At this stage, I tend to agree with leaving the paint and car alone, even though I'm personally 99.9% sure its a COPO.
If I happen to find a build sheet bringing my certainty level to 100%, I may change my mind. But then I'd have a lot more to worry about than just paint. Do I try and find an MQ block, or just go with a CE? I admit the chances of finding the numbers match block for this car is 0.01%. Do I get rid of things like the Cragers, ladder bars, modern ignition, etc.?
I don't know... if I recall, there were 323 COPO Chevelles, with 99 that went straight to Yenko, making mine one of only 224 cars.
Has anyone ever had luck looking back at old newspaper ads from dealers back in 1969? I know some lots would make the stock # the same as the car's VIN #. I tried this approach once while my buddy owned this, but it seems like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
And although I've said it before, I'll say it again...
Bob