Author Topic: Original Drivetrains  (Read 9943 times)

DONCZ28

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2012, 10:06:10 PM »
I have been in the hobby for over 40 years. I love cars!   Early on, only the  corvette guys were concerned about matching numbers. Today, if you have a "Matching Numbers Car", you are either Very Lucky, Wealthy, or Old Enough!  Now people say "My car was born with".  Things have gotten out of hand.  Really, isn't a car a collection of parts, put together on an assembly, to be sold for ones personal transportation!

sdkar

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2012, 11:41:03 PM »
That 10% number may be about right. 

When I looked to buy a 69 Indy Pace car, I looked for about a year and looked at at least 20-25 advertisements in Hemmings, Autotrader, and other online sources, (ebay was not really established for selling cars at the time I bought my car).  Of all the cars I looked into, only about 3 or 4 of them still had the numbers matching motor.   Many had CE replacement motors or "correct" motors, while the majority had just any old chevy SB in them.  The ones that did have the numbers matching drivetrains were rust boxes or really beat up.  Mine was the only pace car that still had the original drivetrain from the factory and the original sheetmetal (qtrs, floors, trunk, etc.) with almost no rust.  Also, this was back in 1999 before the muscle car craze and the staggering amount of fraud that exist today. 

Even today I still checkout all the 69 Camaro pace car ads, ebay, and Barret Jackson, and it is quite difficult to find these cars with the original drivetrains in them.   I guess these cars were not bought with the notion of keeping them stock and instead were used and abused and if the motor or tranny went...pop in another, no big deal.  I bet the original buyers of the first gen Camaros had no idea of what these cars would become 35 or more years later.

So, if you have a numbers car, appreciate it and take care of it. 



So, 10% seems about right as far as   

jacmac

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #17 on: June 06, 2012, 12:08:05 AM »
I have been in the hobby for over 40 years. I love cars!   Early on, only the  corvette guys were concerned about matching numbers. Today, if you have a "Matching Numbers Car", you are either Very Lucky, Wealthy, or Old Enough!  Now people say "My car was born with".  Things have gotten out of hand.  Really, isn't a car a collection of parts, put together on an assembly, to be sold for ones personal transportation!
I agree with you things have gotten out of hand. The "born with" quotes are kind of annoying,I can only speak for myslf but my car was BUILT not born!
69 Z10,69 ss396Chevelle, 71 Corvette

BULLITT65

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #18 on: June 06, 2012, 12:32:05 AM »
The terminology is a bit annoying, after reading so many ads it is interesting how many ways guys will skirt around the issue of the original drive train. I have heard it described many ways, and still find myself reading between the lines to decipher if the car is original or not. Then if your unsure you can ask Kurt, he will tell you his opinion, based on other stamps, but it seems the verification process is still on shaky ground. Different fonts and styles of stamps, plus the person doing the stamping trying to get the stamp strait enough to be legible. I am probably one of the younger guys on this board but when time catches up to these guys that authenticate the cars, Jerry, Kurt , Camaro national judges, etc, if this information is not passed on, then that 10% figure will probably jump up to about 99% with the re-stamps out there. I am not looking forward to anybody taking a dirt nap, just looking into the future and preservation of the hobby, and hoping the information and knowledge doesn't die with them or there hard drive.
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

ban617

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #19 on: June 06, 2012, 07:53:30 PM »
Well I know of at least 3 that dont have their motors 2 cars ,That I know of and I have an original 69 DZ 302 from air cleaner to starter. The number s are on the bell housing flange but cant make them out  ...Deck stamp is V0130DZ

RGwiz

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Re: Original Drivetrains
« Reply #20 on: June 10, 2012, 12:31:56 PM »
Very interesting discussion. I was in my late teens, early 20's when the muscle cars hit the streets. At the time I had a 65 GTO, and two of my buddies had Camaros. A 68 SS 350, and a 69 SS 396. If anyone's car blew a trans or motor it was replaced with OME or a quick trip to a junkyard. Many times somebody new somebody that had factory parts in their garage because they swapped out the original manifold, carb, or rear end for a piece that they thought would be cool to run. That's just what happened back then, as is still in effect with the modified guys.
I'm very lucky to have found a 68 RS SS 350 4spd with the original (but rebuilt w/more HP) engine and drivetrain. I also have aftermarket wheels on the car and that's the way I like it. I really like looking at the all original, unrestored cars at shows. But, I equally enjoy talking and hanging out with people that have Camaros, like mine.
I did the all stock, all original equipment for many years with other clubs. I deeply respect the effort and money put into the stock class cars. However, when applied to the muscle car era, you have to give us a break and also consider the reality of the times back then. I'd guess that way less than 10% of all muscle cars survived to today with their original equipment. (my original M21 was blown and replaced with another)