Messages

I agree! It's one of the best sites to learn a great amount of detail about our 1st Gens!

Camaronut,

I had my U79 multiplex cable repaired on my '69 Camaro.  When I pull the unit, I documented many details with the radio and multiplex unit.  The harness connector is shown along with the harness lengths noted in the pic attached.  The green/black harness length was 31" and the back multi-pin harness length was 30-1/2".

I found a picture in of the front speaker card board cover in John Hooper's book, The 1969 Camaro Reference Book, on page 328.  Here is a pic of that original card board piece.

The tape is in a different area than what is shown in the factory assembly manual, Section B2, page 1, but this could be common based on how the folks applied the cover, and/or figured out a quicker and easier way to install it.

Petes L48,

Great idea...but I do want it taped to the underside of the dash and not on top...lol!

BTW...I ordered the die cut cardboard from Heartbeat City Camaro (HBC), item #AUD-1318 along with the special 2.0-inch x 180-ft masking tape, item #ELC-1264.   HBC states there card board speaker cover is die cut from an original piece. 

The tape is a lot more than what is needed but its also used on various other applications.  Once I see the tape is might be the same or very similar to the cloth masking used to:
- seal off the rear shock holes into the trunk and rear subframe bushing holes into the interior from water during the body build and leak testing
- common to what was used on the cowl induction seal seam for ZL2 hood applications, along the outside of the seal
- seal off the lower set of holes on the trunk lid for the "Camaro by Chevrolet" emblem under the rear spoiler if the D80 option was included, and they drilled a second set of holes for the emblem above the spoiler.

I am due to receive it tomorrow (6/24/2025). I will take pics of the board and tape and show how I accessed the underside of the dash.  My thought at this point is to remove the glove box and possibly the ash tray assembly from the dash to gain access and reach the bottom side of the dash.

I'll keep you posted!

Interesting!  Guess I need to contort my body back under the dash again to try and tape a black cardboard block off to the center dash spear opening...lol!

That may require a couple beers before that task or some Ibuprofen afterwards! 

While we're on the topic of the spare tire, notice that the spares have the original Micro weights installed. Those are available used in eBay but becoming rare to find!

Interesting topic I would like to revisit.

My '69 Z28 (Norwood built in May 1969) has the AM/FM U79 stereo with (4) speakers, two in the kick panels and two in the rear package tray.  The center front dash speaker location is empty (no speaker).  I assume it was left open that way with the U79 radio system.  You can see down thru the dash thru the speaker slits in the dash which is not ideal and I can hear engine and transmission gear noise. Not a big deal as I rarely list to the radio, but I assume that is the way a U79 optioned '69 Camaro came from the factory with an open front center speaker opening in the dash?

I have seen several original (survivor) spare tires, wing nuts, and jacks but never a base, wing nut, and J-hook painted primer gray color as you shared a picture of.  I believe the jack base and the jack ratchet mechanism where made in mass and painted the gray color in a high volume flow thru paint booths and probably low temp baked to cure dry the paint.  The wing nut and J-hook were made and supplied to the assembly plants in large batches and plated as shown in the the two pictures attached below.  The pictures attached are both from '69 Z28 Norwood build survivors with their original jack components.

[If you're looking for approximate VINs, I'd estimate N627600/L52900 for the resonator system, and N646229/L530160 for chrome tail pipes."]

hugger69z28rs,

Sorry for my delayed response; I have not been on CRG for a while.

I am not sure why you are not getting a response back from Eric Gardner.  I have been communicating with Eric over the phone and email over the past 2-months. I just received my Gardner exhaust resonator system yesterday. It took about 5 - 6 weeks after he took my order once I confirmed exactly what I wanted. I sent him a certified check via UPS (unfortunately, I cannot trust my local Post Office anymore).  I do know he has been out of the office on personal travel lately.

For my 05A Norwood build '69 Z28, I followed William's advise: "If you're looking for approximate VINs, I'd estimate N627600/L52900 for the resonator system, and N646229/L530160 for chrome tail pipes." My VIN is N638712 so I ordered the resonator system with aluminized tail pipes. Eric will build what you want but will also recommend the appropriate system for your car based on the build date and his person experience and research.

I ordered the "Concours Show Package" costing an additional $200 which includes Zink plated clamps and exhaust hangers. Gardner has done an outstanding job duplicating the original style clamps and hangers down to the rivets that retain the rubber to the metal hanger. The stud kit ($24.00) includes the correct exhaust manifold studs and nuts.  The exhaust "head pipes" that connect to the exhaust manifold include the special extension pipe item #3 and packing (gasket) item #4 shown in the Assembly Manual under the N10 Duel Exhaust option.

