Author Topic: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles  (Read 30119 times)

Daytona Z

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Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« on: November 13, 2019, 04:16:29 AM »
The story on a recent Z/28 acquisition.

Back in the summer (2019) I was looking for another 69 Camaro and had posted a want ad on sYc when I was contacted by my friend Jeff Boone. Jeff had just picked up a low mileage 3 owner (49,000 mile) Z/28 that he was preparing to sell and we got to talking about it in early September. It didn't take long to see just how nice this late 10E car was and Jeff and I managed to put together a deal on the car. The car didn't have a lot for documents other than its known owner history, a few titles and an odometer statement from the second owner dating back to 1990 when he sold the car in PA. Jeff pulled an NCRS report but as it turns out, this was one of the late cars that didn't have any history on the dealer it was assigned to? I have since double checked this with NCRS who again confirmed "No Information on Document Search VIN 124379N708145". With Jeff having back traced the owners and visiting with a couple of them, here's what was learned about the car.

The car itself was reported as being bought new in North Carolina by original owner Woodrow Wilson Judge. It was traded in about a year later (1970) to Freddie's Performance Cars in Carlisle PA. Having 9000 miles on the odometer, the car was bought by its second owner William A. Miller who traded in his 65 Impala SS to acquire the Z/28 from Freddie's. He drove the car and put about 35,000 miles on it over the course of 20 years, and shared a story with Jeff Boone about driving the car from Pennsylvania to Daytona for the races back in 71/72. He owned the car up until 1990 and sold it for $12,000 at the time with 44,746 showing on the clock. It was said that he only sold it because he wanted cash to buy a new tractor for his small farm. These facts were discussed with Jeff Boone when he went to visit the second owner in October of 2019. A signed mileage affidavit was supplied when the car was sold and re-titled to its third owner. The third owner was Wayne Harmon of Pennsylvania who worked for Fedex and spotted the car outside of Hershey while making his rural rounds. Upon buying the car, he owned it until his untimely passing in a motorcycle accident in 2014. The car then transferred ownership and was willed to his brother Dennis Harmon of PA who owned the car up until it being sold to Jeff in August 2019.

































 






Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2019, 04:19:56 AM »
Wayne had taken good care of the car while only putting 4122 miles on it over the 24 years he owned it. From looking at old pictures (inset), it appears he also owned a Nova SS and Chevelle SS and cherished his GM cars. It was reported that Wayne had struck a deer with the Z/28 in the mid 90's and had the upper valance was replaced with the right front fender being repaired by Tim Leiphart who owns Hot Rods and Restorations in PA. At that time, Tim had repainted the entire car and did a nice job with the repaint which still looks like new some 25+ years later. With the car being willed to Wayne's brother Dennis in 2014, it again sat for a few years as Dennis was not much of a car guy and didn’t have the mechanical knowledge or tools needed to put the car back on the road. As reported to Jeff, Dennis sought the help of a Carlisle based mechanic George Kulp to upgrade a few wear items on the car and go through the original 302 which needed to come apart. Apparently, Wayne’s former girlfriend exacted some revenge after a breakup and poured sugar into three of his fuel tanks. The 302 was run before this was determined and the sugar had gummed up the engine (see pictures of engine internals).





George documented the engine coming apart before he rebuilt it and was kind enough to send me some pictures of the 302 coming apart and being rebuilt. He informed me that nothing was hurt and the engine had little to no wear in the cylinders. He remembers this car well as he knew Wayne and knew that the motor was poisoned in years previous. Once torn down, he hot washed the block, measured and polished the original crank, resized the rods and put back the original parts with new rings and bearings and an oil pump. A true roller chain was added along with a Comp factory spec 12-107-3 camshaft and the original heads were serviced with new guides and rockers installed. He then installed the engine back into the car for Dennis and went through everything else on the car. At that time, they replaced the wiper motor, front springs, front shocks, and the water pump along with original radiator.









