Low-Mileage 1969 Camaro Z/28 With Original Engine And Paint!

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The 1969 Camaro, the last year of Chevy’s first-generation pony car, ranks high on many auto enthusiasts’ Top Ten list. Throw in the road-racing Special Performance Package, order code Z/28, and the ’69 Camaro really gets the blood pumping. This particular 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 in East Aurora, New York retains its original engine (albeit disassembled) and original impossible-to-miss Hugger Orange paint. As we go to press, the listing here on eBay awaits a $30,000 opening bid. Thanks to reader Patrick S. for spotting this never-restored, race-inspired Chevy.

Nearly identical mechanically to its ’67-’68 predecessors, the ’69 Camaro gained updated single-year sheet metal with a more aggressive look. The thin white-walls suggest these tires were fitted some time ago. You probably didn’t see too many vinyl top cars road racing, but it makes a classy complement to the black stripes.

What looks like a fat (automatic trans-style) brake pedal suggests a very un-Z/28-like automatic, but the auction describes an original four-speed manual. The interior looks well-preserved compared to many we’ve seen. The nifty console features additional gauges and an original-style 8-track player under the armrest.

Compliment the seller for including close-up pictures of the undercarriage and stamping codes on many parts. The extra effort pays off in fewer questions and a higher selling price. How many times have we seen parts like this photographed “as is” in the trunk or jumbled in milk crates? The high-spinning 302 cid (5.0L) V8 made 290 HP on paper, and likely more according to mathematics and dynamometer tests of stock engines.

Vintage stickers equal bragging rights when you pop the trunk at the local diner, and each one is good for at least 5 HP. Hopefully, this slice of yesterday survives the new owner’s improvements, assuming a sale that is. Would you pony up 30 large for this highly-original Z/28?

Auctions Ending Soon

Comments

  1. Gaspumpchas

    Good lordy, pics of the underbelly!!!! What would scare the bejeesus out of me is what lingers under that vinyl top. Hard to find one with the original 302, I can remember these with the solids clattering away! Good luck to the new owner- you guys think its worth 30 large??>?

    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
    • Lynn DockeyMember

      Not $30. Maybe $20. gonna have $60 in it til ur done. buy a restored for $58-60 right now

      Like 2
  2. Retired Stig

    Since Todd mentioned the “un road racing” vinyl top, here’s a bit of Trans Am lore: the Penske team put vinyl tops on it’s’69 Z/28s to hide the ultra thin acid dipped bodies from SCCS tech inspectors, as it was feared they would poke holes in the metal.
    May be just a good story, but anyone familiar with the rampant cheating in Trans Am could believe it.

    Like 6
    • Dusty Rider

      I read somewhere that a vinyl top offers less wind resistance as the air flows over it, something about laminar airflow I think. Correct me if I’m wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time.

      Like 2
      • Ohio Rick

        I believe this was the excuse Penske used for installing the vinyl top. I remember Richard Petty tried it in one of his cars with disastrous results. It also hid the top’s propensity to flex under acceleration and braking!

        Like 1
  3. Hans

    Looks legit. Appears to be an original cowl induction car based on the relay on the firewall. Jerry McNeish certified – I’d ask to see it. Otherwise, pretty viable project with great color combos and an endura front bumper!

    Like 3
  4. JoeNYWF64

    I think this car has factory undercoating.
    Floors dont look too bad.
    Endura bumper a plus & people love those, yet dislike ’73 covette nose. hmmh.
    I guess they got optional hood insulation to hear less of the clicking?
    Rear valance later painted black – looks good.
    I wonder if they could sell more new camaros – with a vinyl roof. Nah.
    Odd this color is available (more glass please!) …
    http://di-uploads-pod2.dealerinspire.com/carlblackchevybuickgmcorlando/uploads/2019/06/2020-Chevrolet-Camaro-Summit-Rally-Green.jpg

    Like 2
  5. Dusty Stalz

    I see a clutch and a brake pedal. I also see the shift pattern diagram on the console

    Like 6
  6. PaulG

    Todd, the pedal you’re looking at is the clutch pedal, the steering wheel gives it sort of an illusion that it’s wider than normal…

    Like 5
  7. Mike

    The last picture in the eBay ad shows some serious rot above the windshield. Appears the windshield and some of the Interior has been removed after the first few pictures

    Like 1
  8. George Mattar

    It is worth what someone is willing to pay. It seems legit. Numbers don’t lie. But it appears rear bumper guards are missing. Vinyl tops are total garbage. Rust like you won’t believe. Have owned numerous GM cars in the last 50 years with vinyl roofs. Never again. Assemble engine and drive.

