Data base for Camaro Race Car?

[Racerdan]

We just pulled a 1969 SCCA Camaro race car out of a barn Sunday (yes, really did, have pics).  Has 2 log books back to 1971, been in barn for over 20 years.  Is there a data base for race cars, or interest in adding it?  Thanks,
Racerdan

[firstgenaddict]

Is it a T/A or a SCCA sedan class car? Brass tag on the cage?

[KurtS]

Yes, I'd be interested in the data for the car.
Thanks and congrats!

Pics?

[Racerdan]

Car was raced in A Sedan starting in early 1972 through 1975.  Originally as #18, then as #38. 

[Racerdan]

You can see a couple pictures at:
http://www.ncmsquadron.org/dh/1969-camaro.html

Kurt, do you have a form for information needed, or do I just send you the basics/ all my information? 

I have been disassembling the front end and drivetrain, documenting all casting numbers, dates, etc.  The racing speedo says 878 miles on it, it was installed in 1971 during the project to make it a race car for SCCA.

VIN # 124379L520387, came our of California originally, we suspect it was repo'ed and the Bank of America owned it from 9/28/71 until a Chevrolet Dealer in Elk Grove Iowa bought it January 7, 1972.  He is the one who raced it too.

RD

[KurtS]

I'll send you an email.

Thanks!
Kurt

[Racerdan]

OOPS!  I mean car # 48.....

Thanks,

RD

[69Z28-RS]

Hi Dan!  LTNS.   
I haven't seen or heard from you in years (since the old Vetenet and early NCM days)..  I just sent you an email... 

Gary W

[Racerdan]

Glad to hear from you, Gary!  Hope we can keep in better contact! 

Racer Dan

[Jon Mello]

What's the number on the rollbar (or on the logbook) and who raced it back then? I keep a database on old A-Sedan and Trans-Am Camaros.

Thanks,
-Jon

[69Z28-RS]

Jon,

What data are you keeping in your database for the race cars?    owners/drivers name?  ARe you including the IMSA/GT series cars? 

[Jon Mello]

Gary,

I make note of the VIN and cowl tag (if they are still there) as well as the rollbar number. I generally try and take down as much information as I can get, and sometimes that is hard as some owners do not want to share much. I don't go out of my way to document the IMSA/GT cars as my primary interest is the "Historic" era (1966-1972) of Trans-Am and A/Sedan cars. Some of these T/A and A/Sedan cars did run some IMSA races as well though and that might be listed. Some of the original drivers have been interviewed to capture their stories before they are gone. Eventually I'd like to get them into a book. I tend to concentrate on the 1st-gen Camaro as that is where my main interest lies. I hope this answers your questions.

-Jon

[Racerdan]

Jon,

Not sure if I answerdd you or not, but here are answers to you questions:

Both log books and roll bar cage are stamped 76- 018 (76 is for Des Moines Valley Region (DMVR) in Iowa.  The owner was Ron Wood, who was a Chevrolet Dealer in Eagle Grove, Iowa.  He raced it in 1972, 73, 74, AND 75.  I believe he was #1 in region in 74 in A- Sedan, and did race the Champion Spark Plug race in Atlanta on 11/2/74.  Not sure how he placed yet.

Ron has passed away, we are trying to find his son to gather more info right now.  We have a few pics, and DMVR SCCA pics and articles on his races.

Trim Tag:
ST69= 1969 Model Year
12437= Camaro, V-8 Engine, Coupe.
VN235379= Body made at Van Nuys, CA plant, sequence # 235379 (sequence number of body is not supposed to be the same as the VIN sequence number.)
TR- 711= Trim number, black standard interior
72 72= paint code top/bottom- Hugger Orange
01D= Date code- matches axle, and looks right for car, per Kurt
V144= Build date of body- V= 22nd day of month, car #144 for that day.

I have the dates and races he did in eac h year i nthe log books- 7 in 72, 5 in 73, 9 in 74, and 7 in 75. 

Hope this helps.

Racer Dan

[Jon Mello]

Thanks a lot for the information, Dan. Does the log book indicate the color of the car was still orange or was it something else by the time it raced? Also, can you let me know which track and what date its first race was.

Thanks again,
-Jon

[Racerdan]

Jon,

In order to race in SCCA, each driver was required to do a drivers school first.  Ron Wood, the owner/ driver went to Donnybrooke Regional/School on  5/12/72.

