Messages

76

6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Surviving Six Cylinder 1969 Camaros

« on: November 05, 2021, 12:50:44 PM »

This base X44 Cortex Silver coupe was available online about 4 or 5 years ago in the Phoenix area for $21k, and it may possibly be for sale again at $25k.  It has a little over 100k miles and appears to be in nearly pristine condition.  Its equipped with a 3-on-the-tree shifter, blue standard interior, and an AM radio.  Note that it doesn't have tinted glass (which would have been nice in sunny AZ).  It appears to have received a thorough restoration and the nicely-done custom flames probably weren't cheap. 

Note that the lowly six-bangers are creeping up in price.  This one is priced high enough that it will probably escape becoming yet another boring "restomod".

77

6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Surviving Six Cylinder 1969 Camaros

« on: November 05, 2021, 02:18:10 AM »

Here is my 2nd favorite unknown '69 six-banger Camaro...a Hugger Orange coupe with a white hockey stripe, white base interior, white vinyl top, upgraded "mountain motor" 250 ( ), AM radio, and a 3-speed manual with a floor shift.  It appears to also have its original "FC"-coded plain steel wheels that are painted black, indicating that this car came with full wheel covers...this was a really sharp '69 Camaro when it was sold new! It was obviously a special order car, probably ordered for a teen...something sharp to be seen in, but not powerful enough to get into too much trouble.  The cowl tag shows it was built in Norwood in the 3rd week of April '69.  I wonder why it led such a sad life...obviously left outside for many years, as well as involved in a couple of accidents.  It was for sale about 5 years ago in NC.  I reached the seller after the car was sold and he said the buyer was intending to do a V8 swap and restore the body.  I narrowly missed out on this one, and I would have restored it to every nut and bolt correctness.

For those of you who may not know, I owned another six-banger '69 Camaro with an ultra-rare Torque-Drive manually-shifted air-cooled automatic (that wasn't really an automatic) which I sold last year...a red base coupe with a red interior, white hockey stripe, white vinyl top, AM radio, and full wheel covers.  It was built in Norwood in the 4th week of August (N501029...the 1,029th Camaro built in the '69 model year) and was in the showroom of Heffner Chevrolet in Ft. Wayne, IN during the new car introduction night in late Sept. '68.  The color scheme of that car closely matched the above orange car.  Six-banger Camaros could be just as stylish and sporty as their V8 counterparts.
 

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Surviving Six Cylinder 1969 Camaros

« on: November 04, 2021, 04:43:13 PM »

This is my favorite surviving '69 Camaro convertible...Garnet Red, base 230 engine, 3-on-the-tree shifter, white top, and dog-dish hubcaps.  Note that it has (or had) its original air pump which was only used on manual tranny-equipped sixes that year.  I bet this beauty was ordered for a graduating high school senior girl, or one in college.  It was for sale 3-4 years ago at a small garage in Virginia for $17k.  It would have made for an unbelievable car to display at shows, as well as an incredibly fun driver.  Current whereabouts unknown.

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6-cylinder Camaros / Surviving Six Cylinder 1969 Camaros

« on: November 04, 2021, 04:28:41 PM »

Here they are...the "possibly" surviving 1969 Camaros with six-bangers.  All of them were found on the 'Net within the last 7-10 years, and I tried to buy several of them with no luck (I was usually a "day late and a dollar short").  I have very serious doubts that more than 3-4 have survived...the temptation to build one's "dream" '69 Camaro is usually too overwhelming, and the six-bangers are so under-powered compared to what can be swapped in.  And absolutely NO ONE (except me) would even think about restoring one to its correct configuration and appearance.

The six-banger 1st Gen Camaros were clearly aimed at women ("Secretary Specials" as I call them).  They were stylish, cheap, reliable, fun to drive, reasonably roomy, and provided great gas mileage.  According to GM's manufacturing numbers, 26.7% of '69 Camaros were built with sixes (34,541 coupes and 1,707 convertibles compared to 206,837 V8s).  A base V8 could be ordered for a lousy $105, and a Powerglide for another $165, so the sixes were relatively scarce at most dealerships.  The evening that Charlotte and her Mom bought her Camaro, Sept. 19, 1969, there were 12-15 new Camaros at Misle Chevrolet in Lincoln, Nebraska...3 of them were sixes (2 automatics and one manual). 

I'll post the cars a couple here and there in the next few days.  As I said, there aren't many left.  If anyone on here knows the whereabouts of any of these cars, please share that with the rest of us.  And please let us know if they stayed with their original drivetrains.

