Topics

I posted this as a reminder to all to check your tires and replace if they are old. I was driving home from The Daytona Turkey Run car show Friday in my '69 Z28 when my LF tire blew out.  It had started a vibration about 10 miles earlier, then bang.  See the photos.  Paint damage, etc., now have to be fixed.  Luckily only the car was damaged, plus it happened close to home instead of 100 miles away.  Definitely a wakeup call.  It could have been a lot worse.  The BFG Radial T/As had less than 5K miles on them and looked perfect but were 12 years old.  New tires are going on tomorrow.  Time flies, tires get old and can easily be overlooked.  My friend who I met there has a '66 Impala SS with a brand new $20K paint job, his tires were 14 years old, and he got new ones installed yesterday.  Stay safe. 

Has anyone ever seen orange undercoating on a Camaro?  My '69 was originally a Connecticut car and came to Florida in 1974.  As best I can determine, this orange coating was installed before it came to FL.  The whole underside of the car has it, but it was brushed over with some sort of black coating later, probably to cover it up. It has chipped off everywhere, so you see a lot of orange spots, and I am in the process of trying to remove it.  It's hard to get off.  It has what appears to be a red basecoat, then a thick orange coating after that which is not flexible.  Stripper doesn't get it off, so far I have used a needle scaler and finally sanding.  Attached is a photo of one of the front wheel wells with it partially removed.  Just looking to see if anyone has ever seen it before or has any removal tips.   

Photo attached of the wiper blade on my 69 Z28.  Is it original? They have been on there since 1982 when I got the car, and I have replaced the rubber refills only.

I am replacing the seals in my heater box and also want to replace the heater core.  I replaced it 42 years ago (it was leaking inside the car) when I got the car.  The existing core still looks good, but I didn't want to risk reusing the old one so ordered one from HBC.   I just got it, and it is much lighter in weight then the old one, plus the hose tube solder joints don't look that strong.  The 5/8 tube is bent at a different angle than the one I took out, so doesn't fit even with making the firewall hole a little larger.  My only option is to bend it and possibly to get a local radiator shop to strengthen the solder joints or return it and find a better fitting and higher quality unit.  I read 2 posts on another Camaro forum where the members had problems with the TSM branded core leaking, and that is what I got from HBC.  I have reviewed previous CRG posts, most are 5+ years old, and was hoping there may be new information available. I'm not impressed with the quality of this new core and am looking for recommendations from members where to find the best quality.   

I removed the transmission in my 69 Z28 to replace seals and found the pilot bearing had failed.  See photo, the needles are mostly gone and it was dry.  I installed a new clutch 20 years ago and had no noticeable vibrations or any other problems.  I read the CRG bellhousing alignment report and any other posts I could find on the subject.  Is the bearing failure a common problem?  Should I look into purchasing the alignment tool to check?  I have never checked it.

I called Browell, and they are backordered for 2 weeks on the tool.  Cost is now $160, and they sell adjustable dowels for 36.80/pr.

Has anything changed in the past few years in the way of new tools or inspection processes that I should know about?  Any recommendations?  I do have a QuickJack to raise the car 1-2 feet, but for the most part will be on my back doing this.  Thanks for any advice.

Can you replace Muncie shift lever seals (in the side cover) in the car or does the transmission need to come out?  Mine drip oil.  I could not find any previous posts on this.  Thanks.

Did all 1969 Camaros with front spoilers have the 3 support rods?  My Z28 (had since 1982) has the spoiler, but no rods.  I will order and install them if all had them.  Thanks.

The water pump on my 69 Z28 just started to leak at the shaft seal (photo attached).  I have owned the car since 1982 and never replaced it.  I have reviewed most of the messages from team members, but still looking for advice on 2 questions:
1. What is a J48 code? Most of the others I see have 3 numbers after the letter.   
2. If original, should I rebuild it and what's the best way get that done?

Thank you for all the great info on this site.

My 69 Z28 doesn't have a radio and hasn't since I got it in 1982.  It was gone when I bought the car.  I am looking for any advice or recommendation of one to buy.  I want it to look as original as possible, but would really like to have bluetooth.  Custom Autosound offers the 740, does anyone have any experience with that one or can suggest another? 

Attached is a photo of the intake on my 1969 Z28.  Question:  Is the oil fill tube original?  The block is not original, but the 1974-1978 owner told me he had the engine rebuilt using all original parts except the block.  Intake part number is 3932472.

