Survivor '69 Coupe with a 6-cylinder and a 3-speed manual

[68SixBangerRS]

I finished the clutch and PP job yesterday and took a few pics.  The tranny is stamped with a partial VIN, but the engine is not (I have owned probably 10 six cylinder Chevys over the years and only a couple of them had VIN stamps...I don't know why the sixes were neglected in this regard, but I suspect it may have been because VIN pad was difficult to reach under the distributor).  The bellhousing is the same "403" part that the V8s used...it cleaned up nicely with gas and a rag.  The original clutch was 9" and difficult to find...NAPA only carries 10" clutches for it and their PP wouldn't line up with the holes in the original flywheel.  I found the correct kit at Kanter Auto Products and they were kind enough to measure the distance between the PP holes to verify it would work...the new clutch is 10" but the PP is the same as the 9" original.  NAPA turned the flywheel for $45 in one day and it turned out beautifully.  The car shifts perfectly now with no clutch slippage or chattering, but the pedal is quite a bit stiffer due to the new PP.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

The block on my 1979 Trans Am was not stamped with a VIN number, although the transmission has the correct VIN.  Nice job replacing the clutch as I still remember how much fun it was to slip the transmission into place, even though I used an alignment tool. 

[68SixBangerRS]

GMAD, that's unusual to have a Firebird built that late without an engine VIN stamp. 

[68SixBangerRS]

I was on Ebay last week looking for an E78-14 bias-ply tire in good shape and found an ad with 4 (!) E78-14 bias-ply whitewall tires mounted on a set of "FC" coded wheels (the correct standard wheels for a '68 or '69 Camaro).  The seller was asking $450...I sent an offer of $350 and it was accepted.  Ed travels a lot and was in central Ohio last night and brought the tires with him (saving me a lot of dough on shipping...thanks, Ed!).

I laid them out in the driveway today to photograph them and really look them over.  The tires are Goodyear Power Streak IIs...I could not find any info on them on the 'Net.  They are date coded "507R"...50th week of '67 (I'm guessing the "R" is possibly the Goodyear plant code...no luck confirming that on the 'Net).  They have virtually no age cracking.  All 4 appeared to have their original 2" valve stems and "Dill" valve caps, and all are stamped "KH" for Kelsey Hays Corp.   The "FC" stamps next to the valve stem holes are larger than the stamps used on '69 wheels.  The wheel fronts have their original semi-gloss paint...all 4 still look great.  The factory wheel weights are still on.  One tire wouldn't hold air, so I took it to the Goodyear tire store in nearby Marysville, OH, and they took great care with replacing the split valve stem (the Goodyear nearest me will not work on old tires, even if I tell the manager that it's for a spare tire for a classic car).  The guy running the tire machine commented that the rubber was still pliable. 

I'm looking forward to putting this matched set of E78-14 bias-ply tires and original wheels on my '69 for big shows.

[68SixBangerRS]

A couple more pics.

[x66 714]

Rusty Small (Smallhurst) can tell you all about those tires. His number is 816-654-3400. He's the go to guy for reproduction tires....Joe

[janobyte]

👍for Rusty Small.

Great write up. Enjoy stories like this.
Car's actually staying in the family, knowing hands. Your excitement shows in the thread!

I think a car like this is special. Somebody wanted something practical and reliable,,but stylish. Budget friendly. Obviously 40k of good memories,she kept and cared for it.
Thanks for sharing.

[68SixBangerRS]

X77 and Janobyte...thanks for the heads-up on Rusty...much appreciated!  I actually bought a set of BFG Radial TAs for a low-mile survivor '77 F-bird Esprit I owned 3 years ago.  He brought the tires to a show in Ohio and saved me the cost of shipping them...a great guy.

Janobyte, thanks for the kind words on the car.  It is dead-original and that's the way it will stay as long as I have it.  Most of the 1st Gen Camaros I see have been heavily messed with, or have repop cowl tags and no way of telling what they actually started out as.  The sixes are extremely rare and have a charm that make people smile.  They are great little drivers, especially with stick-shifts.

