Author Topic: How do I get in touch with Rich Fields - Might have a 1968 327 SS on my hands  (Read 6065 times)

QuikS123

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I might have a 1968 327 SS on my hands.  Need to speak with Rich about it.  Would anyone happen to have an email or contact number for him?


1968RSZ28

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"While the claim of a factory SS-327 Camaro is absolutely untrue - no production Camaro SS's were ever built with engines smaller than the 350 - there are understandable reasons for the spread of such rumors, since there was a factory 327ci Camaro model with technical specifications and performance very similar to that of the SS-350."

Read more here...  http://www.camaros.org/l30m20.shtml

You can contact Rich by clicking on his name at the top of the above CRG report.

Paul

QuikS123

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Oh, I wasnt stating that I believed they were production and badged SS by any means......  Let me rephrase that........  I have a 1968 327 coupe that has an L30 block tied into a Muncie M20 4 speed, and a 12 bolt BV coded 1968 posi 4.10 rear end.  The dates of production on the rear end, the tranny, and the motor all date to April of 1968.  Need to talk to Rich and see if there was under 5K of these cars produced, or if I have one of the many 21K regular coupes.

Ben

bertfam

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Ben, Rich is now in the the "Emeritus" status and doesn't reply as much as before, so he may not see your thread. However, I take care of the 68 database so maybe I can help.

The L30 wasn't available with the Muncie transmission so the original Saginaw was probably replaced. My first question would be is the L30 engine original to your car (with the VIN stamped on the pad)? Also check the VIN stamping on the Muncie. A 4.10 rear axle would be almost impossible to get with a Saginaw transmission so there are a few things out of the norm here.

Post a few pictures of the engine pad, the transmission stamping and the axle casting date and stamping so we can see what you have.

Ed


QuikS123

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My webpage is below:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3054698/1968-chevrolet-camaro

Page 1 & 2 are a lot of documentation for the restore.  You have to scroll from the bottom to the top to follow the timeline right. 

Page 3 has a lot of details on the casting numbers. 

Page 4 is the history of owners back to 1983.  Thats as far as I could get.

What I dont understand is how the block dates to April 1968.

The rear end is a 12 bolt with multi leafs that date to April of 1968.

And the cowl points to 04D, April of 1968 for production of the car. 

That cant just be a coincidence.......... 

The one thing that doesnt match is the VIN though.  Its still a 1968 Camaro block produced in April 1968, but doesnt match the VIN.... ???  Dont get it.  Could this be a factory replacement motor? 

Seems like too much work for someone to have tried to match up the dates to a specific month on a rebuild project.

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated!!!!!

bertfam

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Ok, so we know the engine isn't original to the car, so that clears up a few things. (A replacement engine wouldn't have a VIN stamped on it. It would have a CE code. More info on these HERE.)

The Muncie "may" be original, but you'll have to check the VIN stamp on that to make sure.

In 68, the 4.10 axle was optionally available on the Z28 and the L48 for small blocks, as was the M20 transmission, so your car (if the VIN on the Muncie matches your VIN), was probably one of those. Also note that if the 10.5" 403 bell housing shown in your pictures is original, your car started life as a Z28. (The L48 used the 11" 621 bell housing.) HOWEVER, the Z28 required power front disc brakes, which it doesn't appear your car has, so that rules the Z28 out. There are a lot of conflicting things on the car, so you'll have to do more research. I would say that IF the VIN on the Muncie matches your car's VIN, then it started life as as L48 (SS 350). If it doesn't match, but the car still has a 12437 V8 VIN, then it started life as either an LF7 (327/210) or an L30/M20 and none of the drive train is original to the car.

I can't tell by the picture of your firewall, but look at THIS PICTURE and tell me where your speedometer hole is. The "Muncie Hole" or the "Non-Muncie Hole"?

By the way, what's your VIN?

Ed
« Last Edit: January 30, 2012, 11:34:14 PM by Ed Bertrand »

QuikS123

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124378L33.... I know thats the beginning. Cant remember the rest off the top of my head, but this is the part that matters i think.

Ben

bertfam

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Well, knowing what we know now, we can rule out the Muncie being original to the car. I enlarged the picture you had of the firewall and you can see below that you have the "Non-Muncie Hole". So the car was either an L30 or an LF7. Either way I doubt the 12 bolt is original to the car, even if it started out as an L30.

Ed

« Last Edit: January 31, 2012, 12:56:11 AM by Ed Bertrand »

Gramps69Z

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Ed, wouldn't the EE code on the block be for a powerglide?
Captain John Wykoff
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bertfam

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Quote
Ed, wouldn't the EE code on the block be for a powerglide?

Yep.

Ed

QuikS123

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Ok, so basically its a coincidence that all the dates line up to April 1968.  Always seemed weird to me, and i thought maybe i had a hidden gem of some kind.  So here's the question for anyone thats reading this.... Especially you Ed :) .  In the condition its in, seeing what you see in the history of the pictures....  Whats it worth?

Facts:

Body is 100% metal.  No bondo at all, and never cut up (as seen in photos when i sanded it doen to a silver bullet)
No signs of rust anywhere.  Not even the windshields, or the rocker panels
Has double hump heads, and a .486 crane cam
I runs really strong, and has a nice little lope to it

Thoughts?


Any ideas?

bertfam

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Ben, prices on these cars have been all over the highway lately so it's almost impossible to put a value on what you have. Especially without seeing the car in person. The best suggestion I can offer is to take a look on ebay and see what comparable cars are going for. That way you can get a rough idea on what yours is worth.

Ed

KurtS

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Oh, I wasnt stating that I believed they were production and badged SS by any means...... 
But it says that on your cardomain page at least twice. Confusing to people who don't know.

Also, this is a much more current version of Rich's article. http://www.camaros.org/l30m20.shtml
The CUS version is about 10 years old and the site is not updated.

Yup, looks like none of the drivetrain is original to the car. All we can say for sure it was a V8 manual trans car.
Does the shifter opening have a reinforcing ring around it?

Kurt S
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