The Supercar Registry - Rick Eckenrode's 1969 SS 396 Chevelle

Some people have their entire lives figured out; some have minor details figured out. At the ripe age of six, I knew I would someday own a 1969 Chevelle SS 396. After spending hours on a Saturday at Luby Chevrolet in Baltimore, Maryland with my dad who was shopping for a new family car, I took a liking to a Lemans Blue Chevelle SS 396 on the showroom floor. I remember the white side stripes, black bucket seat interior, and that “red” steering wheel. I pleaded with my dad to buy it, but he refused.

We ended up with an Impala 4-door sport sedan. At least it was Lemans Blue.

Through my teens I earned money mowing lawns and doing odd-jobs with one goal in mind, to buy a ’69 Chevelle SS 396.

When I graduated high school in 1980, I spent the summer looking at many cars. My friends all told me to consider other cars also. I looked at some GTO’s, Camaros, Road Runners, and many others. But I stayed true to my dream of many years.

My dream finally arrived on August 27, 1980. After reading the Sunday classifieds, I circled two cars, a ’69 Chevelle SS 396 located a few towns away from me, and a ’66 GTO Convertible a few towns away from me, in the opposite direction. After calling the phone numbers, both were still available. I chose to see the Chevelle first.

What greeted me was a Cortez Silver ’69 that was in the typical shape of an 11 year old car; faded paint, slightly worn interior, and pretty dirty. It had a 4 speed and some cool options for the day. But it ran great and was inspected and ready to tag. I explained to the seller I just HAD to look at the GTO, would he give me an hour to get back to him. I further explained that I was going to buy my first car THAT day. It would either be his Chevelle, or the GTO. He gave me one hour.

The GTO only required a drive-by as it was in SAD shape. I found the next closest pay phone, called the Chevelle seller and told him I’m buying it and am bringing a deposit.

For the next few years the Chevelle was my daily driver for college and my job. No matter the weather, it faithfully carried me wherever I needed to go. It even came with a pair of snow tires mounted on SS wheels! Through the years I resisted the urge to modify it, mainly because I could not afford it. All I could afford was to wax the faded paint, polish the weathered chrome, and armor-all the worn interior.

Shortly after I bought this car, I met a girl who would become, and still is, my wife. She accompanied me to many car shows, where I was bitten by the car show bug! And what better car to restore than my ’69?

Between 1984 and 1985, a slow frame-on restoration ensued. I would work on it during the summers and leave it alone during the winters while attending college. Much of the work was done in my parent’s driveway. In 1985, I spent the summer at a friend’s body shop where the body work and paint were completed. It was there I learned how to strip paint, block sand, block sand some more, color sand, and polish new paint.

In the mid 80’s, restoring ’69 Chevelles was not as popular as it is today. There were hardly any reproduction parts, many GM parts were discontinued, and finding NOS parts was not exactly easy. But in the fall of 1985, what emerged was the best ’69 Chevelle I could make with the limited resources I had. My first car show was August of 1985. Although I didn’t win anything, I inspected the cars that did win awards for ideas to make mine better.

Over the years, as reproduction and NOS parts became available, I would buy them and make upgrades during the winter. It wasn’t long until I was winning awards. My Chevelle was standing tall! Never trailered to a show, I’ve always driven to shows and even driven it as far Indianapolis, Indiana. Besides trophies, it has also received battle scars in the form of a cracked windshield, nicks, scratches, and a dent in the right quarter from car show stuff shifting in the trunk. Some were repaired, but many remain today.

Now that I am a family man, my daughter and son have enjoyed riding in the Chevelle to shows and cruises over the years. In fact, there was a time when the child safety seat was strapped into the back seat. It’s part of the family and even has its own room, the garage.

Recognizing the state-of-the-art for restorations is much higher today than it was in 1985, I now have other financial responsibilities that keep me from improving on my Chevelle. It’s a great cruiser that still wins awards here and there, but can not compete with the trailer-queen restorations of today. However, I can dream of the day when my Chevelle gets its turn on the restoration rotisserie.

Rick

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