We see our share of 1st Generation Camaro project cars here at Barn Finds, and this 1969 SS is a vehicle that shows a lot of promise. Its rust issues appear to be relatively minor, and it also comes with a freshly built engine to sweeten the deal. It now needs someone willing to return it to its glorious best so that this bitumen-burner can grace to our streets once again. Located in Hillsdale, Michigan, you will find the Camaro listed for sale here on eBay. While healthy bidding has pushed the price along to $10,300, the reserve hasn’t been met.

When it was shiny and new, the Camaro wore Daytona Yellow paint with a Black hockey stick stripe. It has undergone a color change to what I believe to be Dusk Blue, and while it might have looked good when it was fresh, it now looks pretty tired. The buyer might choose to return the car to its original color or treat the current Blue to a refresh. One of the great attractions of this Camaro as a project car is its general lack of rust. There is some present in both rear quarter panels, but the owner includes patches in the sale to address these issues. There is also corrosion developing around the back window, but I don’t think it has penetrated through the steel. The rest of the exterior appears to be clean, while there are no significant problems with the trim, chrome, or glass.

It is no great surprise to learn that there has been some rust in this Camaro’s past. This has afflicted the floors, but the frame appears to wear little more than surface corrosion. A previous owner has patched the rust in the floors, but it is a fairly rough job. I think that the patches could be unstitched and reinstalled to make a neater job without the need to replace the floors entirely. That will be a matter of choice, and only a personal inspection will confirm whether this is a viable option.

The Camaro isn’t a numbers-matching classic, but it still promises to be a potent piece of equipment when it returns to the road. The engine that you see is believed to have started its life in a ’69 Chevelle SS and is the 325 hp version of the mighty 396ci V8. This has been freshly rebuilt and is yet to be fired into life. Also included are a TH400 transmission and a 12-bolt rear end. Rounding out the package is the fact that the owner’s research seems to confirm this car to be an original big-block SS that features air conditioning, power steering, and power front wheel disc brakes. It isn’t clear whether the engine has been built to standard specifications or has received some internal upgrades. Even if it is in stock form, this V8 should possess enough “oomph” to fire the Camaro through the ¼ mile in 15.1 seconds before winding its way to a top speed of 127mph.

While it might not be perfect, this 1969 Camaro SS would seem to represent a fairly straightforward restoration project. If it were a numbers-matching classic, I would be strongly advocating for a faithful restoration, and that’s the path that I would be tempted to follow. However, it is a blank canvas, so the buyer might choose to upgrade items like the wheels, tires, and brakes to get all of those ponies to the road more effectively. What would you do?