I have thought about getting this one repainted since it no longer has its original paint (repainted sometime in the early-mid '70s) and the current paint is dull, but then it would lose that awesome patina.  There are about 3 or 4 spots on the roof where the paint has come off and exposed red primer, but they don't really matter to me.  A new correct paint job would cost at least $10k (probably more to correct its few body issues),  and I don't want to risk having the car sit in a shop for months (and months...and months...ad nauseum) and risk something happening to it (can you imagine what that original six banger drivetrain might be worth to someone doing a high dollar restoration to an original '69 six...the sky's the limit!).  This car also has its original cracked and worn weather stripping and I would hate to have to replace any of that.  Aside from the switchover to a floor shifter and Rally wheels, the car is completely original.  I am switching it back to boring steel wheels and hope to get the 3-on-the-tree shifter back in it.  I had planned to put a great stereo and speakers in it like I did with my '70 six banger Camaro, but I can't bear the thought of cutting a single wire in the car...it will keep its original AM radio.  It was at a recent show put on by a local Corvette club and those guys really seemed to appreciate it just the way it is.

[68SixBangerRS]

Thought you might be interested in a couple of details in Charlotte's trunk.  Note that the trunk lid bumpers don't look very much like the "NOS" versions being sold on Ebay.  They are much shorter and have rounded (not square) corners.  Also note the trunk gasket's orange painted mark (I'm not sure what this mark was used for...if anyone knows, please advise).

[MO]

Maybe a starting locator for installation?

[68SixBangerRS]

While having a leaky valve stem replaced on one of the "new" 53 yr-old tires, I noticed the original was made by Dill and thought I would post a couple of pics of it.  I know there are some guys on here who are waayyy too wrapped up in originality (like me!) and might appreciate a stupid little detail like this.  The last photo is one of the original wheel weights...note the weight in ounces and grams.

I found these Dill TR-418 valve stems are still available on Ebay in quantities of 25 for around $15-20.  The wheels I bought were from a '68 base Camaro which came with hubcaps (note the black-painted wheels), so a shorter length may be correct for cars with dog-dish caps. 

Should I be posting original details in the "Originality" section? 

[68SixBangerRS]

MO...that is a distinct possibility...makes perfect sense to me.  I know you are a detail-oriented guy...have you seen this painted mark before on trunk seals?  I have noticed that the repop trunk seals look remarkably dissimilar to the originals (like a lot of other repop stuff).

PS...I found a posting from 2008 on here from "Firstgenaddict" regarding the orange mark.  You are correct that it was used to orient the seal during installation on the assembly line.

[68SixBangerRS]

Here is a pic of the '68 Dill valve stem and one I had to replace on an original '69 Camaro E78-14 spare a few years ago.  I have found that leaks on old tires are usually due to split valve stems.  The tire machine operator did not use a lot of lubricant on the tire during the process and ripped the bead to the point that the tire was ruined (it still looked ok for shows but held no air).  The store manager told me that customers were not allowed into the shop area, and the young guy working the machine didn't know any better (plus, he wasn't used to dealing with a 50 yr-old dried out tire...I didn't blame him).  I now go to a shop where everyone knows me, and bringing donuts helps with shop access .

Both valve stems appear to be identical.  Was Dill the only supplier of valve stems for 1st Gen Camaros?  Dill is still in business and its current old school valve stems still appear to be the same as its 1960's versions.

https://www.dillvalves.com/product_category/tire-valves-2/

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

I know that Dill valve stems were used on early Mustangs and you can buy them from Deadnuts:

https://www.deadnutson.com/dill-valve-stems-caps-5/

[MO]

MO...that is a distinct possibility...makes perfect sense to me.  I know you are a detail-oriented guy...have you seen this painted mark before on trunk seals?  I have noticed that the repop trunk seals look remarkably dissimilar to the originals (like a lot of other repop stuff).

PS...I found a posting from 2008 on here from "Firstgenaddict" regarding the orange mark.  You are correct that it was used to orient the seal during installation on the assembly line.

Thanks, I resemble that. Yes, I have seen that before, and assumed that's what it was for, but never really went any further to verify. Thanks for the confirmation. Nice score on the tires!