On the hunt

[OrignlZ]

Hi all,

I have been on the hunt for information on a 1969 Z-28 my dad owned back in the 80's. I truly understand that this is quite the long shot given the time line and the limited info I have but I'll keep throwing it out there and see if anything sticks! This car is very important to me and my family, and it would be very cool to know it's still out there and still being enjoyed. A little backstory on the car and our connection to it below.

My dad was a dyed in the wool bowtie guy, I grew up in what felt like a used car lot. He was always restoring a car (sometimes 2) and then selling to buy the next project. We had Chevelles, El Caminos, Corvettes and Camaros, but one Camaro in particular is the one I'm after. My dad bought this car in Northridge CA in December of 1979 and spent years restoring it back to stock while adding some options like a cowl hood (with functioning cowl) and rear spoiler. This car was featured on the cover of Car Craft in November of 85, the month after I as born. This is the car that I came home from the hospital in when I was born and it was the only car my Dad ever regretted selling. But it launched him into Corvettes so that was always how he justified it. He sold the car sometime between Nov of 86 and March of 87, but I don't have a concrete date on that.

Unfortunately, my Dad had been battling Lymphoma since Dec of 2016. He had been able to beat it back into remission but it reared it's ugly head again this year. It was a tough year and as time went on it seemed like there was less and less that he was interested in or enjoyed, but one thing we could always talk about was cars. The last conversation we had was about cars and how many he had (49), and of course the Camaro. He was struggling with cognitive issues, but when I could get him on cars he was sharp as a tack and I could tell he enjoyed talking about them. He passed on the day before Thanksgiving and it's become my mission to try and hunt this car down. It's been an almost cathartic experience and in its own way still makes me feel connected to him. I've met and talked to a lot of like minded car nuts over the last few months just looking for leads or who to talk to. At the most recent cars and coffee in my area someone recommend reaching out to Jerry MacNeish. I was able to get in contact with Jerry and he was kind enough to dig through his databases but came up empty. He gave me some recommendations along with coming here and seeing if anyone here had a hit on this car.

I went digging through the boxes of old car receipts my dad had to try and find any paperwork or identifying info on this car. I have pictures of it, but unfortunately they're limited and from the early 80's so you can't make out any stampings under the hood. I was able to find the VIN from the car when my dad put a personalized plate on the car (which I also found to go with the original emblems off the car that he gave me years ago). So the VIN is the only hard identifier I have on the car, I've tried to run it but I keep running into pre-81 errors so maybe I'm just not looking in the right place. Vin # 124379L512990. Anyway, sorry for the long first post but if anyone knows anything about this car or remembers seeing it in the valley way back when I'd love to hear from you!

[bcmiller]

As of May 2022 it was in Nevada. You may want to check with the Nevada DMV to see if they can help you.

You could also hire a private investigator if that does not work out.

I will tell you a quick story though. Even if you find it, you may not be able to buy it back. I tracked down a car I had in high school and college.  I blew up 2 engines in it and one transmission. I also restored it and painted it. It had the original engine rebuilt when I sold it and a non-original M22. I tracked it down, but the current owner will not sell it. It sits in a machine shed covered in dust. So good luck. 

[group/7]

Great story ! good luck in your search for you dad's car.

[169INDY]

You appear VERY organized and ready for the search. Be prepared to just find another 71/71 Blue Z as its place keeper, Be FUNDED and focused
Wishing you the best in this search!

[Danzo]

OrignlZ Welcome! Never give up the hunt! Bryon do you have any other info? Do we have any members from Nevada? I found an old Z from 1985 in 2010(with the help of this site). It's out there. Love the short rear stripes.
Doc
 

[Danzo]

Maybe members rich69rs or Vince can help.

[68camaroz28]

Nice end of the year story to read and wish 2024 holds finding and possibly obtaining your Dad's old ride. And welcome to CRG.
Byron, knowing you a little I would not think you stopped keeping in touch with the current owner of your old camaro ride but sometimes just keeping in touch and building a relationship brings a huge award.
My nephew knew where his parents 67 Dodge RT they purchased new resided and owner would not sell. He did sell hm another RT he had with same color combo and sold same local dealership but again, not the one his parents owned. He kept in touch with the guy, talked to him at Carlisle, restored the RT purchased, and several years later sold him his parents RT. He call them RT1 & RT2.

[bcmiller]

Chick, I check in about once a year. If the car was actually being used it probably wouldn’t bother me as much.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

Back in the early 2000s, I saw a similar 1969 Z28 on the freeway while driving to San Diego.  The license plate was a CA blue plate "REALZ28."  The Z28 was in the right lane, going 55 mph, and I figured it must have had 4.56 gears.

