'70 Chevelle SS L78 Convt.

[Late BrakeU2]

This one was an 11D,the latest sheet I have is a 12/8 car.Does anyone know what the earliest documented 70 L78 was?

[redeuce]

Rixls6

As you know, I dove head first into the L-78's very early on in the 80's when I owned a coupe. Started an L78 sub-club when we all belonged to Meekin's club. At the time, they weren't worth but a fraction of what they are now, and there was much more information given freely about them. No one imagined they would reach the values they have now, so truth about these cars and their flaws was more abundant back then. I still have all my records from the 80's, and the stories, amount of documentation, etc have changed on many- coupes and convertibles. All I can tell you is I pretty much know, on the first 6 convertibles, what's right, what's not, which panels were replaced, which were repaired, what engines they had back then, what documents they had back then, etc. I sat 10 feet away from 3 of them for a year. I had extensive discussions with owners of 2 more back when they bought them and I took extensive notes, and got involved with the 6th one last year. I have copies of the build sheets for all 6 (I just found the 6th one)

Mr 70- Rick, I lost track of the Silver one completely. I'm surprised it hasn't surfaced. That was the one with the options, including power windows. There's a good story behind each one. I wish you would stop in and see me some time. I'd like to get your input on the others you've found.
Rixls6 and I spent many a day in the 80's chasing possibilities down.
I do know of one that was in the south in the late 90's. It's a fake but it's got docs. I'm not even going to mention the color. Back then, I got in trouble every time I started talking freely about the cars. I was being free with the information on these cars, and some owners of both real ones with issues and fake ones didn't like it. Now I just shut my mouth about them.

[redeuce]

Jim

Which 3 L78 convertibles did you own?

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

[ QUOTE ]
....It's a fake but it's got docs. I'm not even going to mention the color. Back then, I got in trouble every time I started talking freely about the cars. I was being free with the information on these cars, and some owners of both real ones with issues and fake ones didn't like it. Now I just shut my mouth about them......

[/ QUOTE ]

I know how you feel, sometimes it gets you the #1 position on the bitch list!

[redeuce]

All I was doing was trying to get information out on L78's so people would understand them. There were many interesting quirks to these cars. Around 1998,I published on our website that if anyone wanted to discuss L78's, to call me. I also offered the copies of many of the buildsheets to help educate people. One L78 owner saw that on the website and threatened to sue me if I gave a copy of his buildsheet to anyone. That was pretty much the end to my freedom of information act. There were so many inside stories to these cars that a book could be written. Here's one quick interesting story. The coupe I had originally was a black bench interior- but it had buckets when I got it. Brent Jarvis had just completed the resto on the black one for Tony. Tony sent the original bench on the black one to get redone- he didn't like the way it came out, so he got another bench seat and put it in the black one. I needed a bench seat, so he gave me the one he didn't want. So the original bench seat to the black one is mounted in the blue coupe that I sold to a guy in Chicago suburbs in the late 90's! The black one has a fascinating story- was found in the same tiny town in TN. that it was sold new in. The salesman that sold it new was still working as a salesman when Tony purchased it.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

You're 'preaching to the choir' my friend! I still hand out the 'deuce book', but it's been slimmed down by a few pages to keep the nitwits away.

[redeuce]

Marlin

Something that is being overlooked here also- when we are discussing a classic of such rarity as these L78's, both coupe and convertible, the fact that the cars even exist gives them their value. What's right or wrong on super rare vehicles must become secondary to the simple fact that it's a real car and it exists. In my opinion, if the car has not been rebodied and it has a real piece of documentation, it has the value. Whether the original drive train, interior, etc are in it or not. We sometimes get wrapped up too much in proving the car is perfectly correct. As I stated earlier, there is a story behind each convertible, but it's a moot point. When only a handful exist, we have to accept them as they are.
I remember back at one of Meekin's shows in
Schaumburg. The gentleman from Iowa got in an argument with the judges. He had the beautiful black cherry L78 coupe. I'm sure both Rick's on the board remember this car. The judges started questioning parts on his car, and he stopped them in their tracks- he was the original owner!

[ORIGLS6]

[ QUOTE ]
The judges started questioning parts on his car, and he stopped them in their tracks- he was the original owner!

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Geez! Can you imagine?!!!

[JIM]

All of My L-78 converts were 69's the Lemans Blue one sold at B-J march 04, The Dusk Blue L-78/ L-89 car that resold at Mecum fall 06, and the Garnet Red L-78/L-89 one that I had on E-bay and here. Had the the Red 70 LS-6 convert at B-J Jan 06 . Have had 6 70 L-78 htp's 2 green, 1 red, 1 white,1 blue,1 gray, still have the 1 green. Did work on a 70 L-78 convt that no one knows, doc'd with build sheet, and P-O-P and owned since 70 havn't got it yet still trying.

Jim