Thankfully, he gave all the important parts including the factory radiator with tag back to Dennis who kept them with the car until it was sold to Jeff Boone. Jeff has since had the original UH radiator re-cored and shipped me the loose parts along with the car. The original front springs were with the car and they’re not in terrible shape. They still have their factory paper tags intact so I may put those back onto the car at some point. Jeff also restored the DZ4053 carb which he installed and tuned prior to selling the car to me.  Here are some pictures of the original parts that were packed in the trunk and shipped with the car. Also shown is the original spare and the jack.


















Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #2 on: November 13, 2019, 04:22:01 AM »
Since receiving the car and completely going through it, I was delighted to find it still wears its original front brake calipers, original rotors and has the 1177 rear drums which were all within mfg. spec. The original engine runs great, the factory M20 transmission shifts smoothly, and the rear BU diff runs nice and quiet. The car still wears a matching set of Sept 9th dated YH wheels with factory rings and caps, and Jeff set the car up with some Goodyear F70 wide treads before the sale was completed. I drove the car after it arrived last month and aside from the bias ply tires, it’s one terrific old muscle car with a ton of originality throughout. My plans are to clean the underside and suspension and leave it much as it appears today. I will correct any irregularities in the serviced belts and hoses and will check all the fasteners while installing a few other odds and ends that are missing under the hood (lift brackets, original fasteners and such). A really great car that has a ton of things going for it, and one that is super clean and completely rust free throughout.











I love the fact the car wears all of its original sheet metal, has all factory original floors, a super clean original 711 interior and one of the cleanest firewalls I have seen in years. The original trunk paint & factory spare are intact, and the original PTB firewall stamps are clear and visible on both sides. A great original specimen that is pretty much unmolested other than the repaint and a few service items having been replaced over the years. The original distributor and starter were missing from the car and I have since found a late 9E16 distributor that Jerry M is now rebuilding for me. I’ve also sourced a rebuilt J10 dated #692 water pump and a 9J16 dated #367 starter to correct other deficiencies. The original smog system came packed in a box with the car and was complete as removed from the car. The pump is dated 29391S or 293rd day and aligns with the rest of the car for dates. I’ve since come to learn that there are a few oddity’s regarding some of the parts used on the late 10E cars that differ from earlier dates. Things like the transmissions being an earlier build date and the peripherals on the smog pump being earlier dated parts (stamped diverter valve and rare early hoses and clamps), but appear original to this car.

I am told that these are known deficiencies and acceptable practice on the late cars as they scrambled for parts to complete the builds during the late over-runs. I now have most of any missing components on the way to correct a few of the irregularities and have also ordered a concourse exhaust system complete with resonators from Eric Gardner. With these items being installed, I should have this car looking 100% come the spring and plan to keep it this way for years to come. The car has it’s born with 302 engine with semi-legible VIN in the rough cast, it’s original M20 transmission, and it’s original BU coded diff.



















I’m still going through the car to find any little things that need correcting, but there really isn’t much to report aside from the things noted under the hood. As I continue going through the car, I will post additional pictures showing the details of my findings. The underside needs to be carefully cleaned as the third owner fluffed the bottom and covered some LB over-spray when prepping the car to sell it. After reviewing the chassis, I think I can clean a lot of it off to bring back it’s original patina and will try to remove any of the added black paint using enamel reducer and cleaners. I can also see the paint mark on the drivers front sun frame although it's under a few layers of black paint. I’m hoping to bring back a lot of its natural patina and leave it that way once it’s cleaned and detailed. More as I go along, and happy to answer any questions regarding the car or any of its original parts throughout the undercarriage and drive line.

Graeme Browne
Calgary, AB




Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

69Z28-RS

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #3 on: November 13, 2019, 04:39:39 AM »
It appears you've found yourself an outstanding '69 Z28 Graeme...  :)   Congratulations!