[X66]

Welcome aboard I hope you find your dad's car. I love the old pics

[OrignlZ]

As of May 2022 it was in Nevada. You may want to check with the Nevada DMV to see if they can help you.

You could also hire a private investigator if that does not work out.

I will tell you a quick story though. Even if you find it, you may not be able to buy it back. I tracked down a car I had in high school and college.  I blew up 2 engines in it and one transmission. I also restored it and painted it. It had the original engine rebuilt when I sold it and a non-original M22. I tracked it down, but the current owner will not sell it. It sits in a machine shed covered in dust. So good luck.

This is incredible! I can't tell you how cool it is to know that this car is still out there. I didn't have particularly high hopes in being able to track it down based off my limited info on it so to find out it was still around last year is exciting. I appreciate the tips on moving forward, I'll see if I can get any info from the Nevada DMV. I'd love to try and get into contact with whoever owns it just to see what the car looks like today and share the story. I won't hold my breath for that person to be willing to sell it back to me, I know what these cars are worth to people  .

You appear VERY organized and ready for the search. Be prepared to just find another 71/71 Blue Z as its place keeper, Be FUNDED and focused
Wishing you the best in this search!

Thank you! I've always had a love for this car, but also the 69 Camaro my whole life. As cool as it would be to be get this car back, I'd be happy with any 69 Z!

OrignlZ Welcome! Never give up the hunt! Bryon do you have any other info? Do we have any members from Nevada? I found an old Z from 1985 in 2010(with the help of this site). It's out there. Love the short rear stripes.
Doc
 

My dad was always very proud of those stripes, he used to tell me all the time how many people get them wrong when they repaint these cars. He was very particular about things being right.

Thank you to everyone for the welcome and the wishes of success. If anyone knows anyone in Nevada that may have seen this car or know who owns it I'd love to hear from you. I'm going to keep going down every avenue that pops up to try and get more info on where this car has been and how it got to where it is now.

[OrignlZ]

Just for fun, here are a few more from the Car Craft shoot and some of my Dads many other cars. Our neighbors used to joke we were running a used car lot out of the house.

[rich69rs]

I’ve checked Nevada DMV and you need both the VIN and current license plate information. We have the VIN - if we had the current plate I believe we could figure out where the car is.

Richard

[bcmiller]

I’ve checked Nevada DMV and you need both the VIN and current license plate information. We have the VIN - if we had the current plate I believe we could figure out where the car is.

Richard

That service is available on line.  We don't have the plate number and I have no idea how to get it.

It would be best to CALL them and see if they can help you. It might require you to go into one of the office and fill out a different form that is available only in the office.

If that does not work, hiring a PI is probably your next best shot at finding it unless someone in Nevada knows the car. My guess would be in the Las Vegas area.

[Danzo]

Bryon, how did you obtain its whereabouts in 2022?
Ty, Doc.

[OrignlZ]

Thank you to everyone for your input! I've been out of town and haven't had a chance to check up on this thread for a few weeks now. Did we ever determine if there are any Nevada members on here who may be in the know on Nevada cars? I'm going to try and call the Nevada DMV and see if I can get anywhere, and if not I'll go to my local AAA office and see if they can work any magic. Seems like as good a starting point as any!

[bcmiller]

AAA won't be able to do anything for you.  Start with the Nevada state DMV.

[David K]

Sounds like a grand quest. However, privacy is a highly valued and dwindling commodity in our world, and I would tread beyond very lightly if you find the owner. I get the desire, but imagine how any of us would feel if out of the blue …….you get the idea. I am curious how it turns out.

[OrignlZ]

Sounds like a grand quest. However, privacy is a highly valued and dwindling commodity in our world, and I would tread beyond very lightly if you find the owner. I get the desire, but imagine how any of us would feel if out of the blue …….you get the idea. I am curious how it turns out.

This has been something I've been going back and forth on. I honestly wasn't sure I'd even get this far given what little info I had and the decades in between my family owning it and now. On one hand I fully understand the unease someone could feel when someone out of the blue gets in contact with them over a car they own. My first thoughts would be how did you get my info and now I have to worry about this person coming to my house and stealing my car. Even though my intentions are purely innocent and driven by a love of cars (this one in particular), I know that there are many people who would have different intentions hunting down a car.

