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Z/28 Wannabe: 1969 Camaro SS396

1969 Camaro SS396

At first glance, I got really excited about this Camaro! It appears to be a Z/28 and is claimed to have been sitting in a barn since the 80s. Turns out that it is actually a SS396 though. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it looks like someone has cherry picked many of the parts and then pieced it back together with a 350. Luckily, the seller is throwing in a 396 block though. There appears to be quite a bit of rust lurking under the surface, so I’m guessing that some body work and a full respray will be in order. The orange paint is striking, but I bet it would look quite handsome in its original Olympic Gold color. This project is located in Pomfret, Maryland and is listed for sale here on eBay where bidding starts at $8k with no reserve. So, would you continue the Z/28 theme or go back to how it left the factory?

Comments

  1. Avatar MH

    Could make a yenko replica. 8K seems like a lot to me.

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  2. Avatar A.J.

    I would rather have a SS396 than a Z28 all things equal. I think they probably bring about the same amount of money.

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  3. Avatar David C

    There’s plenty of knock offs out there, I’d go back to the SS 396 package. Unless you are going to do a full on custom (pro street or whatever) the top valued cars are the original cars.

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  4. Avatar David

    I’m with David C, waaaay to many fake Z/28s out there, too few SS 396s. The cost would be about the same in any case, so with the SS.

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  5. Avatar RayT

    I’m by no means an expert on Camaros, but I’d think the SS396 would be a better deal all around, especially value-wise. I’m sure Camaro people are like Corvette people: the more original, the better!

    I’d want to know if the 396 block sold with the care was the original — matching numbers are a Big Deal.

    Not a fan of “clone” cars in general. Too many unwary buyers have been fooled because they haven’t done their homework.

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  6. Avatar roger

    I would go back SS 396.
    Only instead of 396 I would use a crate 572.
    No substitue for cubic inches.
    A stock big block beats a souped up small block every time.

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  7. Avatar JW

    As a ex owner of a 68 RS/SS 396 Camaro I would definitely go the 396 route. Cheaper to restore and just as much fun. The only draw back to this car is it’s a rust bucket with some paint & stripes on it.

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  8. Avatar Denny T

    I’ve owned four camaros. A 1967, 68, and two 69s. Love these first generation camaros. However, I agree with JW on the rust. I just don’t understand why anyone would start out with a car that has as much rust as this one. You may as well start looking for a donor body because this one is done. Save your time and money and start out with one from a dry climate that is solid. This one is a bottomless money pit with no stopping point.

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  9. Avatar pontiactivist

    Typical belly button car. Hate knowing there are more supposed Z/28’s now than gm produced. Thats just my thoughts of 69 camaro’s. Surprised its not red. Lol. Orange was my second guess before I opened the link though. Lol

    Like 0

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