One of the sharpest-looking cars from Chevrolet in 1969 had to be the Camaro painted Hugger Orange with an Ivory top and interior. This is one of those cars – and a convertible to boot! The seller purchased it as a project in 2005, but little progress has been made so it’s time for the car to move on. Stored indoors in Rogers, Arkansas for 16 years, this Camaro is available here on eBay where the bidding is up to $12,150.
First-generation Camaro’s were built from 1967-69 and the last year had a 15-month production run while Chevy was getting the next batch ready for production. Out of 243,085 total “pony cars,” the GM division built that year, 15,866 were convertibles with a V8 engine. If you could drill down to a drop-top with a 350 V8 and painted this way, the numbers are bound to drop considerably. The 350 motor is gone, and a 307 cubic inch small-block is there in its place, paired to a TH-350 automatic transmission and 10-bolt open rear differential. While an SS emblem is on the back, the seller makes no reference to the car as being one.
We’re told the engine is not running and some parts are missing, including the fan and fan pulley. These cars came equipped with vibration dampers or “cocktail shakers” and the ones for the front are missing. The mileage on the car is below 70,000, which could be accurate as the Chevy was last inspected for highway use in 1987. Other mechanical areas needing attention are the gas tank and rear brakes.
The Camaro is not without rust and will need floorboard repair, frame rails, door skins, rear quarter panels, and bracing for the convertible top. The car will come with some of the replacement parts needed, like the floor pans. Replacement front fenders in a different color are already on the car. Because the interior had seen better days, the seller bought a used ivory convertible interior that’s in decent shape except for some cracks in the headrests. A floor console is included. For those interested in timelines, the seller has retained prior title information and a copy of the eBay listing that got him the Chevy in 2005.
In Fair Condition, Hagerty estimates a ’69 Camaro to be worth about $14,000 and a drop-top should add a premium. But that begs the question of whether this car is in that condition. This looks like a project that will consume resources both in time and money, but when completed could be a mid-five figure car. And it’s hard to beat a Hugger Orange Chevy!
Nice color combos. Good Pro Touring potential. But rust is pretty deep and thorough. Dynacorn reboot candidate. Transfer VINs and Cowl and you might have something. But you’ll be into for $50-$60K and counting.
If this was a real SS convertible, it might be worth putting money into it but it’s not. A Dynacom body would be a start but that makes this Camaro an awfully expensive parts car. The cowl and VIN don’t mean a lot with a NOM.
A.G. – keep in mind, if you can transfer the Dyncorn body around the VIN and Cowl Tag, you have a legit ’69 Camaro, albeit a rebody (ie – cut out the dash and fire wall out and put that on the Dynacorn body).
By doing so, you now you can register it as a ’69 using the title from the original car, and in some states like California, you do not have to worry about getting the car smogged. In other words, you can do whatever you want to the power train and not have to worry about getting it smogged.
I hadn’t really considered emissions but starting with just the body it’s a blank canvas. I’d go with a late model drivetrain and electronics. Here in GA such a car would be considered an ‘assembled vehicle’ with the required tag and title procedure similar to that of a rebuilt car. After an assembled vehicle passes the certified safety inspection the VIN is issued and applied to the car. The submitted paperwork determines the YMM the VIN is associated with. As a 1969 model emissions would not be a concern.
Of course all this varies from state to state. One reference is https://www.semasan.com/resources/everything-you-need-register-and-title-your-hobby-car-all-50-states.
Not sure why anyone would up the bid from 8K to 12K on something like this.
There are plenty ones better than this to bid on.
Shill, perhaps?