This automobile has an identity crisis. Is it a car or a 4-wheel-drive mud bogger? Is it Chevy, Buick, or Pontiac because of the multiple engine changes over the years? And it needs a considerable amount of body and chassis work due to rust, and there are some questions regarding mechanical health. But if you were to work hard and spend a bunch of money to “restore” this interesting vehicle, you’d probably have the only “Jeeparo” on your block! Located in East Amherst, New York, this interesting project is available here on eBay where the first bid of $4,500 has yet to be cast.
The Chevy Camaro was in its second year in 1968 and firmly in second place behind the Ford Mustang in the “pony car” wars. This car had the desirable Rally Sport option (we think) when it was built, but its distinctive hideaway headlights and grille are now gone. Also gone is the original 327 cubic inch V8, replaced by a Buick 350 and later a Pontiac 350, which is the engine in the car today. An automatic transmission is in place, a TH-400 automatic.
We’re told the transformation to a Jeeparo began in 1980. The Camaro saw a lot of bad winter weather and the undercarriage was no good, so a previous owner took the rusty body and sat it on top of the Jeep Wagoneer chassis (vintage 1968 to 70). It was a daily driver for many years before being parked in a garage in 1991. But the owner must have had a lot of fun with it, hitting mud bogs down in West Virginia. The Jeep chassis is stock except for the addition of Ford F-250 rear springs, adding further confusion to the car’s identity problem.
This vehicle runs okay but there is some question as to oil pressure. The gauge will fluctuate and sometimes show no oil pressure at all. Yet, the lifters don’t make any noises and the engine is otherwise strong and the transmission shifts as it should. The body is rough, including a rusted-out rear quarter panel on the passenger side, holes in all sorts of other places, and the interior has seen much better days. So, the question becomes what to do with it? Fix it up enough to be viable and run through the woods, or restore it into a one-of-kind Jeeparo?
BTW, we wonder if the gas can hanging from the bumper comes with the deal. If it’s full, that’s worth at least another $5 to $10!
Why?
They have Rednecks in New York too?
The gas jug on the front is a nice touch.
Even better, East Amherst is a pretty high-end suburb of Buffalo but certain areas remain a touch “country”. When I grew up there during the 60’s and 70’s a lot of my pals had field cars. This one would have been The King of the Hill.
Yup. This was done all over the USA. Camaros and Mustangs, Caddies too. There was a time when these cars were a dime a dozen, so the saying goes. It has “survived”, now what?
Meanwhile, down in the holler Zeke’s got himself a new project he’s just itchin’ to show people.
The question is how much more redneck can you get? The answer, none, none more redneck.
Didn’t that show gas monkey buy a rotting one of these things and dump a bunch of money into it trying to make it look cool? Contact them I think they are in Dallas Texas maybe they want to try again
If they ever do a sequel to “Mad Max” the owner will be in business.
Somehow all I see is the clean little red rs it used to be, with its windy little 327 and tail lights that got wonky whenever you hit the brakes. Dee-luxe interior to boot.
Yes, this would have been a neat little car to own at one time.
I feel so bad for that great little car. Somebody should take pity on that car and buy it just to put it out of its misery. That ain’t redneck, that’s just plain mean.
These kinda rigs where common in Florida, before all the cocina roads got filled in and 90 billion people moved in and started flippin out about gators, snakes and bears. I had a corvair on a cj frame that actually ran pretty good. Now that Im in the Ozarks i dont stand out as much as the redneck i truly am.
Why even waste the space on this site for such a pile of trash.
Please explain definition of Red Neck,when I grew up 60/70s a Red Neck was a A- hole trouble maker all ways starting fights us cool country people didn’t hang with,has sumpin changed ????
Redneck to dna term originating in the struggle to unionize coal mines, red bandana to let the federal troops sent to end the strike know whom to shoot at.
I like it, different is good.
Is à term
Why not ? This Camaro was just another rusted out, worthless 12 year old car when this was built ; maybe the engine was even long gone by the time the builder got it. The East Coast weather is brutal on cars . The way I look at it , it could have been scrapped as most rusty old cars do, but instead the builder saved the carcass and 40 years later the body is still around and the guy is having fun with it
a guy’s gotta have fun…
well look at it this way how much would you give for a 1st gen camaro rs that needs complete restore with a title?