Messages

16

General Discussion / Re: 1969 Camaro Z/28

« on: October 17, 2022, 08:09:06 PM »

I don't know much about 69s.  I know on 67s, it's not terribly uncommon to see VIN tags removed from the doors during restoration.  It doesn't necessarily mean shenanigans were afoot.  It might mean so, but it might just mean the restorer wasn't thinking about provenance.  So, I guess the answer to my first question would be a solid, "No." 

17

General Discussion / Re: 1969 Camaro Z/28

« on: October 17, 2022, 07:21:26 PM »

Can you offer some insight into the consequence of the poorly installed VIN tag?  Bad VIN install and therefore the car is fake?  Or, bad VIN install and, otherwise, it's a nice car?

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General Discussion / Re: Assistance in figuring out if true 68’ Rally Sport

« on: October 15, 2022, 09:45:31 PM »

Dang.  More click-bait and I fell for it.  I was dying to see pics of that 68 foot car and ... nope.  Nothing.

Here is a link to the CRG page to help with decoding, to put the other comments into context:  http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml#CowlTag

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Decoding/Numbers / Re: 1969 Z28 on BaT TRIM TAG MESS

« on: October 13, 2022, 05:39:43 PM »

My earlier question is sort of based on Jimmy_P's reply  (at BAT, not here) stating how "the numbers mafia derailed the sellers auction."  The use of the words mafia and derailed implies to me that Jimmy_P assigns ill-intent and pedantry-driven sabotage to the various commenters casting shade on the seller's claims of a real Z/28.  So, my earlier question above in this thread is sort of based on that inevitable outcome.

I like the other response better than Jimmy_P's, though, that reads:  Doesn’t “real” just mean an assembly line worker added the parts, instead of someone else down the road?

Um, yeah, I suppose you could dumb down real like that.  A "real" Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card just means that an assembly line worker stamped out that card in 1951 instead of someone else doing that down the road at some point ... and one of those things is worth about $0.05 and the other recently sold for $12.6MM.

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Decoding/Numbers / Re: 1969 Z28 on BaT TRIM TAG MESS

« on: October 13, 2022, 03:34:58 PM »

Not sure if BAT works like eBay where all the bids come in at the last 5 minutes, but with 3.5 hours left, the bidding sits at $41K.  Even if it's a Frankenstein Z/28 clone/tribute, that seems like a very good price for a nice driver 69.  Seems like it's worth every bit of that $41K bid and probably a fair bit more.

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Decoding/Numbers / Re: 1969 Z28 on BaT TRIM TAG MESS

« on: October 06, 2022, 05:11:18 PM »

Is it considered helpful or harmful to add such information to the auction's open comment section?

22

General Discussion / Re: "field" find

« on: October 05, 2022, 07:28:45 PM »

[...] The owner of the camaro is the ex-wife of a mechanic and she insists he always called it a 69. [...]

There are lots of people who have called my car a Mustang.  So, it's no surprise.  But, yeah, it's a 67.  I prefer 67, but 69 is definitely the more valuable model.

This particular car is going to be a base model car.  Not an SS and not a Z28.  So, as Daytona Yellow said above, deciding to restore this one may, in fact, take some defiance to more rational advice to let it go (though he may have intended definitely instead of defiantly, ).

But, please do share more information as you obtain it.  As Ed/Bert mentioned above, we'd love to get more detail about what this car is/was.  Thanks for sharing the Bee pic.  I love all of the classic muscle cars and enjoy seeing them all.

23

Decoding/Numbers / Re: 67 Z28

« on: October 05, 2022, 04:22:30 PM »

I'm always curious to learn the backstory of how these cars get mis-identified.  While I understand that there is some outright fraud that can happen, there are often cases of simple mistakes that were made ... oral history can become its own living entity that may not align with the facts and so on.  I'd be interested to learn how long the current owner/seller has had the car and why, exactly, he believes it to be an original Z28.  Perhaps someone dropped a 302 into it at some point?  It doesn't, of course, change any of the facts.

