AMT '70 chassis and added the hidden headlights.

[Bucky]

I like that one. Wouldn't mind having hidden headlights for my MPC, when I get ready to build it. The AMT I have is not a complete kit. Would either the AMT '67 or AMT '70 chassis work on that one?

[Dodge Driver]

Model Car World offers several resin trans kits of various '60's Impalas and Biscaynes. Each trans kit uses a readily available Impala kit as a donor base.

[Classicgas]

15 hours ago, Can-Con said:

"Vic's Resin" has one now but the bumpers aren't plated. 

I got this one years ago at an NNL East. I think it's the same one Vic sells now. 

I used the AMT '70 chassis and added the hidden headlights.

Beautiful.

[bisc63]

That's a pretty shade of blue; very nice Impala!

For those who asked, yes the AMT '67 chassis is a nice upgrade chassis for these, as is the Revell '65. Little changed in the big-body frames for many years.

[Trendsetta68]

I possess a '69 convertible but I would also like to obtain a '69 hardtop  as well. 

 

The AMT '67 Impala will donate its chassis and running gear as well for the build up. 

[the other Mike S.]

I like the '69 too.  I have the promo style store version with the free rolling chassis and the original green "1969" retail box.  It's medium blue.  I've had it for over 20 years now.      

[Mike999]

Here's a good conversion project for one of those resin bodies:  1 of 6 Biscaynes built in 1969 with the top of the line 427 L72 engine and M22 Muncie 4-speed. Radio delete and the original spare still in the trunk.

A friend's Dad bought a '69 Biscayne new as a work/commute car. It was a Turd Brown 2-door post sedan with three-on-the-tree. IIRC, the only option on it was the 327 engine. 

https://www.gaaclassiccars.com/vehicles/27937/1969-chevrolet-biscayne-l72

[Rodent]

If you are going to be a rivet counter, the 67 accessory drive is not correct for 69 and up. An AMT 70 Monte Carlo could donate it's underhood parts to make a more correct 69 up Impala/Caprice.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I remember when I was young, there were 2 old ladies, (I believe they were sisters) that lived across the alley from my parents house.

When we first moved there in 1968 the "sisters" owned a beautiful maroon 1950 Buick 2 door hard top.

It looked like a brand new car!

Shortly after we moved in, they traded the Buick for a gold '69 Impala 2 hard top with a white vinyl top. ( I don't recall the interior color)

They owned that car until about 1984 when they traded it in on some homely blue Buick skylark or something. ( I pretty much stopped paying attention to cars after about 1973)

That Impala looked as good the day that they traded it as the day they bought it!

They very rarely drove it, and when they did, it was at about 10 mph around a small town of less than 3.000 people.

I remember seeing it one day shortly before they traded it and watched the black smoke bellow from the dual exhaust!

I'm pretty certain that car never reached speeds over 35 mph and I suppose that it was so carboned up that it was probably their rational for trading it.

Someone got a nearly pristine '69 Impala that likely was very low mileage when they traded that.

If you could get the carbon out of it, it probably would have been like a brand new car.

 

 

Steve

[Tom Geiger]

The summer of 1968 my father got a hardship assignment to Seoul, Korea for 18 months so my sister, mother and I returned to our ancestry home of Jersey City, New Jersey.  We lived a few blocks from AC Chevrolet.  I was 10 years old and a huge car guy, so I took to hanging out there.  Salesmen took me on as kind of a mascot because they got a kick out of my enthusiasm and that I knew the specs on all the new cars.  Fall of 1968, the 1969s came out and I thought the new full size Chevy was spectacular.  I loved the big wrap around bumper on the front.  In fact I drew my self designed cars with that feature.  

Salesmen would take me for rides to swap cars with other dealers, try that with someone's 10 year old these days!  They looked the other way when I raided the brochure racks and gave me showroom posters when there were extras or they were done with them.  My favorite ride was in a 1969 Impala SS. It was yellow with a black bucket interior and vinyl top.  I believe it was a 427 car because when the salesman started it up, it rumbled.  He motioned me to hop in, so I did.  I thought we were going for a ride, but he just moved it across the lot!  Anyway, I enjoyed that ride, and when my grandfather said he was going to get a new car, I tried to convince him to buy it with no success!   

