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Major Project: 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Sometimes cars will come along here at Barn Finds and the general level of preservation suggests that their storage conditions and environment have been close to ideal. At other time you will look at a car and you know immediately that this hasn’t been the case. This Camaro is a good case in point, as even a cursory look at the car indicates that things really have been pretty bad. Located in Trinity, North Carolina, you will find the Camaro listed for sale here on eBay. At the time of writing, bidding is sitting at $6,640, and the reserve hasn’t been met.

Starting with what we can see, there is plenty of surface corrosion present on the Camaro, but that really is the least of our worries. The rockers are pretty bad, as are the quarter panels, the fenders, the trunk lid, and it also looks like rust is beginning to appear around all of the rear windows. What we can’t see are the floors and the frame, but the indications so far don’t appear to be promising.

The more I look at this Camaro, the more convinced that the car has not only been very wet, but it has been like that for quite a while. The interior is complete, and while the covers on the seats look like they are actually quite reasonable, the rest of the interior trim looks extremely sad. In my mind, I am sure that I can smell the distinct odor of mold and mildew that is almost certainly wafting from inside the car. All of this, and we haven’t even considered the impact that rodents may have had. Oh yes, there is certainly evidence that those little critters have been about as well.

The Camaro is a full, numbers-matching car. The original 210hp version of the 327ci V8 is under the hood, backed by the Powerglide transmission. The Camaro is also fitted with power steering, while the debris sitting on top of the intake is plenty of evidence of the previously mentioned rodent infestation. This is so corroded that I don’t know where to start. The owner doesn’t mention whether the engine turns freely, but the sheer level of corrosion on the pulleys indicates that not much has happened for a long time. If external appearances count for anything, I really wouldn’t be at all surprised if the engine is locked. Still, I have been wrong about this sort of thing in the past.

Okay, what do our knowledgeable Barn Finds readers think of this Camaro? What I see is a car that has been left to sit in less than ideal conditions, and is going to require a lot of work to whip back into shape. Is this a car that you would be willing to take on?

Comments

  1. Avatar TimM

    A new body would be a great start for this one!!! $6600 and reserves not met!!!!
    SHOCKER!!!

    Like 7
  2. Avatar art

    The person that bid $6640 and the seller both qualify as eternal optimists.
    Looking at the level of corrosion, where does one even begin? And after spending a lot of money, the owner will have a standard, fairly low optioned Camaro, not an RS, not an SS, not even a convertible. Perhaps it will be a labor of love but in my world, I see an endless money pit here.

    Like 15
  3. Avatar Peter

    When you can buy a new body for $14k and build your own fresh car, at some point as this being a standard model with out heavy options the process becomes very clear. The seller should have priced this car in the 2-3k range, get rid of it and move on with life. Buyer could pick at it and see what’s left on the carcass. Sometimes, parts cars are all that’s left and this is that no question.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar 68custom

    Extensive cowl rust means that this is a rebody IMO. And the fact that it is/was a pretty common camaro not an Rs/SS/z/28 means it is already bid for more than it’s worth. Big project here!

    Like 5
  5. Avatar Butch

    So it’s not the sharpest Camaro on the block, fix what’s absulutley nessesary, for safety reasons put some nice torgue trust wheels n T/As, biguns in the rear, and cruz it with the surviver like pride that you can only get drivin a true classic…
    yadumbasses…😎

    Like 5
    • Avatar Chris

      Butch, I like your nonsense approach. I’ve said that a few times with cars in similar poor condition. Weld it up and run it! It is what it is.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Chris M.

      Butch, I like your nonsense approach. I’ve said that a few times with cars in similar poor condition. Weld it up and run it! It is what it is.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Cadmanls Member

    Hey Butch, cruise what, to fix enough to make this safe and a driver would be a total waste of resources and time. Sorry just don’t see it. Bought a few vehicles in the Carolina’s way back and never saw anything this bad as far as moisture damage.

    Like 8
  7. Avatar Paul

    After restoring early Camaro’s I find that these are the absolutely the easiest cars to work on….all parts are fairly inexpensive to buy and they make every part. I love working on these and early Mustangs. I can see this car going for $8000 the way it is.

    Like 1
    • Avatar 68custom

      you can easily cut out and and replace a rusty cowl?

      Like 1
  8. Avatar Superdessucke

    7k? Slow clap for the best economy in perhaps U.S. history. And it’s working for the working class, as God knows this is nothing that an educated person would want to touch with a ten-foot pole!

    Like 4
  9. Avatar Jimmy

    I think the original owner parked this Camaro in his pool not a barn. No Thanks !!!

    Like 1
    • Avatar Paul

      I am educated….and I would touch this car!
      Although I do know first generation Camaro’s fairly well.
      This car is not all that bad in the structure….

      Seriously these are easy cars to restore somewhat inexpensively and the can bring good money, people resto-mod these drive the wheels off them and they don’t depreciate like a new car!

      Like 1
      • Avatar Superdessucke

        I am educated too and have the advantage of having owned 1969, 1978 and 1979 Camaros.

        These are not all that easy to work on or inexpensive to fix when they have rust issues. These tend to rust at the subframe mounting points. It takes a lot of work to fix it right.

        And I wouldn’t buy one of these without putting it on an alignment rack. Subframe damage can really wreak havoc on these.

        I have a feeling this is a situation where a fool and his money are about to be parted.

        Like 4
  10. Avatar don

    It looks like a flipper bought another long time resident of a junkyard , put on a set of tires and a “for sale” sign , and let the bidding begin !

    Like 3
  11. Avatar moosie

    In the past when you’ve featured cars with this much corrosion many people comment about it must have been a flood car ETC. but in this case I would tend to believe that judging by the state of the underhood parts, I’ve never seen pulleys rusted like that and still be attached . It reminds me of a ’68 Camaro I bought way back in 1975, the body appeared to have very minimal rust and was never repainted before but as the sanding progressed for a new paint job so much rust around the back glass made me and the body guy wonder how the glass stayed in without winding up on the parcel shelf. After lots of metal work and tiger hair it was ready for paint,,,,, “Hot Rod Grey Primer”.

    Like 0
    • Avatar don

      Here in New England its pretty common for engines to look like that if they were ‘lucky” enough to end up in one of those old time junkyards where nothing ever gets crushed . The dampness from sitting in the fields or woods for years with no sun ever hitting them to dry them turns the lightly painted parts to rust . Usually on cars that sit this long you can get the hoods open , but if you try to shut it the hood will bend if you don’t really lube the hinges – and it looks like this hood is a little bowed from that.

      Like 1

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