Overall, I am very happy with Gardner Exhaust!  Now I need time to remove my 27+ year old exhaust and replace it with this new system!

I cannot find my tool design sketch used to make the tool to share, but here are a few pics of my tool to give you an idea how it is designed and works.

When I restored my '69 Z28 and replaced the speedometer cable, I had a conical tool made out of nylon rod material very similar in shape to the one pictured, and used bearing grease help allow the grommet to push over the tool and metal fitting on the cable.  The use of an long open socket that is necked down may also work as DONCZ28 suggested. When I get home this evening after work, will look for picture to post of my tool. If I recall correctly, I have a sketch of my tool design I will also post.

[Phosphate System:]

I need to correct my prior input on phosphate and priming 1st Gen Camaro bodies. The bodies were primed after the 7-stage phosphate coating process.

Here is an except from the Norwood assembly sequence article covering the Fisher Body Paint Shop Operations:

"The Paint Shop is broken down into phosphate, prime, sealing, and color departments; the body was suspended from an overhead conveyor with hooks at the firewall and at the ends of the rear frame rails through the phosphate system, and was transferred to a steel carrying truck before the prime system that carried it through the rest of the Paint Shop and through the Trim Shop.

Phosphate System: The raw body shell passed through a seven-stage phosphate system, where it went through a series of enclosed high-pressure hot spray stages where it was washed to remove all the oils and debris from stamping, welding, brazing, soldering, and grinding operations, then the body was coated with a hot iron phosphate solution which "etched" the metal and provided "teeth" for paint adhesion. The final stage was a de-ionized hot water rinse and blow-off, followed by a drying oven on the way to the prime booth.

Prime System: In the first prime booth, the entire body, inside and out, was manually sprayed with primer, and confined areas subject to corrosion were given a second coat of heavier primer material; this prime coat was then baked at 390F for 30 minutes. In the second prime booth, the instrument panel and rear of the shelf area (and the upper door and quarter areas of 1967-68 models) were painted interior color, and another coat of air-dry flash primer was sprayed from the belt line down. The interior color areas were masked, and the entire outer body was sprayed with gray primer-surfacer and the body was baked again at 285F for 45 minutes. The cowl vent panel was hung in the side window opening on wire hooks all the way through the paint process."

My Camaro and vetteskip Camaro were built during the same time period with gray primer floorboards.  I supposed it was possible, but perhaps not likely, the Fisher Body Plant at Norwood switch between gray and low sheen black primer on the floorboards, but then as it has been said in our hobby, nothing is absolute about how our GM cars were originally built and anomalies or deviations to the process have been found.
 

vetteskip,

Thank you for all your very interesting pics of original details on your '69Z!  The pics of underside of your floorboards clearly show that some '69 Norwood built cars had a gray primer looking color most likely from the hot phosphate treatment the bodies received prior to paint.  My 05A '69 Z28 had floorboards that matched the color of yours.  I have other photo documentation from other survivor '69 Camaros also showing original "gray primer" appearing floorboards. 

Based on this, I believe the '69 Legends Judging Manual is in error stating they "prefer" to see floorboards painted a low sheen black. If you read and study the Norwood assembly process, and view pictures of the bodies on the conveyor trucks that came from the Chevrolet side the assembly plant, I do not see anywhere in the process where a painter could reach and spray the bottom surface of the floorboards a neat uniform a low sheen black.  I could see where some painters may have sprayed more overspray on floorboard surfaces while they painted the blackout below the rocker panel spear molding on some color cars.   

Do you see any evidence of the code "57" on the inside surface of your spare tire, and/or on the inside surface of the front lower valance?

I watched this Leno video because of him driving a '69 Z28 and wanted to see what it looked like. It is a nice story but the owner did not appear to know much technically about the car.  When I heard the driving video, it was immediately clear there was something wrong with the exhaust!  Seeing the blown muffler along the seam explains the noise...and very odd.  And yes, I have never see a stenciled part number on an original exhaust system muffler or resonator.

BTW...

Is there any data indicating Norwood build Camaros with 05B trim plates? 

Based on my database research so far, I have not seen any 05B trim plates.   On the topic concerning fuel tank date codes, there are no recorded 1969 05B data points so far.