    Like 4
  9. ACZ

    I worked for a Chev dealer back in the early and mid 70s. Two of the guys in the parts department bought used 69 Z28s that came in on trade during the Arab Oil Embargo. One was like this but also had the RS package and deluxe interior. That was a beautiful car.

    Like 9
    • Hans

      My ‘69 RS Z gets around 6-9 mpg. Crazy. I can understand back in the day trading them in.

      Like 7
      • John

        Exactly why mine went away. Is easy to look back at those wonderful cars, but in 1973-75, with the fuel shortages, you almost had to give any V8 car away.

        Like 2
      • JoeNYWF64

        Brakes dragging? Heavy passengers? lol
        Need a good overall tuneup? Motor worn out?
        You using old or cheap overseas ignition points & coil?
        Time for pertronix?
        Not sure if HEI will fit/work on a 302.
        That z28 carb & rear end ratio & 10% ethanol gas are not helping.
        & whats in the trunk?
        Check the rubber fuel hoses/steel lines for cracks/slow leaks.
        Carb needs rebuilding by a good carb shop?
        If needs no tuneup & all is well, i can only imagine the mpg with the over the counter
        dual 4 barrel setup!
        I guess 307 got hell of a lot better mpg with 2 bbl & grandma’s rear end ratio. lol

        Like 0
  10. Barzini

    Too bad there is no history of where the car came from and how it stayed in this original condition. That’s half the fun for me but, wow, what a find.

    A few years ago I saw an original 1969 COPO Camaro at a GTO car show. It was in only fair condition but it drew more attention than the pristine show cars that were parked next to it.

    Credit to the seller for showing close up pictures of the areas that need the most attention.

    Like 5
  11. Redwagon

    Wow. That roof is shot.

    Like 2
  12. Freddie

    Why is there a Chrysler penta star sticker in the truck of a Chevy.

    Like 7
    • Jamie

      Because it’s hooked to the sticker of the space shuttle/rocket beside it and he hoped it would’ve actually taken it to outer space, away from the land of Chevy’s…

      Like 2
    • Ramon

      It’s the car the Camaro could never beat!!!!

      Like 2
      • Hank

        It’s been my experience that this seller is always the most expensive on everything he has…this is I nice car and I would much rather own it over any Chrysler product. However you will pay max dollar if you buy from this western NY seller.

        Like 0
    • moosie moosie

      @ Freddie,,,,,,,KILL STICKERS maybe ?

      Like 0
    • ron

      They must have used MoPar antifreeze

      Like 0
  13. Robbie

    Comments say “some rust”. Pictures of roof show more vinyl left than tin. Sure is a sad looking car. Bummer. Best looking model of all Camaro

    Like 0
  14. Troy s

    Talk about being lost in time,,, the wheels and tires, faded paint and vinyl roof give it a very distinct look. No doubt someone will spend a lot of money and the next time we see it you won’t recognize this Z. It will shine, run and look new…keep the period correct vibe goin’ and make it run.

    Like 1
  15. jerry z

    The seller does Camaro restorations, wonder why they are not restoring this car?

    Like 1
    • grant

      Cause they know better. And this looks like a hell of a lot more than 45k miles, IMHO.

      Like 3
    • Ramon

      80k restoration at best. No money to be made after the work.

      Like 0
  16. Lynn DockeyMember

    where are the rear bumper guards? All 69 Z/28’s had them

    Like 0
  17. M

    Unless it was converted later in life, the ’69 Z28 Camaro could not be had with an automatic transmission. The first Z to be optionally equipped with an auto was the ’70 1/2, the first year for a 350 ci version of the famous small block. If I remember correctly the smaller 302 ci version was not available with an automatic because of its torque characteristics.

    Like 0
    • Martin

      They put TH400’s behind ZL1 427’s. I think it would have been just fine behind the 302.

      Like 1
      • Dusty Rider

        I would think that behind a 302, the converter would have to have been pretty loose. Maybe they thought that it would be too “slippy” for factory on the street and kill demand? Just a guess.

        Like 0
  18. JeffD

    New owner better check carefully before forking over 30 large for this one. There are some real red flags in the numbers photos of this one. Not going to say where or why I say that, I am not going to help the guys who do this sort of fraud. Let’s just say I have seen enough here to stay away by a wide margin. Do your homework. $30K is a lot to fork over if the numbers match, but it is twice as much as it’s worth if the engine and trans VIN numbers are frauds. Just some friendly advice, do your homework and be careful who you trust.

    Like 2
    • Hans

      Jerry McNeish has certified the car as original. If you don’t know who Jerry is, check out his website.

      http://z28camaro.com/

      Appears the deck was lightly surfaced and they admit to that in the write-up.

      The only part that I see that is probably not original is the distributor. 3-4 mos too early.

