My '69 SD-396

Beaumont4008 · Uber Guru

RE: My '69 SD-396

racer6929 · Addicted!

To back up the Road Runner V/S Beaumont etc angle..somewhere in my too large old colection of car magazines lurks a '69 Chevelle ad that takes exactly that theme..It touts the '69 SS-396 as a "Road Ruuner eater" in the 2 door bench seat variation..
When I got some (wrong) numbers from GM IN 1989 they included photocopies from a book that detailed the Beaumont/Acadian and the Auto pact was a prime reason for the cars creation in the first place and then in their demise.
Silly GTO's, hardly desireable, eh...so , oh I don't know...common ?

racer6929 · Addicted!

Dang you Stompin' Carl Stevenson !
My "Heritage Certificate" package arrived yesterday, (faxed March 8th, George mailed it March 12th for those wondering about turn around time) The car is "one of less than 48 with L/35 motor"

Built March 13th 1969 at Oshawa, Shipped March 19th, sold from Ken Taylor Motors, Revelstoke, traded in 1970 for a 70 GTO rag at Kikpatrick in Vancouver, where I bought it August 4th of '70.
(Just to stir another pot..The documentation shows it as a PONTIAC Beaumont )

My files have a note from George's predacessors at GM Vintage in 1989 saying it was one of 903 so I never thought it was all that rare, just my driver for all these years.
Now I suppose I'll have to spend some money and bring it closer to spec..but it'll never get that dastardly chambered exhaust back..
See Carl, without you making "ultra rare" coments I'd never have followed up..
Thanks..or dang you

racer6929 · Addicted!

Just spent some quality phone time with George at Vintage Vehicle Sevices.
The 1989 note from GM refers to all the 325/396 cars built in Oshawa..903 Beaumonts AND Chevelles.
And we may have confimed no convertables, that was the "Custom" trim level, the SD-396 cars are, suprize, the "Delux" trim pac.

68sd396rag · Poncho Master!

Yes 69 SD cars had the deluxe interiors only-they had the same interior seat covers as the 69 chevelle 300 deluxe,and the same style door panels,but with the beaumont logo instead of chevelle.Brad Trask knows a ton of info on these cars-he had the correct seat covers and door panels made for his 69 SD car that he restored.Some place in Washigton I believe.

wagon64sd · Guru

racer6929 wrote:
Just spent some quality phone time with George at Vintage Vehicle Sevices.
The 1989 note from GM refers to all the 325/396 cars built in Oshawa..903 Beaumonts AND Chevelles.
And we may have confimed no convertables, that was the "Custom" trim level, the SD-396 cars are, suprize, the "Delux" trim pac.

now that was a phone call worth making!!! nice they broke it down....48 L-35 beaumont....compared to 855 L-35 chevelles.

CdnGMfan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

racer6929 wrote:
...My files have a note from George's predacessors at GM Vintage in 1989 saying it was one of 903 so I never thought it was all that rare, just my driver for all these years...

The 903 production figure must be for all Z25 option cars built in Oshawa that year, as I had long ago heard the 903 figure for a Canadian Chevelle SS396. It appears that the total is for all Z25 cars (SS396 & SD396).
So, out of 903 Z25 option A-bodies, 91 were Beaumont SD396s, leaving 812 as the number of Oshawa-built 1969 Chevelle SS396s (including 300 Deluxe & Malibu-based models in all available 2-door body styles including convertibles). Interesting stuff.
George's predecessor, hmmm. Would that be Dave Dow? He is the guy who documented my 67 Chevelle back in the 1980s.

-- Edited by CdnGMfan on Saturday 30th of March 2013 07:46:39 PM

racer6929 · Addicted!

racer6929 · Addicted!

And for some unknown reason page two didn't make it through..
Arrgg..(how is it our tech can foul me up like this..?)

StriperSS · Poncho Master!

