Frequently Asked Questions
Please use the contact page for any questions. Appropriate questions and answers will be incorporated into revised versions of this effort.
Q: How can I tell if my Impala is an SS or not?
A: It all depends on the year.
→ 1961 must have RPO code 240. Only 453 1961 Impala got the SS
option.
→ 1962 must have RPO code 240xp. No number of options sold.
→ 1963 must have RPO code Z03. No number of options sold.
→ 1964 VIN must begin with 41347/41447 for sport coupe or
41367/41467 for convertible; 185,325 sold.
→ 1965 VIN must begin with 16537/16637 for sport coupe or
16567/16667 for convertible; 243,114 sold.
→ 1966 VIN must begin with 16537/16637 for sport coupe or
16567/16667 for convertible; 119,314 sold.
→ 1967 VIN must begin with 16387/16447/16467/16487; 36,432
sold, RPO Z24 SS427 with VIN 16447/16467/16487 1,778 sold.
→ 1968 RPO Z03 with VIN 16387/16447/16467/16487; 36,432 sold,
RPO Z24 SS427 with VIN 16447/16467/16487 1,778 sold.
→ 1969 RPO Z24 SS427 with VIN 16437/16447/16467; 2,445 sold.
Q: How many LS6 Chevelle convertibles
were built?
A: There is no known breakdown of LS6 optioned Chevelles by body
style or how many were sold with a 4-speed vs. the TH400 automatic,
or came with optional gear ratios, etc. and will probably never be
known unless we can register all 4,475 LS6 cars sold, which isn't in
the realm of possibility for obvious reasons.
Q: Didn't all SS Chevelles have gauges
and a tachometer?
A: No. The only years that gauges were
standard equipment were the 1964 and 1965 Malibu SS - and even then
a tachometer was an option. The Instrument Panel Gauges, or Special
Instrumentation, sold under RPO U14 was always an option regardless
of year. The gauge pods for fuel, speedometer, and optional clock
were round as opposed to the linear sweep speedometer of a non-SS
optioned Chevelle but the gauge package, as well as a clock, was
still an option.
{Note: The same holds true for such options as bucket seats,
console, and cowl induction hoods. Bucket seats and consoles were
standard Malibu options and not limited to the LS6; the cowl
induction hood could be ordered with any of the four engines within
the Z25 SS396 or Z15 SS454 option packages.}
Q: Where can I get a build sheet?
A: Build sheets were initially intended to be used by
various assembly stations and never meant to be used for
documentation and are actually called broadcast copy paperwork and
are commonly called a 'build sheet' by today's enthusiast. Often workers would tape or stuff their copy to a
piece from their assembly station. Typically the trim shop would
tape a copy to a door panel (Atlanta is famous for this), hog ring
them to the underside or backs of the seats (Baltimore and KC are
known for this), Van Nuys would often tape a copy to the top of the
gas tank, and Arlington would leave a copy under the driver side
footwell. To date (to my knowledge) nobody has ever found a build
sheet from the Flint plant.
More often than not, build sheets were NOT left in the car but simply tossed in the trash when a station was done with their part of the assembly. Sometimes one will find two or three build sheets in a Chevelle and, again sometimes, build sheets will be found in a Chevelle that don't belong to that car. One gentleman found three build sheets in a Kansas City Chevelle SS, one for a 6-cyl 4-door sedan, one for a 6-cyl El Camino, and one was for a Buick Skylark - all in pristine condition - but none for his car.
Chevrolet did not keep copies of build sheets so one cannot write to GM and get a copy of one for their car except of late model years. The exception GM of Canada as described above. GM of Canada does not have build sheets as such but did keep records of Chevelles built in Canada (although no LS6s were build there) and all Chevelles built in the U.S. and originally sold through a Canadian dealer.
