VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1965-1970 Another Rare '69 Option

Another rare option in '69 was Headlight Washers. Anyone out there remember those?

Bill

I don't recall if these was mentioned but how about retractable headlights and light monitoring system (fiber optics), I saw these on some of the loaded cars the factory rep's drove.

Hi Guys,
Yes I remember and owned a 69 Caprice with light monitoring system.I always thought the Hideaway Headlamp Caprice/Kingswood Estate only option was so attractive.The Headlamp Washer option was very rare(RPO CE1)with only 1,540 factory ordered on the '69 B cars. Jim

Thats correct, it was a Caprice/Estate wagon only option. I remember see a number of them. Of all the rare options discussed here it probably was the most common one. It was a one year only feature only for the B body cars.

I also remember the Fiber Optics and the Hide-a-ways. The '69 has to be one of the best years for options. Probably not real rare, but my '69 Caprice also has a Rear Window Defroster.

The '68 was probably the most noted year for Hide-a-way Headlights. I believe they were available on any model, but not sure about the Bel-Air or Biscayne. Another neat thing about the '68 was the Front Running Lights, also available on the '67's. I have a '67 Bel-Air wagon that originally had them.

I also had a '67 Impala 4-Dr with a Speedminder which also seems to be pretty rare.

Bill

Gene,
I am sure you noticed the 68 427 Impala SS at Grand Junction, that is a pretty loaded car. Fiber Optics, Confortron, Hideaways, and I am sure there were a few more items. The owner has a few other 427 SS cars including a 69
John

Agree,the late 60's were a great time for option choices,as we mentioned here many were obscure.IMO,Best thing about ordering a new car back then was being able to order one option at a time instead of being force fed today's "preferred equipment group" packages on new vehicles.

FWIW,B-body '68 Concealed headlamps(RPO T83)total 14,929.1969 Hideaway(RPO T83) total 23,797.Not so rare as was mentioned earlier.But damn cool<vbg>! Jim

Jim,

I have noticed in the last few topics that we've been on that you sure do have some good info on these old cars.

I like the stats that you have provided.

The '68 had less Hide-a-ways than I thought compared to '69. I was supposed to get a '68 parts car with that option a few years back. The car was at the location for years and I missed it by 2 weeks. Could have had it for $200. A 2-Door car to boot!

Bill

<<<I was supposed to get a '68 parts car with that option a few years back. The car was at the location for years and I missed it by 2 weeks. Could have had it for $200. A 2-Door car to boot!
Bill>>>

Hi Bill,
Those hideaways today bring strong money for a complete set up out of 68 or 69.
I know a guy who sold a complete 69 hideaway set up for $2500 to a guy who was building a 69 Z24 car! Jim

John,
Yes, now that you reminded me I do remember that car.
I will be calling you on Sunday about your email message.

During the '60's and '70's I usually bought a former leased car for my wife to drive. In 1969 I went over to Selig Leasing (of Bud Selig fame) as they always had a good selection at resonable prices. I was told that I could have my choice from a long line of 1967's. Most were basic Impalas with air. I found a white 4 door hard top with a black vinyl interior.It had a 327, P.G.,P.B., A.C., power seat, cruise, Air shocks, heavy duty suspension plus all the usual goodies. Was a great car and I kept it longer than usual, replacing it with a 1970 Custom Coupe with a small block 400. It was also an ex lease car that had rear end damage and I got it for a song. Had the usual accessories and that S.B. 400 was fast. Had a 1971 Caprice after that and it was a lot slower but a real luxury car. The only 1969 that I had was an Impala wagon demonstrator with a 255 HP 350 and P.G. I had a couple of '70 Impala wagon demos.

The Speed Minder was so rare in 1967 I even forgot they offered it.

I also have an interesting '66 Caprice 4-Door HT parts car. It had about 19 options total and I have a hard time trying to remember them all at once.

1) 396 Engine
2) TH350 Trans
3) 12-Bolt Rear
4) Air Cond
5) Tinted Glass
6) Comfortron Heat
7) Tilt Wheel
8) Power Steering
9) Power Brakes
10) Power Windows
11) Multi-Plex Radio
12) Head Rests
13) Rear Seat Arm Rest
14) Vinyl Top
15) 4-Way Flashers
16) Tissue Dispenser
17) Door Edge Guards
18) Remote Mirror
19) Bumper Guards

Surprisingly no Power Seat.

Other than engine and trans variances, Posi-Traction, Cruise Control and a Tach, I'm wondering what other options were offered in '66 that the car could have possibly had? Not sure if they had a Compass, Traffic Viewer, Spot Lights, RW Defroster, Air Shocks or a Speedminder in '66.

Bill

That is uite a parts car,Bill!
Beleive it or not,there were many more cosmetic/creature feature options available in 66 for full size and especially Caprice.
The trans should be a Turbo 400.The Turbo 350 did not debut in a B-body Chevy for 2 more years.
I once had a 66 Caprice with the Tri-Volume horn(U03)option.
Here's some non-mechanical option choices that the orig owner of your 66 Caprice could have checked off:(Tilt/Telescopic steering wheel(N37)/Power rear antenna(U75)/Mag Style wheel covers(N96)/Spare wheel lock(P19)/Comfort-Convenience equipment(Z19)/Hazard warning switch(V74)/4way power seat(A46)/6way power seat(A42)/Load floor carpet(B39)/Foam rubber front seat cushion(B50)/Custom Deluxe seatbelts with front retractors(A39)/Sport styled steering wheel(N34),etc....plus all the mechanical extra cost goodies!Boy I wish I was old enough to have been able to run the option list by line item and order cars this way<g>.Jim

Jim,

I'll have to double-check the car to see if it has some of those others that you have listed.

The trans probably was a TH400 as I never got it (or the engine either) and the drive shaft was also gone. How I could tell it had some kind of 3-Speed was by the shifter indicator on the column.

Appreciate the info.

Bill

An option that I have only seen once before on an actual car is C49 Electro Clear Rear Window. It was only available on 69 impala custom coupes and caprice two door models. It like the rear window defoggers of today with the lines through the glass horizontally. I saw a 69 custom coupe with that option at the GM Nationals several years ago and have a factory invoice from another 69 impala custom coupe with that option. Only 2 times I have seen that option.

BTW, our 69 impala SS427 sport coupe has the liquid tire chain option.

I can post a picture of the invoice if anyone wants to see it.

Warren

The Eletro Clear rear window became a little more common in 1970, at least in this part of the country.