 

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 04, 2021, 08:05:03 AM »

Another thing on the car that needs to be addressed is the very warped dash pad.  After removing it I can see why it has warped...improperly clipped to the dash shell which allowed it to warp from sun and heat exposure while inside the hot metal building in Nebraska where it sat for nearly 4 decades. 

My good friend Scott thinks he can rescue the pad...it would be impossible to replace with anything appearing close to the appearance of the original bright green pad.  I have seen the repop '69 pads...incorrect pebble graining, dull surface finish, completely incorrect looking in my opinion.  I am not a fan of anything reproduction and would much rather recondition and resurrect either one of a car's original parts, or rehab an original part from Ebay.  Scott's plan is to trim back the brittle plastic undershell to which the vinyl upper pad surface is affixed by approximately 1/4", then glue the upper pad to the shell using a clear RTV while using clamps and pieces of thick cardboard to act as a guide for the "new" edge while the RTV cures.  I think it is possible, and it is obviously the only path I am comfortable with.  If it doesn't work perfectly, I'll still be happier than I am with it in its current state, and I'm reasonably certain that it will look more presentable for shows.

Note in the first photo that there is a Sharpie pen pointing to a piece of masking tape that was painted over in the car's green interior paint (the tape is approx. 10" wide...purpose unknown).  Also note another piece of masking tape further to the right on the pad's upper edge.  The last 2 photos show the extent of the pad's severe curvature.

The '69 Camaro's dash pad design is far inferior to the much more robust design used during the first 2 years.

81

6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 04, 2021, 05:16:10 AM »

Roadster, please extend my best regards to Dave and his wife (is she Connie?).  I know he has a '70 Z and is always on NastyZ28.

I must apologize as I could not get a good close-up of the voltage reg.  With my 20 yr-old digital camera I have to use macro to get good close-ups, but the code numbers are nearly impossible to photograph with detail due to their position even with the macro lens.  The VR has the GM #1119515 and is dated "9B".

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 04, 2021, 04:52:38 AM »

With the dash close to being done, I took Charlotte today for an hour-long drive north on SR 315 along the scenic twisting Olentangy River and caught 10 miles of beautiful fall colors, then further up US 23 from Delaware (Ohio, that is) to Marion and back...53 miles of soul-satisfying joy.  She's got a little miss at idle, but still thrilling to drive.  She is quite a little eye-catcher and receives constant attention and approving signs from other drivers.

I cleaned up the U63 radio and polished the dial lens with Simichrome polish and a clean t-shirt rag, plus Qtips for hard-to-reach areas.  I painted the dial needle with Testor's fluorescent orange model paint and it really woke up the radio's front.  The speaker was removed and 52 years of dead gnats and fine dust were cleaned away with an ultra-soft toothbrush.  The speaker cloth has faded from dark gray to medium tan on the sunlight-exposed areas.  Note that the cloth "button" is still in the speaker's center.  The speaker's wiring and connector are in perfect condition, as well as the speaker's metal mounting bracket.

The heater box and controls project is now basically done with just the glovebox and lid, radio and speaker, and ashtray left to be bolted back in.  Thought I would post a couple of pics of the radio and speaker for your enjoyment.  Cars like this just don't come along every day, do they?

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 04, 2021, 04:11:44 AM »

 

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 03, 2021, 08:11:37 AM »

One last photo...the instrument cluster's assembly line ident sticker...coded "NA" for a standard cluster without a center fuel gauge or clock.  The sticker is falling apart and will be glued back together...all of this stuff is irreplaceable and will remain as correct and perfect as possible.

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 03, 2021, 07:52:59 AM »

The semi-long-suffering dash project (now over a week) is nearly done...burned some midnight oil tonight while enjoying the great 45 deg evening (temp going down to 29 in the morning...rapidly losing light and the great weather) and got much work done.  The initial problem was that the "inside-outside" air control arm on the left side of the heater control was completely busted.  I called Charlotte's husband Lyle to ask if he remembered how the lever had been broken.  He remembered it well...the car had been sitting in storage for about a year when he got it running on a chilly day.  This would have been around 1984 and the car had received steadily less use and miles as the years passed.  Lyle said the left lever was very hard to move and he tried to force it...and SNAP! 

I got on Ebay and found a nice used unit in Clovis, NM that was in absolutely beautiful shape with its original cables (and no acne on the chrome bezel).  Taking everything out (except the heater box) revealed the cause to be a sharply bent control cable.  The cable is now straightened and lubed with some 3-M light machine oil...it now glides like butter.  Cleaned the other 2 cables and also lubed them.  This will do much to restore the drivability of the car...no fun going for a January warm-up and shake-down with an inop heater.

