All YEARS '68-'72
For '68 & up, here are some things to look for :
For '68-'70, only big-blocks were available on the SS. In '71-'72 you could get an SS with either a big-block or small-block. However, in '72, GM was not allowed to sell the 307, or any big-blocks in the state of California. So, the only SS you could get in California in '72 was the small-block SS-350. I think all big-blocks from '68-'71 sold in California came with smog pumps. I have personally seen a genuine '69 SS-396 El Camino with a factory smog pump, and a genuine '72 SS-454 El Camino with a factory smog pump. The '72 was not from California, but the '69 probably was. I have also seen numerous similar, genuine vehicles that did not come with factory smog pumps. 4-speed cars tend to have smog pumps more often than automatic cars.
In '68-'69 the 396 engine was generally only available as part of the SS package (there appears to be at least one exception - see the 1969 section). In '70-'72 the 454 engine was only available as part of the SS (or SP) package.
All '70-'72 454 motors (LS5 and LS6) came with a forged crankshaft. The LS5 had 2-bolt mains and the LS6 had 4-bolt mains.
The 325 HP 396 (L35), and the '70-'72 402 (LS3) came with a cast crank and 2-bolt mains. The 350 HP 396 (L34) came with a forged crank, and is usually a 4-bolt block, but may possibly come as a 2-bolt block also. All 375 HP 396's (L78 and L89) came with forged cranks and 4-bolt mains.
All '68-'70 SSs and '68-'72 big-blocks came with 4-barrel carburetors. In '71 and '72 it was possible to get an SS with a 2-bbl 350.
More research is needed to confirm the size of the fuel line used with different engines. But it appears that many of the 4-bbl cars came with a 3/8" fuel line (possibly with a 1/4" return line), while 2-bbl cars tend to have a 5/16" fuel line. It is unknown for certain if any 7/16" fuel lines were used. But it has been reported that the 1969 L78 (375hp) 396 engines came with a single 7/16" fuel line, no return line, and they had a differnt plastic vent near the gas tank.
The '70 LS6 454 and the '71-'72 LS5 454 came with either the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic, or the M22 "rock-crusher" 4-speed. These were the *only* two choices ! The '70 LS5 was avaiable with the TH-400 and the M22, but it may have also been available with the M21. 1970 was the last year for the M21.
The 402 big blocks (from '70-'72) could come with either the TH-400, or a variety of Munice manuals including the HD 3-speed, and the close and wide ratio 4 speeds: M20 ('70-'72) and M21 ('70 only).
There are actually two types of M20 transmissions. The "Muncie" M20 has an aluminum case and was used on 4-bbl V8 engines. The M20 "Saginaw" has an iron case, and was used on the 1-bbl 6-cylinder and 2-bbl V8 engines.
The 396 big blocks (from '68-'70) came with either the TH-400, or a Muncie 3 or 4 speed. It was also possible to get a '68 SS-396 with a 2-speed "PowerGlide" automatic. The standard "base" transmission in a '68-'69 SS-396 was the Muncie 3-speed. All other transissions were extra-cost options.
Some non-SS small block cars are known to have come with a 12 bolt rear. These appear to be mostly El Caminos with an optional towing package.
Big-blocks came standard with a 12-bolt rear axle. Small-blocks usually had a 10-bolt, but could be optionally equipped with a 12-bolt. Positraction was NEVER standard equipment on the SS, but was always an option. The only exception was that if you ordered the 4.10 (or higher) rear axle ratio option, positraction was mandatory.
Genuine big-blocks with TH-400s should have a kick-down switch for the transmission located just above the accelerator pedal.
Contrary to popular opinion, the tachometer/gauge package was NEVER a STANDARD part of the SS package. It was an extra cost option. The '68 tach/gauge setup is fairly rare. Other years are a bit more common (especially '70).
The rear anti-sway bar (F41 suspension) was included in the SS package on all Chevelles (except El Camino) starting in '70. It was not available on any year SS El Camino. The F40 heavy duty suspension (which did not include the rear bar) was standard on the '69 SS, and F41 was optional on the '69 SS. F41 was not available in '68.
All '71-'72 SSs (and some Malibus) came with remote mirrors and glove compartment lights.
For '70-'72 however, the standard SS dashboard was different from the plain Malibu dash. The non-SS dash had a wide rectangular speedometer, idiot lights, and no gauges. The SS dash had three large round "pods" and three small round "pods". The large pod in the center would always hold the speedometer. If the tach/gauge option was ordered, then the instruments would be as follows :
POD LOCATION SIZE CONTENTS
------------ ---------- ------------
center large speedometer
left large tachometer
right large clock
far left small ammeter (battery gauge)
far right, upper small temperature gauge
far right, lower small fuel gauge
Note that there was NO oil pressure gauge available, only a warning light at the bottom of the tachometer.
