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As
I have stated before, 1969 is by far the easiest year of the Impala
SS427 to fake. Not only because of the lack of distinguishing interior
and exterior features, but also because of the abundance of 427
engines available in 1969. Along with the L-72 and L-36, a third
variant of the 427 was available, the 335 horsepower mild performance LS-1. Any of these three engines
could be had with a big Chevrolet. This means that there were a
LOT of basic Impalas that were equipped with one of the 427s.
I have seen more 427 powered Impalas of the 1969 model year than any other. With
reproduction emblems so easily acquired, it is commonplace now to
go to a show and see phony 1969 SS427s. What has always amazed me
is the frequency at which this happens. Out of the 2,455 SS427 Impalas
that were made in 1969, there are only 5,245 remaining in existence
today! (Sarcasm!)
What follows is an outline of the engines available to the 1969 SS427.
Once
again the L-72 was the top of the line engine available in the 1969
Impala SS427, and once again it was not even mentioned in the Chevrolet
sales brochures. Accordingly, few buyers knew it was out there for
the taking and only 546 were installed in all of the big Chevrolets.
It's impossible to know how many were put into SS427 Impalas as Chevrolet
did not keep that strict of records.
Take a look at the link above and to the right that shows the
additional options section of the 1969 dealer's form. It specifies
that the L-72 was to be used with the SS427 and that the dealer was
to also check the Z-24 option box. I guess we all know how far that
went, and the L-72 ended up in all the full-sized vehicles.
THE
L-72 AS INSTALLED IN THE 1969 IMPALA SS427
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Type
|
Cubic
Inches
|
Horsepower
|
Block
#
|
Main
|
|
V-8
|
427
|
425
|
3955270(early)
|
4 bolt
|
|
V-8
|
427
|
425
|
3963512(midyear)
|
4 bolt
|
|
V-8
|
427
|
425
|
3935439(early)
|
2 bolt
|
Chevrolet seemed
to go crazy with the engine suffix codes in 1969. What follows is all
of the suffix codes pertaining to the L-72.
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Manual transmission |
LD |
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Manual Transmission, heavy duty clutch |
MD |
|
Turbohydramatic automatic transmission |
LS |
Referred
to as "The King" by the 1969 Chevrolet sales brochure, the
L-36 was the most powerful cataloged engine available to the full-sized
lineup. It garnered a 5 horsepower increase over the previous few
years, now rated at 390bhp. This was due to some minor modifications
of the pistons, heads and camshaft. Very little else was changed,
and compression remained at 10:25:1. A very stout performer, this
engine was the included engine with the SS427, but could also be had
with any big Chevy in 1969. 5,582 full-sized Chevrolets received this
powerhouse in 1969. In traditional Super Sport fashion, the SS427s
received the chrome valve covers, oil filler cap and air cleaner assembly.
Both
of the engines shown above are the L-36 390 horsepower 427s. The
one on the left is in a 1969 Caprice automatic transmission vehicle
and features the correct style L-36 style air cleaner assembly.
On SS427 Impalas, the cleaner lid would be chrome. It is difficult
these days to find an engine compartment so correctly detailed and
so I have used these pictures of a Caprice L-36 instead of an SS427
Impala.
The
engine shown to the far right is a manual transmission vehicle and
again shows the correct style of air cleaner assembly for a 4-speed
car. The main visible difference between these two assemblies being
the "Auto-Thermac" heat riser hump on the snout of the
automatic transmission assembly.
Notice
how the air cleaner snorkel on these engines are facing more towards
the battery. In the 1968 engine specifications
page I mentioned that Chevrolet reworked the 1969 air cleaner assemblies
in response to customer complaints about the amount of contaminants
picked up through this snorkel on the 1968 models. This is an example
of that modification, which attempted to place the snorkel in a
position facing an area of the engine compartment less vulnerable
to dust and grime.
THE
L-36 AS INSTALLED IN THE 1969 IMPALA SS427
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Type
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Cubic
Inches
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Horsepower
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Block#
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Main
|
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V-8
|
427
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390
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3955270 (early)
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2 bolt
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|
V-8
|
427
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390
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3963512 (midyear)
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2 bolt
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V-8
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427
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390
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3935439(early)
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2 bolt
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The engine suffix
codes pertaining to the 1969 L-36
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission, high performance
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LA
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| Turbo 400 automatic transmission, high performance |
LC
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| Turbo 400 automatic transmission, high performance,
police |
LF
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission, high performance,
police
|
LG
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| 3 or 4 speed manual transmission, high performance,
Super Sport 427 |
LH
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Turbo 400 automatic transmission, Super Sport
427
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LI
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Heavy duty clutch, police, high performance
|
LZ
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| 3 or 4 speed manual transmission, high performance,
heavy duty clutch |
MB
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Super Sport 427, heavy duty clutch
|
MC
|
1969
saw the introduction of a third 427 power plant, the LS-1 335 horsepower
variant. This engine was a direct replacement of the L-35 325 horsepower
396, which was phased out of the full size Chevrolet lineup after 1968. The LS-1 was NOT an available engine with SS427 equipment, but I have included it because inevitably many of the original LS-1 cars in 1969 end up as clones.
A mild performer, it was a very workman-like
engine that offered both power and streetability, and was available
in all full-sized Chevrolets. The most popular of the 427s in 1969,
the LS-1 was installed in 18,308 passenger Chevrolets. As was stated earlier, the LS-1 was not
listed as an available engine for the 1969 SS427. However, it is not outside
the realm of possibility that some of these engines found their
way into SS427 Impalas in 1969. Anything seemed possible back then,
so I included the LS-1 statistics on this page.
Notice in the image above the style of air cleaner lid; this elongated "neck" is correct for the LS-1. Notice the difference between this air cleaner lid and that of the L-36 which used more of a snub nosed style. Often times this can clue you in to whether or not you are looking at a 335 horsepower 427; assuming the original air cleaner is still with the vehicle!
|
Type
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Cubic
inches
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Horsepower
|
Block#
|
Main
|
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V-8
|
427
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335
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3955270 (early)
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2 bolt
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V-8
|
427
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335
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3963512 (midyear)
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2 bolt
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V-8
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427
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335
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3935439(early)
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2 bolt
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The engine suffix
codes pertaining to the 1969 LS-1
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission
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LB
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Turbo 400 automatic transmission
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LE
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Turbo 400 automatic transmission, police
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LJ
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission, police
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LK
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission, police,
heavy duty clutch
|
LY
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3 or 4 speed manual transmission, heavy duty
clutch
|
MA
|
.
All
information provided through the exhaustive research of Mr. Alan
L. Colvin in his book "Chevrolet by The Numbers: 1965-69".
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