Note that the ash tray's rubber bumper (only one...other is MIA) is a tiny rectangle and not a round shape like the repops. I love the AAA "Fasten Seat Belts" sticker...put on by Charlotte herself.  The glovebox is removed and you can get a clear view of the heater box, the sound deadening pad, and the top of the carpeting.  The white wire goes to the right door jamb switch.  Note the piece of masking tape covering the white wire's hold down, as well as the very wide piece of black tape to the right of it (purpose for both tapes unknown).  Note also that the heater box is connected to the dash's black paper air duct with a heavier cardboard vertical band held together with metal staples.  I bet this would be a real b***h to properly reproduce (I'll have to go look at Chick's restored Butternut Yellow '68 Z28 to see how this was restored/recreated).  That car is totally INSANE...mind-numbing detail!  Everything under the dash is beautiful and perfect, including the U63 pushbutton Delco AM radio and speaker.  The antenna was replaced by an aftermarket unit after being broken by an unknown jerk 50 or so years ago (an NOS GM unit will replace it sometime this winter).

Next on the agenda is figuring out the engine's annoying timing problem (hey MO, it's not the plug wires or plugs, and not the distributor).  I have an NOS GM 230/250 6-cylinder cam and might swap it in along with a Mellings timing gear set.  I am very reluctant to take the head off as I don't want to break the original head gasket's sealing job.

Late here...must run.

86

General Discussion / Re: 68 Z/28 for sale on ebay

« on: November 03, 2021, 04:43:53 AM »

It looks pretty correct (except for the cowl hood...but it looks great so it gets to stay)...very nice original interior and mostly correct 302...is it a correct "MO" code?  Nice to see the air pump is still with it.  I think it is worth more than $42K with Jerry MacNeish's cert...maybe low $50k range?

If it could be had for that figure, it would probably be more fun to leave it alone and just run the hell out of it!

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 03, 2021, 03:39:00 AM »

Yes, she should be honored...she doesn't "get" old cars.

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 03, 2021, 03:36:11 AM »

Hey Dave, it's nice to hear from you!  Please give your lovely wife my kindest regards!  For those of you not connected to Central Ohio, there is a very large hillbilly car show that is held in Fairborn (Dayton suburb next to Wright-Patterson AFB on the west side) that is called the "White Trash and Whitewalls Show", and is held every August (except last year, of course).  My son Alex and I took our very beat-up '70 Camaro survivor with a 250 six-banger and a 3-speed manual trans (aka: Froggy...named by original woman owner from LA)...very possibly the only one left in existence.  Dave was there with his wife and he knew about the car from the NastyZ28 website.  I gave them a spin in the car and I think Dave was pretty impressed at how well it ran (a true 6-cylinder musclecar).

Why yes, I'll be back there again next summer with Charlotte, and I'll take you guys for a spin down the 675.  Happy holidays!

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 03, 2021, 03:24:27 AM »

Hey MO...it was a joke!!! I like to insert some fun sh** once in awhile. I know there is no way that some fool would convert a V8 car into a 6, but I was nearly fool enough to create my own '69 6-banger from (12337 car) about 15 years ago with an original '69 with a swapped 350, 4-speed (swapped from the original 3-speed), and a really nice blue standard interior.  I had located a donor '69 Nova with a 230 and a 3-on-the-tree column and was hoping to rebuild it to its original drivetrain.  Unfortunately I waited a little too long and the car was sold (maybe it is now a '69 Z...I have that feeling).

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6-cylinder Camaros / Re: Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

« on: November 02, 2021, 07:42:30 PM »

The front springs still have their identification stickers...further testament to its low mileage and nearly 4 decades of dry storage.  The stickers show this car was built with "EB"-coded springs...the lightest front springs that were used on '69 Camaros.  This car had very few options that added weight...the "mountain motor" 250 six is supposedly slightly heavier than the stock 230 (but how...it has bigger holes!), and the U63 AM radio adds 6 pounds.  Both stickers are extremely brittle and I didn't want to move them to the point I could photograph the codes for fear of destroying them.

Last photo is Charlotte at my buddy Scott's house.  The "head-of-the-war-dept" (ie: wife) isn't keen on me working on the car at our house...what a pain!

Once up to speed the car has light and positive steering...no issues...a delight to take down a winding road!