If the optional tach/gauge package was not ordered on the SS, then the SS dash layout would be as follows :
POD LOCATION SIZE CONTENTS
------------ ---------- ------------
center large speedometer
left large fuel gauge
right large optional clock
far left small alternator warning light
far right, upper small temperature warning light
far right, lower small oil pressure warning light
All genuine '70-'72 SS cars *must* have the round speedometer. However, when a non-SS car was ordered with the optional gauge package, it would also come with the round "SS" speedometer.
The SS dash is almost identical to the dash used in ALL '70-'72 Monte Carlos. It is a common practice to replace the non-SS dash in a Chevelle with a dash from a Monte Carlo. These switches can often be easily spotted since the Monte Carlo dash would have originally come with fake wood-grain facing. A genuine Chevelle SS dash would have a black painted face, and a different surface texture than the Monte Carlo dash. Another thing to look for is the color of the letters on the instruments. 1970 instruments have letters with a green tint, while '71-'72 instruments have white letters. Except possibly for some early '72 model year vehicles, all '72 SS dashboards have an oval "Fasten Seat Belts" warning light. This light, if present in an earlier car indicates a dashboard swap. If this light is not present in a '72 SS, then that also indicates a dashboard swap (if it is not an early '72 car). The woodgrain facing on the Monte Carlo dash can be removed, leaving holes or slots in the dash. Once these holes are filled, the Monte Carlo dash could look just like the Chevelle SS dash.
Genuine SSs did not necessarily have a black steering column and steering wheel. They often (but not necessarily) matched the interior color of the vehicle. There were also several different types of steering wheels available on the SSs.
The '68-'72 SS grilles were generally painted black, while the non-SS models were often silver, or had silver accents and/or additional chrome trim. Some '72 SS El Caminos (with the deluxe exterior trim option) came with Malibu style stainless trim strips on the grille.'68-'69 SS Chevelles and '68-'72 SS El Caminos came with black paint on the panel between the tail lights. '68-'72 SS Chevelles & El Caminos generally came with black paint striping on the light bezels, wheel well moldings, etc.
Front turn signal lenses tend to be clear on '68-'72 SS cars, but there are a number of exceptions. These items are frequently changed over the years, so they are probably not a good identifying trait.
The '70-'72 SS El Caminos did not come with any "SS" door panel emblems, but the Chevelle did. Some genuine '70 SS Chevelles are known with "Malibu" door panel emblems rather than the "SS" door panel emblems. Apparently, one of the plants ran out of the "SS" door panel emblems and used the "Malibu" version to keep the line going.
Again, contrary to popular opinion, bucket seats were never a standard part of the SS package. They were, along with center consoles, an extra-cost option available on SS and non-SS cars.
The 375 horsepower 396 and the 450 horsepower 454 could NOT be ordered with air conditioning. The main reason was that the air conditioning compressors were not suited to the high-rpm nature of the solid-lifter engines. A secondary reason was that the demands of air conditioning on these solid-lifter motors could cause them to overheat if left idling too long with the air conditioning on.
Engine codes can also be used to authenticate SSs. The engine blocks usually will have a portion of the vehicle's VIN number stamped into it. The last 6 digits of the engine stamp should match the last six digits of the vehicle's VIN. Not all factory installed engines have the VIN stamp, however. Some engine stampings have been known to be one or more digits off from the the vehicle's VIN. If the engine has ever been replaced, the engine VIN stamp would most likely be vastly different from the vehicle's VIN.
In addition to the engine VIN stamp, most blocks have another code stamped in the same area. It usually (but not always) starts with the letter "T", and ends with two or three letters. In between, are numbers which indicate the day and month that the engine was assembled. This date code should be about the time that the vehicle was assembled. The vehicle assembly date can often be obtained from codes on the cowl tag. If a big-block engine was ever replaced by a Chevrolet dealer under warranty, it is likely that the replacement motor would have no VIN stamp, and the engine type stamp would end with the letters "CE".
The '69-'72 SS vehicles assembled by GM in Canada have a "Z15" or "Z25" code on the cowl tag.
Many cowl tags show additional codes below the paint code. Prior to 1968, these codes document certain option groups installed on the car. From 1968 onward, these codes have less significance and they vary from plant to plant. There is no documentation currently available on these plant-specific codes. It is believed that these extra codes (from 1968 onward) are simply scheduling and bookkeeping codes for the plant (these codes usually appear on the car's build sheet in the "DP Seq. No." box).
Be aware, however, that there are individuals and organizations out there that re-stamp engines. There is even a company from which you can rent engine block stamping equipment, and another company that will make cowl tags for you.
Stamped-in engine codes are relatively easy to fake. The raised codes on various engine parts are much harder to fake. These raised codes are a part of the casting process. That is, they are part of the mold that the metal is poured into. These codes can often tell you when the part was cast. If the casting date is after the vehicle build date, or if the casting date is many months before the vehicle build date, then that part is not original.
bron;
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