On the flip side of the coin, knowing the history of your car and where it came from is usually valuable information for people with matching #'s cars and being able to verify the cars authenticity. Especially Los Angeles cars, which this one was. I have pictures of this car as it was in 1979, before my dad restored it and before faking trim tags and re-stamping blocks etc was as big a problem as it became/is now. I was at cars and coffee yesterday and talking with a very nice gentleman who has 2 matching #'s 69 Z's, I was telling him the story and he was telling me how I need to find this car and as an owner he'd want to know that information. So that's the battle I'm wrestling with in my head as to how far I try and take this, because I do appreciate the privacy aspect especially being in a law enforcement family. Again, I appreciate everyones help and input/advice on this endeavor.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

My dad took me to Downey Ford to look at the new 1970 BOSS 302 Mustang and we went out for a test drive in a car that only had two options, power steering and an AM radio.  Although we did not buy the car, I did buy a BOSS 302 that came from the same dealer in 2010.  Someone on a website commented that they remembered seeing the car in the showroom at Downey Ford and wondered why the highly optioned BOSS 302 had steel wheels and not Magnum 500s!  As you have posted a lot of information about your dad's 1969 Z28 on CRG, perhaps someone will know where the car is today and contact you.  Good luck! - Mark
 

[OrignlZ]

Waiting on hearing back from the Nevada DMV on this car, should hear back on anything they can legally give me this week.

In the meantime, I was over at my parents house helping my mom sort through photos and found another stash of Camaro pics. A few from when he had just bought it in Dec of 79, some mid-resotration with the unpainted cowl hood and before he had the chambered exhaust and finally a few more Car Craft shoot photos. Thought I'd share them with everyone.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

There is a 1969 Z28 in the February 2024 Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine that is similar to the one once owned by your dad, but the white stripes on the rear of the Z28 are different.  The owner, Rich Fairservis of Chandler, AZ, also owns a 1967 & 1968 Z28 featured in the article.  Nice read, although it says that in 1968, the 302 engine had "four-bolt mains in the middle three bearings."

[FRANKTHECRANK]

Great story. Don't give up. My story is the opposite of most, I was searching for the original owner of my 68 Z28, instead of looking for a long lost car. But, even though I live in RI, and the car was originally purchased from a dealership in Tennessee,...I did eventually find and get in touch with the original owner, and was able to get a few pictures from him of the car when brand new.

I think, regarding your hesitancy if you do find him, if you get his address, just send a letter to him. Yes, the old snail mail, it's less threatening than a knock at the door, and less likely to never be seen, like if you send him an email and it goes to his spam folder.  A letter explaining your story, with a couple of copies of pictures of the car from back when your father owned it, would definitely ease the fear he might have.

[David K]

Frank is correct.  Nobody wants a cold call at the front door or phone.

[schlepcar]

  Ok guys,

    I think this can be done. I know it won't be free,but I dont think it would be expensive. I believe if that car is registered in the U.S. you could pay a licensed P.I. to locate it. The information is readily available to law enforcement through the VIN. I do not believe it is legal to track it down for the sake of curiosity but an investigator with a reason...Ie(you have some relevant documentation for the owner) can look it up . I believe it would take about ten minutes with a slow internet connection. If the car can NOT be located in this manner it is because it is no longer registered to be driven or it has been deported. I do not remember how long it takes to go out of system but I believe it is dependent upon the state it was last registered. I may as well say that it is a possibility that someone owns it and saw your posting but is not interested in selling or disclosing it to anyone(We all know people like this...).  If it could be found in this manner I would suggest having the investigator leave them a message with his/her info so the owner could contact them. If they have a 125K car in their garage they probably don't talk to just anyone about it....Good luck

[schlepcar]

  I just wanted to include the idea of intentions when talking to an investigator. They probably would need a legitimate reason to search for something not owned by the client.

[boomer632]

Private sector investigators do not have access to DMV files or records. Thats not to say that some private investigators may "ask a favor" from a LE contact.. if that LE contact was willing to risk his employment over said favor. DMV file queries require the person making the search to provide a reason for the search. If that reason was later found to be bogus, criminal charges could result. Not worth the risk of a career.   

[schlepcar]

  I don't believe it will likely be found DMV unless it has a current plate. I was thinking more like other databases that only law enforcement has access to. That is why you hire a licensed investigator because they are bonded in order to protect themself and others from fraudulent behavior. It may be as simple as an insurance company that currently holds a policy on it...We could not ever find it but they can. It was previously brought up to use the investigator but they will likely make you prove your position before agreeing to check it out. I believe in the scenario you suggest it would be the person checking confidential records that would require a reason to do so as much as the person asking. Sorta reminds of a "Rockford Files" episode where Rockford ticked of Dennis every week asking for a new favor.