      But as others have pointed out, the car has issues and is pricy.

      Like 2
      • JeffD

        Do your homework for yourself. Don’t rely on others this hobby is full of guys that will “certify” anything. I am telling you there are BIG red flags on that block besides the deck surface, but that alone is a problem. The broach marks in the deck are like fingerprints on your fingers. Without them they cannot tell who you are, and this one has no broaching left after the decking, but it goes further than that. Anyone who would “certify” this car is not to be trusted, end of story IMO.

        Like 2
  19. Steve

    The lower part of the passenger kick panel looks funky, lots of screws visible. Not sure why the writer is excited over original paint….looks like crap and will need a repaint anyway.

    Like 0
    • Hans

      I think that’s because it has a AM FM Blue Light Stereo system from the factory. Note the 8Track player on the console. Very pricy option back in the day.

      Like 0
  20. Camaro Joe

    JeffD is correct, the two sets of numbers on that block do not match. It’s a major red flag. The eBay ad says that Jerry MacNeish rebuilt the Holley carb, and he certified the car as original. I might believe that he did the carb. job, but if he actually looked the car over he would have provided a bunch of paperwork. If that was done the seller should have provided it. If you don’t see it, ask for it or assume that it doesn’t exist. As far as I can tell, it’s a real Z/28 body with some kind of block that may (or may not) be a real, but not numbers matching, “DZ” Z/28 block.

    As far as running an automatic transmission behind a 302, the reason Chevy didn’t do it is because it’s a bad idea. The 302 doesn’t make much torque below 4000 RPM, so the only way you can make that work is to use a high stall torque converter. They are a major P.I.A. on the street. Every time you launch it from a stop sign, you have to wind it up over 2000 RPM to get the car to move. That’s OK once in a while, but you don’t want it in anything you drive a lot. I put my spare 302 in a 57 Bel Air, but refused to cut a hole in the floor boards for a 4 speed shifter, So I ran a TH-350 with a high stall converter. It works, but if I had to do it over again . . . . . I wouldn’t.

    Like 3
    • Hans

      Not sure I follow – one set of #’s on the block is the engine build date (V0320DZ) and the other is the VIN…they are supposed to be different.

      Like 1
      • JeffD

        Like I said Hans, any disclosure of why I say it is then public knowledge. The fraud guys use to not make that mistake next time. I have chosen to keep this one in my pocket.

        Like 1
  21. Camaro Joe

    Hans, JeffD has a good idea. Telling the fraudsters how to do it better next time is a bad idea. There are several obvious red flags here. Who does all that work to the motor of a car that needs a few years worth of restoration? Taking the motor apart and looking at the internals up front isn’t a bad idea (I’ve done this stuff a few times over the years) but this doesn’t make sense.

    Not to mention the Jerry MacNeish rebuilt carb. It’s nice, but why do that for a car that needs $25K worth of metal work and paint? It’s in Buffalo NY, that guess might be LOW. If Jerry looked at the car, where is the paperwork? Again, it doesn’t pass the “Smell test.”

    Also the date code and “DZ” on the deck stamp don’t look right to me. I have three of them and none of mine look like that. Any engine shop decking that block in the last 20 years would have known what it is and stopped short of cutting the end of the deck where the engine stamp is. Another, “It doesn’t pass the smell test.”

    Here is a web site that is pretty good at dealing with identifying stamping numbers. http://nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.html

    JeffD, I assume I’m not giving out information that the fraudsters can’t get easily off the web. One of mine is a 50K mile original, one is a 70K mile correct but not numbers matching car, and one is in a 57 Bel Air, the spare 302. It’s good to hear from guys who don’t say “Isn’t 302 a Furd?”

    Like 2
    • Hans

      Good news – confirmed on Camaros.org by an expert who has access to comparable VINs and engine stampings in their DB, that they are original.

      Like 2
  22. Hans

    Camaro Joe and JeffD – Appreciate the feedback. I thought I’d ask some experts over at camaros.org.

    Interesting details. William is a highly respected exert on the site. Appears Norwood Camaros have been known to have different partial VIN block vs trans stampings.

    http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=18299.0

    Also, many are no longer listing Jerry M certs on eBay – for the very reasons you allude to – fraud. However, I’m sure if you are serious, the seller would provide the certification docs and you can contact Jerry to verify they are legit.

    Jerry’s a great guy. He rebuilt the DZ302 and M22 trans for my Z a few years back, which by the way was built 8 days later than the Camaro listed here and the stamp styles look very similar.

    Like 1
  23. Pine

    The way the car is setting with all the rust damage inside and out you are talking around 6 maybe 7 thousand and that’s it

    Like 0

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