All that one needs is a bit of cleaning, driving, and getting it back in the garage.. :)

Preserve... Preserve....  Preserve...   :)
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
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BULLITT65

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2019, 04:59:04 AM »
Great pics. I agree with Gary, drive and keep it clean.
Very similar condition to my 08C car, even the milage is close to mine (47k). I saw what you said about the radiator, did you also get the shocks back?
1969 garnet red Z/28 46k mile unrestored X77
-Looking for 3192477 (front) spiral shocks 3192851 (rear)
-Looking for an original LOF soft ray windshield
-Looking for original Delco side post negative battery cable part # 6297651AV

KurtS

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2019, 05:10:15 AM »
Great car.

I have the same issue with my rear brakes - the drum punchouts have not been removed. Can you get your rear drums off? I think I'm going to have to knock mine out to get them off (unless someone knows a trick).

Note the C removed from the axle code. That's not chance....
Kurt S
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BULLITT65

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2019, 05:26:17 AM »
Great car.

I have the same issue with my rear brakes - the drum punchouts have not been removed. Can you get your rear drums off? I think I'm going to have to knock mine out to get them off (unless someone knows a trick).

Note the C removed from the axle code. That's not chance....

I did notice that, and the conspiracy continues....
Also looks like the flapper on the hood is not wired up.
1969 garnet red Z/28 46k mile unrestored X77
-Looking for 3192477 (front) spiral shocks 3192851 (rear)
-Looking for an original LOF soft ray windshield
-Looking for original Delco side post negative battery cable part # 6297651AV

Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #7 on: November 13, 2019, 06:05:02 AM »
Great pics. I agree with Gary, drive and keep it clean.
Very similar condition to my 08C car, even the milage is close to mine (47k). I saw what you said about the radiator, did you also get the shocks back?

Didn't get the front shocks and suspect they are long gone. Rears look to have been changed long ago as it has generic shocks on there \and they've been there a long time.

Original Radiator was nicely re-cored and has the UH tag. I need to repaint it and will install it when I swap out the pump over the winter. Bill Mock shipped me an Oct 10th pump for the car and I also have dated original Wittek clamps coming as well. Flapper is wired and firewall has original piercing. The plastic clip that holds the wire up onto the hood is broken and the wire is dangling off to the side in a couple of those pictures. Here's the original firewall piercing.

Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #8 on: November 13, 2019, 06:17:13 AM »
Great car.

I have the same issue with my rear brakes - the drum punchouts have not been removed. Can you get your rear drums off? I think I'm going to have to knock mine out to get them off (unless someone knows a trick).

Note the C removed from the axle code. That's not chance....

I have had both the rear drums off already. They came off nicely and have since been thrown in a Hotsy tank and washed up nicely.

I knew nothing of the C being stamped out until I bought this car and had a few questions about the stamp. Why were they peened over if they we originally stamped C BU at the factory? Know very little about these facts?





Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

KurtS

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2019, 07:20:38 AM »
My drums are more worn and there's a lip that hold them on. :(

Noone knows why the C is peened over, but probably related to the extended production year. And for some strange reason they didn't want a C prefix - like that would create all kinds of service confusion!
Kurt S
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x66 714

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2019, 11:22:01 AM »
Very nice. Thanks for sharing....Joe
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william

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2019, 01:27:37 PM »
A common restoration error is painting the rear drums with Cast Blast. They were originally painted black with the axle. Plenty of evidence of that seen in the pic.
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Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2019, 02:34:47 PM »
Another late year production change were the valve covers which got the dripper style aluminum covers. Myself, I prefer having the drippers in there.



Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

Daytona Z

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2019, 02:49:59 PM »
Factory original LOF glass is intact with date codes matching up all around. The front windshield and the side glass is dated YV (October) while the rear glass is dated AV (September). I was glad to see it's all original and in great shape with no scratches at all. Another tell tale sign showing that the car was very well cared for and likely stored inside when it snowed.










Just an obsessive-compulsive first gen car guy...

did I mention I like three pedals in a car?

william

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Re: Lemans Blue 69 Z/28 - 3 Owner Car w/ 49,000 Miles
« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2019, 03:03:25 PM »
Another late year production change were the valve covers which got the dripper style aluminum covers. Myself, I prefer having the drippers in there.





Those are not the original covers. Those part numbers originated in the '80s.
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