I am replacing the windlace moldings on my 1969 Camaro, and there is a size difference between the old ones and the new ones I received with my master interior kit.  I'm looking for some advice on what came originally on the car.  Photo attached showing the old smaller, more narrow molding and the new ones.  The new ones being larger now create interference when the door closes where the old ones did not.  What I don't know is are the old ones original, or are the new ones the correct size for original?  I did review past messages but did not see a similar question.  Any advice would be appreciated. 

I am replacing the dash pad on my 69 Z28.  Looking for the best way to hold the 6 metal clips in place on the new pad.  I have installed them before on another pad many years ago, without any adhesive, but some don't hold well and seem to rattle later.  I have heard of epoxy, super glue, etc., just looking for your thoughts on the best method to hold clips to pad.

I just cleaned up the original Hurst Comp Plus shifter on my 69 Z28 and it had some rubber or plastic bushings (mine were crumbling or missing) in the joint where the shift rods attach to the shifter body.  Are those available and/or needed?  I had purchased a Hurst Pit Pack but those did not work.  For now, I reassembled it with some lube and without the rubber pieces.

My 1969 Camaro needs the rollers replaced on one of the window regulators (photo attached).  I was able to find a 3 piece set, and they will arrive in a few days.  They look to be a pressed pin with the end mashed to secure it in the regulator.  Any tips from the team the best way of replacing them?

I want to remove rust from the trunk floor of my 1969 Z28.  It is pitted as well as has some small holes.  I have seen info on Evaporust from this team with good reviews and have a friend who uses POR15.  I have never used either of them.  Can anyone from the team advise on a preferred brand?  I see Evaporust also comes in a gel, would that work better?  Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a 1969 Z28 with standard interior, am restoring it to original ivory color.  The upholstery shop called today and told me I need seat back foam with wire in it vs. the original seat foam (without wire) I provided.  The seat bottom springs were replaced and the standard foam worked fine.     See photo attached, original seat back foam is on right.     I can find seat foam for sale with and without wire, the only 2 options I can find.  Did the seat bottom come with springs attached to the frame, and the seat back come with springs (or wire?) in the foam not attached to the frame?  Just trying to clear this up before I order more product.  No one has them in stock and it looks like I have to wait several weeks or months to get them, just wanted to make sure what I order is correct.  Thank you.

Is there a way to find other team members in my area I could connect with?  I live in Jacksonville, FL, and it would be great to know if there are any others in my area where we could share car info, local show info, recommended installers, etc.  I searched Florida in the member list and only 2 came up without locations. 

Did a 1969 Z28 come with hood insulation if it didn't have the cowl induction setup?  My Z28 has the hood scoop w/302 emblems but no cowl induction air cleaner.   

Did the car come with insulation above the headliner? 

I am starting to restore it for the 2nd time (I've had it for 40 years) and want to get it right. 

Does the team have a recommendation for gear oil for a 12 bolt posi ('69 Z28) and for a Muncie 4 spd?  I have read several posts about using GL4 instead of GL5 for the Muncie due to synchro wear, is that accurate?  Is there a recommended brand or two? 

For the diff, does it need to be GL4 or 5, does it matter? In most stores, all you find is GL5.  I will add the GM limited slip additive to whatever oil I get.  Thanks.

Attached are 2 photos of the 4 speed trans in my '69 Z28.  It is a Muncie 4 speed, case is 3925661.  The stamped codes look like CC1(a closer look may be CG1 or C61?), then 35585, but I can't correlate those into a final ID from the decode chart I received from the team.  Any help for a final ID would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Where I can find the date codes and any other stampings on the 12 bolt differential on my 1969 Z28?  The diff has been undercoated and painted several times before I got it, and I want to know where to clean to find the numbers.  Attached is a photo showing some numbers I found on the right rear next to the diff cover.  Thanks for any help.

I have a 1969 Z28 (non-RS) and have a question on the correct tail light bulbs.  When my parking lights are on, the inboard parking light is much brighter than the outboard.  Current outboard parking/turn signal/brake light bulb is 1157, reverse light bulb is 1156 and inboard parking light bulb is 1156.  Is that correct?

I have a 1969 Z28 and the engine block has VO42OTND stamped on the RF.  I am trying to determine originality.  I have owned the car for 40 years and have just started to research it.  There is no DZ in the serial number, and I understood that was on all 69 302s.  I'm not sure if this engine is original.  The block casting numbers are 3970010 and GM29 on the LR.  I looked near the oil filter and saw no other numbers.  Any ideas would be appreciated.