[GMAD_Van Nuys]

I just talked to my friend who owned a 1968 Z28 in 1970.  I told him that I had asked someone in law enforcement if they could find out if his old Camaro was still around.  The individual said that they had access to the database, but there would need to be a valid reason to search for the data and any inquiry could be traced back to the requestor.  I doubt if the Z28 is still around as my friend sold it to a dealer for $1200 when he ordered a new 1973 Z28.  My friend did say that his 1968 Z28 has a M-21 transmission and had the standard distributor.

[OrignlZ]

There is a 1969 Z28 in the February 2024 Hemmings Muscle Machines magazine that is similar to the one once owned by your dad, but the white stripes on the rear of the Z28 are different.  The owner, Rich Fairservis of Chandler, AZ, also owns a 1967 & 1968 Z28 featured in the article.  Nice read, although it says that in 1968, the 302 engine had "four-bolt mains in the middle three bearings."

Thanks for the heads up on this! I went googling and saw this, once it's available from Hemmings I'm going to order it as a one off.

Great story. Don't give up. My story is the opposite of most, I was searching for the original owner of my 68 Z28, instead of looking for a long lost car. But, even though I live in RI, and the car was originally purchased from a dealership in Tennessee,...I did eventually find and get in touch with the original owner, and was able to get a few pictures from him of the car when brand new.

I think, regarding your hesitancy if you do find him, if you get his address, just send a letter to him. Yes, the old snail mail, it's less threatening than a knock at the door, and less likely to never be seen, like if you send him an email and it goes to his spam folder.  A letter explaining your story, with a couple of copies of pictures of the car from back when your father owned it, would definitely ease the fear he might have.

Great idea, and along the lines I was thinking of as well. I wouldn't want to just show up to someones front door or call their phone and tell them all this and how I got their contact info etc. It would be a lot to process and no doubt alarming, especially with the value and desirability of the car in question.

  Ok guys,

    I think this can be done. I know it won't be free,but I dont think it would be expensive. I believe if that car is registered in the U.S. you could pay a licensed P.I. to locate it. The information is readily available to law enforcement through the VIN. I do not believe it is legal to track it down for the sake of curiosity but an investigator with a reason...Ie(you have some relevant documentation for the owner) can look it up . I believe it would take about ten minutes with a slow internet connection. If the car can NOT be located in this manner it is because it is no longer registered to be driven or it has been deported. I do not remember how long it takes to go out of system but I believe it is dependent upon the state it was last registered. I may as well say that it is a possibility that someone owns it and saw your posting but is not interested in selling or disclosing it to anyone(We all know people like this...).  If it could be found in this manner I would suggest having the investigator leave them a message with his/her info so the owner could contact them. If they have a 125K car in their garage they probably don't talk to just anyone about it....Good luck

Private sector investigators do not have access to DMV files or records. Thats not to say that some private investigators may "ask a favor" from a LE contact.. if that LE contact was willing to risk his employment over said favor. DMV file queries require the person making the search to provide a reason for the search. If that reason was later found to be bogus, criminal charges could result. Not worth the risk of a career.   

As I expected, the Nevada DMV could not provide me with any information on the car. Not at all surprised, I read through all their laws and guidelines and giving out personal info outside of a LE inquiry or a court order is a no go. From what I read, I would agree that I don't think a PI would get it either unless they called in a favor which as mentioned is risky for the person running it. If that was the route I wanted to go I would just ask one of my LE family members to run the car, but I would never ask them to jeopardize their careers over this. It's also not how I would want to find the car, with an extreme invasion of privacy. Also to a point mentioned above, it's totally possible the person who owns this car doesn't want it known they own it, or doesn't share the same enthusiasm for car history that we do. And that is totally okay. It's a bummer, no doubt, but at least I can say I tried to find it and ran with any lead I could get. Sometimes that's the most you can do. None of this is to say I'm giving up or anything, and I still welcome any ideas or feedback from everyone on here. I'll keep plugging away and posting the story wherever people think it'll get some visibility. I love these cars, and even if I can't track this one down I'd still like to find one at some point to sink all my money in to haha. Again, I can't say thank you enough to everyone on here who has taken the time to throw in their .02, share stories of their cars and give advice on what route to go.

[OrignlZ]

Just for fun I submitted the VIN on this car to NCRS group earlier this month. I figured it was worth a shot to see what, if any, info they had on it. Got this back in the mail today, pretty cool to get a little more history on the car to add to my records!

[ggtsvnv]

I'm in Northern Nevada. I know of a few 69's Z's in the area however none are blue. I'll keep an eye out for you though.

[OrignlZ]

I appreciate it, I'll take all the eyes I can get!

[Charley]

Contact private investigators and ask. You would be amazed at what they can come up with.