Somebody must rmember this Fathom Green '69 BB sold new in California near Anaheim

[SolidLifters]

This car was sold new by a dealer in a small town by Anaheim. It was Fathom
Green with Saddle leather and either 435 or L89 and turbo 400. It has
speedwarning, leather and was originally side exhaust. When I bought it over 20
years ago it had been painted burgundy, the original BB hood was gone, replaced
by a '73 style eliminating the wiper door, it was running with a smallblock, and
the side exhaust stuff was missing. The emblem on the console shows it to be 400
HP, but it has the high RPM redline, the high shift point turbo 400 serial
numbered to the car and the 3.36 rear, none of which were available with
anything less than 435. It also has TI ignition, which of course COULD HAVE been
ordered on the 390 or 400, but would have been mandatory on the SHP engines. At
some point after California the car ended up in Texas, but their DMV zaps files
periodically, so there was no trail there. It also had a UPS label on the gas
tank from a dealer in another state............ Arkansas I believe as if the car
had a tank replacement way back when. In any case, there is no tank sticker.


I sure would like to find somebody somewhere who knows the history. The
NCRS validation documentation only takes us back to the original selling dealer
in California who is long gone.

 

[6880 Mike]

...This car was sold new by a dealer in a small town by Anaheim...The
NCRS validation documentation only takes us back to the original selling dealer in California who is long gone...

It is possible the original dealer did not sell the car. It could have been swapped to another dealer..

...either 435 or L89 and turbo 400..

If memory serves, the 435 required the four speed.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

[SolidLifters]

It is possible the original dealer did not sell the car. It could have been swapped to another dealer..



If memory serves, the 435 required the four speed.

Good luck with the hunt.

Mike, the car could very well have been swapped, but the options are not typical of something the dealers back then would have ordered for stock, meaning it was likely a pre sold order. The GM data only shows that it was built by GM 2/18/69 and sold new to Jack Head Chev. in Alhambra, Ca. I've never heard of Alhambra, but apparently it is close to Anaheim and not too far from L. A.

The turbo 400 was DEFINATELY available with the 435 as well as the L88 late in the year. Either one required the "high shift point" Y series turbo 400, in this case YC if my memory serves but I'm not sure about the C. The Hydraulic lifter 427's such as the 390 & 400 horse had the L series 400 which shifted at a lower point. The Y series 400 would not shift until 6500 if the accelerator was held to the floor and it had a 6 bolt torque converter as opposed to the standard 3 bolt one on the other 400 equiped cars. One of the two things that positively identifies this car as being either an L71 (435), and L71/L89 (435 with alum. heads) or less likely an L88 is the Y series 400 serial numbered to the car. Since the hood was gone there is an outside chance it could have been an L88, however a lot of L88 pieces are missing, mandatory options such as J56 brakes with all the hardware like the braces on the front spindles, the addition of a radio & antenna (which is of course a possibility as the original owner of my '69 L88 had a radio and antenna installed when it was new)

 

[6880 Mike]

I've never been to Cali, but I've heard of Alhambra.

I knew the TH400 was available with the L-88, but had not heard it was available with the 435 cars.