Messages

31

Original Cars and Details / Re: Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 21, 2018, 04:20:36 AM »

Here are a few of the requested detail pics. Let me know if not enough detail is coming through...a photographer I am not. Here is a link to the album to for the full resolution and pictures I did not post or are requests I received via PM. https://flic.kr/s/aHsmeFqB6B Flickr looks like it may be having an issue getting all of them into that album but I'll try fixing that in the morning.

General engine and plug wires. Also a few of the original distributor and coil. My dad has told me that a cam lobe went flat in the 80s and the cam was replaced so there are certainly a few things disturbed on the top of the engine. Obviously, the distributor in the engine right now is not original but the close ups are from the original. The car started great for 48 years but then the day I loaded it on the trailer to haul home it didn't. When I got it home I swapped in a known good distributor and coil and drove it like that. After inspecting the the original distributor I found some corrosion on the points so that was the likely culprit of not starting on the original parts. The original distributor cap was long gone but I'll let you guys be the judge on the rest of the distributor.














Fan clutch and fan. Looking for advice here, any tips on how to get it apart carefully? I was going to unbolt it from the pump hub and remove in one piece. What pictures do you want to see when it is off the engine?



Dipstick




Best I can get of the motor mounts for now. Don't mind the Motorcraft filter grandpa put on it at some point.....





Original jack. The t-shape lug wrench looks like a home weld job but is the other one original?

32

Original Cars and Details / Re: Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 17, 2018, 03:27:17 AM »

A good steam cleaning of the engine bay would do wonders. Looking forward to the pics and details on this car.

Any tips on how to clean up the firewall without damaging the factory markings? Any definite "don't do" cleaners or methods?

33

Original Cars and Details / Re: Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 17, 2018, 03:17:15 AM »

That's a great inheritance from your grandparents!     Congratulations and good luck at keeping it for another 49 years..

Great stroke of luck that great-grandfather bought a Camaro and not an Impala.....but inheritance,  not so much. Grandma needed some cash near the end and I had to purchase rather than inherit. Good lesson in financial planning wrapped up in that one.

34

Original Cars and Details / Re: Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 17, 2018, 01:58:31 AM »

Kurt - I may hang on to more of the interior yet. Depends on what things look like as I dig in.

35

Original Cars and Details / Re: Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 17, 2018, 01:55:44 AM »

Thanks for the comments guys. Believe me I thought hard about doing more of a restoration angle but especially after driving it for a year as is I decided that making it a more enjoyable/modern behaving car was the path. If it was a SS 4spd or a big block rather than a base 2-bbl 327 I would probably being going a different route. No chance I would sell it either, the family history is too strong. Again, I truly enjoy the restoration community and have checked out this site more than few times over the years. I've picked the aftermarket parts with an eye towards minimizing cutting and other irreversible changes.

The project will take some time but I've done a long term project on my 68 C10 and varying duration work on 04 and 06 GTO. Those two are gone but the C10 is a reliable hot rod so that will scratch my classic vehicle itch for the next couple years while the Camaro is being worked on.

I'll get to the detailed pictures soon, this weekend is pretty booked so may not be until Sunday night or Monday. Keep the requests and questions coming. I'm already interested to learn about what you're looking for. I forgot the trim tag picture so here it is:

36

Original Cars and Details / Family survivor 69 Camaro

« on: March 16, 2018, 03:41:56 AM »

New member here with a nearly untouched Camaro that has been in my family for its entire life. I am posting here to share its story with an appreciative community and help if I can by documenting anything during the time I am working on it. I am just starting on a resto-mod type project with it. While it will not be 100% preserving or restoring this car, I respect those that do and would love to be a help. There will also be some parts for sale I will not be using and do not plan on keeping.
 
This 1969 Camaro was purchased new by my great-grandfather in December 1968 during his retirement. The story goes that the husband of one of his nieces had bought a 69 Camaro RS after coming home from Vietnam and great-grandpa loved its look so much that he bought one to be his “fishing” car. He traded in a 61 Biscayne for the Camaro. Being an old retired farmer he did not want a lot of options so he ordered a base model with the few options being a two barrel 327 and a floor shift three speed. He drove it for a few years and after his passing my grandmother (his daughter) bought it from the estate for $1500. That was over the objections of my grandfather, he did not want to have to keep “just another old car” around the farm.
I first knew the car as a young kid in the 80s when grandma would drive to the grocery store with me and on her own fishing trips. As I got older and my interest in cars and all things mechanical grew, Grandma and I talked a lot about the car. I started my first project on a 1968 C10 (that I still have) in the garage next to the Camaro in the late 90s. I drove it occasionally (whenever Grandma allowed) after high school, mainly to keep it in working order. Shortly before Grandma passed, the car became mine and I recently trailered it to my home in IL. I drove it occasionally for the past year or so and am now ready to start work on it to keep the family enjoying it for another 49 years.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmeFqB6B Flickr album

Picture of the car with me and Grandma, this ended up being the last time she rode in the car.


Some details on the car. It has 81,687 miles on it and has been in no accidents or had any major components replaced.  There was some minor body work done on a dent in the rear quarter in the 90s and the camshaft was replaced in the 80s. Living its entire life in rural North Dakota, it is rust free but has many rock chips from life on gravel roads. The missing piece in the grille and the scrape on the front passenger side fender both carry a story. Originally it had no radio but a Custom Autosound unit was added in the 90s.

Pictures, VIN plate, order forms. Some of these pictures are nearly 10 years old but the car has not changed in that time.










My plan for the car is to keep the body completely stock and unrestored except for wheels and tires. The interior will be cleaned up and will replace only a few items as needed. The headliner and door panels are perfect but the dash pad and steering wheel have some cracks. Air conditioning and a vintage looking modern radio will be added. Powertrain is a LS6 with Holley EFI, cam, ported heads and a T56 transmission. The LS engine will be dressed to look like a SBC from 1969. Suspension will be a complete Ridetech coilover system and brakes are from a Gen5 Camaro. The goal is to keep the survivor look of the car but update it to be reliable modern performing car that can be driven anywhere.
As I start the work on the car I would be more than happy to take any notes or share pictures of anything with the people on this board. As parts come off, there will be some available for sale. Please contact me by PM for that.

Likely items for sale: Engine accessories, AIR system, carb, brackets, fasteners, distributor, etc.
Seat belts, seat covers, carpet, nearly all electrical items, maybe dash pad and steering wheel
Wheels, spare tire, brakes, control arms, steering box, other suspension pieces
Not for sale: Engine and transmission 
Possible for sale: Jack, rear axle, gauge cluster

Hope you all enjoy reading about this car that carries with it so many family memories. Let me know if there are any specific pictures I could grab or if you have any other interests or questions.

37

Test Drive / Re: New member, testing photo

« on: March 16, 2018, 02:02:01 AM »

Which photo resizer did you use?

Just the option built in to Flickr

38

Test Drive / New member, testing photo

« on: March 15, 2018, 03:36:46 AM »

Hey - new guy trying out a post of my family heirloom Camaro. Will be posting a complete story of it soon. This picture is an old cell phone photo.



This one is much newer cell phone photo