Kirkpatrick Pontiac Buick was one of the car lots I'd be on every week looking at their used stuff. It was located on Broadway, just 1/2 block from Cambie. Took a few cars for test drives there! :) I have no auto literature with their stamp on it though.

wagon64sd · Guru

love seeing the GM. docs. not a very good accuate number "(less then 48 with L-35) confuse

racer6929 · Addicted!

My test drive resulted in a trip to a nearby Esso after I'd bought the car..
No idea how many tests it'd already had but the plugs were heavily fouled, they paid for the tune up.
My Dad, a long time mechanic, was along for the ride and gave the diagnosis as soon as I "stepped" on it.

racer6929 · Addicted!

Asked George about the "less than 48" , he said that was the closest they could come after 44 years,
but then how'd they "justify" a total of 91 SD cars I wonder..

68post · Poncho Master!

Thanks for sharing Glen, I wouldn't be surprised if yours was the only one built with chambered exhaust.

cheetah 427 · Poncho Master!

i was at the maple ridge swap meet on the weekend and i walked by a ken taylor dealer trunk badge, i looked at it twice but put it back down, :|

Beaumont4008 · Uber Guru

Thanks for posting your documents. Looks like B95 rear panel molding was an option on the Deluxe model. Never new that. Cool.

racer6929 · Addicted!

Here's both pages..

wagon64sd · Guru

Beaumont4008 wrote:
Thanks for posting your documents. Looks like B95 rear panel molding was an option on the Deluxe model. Never new that. Cool.

i think they call that a standard option,,when you order the z-25 package,just like the j-52, disc brake option must be ordered on an SD car in 69..

racer6929 · Addicted!

Barry, I think the car was a "dealer" one, lets put it together and see what fits for the lot?
Open rear end with over 400 ft/lbs of torque?, chambered exhaust with resonators ? Until I bought the car I'd thought they were only for things like my buddies '69 Z-28 or hi horse Chevelles etc . (sounded nice but after the first replacement it got mufflers) odds and sods like that.
Don't think any individual ordered it, more likely Ken Taylor mtrs said we want one on the lot, what'yah got ?
64SD, AND 4008 I think the B95 was standard, as it has the chrome SD logo attached to it, I've seen a couple of non SD's arround with just the bare chrome and white mouldings though.

Beaumont4008 · Uber Guru

wagon64sd wrote:
Beaumont4008 wrote:
Thanks for posting your documents. Looks like B95 rear panel molding was an option on the Deluxe model. Never new that. Cool.
i think they call that a standard option,,when you order the z-25 package,just like the j-52, disc brake option must be ordered on an SD car in 69..

I think your right about that come to think. Would be part of the Z25 package. The standard Deluxe I think would be an option as its a Custom trim part. I have seen Deluxe models with out it even the brochure's show the deluxe with out it. But the Z25 SD is a beast of its own.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

Thanks for posting that. Amazing car.

I can hear jaws dropping all across Canada as they read this thread!

racer6929 · Addicted!

I promise there will be pictures of the car in a while, right now I'm in a parts hunt mode.
Over the years didn't do all that much to keep things up, couple paint jobs, last in the winter of '99-2000, rear quarters, reupholstered once and the drivers seatback needs that done over.
Picked up a passenger side grill couple weeks ago,now need the drivers side and the grill and trunk deck crests.
Most of the effort has been to get it going faster and still streetable.
Realy had NO idea how few of these there were/are.

CDN2PLS2 · Uber Guru

Wow,that's a Cool One!

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

What a great thread! What are your plans for the car Glen? Are you restoring it back to stock? What brand were the white lettered tires when it was new? I think you should put the chambered exhaust back on it. wink

racer6929 · Addicted!

Todd,
it's going to continue as it is, the big (496) motor, fiberglas hood, roll bar etc, but I'm going to
try to get caught up on puting other things the way they were.
The grills were "hurt" in a bump years ago, I'd taken the emblems off not long after I bought the car and they disapeared over a series of moves (so why can I still find the one tank logo from my '53 Triumph 650 ??)
Lots of cath up as time and money allows..and racing season's just over a month off