24

Decoding/Numbers / Re: 1969 Z28 124379N618008 unique color combo

« on: October 04, 2022, 09:39:18 PM »

Auction was a dud.  Landed at $61.5K and didn't meet the reserve.  In the comments, the seller reported on 10/3 that the car was sold to someone in Canada (which is where the car was currently located).  So, for now, the car will remain in the great white north.  I understand that this wasn't a #s matching dream car, but $61.5 seemed low for this car.  I wonder if being in Canada ruined this auction.

I see lots of 67s with 68+ rally wheel caps, but this might be the first 69 I've seen with 67 rally wheel caps.  Interesting.

25

Decoding/Numbers / Re: 69 Z28 NOR372061 N664869 06A X33D80

« on: September 28, 2022, 09:30:07 PM »

Clearly, the guy wasn't asking about the quality of the deal.  I thought that was very clear and it's why I chose that as an example ... specifically because it did NOT apply to the OP because I didn't want to seem as though I were calling him out specifically (so I chose something else).  The point is that people frequently ask these types of questions after the fact.

As I said clearly above, I congratulate the OP on his purchase and think it's great.  For others, it's always good to ask questions before the purchase.

26

Decoding/Numbers / Re: 69 Z28 NOR372061 N664869 06A X33D80

« on: September 28, 2022, 01:31:51 PM »

Risky move and, surprisingly, I see this on most auto forums:  I just bought this, did I get a good deal?  I strongly encourage people to do this research before they buy it. 

There are several stories here where people have peeled back the layers after purchase only to find shenanigans ... and it's not always the person who last sold the car.  Sometimes, the secrets have been covered for a couple of sales cycles, but the folks here can quickly and [usually] easily spot the details.  There was one such case here where a guy was asking about a 69 Z28 that his father had recently purchased.  This one happened to be a known and well documented fake that had been out there for a decade or so.  So, it was a great example of how even a cursory peek could have revealed the fraud.  But, he/family only thought to look into it post-sale.

I hope this sale ends up being rock solid.  I just wanted to encourage prospective buyers out there to get out in front of the sale.

Congrats on the new purchase.  Please post some pics in the welcome section of the forum.

27

Garage Talk / Re: Iowa Restoration Shop Recommendation/Help -- Engine, Drivetrain

« on: September 26, 2022, 04:24:46 PM »

Engine was done and came in smidge under the quoted cost by Baier and his shop.  Was supposed to take between 3-4 weeks and that's exactly how long it took:  3 weeks.  All the numbers are still present!

Here are a few of the highlights:

• Bored 0.030" with new pistons
• Polished crankshaft
• New cam
• Rebuilt/replaced heads, valves, bearings, etc.
• Rebuilt carb
• Replaced fuel pump, oil pump
• Break-in & dyno

Still waiting on my power steering pump to be rebuilt, but we should begin installing the engine in October.  Pretty excited to get this in and see how it drives.

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Decoding/Numbers / Re: Rare 67 L78 Convertible, White Power Top

« on: September 21, 2022, 05:51:53 PM »

That interior is spectacular.  I'm a sucker for all the wonderful non-black interiors ... as an owner of boring black deluxe interior.

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Garage Talk / Re: My 68 in AACA's Antique Automobile Magazine and Speedster

« on: September 14, 2022, 02:07:23 PM »

[...] When I first showed in AACA, I didn't want to give up my radial tires. It's a driver!

Just an FYI that a year or two ago Coker released a Firestone radial tire that looks like a bias ply tire.  Not sure how the AACA community works, but if they're purists, they probably like the old bias ply tires.  The  new Firestone tires are sort of the best of both worlds (though they're quite expensive).

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Garage Talk / Re: My 68 in AACA's Antique Automobile Magazine and Speedster

« on: September 13, 2022, 01:26:07 PM »

Congrats.  Very cool. What are those things in your grille?