The first actual race he went to was at Hutchensen, KS on 5/27/72- where Ron placed 1st in Class and 1st overall as car # 18.  Shortly thereafter he started racing it as #48. 

It shows the Camaro as white for its log book and in the photo in the log book.  In disassembly of the car, the orange still shows behind the front fenders at the firewall, under the doors, in the door jams, etc.  I do not know when he repainted it, but it was red white and blue in 1974, when we got a couple of other pics of the car.  (This is the color we will eventually restore it with again).  In 1978, it was painted blue with white Z-28 stripes and with Z-28 badges. 

I have been able to determine the car was orginally out of California, was a 396 big block, with air.  I cannot determine the actual miles on the car, but I figure about 10,000 miles in California (one year), and the rest on the track racing in SCCA.

[Historic Racer]

Wow, what an awesome find.
I'm currently building up a '68 for historic racing, but finding something like that with some history is great.

[Jon Mello]

Dan,

Thanks again for all the information. I appreciate it. Best of luck with the (racing) restoration of the car.

-Jon

[Racerdan]

Thanks!

It would be cheaper to buy one already done, but it would not be a real vintage car.  The documentation is a slow process.  Nobody kept their pictures, etc. 

Mark Donahue sat in the car back in the early 70's, that is about as close to fame as we can get so far.

Racer Dan

[Racerdan]

Jon,

In order to race in SCCA, each driver was required to do a drivers school first.  Ron Wood, the owner/ driver went to Donnybrooke Regional/School on  5/12/72.

The first actual race he went to was at Hutchensen, KS on 5/27/72- where Ron placed 1st in Class and 1st overall as car # 18.  Shortly thereafter he started racing it as #48. 

It shows the Camaro as white for its log book and in the photo in the log book.  In disassembly of the car, the orange still shows behind the front fenders at the firewall, under the doors, in the door jams, etc.  I do not know when he repainted it, but it was red white and blue in 1974, when we got a couple of other pics of the car.  (This is the color we will eventually restore it with again).  In 1978, it was painted blue with white Z-28 stripes and with Z-28 badges. 

I have been able to determine the car was orginally out of California, was a 396 big block, with air.  I cannot determine the actual miles on the car, but I figure about 10,000 miles in California (one year), and the rest on the track racing in SCCA.

I have actually discovered I was wrong in thinking this was an A/c car, with a big block.  After years of discovery, I can now honestly clear that part up... it was NOT an A/c car.  The car was not a Big Block either.  My confusion of what I thought was a dual fuel line clip was not one, and the kick panel in pass side, along with the big block radiator being made in 1970 sure cleared up my thinking it might have been n A/c car.  The firewall cut out where the heater defrost box went was not factory, it was cut out by hand making me think it was for an A/C box.  Thanks!

[Racerdan]

Well, I am full of errors!  I just found my notes I recorded in 2008 when I removed the radiator on the Camaro:
Tag= I0   UY
         00
         70     R
“10”= big block, 4 core end tank, with curved neck
“UY”= Broadcast code= COPO (big block 4 core 23 inch wide core, .16 spacing on fins) part # 3018624* Used in 1969 on manual transmission 396 air cars and 427 COPO cars only- 4 core, 23 inches wide, with .16 fin spacing.
“00”= big block manual end tank, four core only used on big block manual trans cars.
Between these two letters is the letter “F” which means it was made the month of  June.
“70”  and “R” are unknown characters and meaning is unknown.
The tag I found loose in my parts bin I took a photo of must have been from a Corvette from 25 years ago... but this is the actual info ion the radiator that came in it, I wrote it down when i removed and inspected it.  Of course the date is off, but it led me to believe it could have been an SS instead of a Z28.  But the radiator had to of been replaced with a heavier one when he raced it in the 70's...

I am guessing the radiator might still be in the barn where we stored some of the parts off the car...and the tag might still be on it.

Racer Dan

[Racerdan]

We recently found a newspaper article from 1972 in the Eagle Grove Iowa newspaper, with a photo of it when it was wrecked in June of 1971 as a street car. It states it is a 1969 Z28, previously owned by Ken Thompson out of California, turned into an SCCA Road Race car, and several races it had been in in 1972.

[bcmiller]

Can you post the pic of the car from the log book?