I have always remembered that car.   I do have a couple '69 Chevy models to restore, and one of them will become this car.    When the 1970 models came out I ran all the way from school to the dealer to see the first ones delivered.  I was disappointed!  I thought the '69 was much more attractive.  But little did I know I'd own one someday.  Yes, I had a 1970 Impala 350/350 coupe.  Triple gold car, and yes I have models put aside to build this one too!  

Edited November 15, 2019 by Tom Geiger

[br67]

Got this today and thought of you Snake

[Snake45]

Cool score! 

[Ron Hamilton]

I admit that I really like 69 Chevrolets. When I was 12, one of the Xmas presents I got was an AMT 69 impala SS kit. I remember sanding the SS emblems from it, painting it Pactra light Turquoise Metallic, and using the custom parts. Fast forward to the early 2000s, I acquired another unbuilt kit, and combined it with the AMT 67 SS427, painted it triple black, and added a set of homemade hideaways. I believe I was the first modeler to do this. I had several bumpers cast in resin so that I could do this. Fast forward to now, I have a forlorn convertible promo, that I plan to open up, and use the engine from a 70 Monte Carlo SS kit to get the a/c and Turbo400, and a 70 Impala, since it would be easy to fit everything under it. It's moulded in red, which I like, and it may be a red Convertible with Rally Wheels and either pin whites, or red lines. It will get hideaways, and a fully detailed interior. I also have a MCW Resin 69 Sport Coupe, that's going to need a lot of work to get it to what I want it to be. It may be either dark blue, green, or brown, with a coordinating vinyl roof and interior.

I have my work cut out for me.

[Tom Geiger]

Sounds good Ron. I have at least two 69 rebuilders and I’m planning on building my yellow & black dream car from back then. I also have an R&R wagon kit I’ll have to take another look at. I remember some things being wonky about it including crooked tail lights molded in.

[ewetwo]

I have one but need new glass. 

[Sam I Am]

When I was in high school our family had a white 69 two door ht,with navy blue vinyl top and matching bench seat interior.  300hp 350/powerglide, ps,pb,ac. Loved driving that car. We also had a navy blue on blue 69 Kingswood wagon. Again, beautiful car. Yes, the 69 is much nicer looking than a 70.

[Tom Geiger]

Since we're sharing, I just remembered another 1969 Chevy story...

Summer of 1976.  My friend Mark had just finished his first year of college.  He couldn't take a car to school, so that past year he sold his 1966 Mustang for school money.  Moving forward he figured he could buy a car that needed work every summer, work on it as he drove, and sell it at a profit before returning to school in September.  His goal was to pay for the car and insurance, and maybe a bit of money for school each year. 

So Easter week 1976 he bought a 1969 Chevy Impala 4 door sedan.  It was white with a black vinyl roof.  The paint sucked and it had rust in all the corners. Note that this was a 7-8 year old car and it had already rusted out, great cars we had back then.  It also had a broken windshield.  And it needed a radiator.

All summer he worked on the car. He cleaned the engine and repainted most of the bolt on accessories. He did body work and got an Earl Shieb paint job on it.  He claimed the windshield on his insurance, so it got replaced.  And he didn't want the expense of replacing the radiator, so he drove it that way all summer.  It became normal for that beast to overheat, so he kept jugs of water in the trunk.  Then we'd just have to sit until it cooled down.

One night it was just Mark and I on our way home from a concert at the local college.  Between the college and home we drove through Aberdeen, New Jersey and the darn car overheated.  It was about midnight, and we knew there was a 7-11 about a mile up the road.  We reasoned we'd walk there for sodas, and in the time that would take, the car would cool down.

We got about halfway to 7-11 walking and the cops stopped us. We had no idea that this silly little town had a curfew of 11pm for anyone under 18. Mark was 18 and I was 17.  The cops let him go and took me to jail!   They called my parents that I was a law breaker and needed to be retrieved from the station.  My father came to get me around 1am.  I knew he was there because I could hear him yelling in his full military voice at the officers. He threatened their very existence!  They let me go with no citation or fine.  

At summer's end Mark sold the Chevy at a profit to some unsuspecting woman who needed a car.  No doubt he told her it was in perfect condition. She drove it a day and it over heated. She called Mark's house (note this was way before cell phones) and got his mother on the phone.  His mother made him buy and install a brand new radiator in the car, negating his profit!   Good on him.  If he had put a used one in there at the start of the summer, everyone would have been better off!