Quite often with classic cars, one person’s loss can be another one’s gain. That is certainly the case with this 1969 Camaro RS. Back in 1979, the car’s owner chose to park the vehicle due to a transmission issue. It remained largely forgotten until the current owner purchased it in 2015, and a bit of detective work revealed that the problem was of a minor nature. After sitting idle for 36-years, the Camaro was carefully and meticulously revived and presents beautifully. However, the current owner’s good fortune has soured, as ill-health means that he is now forced to part with the car that he has put so much work into. So, once again, his bad luck could well be your good luck. The Camaro is located in Milton, Washington, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has been about as strong as you would expect on a classic as nice as this, pushing the price to $28,200 in a No Reserve auction.
From the time that the Camaro rolled off the production line until the current owner purchased it in 2015, the vehicle had spent its entire life in California. In fact, it continues to wear its original California black plates. Ten years of active duty in a sympathetic climate, combined with 36-years stored away in a garage, means that the Camaro emerged from hiding with absolutely no rust, and all of its original steel intact. The panels look clean and solid, and the photos that the owner supplies of the floors also reveal no issues. When the RS emerged from hiding, the paint wore a lot of scratches and marks from where objects had been resting on the vehicle while it was in storage. To get the car looking healthy and youthful once again, the current owner treated the Camaro to a full repaint in its original Cortez Siver. The stripes were reapplied, and the effect is very impressive. The glass is all original, and is in outstanding condition, while the same also appears to be true of the trim and chrome. The Camaro is fitted with 15″x8″ Rally wheels with the original metal center caps and a fresh set of trim rings. The only issues that will need to be addressed are the headlight covers that don’t operate, and the wipers have recently stopped working. Otherwise, it’s a case of standing back and admiring this beauty.
Below the surface, the Camaro still houses its original 350ci V8, along with the original 4-speed manual transmission, and original rear end. The owner claims that the 55,966 miles showing on the odometer is correct, and if the vehicle had been sitting for 36-years, that would certainly make sense. The original owner was using the car on a regular basis until one day in 1979 he was out on a drive and found that he couldn’t shift gears. He had the Camaro towed home, parked it in his garage, and that’s where it stayed until the current owner purchased it in 2015. When he towed the car to his mechanic, an investigation revealed no transmission issues, with the problem being a broken Z-Bar cross-shaft ball. Talk about luck! Literally a part worth about $20 was all that had stopped this classic. Not satisfied with just getting the Camaro running again, the owner’s mechanic has gone right through the car, flushing fluids and doing all of those things that would be required to properly return the car to active duty. I believe that the engine was pulled during this process, because the engine bay was repainted, and it looks like the 350 was beautifully detailed before being slotted into place. It isn’t clear whether the engine received a rebuild, but I do notice that it is wearing a set of aftermarket headers. I really hope that the owner has retained the original exhaust manifolds because there will be a good few people who would be keen to preserve as much of the car’s originality as possible by refitting the factory items. The owner doesn’t mention how well the Camaro runs and drives, so hopefully, the news is good there. Certainly, if the presentation counts for anything, it looks pretty promising.
Life in the California sun can take a toll on vinyl interior trim, but the fact that the Camaro saw so little sun means that the interior has survived remarkably well. The owner is not completely sure whether the carpet is original, but it is in great condition. Since purchasing the car, all he has had to do to the interior was to locate and install the correct factory radio in place of the aftermarket radio/cassette that had been fitted by the original owner. Complimenting that cassette player was a set of 6×9 speakers in the rear parcel tray. The speakers were removed, and a replacement parcel tray was slotted into place. The rest of the interior is said to be original, and the collection of photos supplied by the owner shows no signs of any rips, tears, splits, or problems. It is ready to simply be driven and enjoyed.
You really have to feel for the owner of this Camaro RS. To have found such a gem that had been buried for decades, and to discover that the problem that had laid it low was of such a minor nature, really was an incredible stroke of good luck. To have put so much time and effort into reviving the car only to then be cursed with ill health displays an equal serving of bad luck. It appears to be a wonderful car, and you can’t help but think that the buyer will be a pretty fortunate individual to have the opportunity to own such a clean and desirable classic. Do we have any readers who might be willing to bid on this beauty?
At first glance I really like this car-but something’s just not right about it, and I can’t put that into a specific reason; I’d want to see it up close and personal with a Camaro expert in tow..
Maybe it’s that awkward looking hole cut in the transmission tunnel for the shifter? Gee, that appears as though it was made by drilling a ton of holes in a line, then “connecting the dots”.
In a couple of photos on the eBay listing, it appears as though the car was substantially dismantled. This is a restoration, even if there was no rust to repair, a lot was done to this car, IMO.
Looks awesome, tho!
I totally agree with you Nevadahalftrack… maybe it’s the black painted headlight covers that just throw things off visually?
Good obs, John! Yeah, that’s a one part of it but even still SJDLR (Something Just Don’t Look Right) overall..
I looked at the ad along with the comment DayDreamBeliever made regarding the shifter opening. If the ad is right and it has the original engine, tranny and differential then I also have to question the tranny opening in the hump. I would have expected the opening to be even and smooth and it sure does not appear that way to me. If the ad is right regarding having the original drive-train then the question is whether an opening like that is factory or if it’s been hacked for something like a shifter change? I don’t know as I’m not that much of a Camaro expert.
I have to say, if it’s as presented it’s great looking overall with one or two things that need a look-see in person to confirm or not.
I like the camaro.
I used to have a 69 Rally Z in HS .
My take on the tunnel is until 1979 it had some aftermarket boots installed with different placement of the screw retainers causing the extra holes.
This car looks in great shape and definitely not a mid west patchwork pre rust bucket.
It looks great and turnkey.
I guess if one has to find a fault on a nice no rust hidden headlight RS then I definitely could live with these extra holes 😺
To me it looks like the front passenger fender, door, and quarter don’t match up on seams or color. Definitely something was replaced in that bunch. It is nice of the seller to take the carpet up and show the floors though. Provides some level of comfort to a future buyer. Good luck.
Sorry the owner got ill and has to part with this beauty. Hope it finds a good home.
It’s not original if you’ve repainted it. We all know those sill plates are reproduction along with the jacking instructions decal. The passenger door does have an issue as it shows in more than 1 picture that the fit is off. He admits to an aftermarket hood. Where 15” wheels factory? Maybe on the DZ’s. An aftermarket cassette deck in 1979 would’ve been high tech as this is still 8track era.
That floor could’ve been enhanced when someone put in an aftermarket shifter (I think the hurst shifters’ plate housing was kind of thick and needed the hole to be a little larger). This one looks like it’s in B&M mega shifter territory.
The engine color looks a little off also. It looks more VHT orange than Chevy orange.
To have a car sidelined for 40 or so years due to the Z bar ball seems almost ridiculous.
Pictures tell a thousand words and the seller should’ve told us something with BEFORE photographs.
I recently brought a 60k mile, 1970 Mach 1 back to life from a 30 year slumber.
Mint, original and one owner.
The local traffic department told the owner, in the car’s 20th licenced year, that the car had been registered without a vin number. And that the fender has to be cut to reveal the vin number.
The owner told the dept where to go for a mental inspection, but he wil not be cutting his car. He then parked it for 30 years.
I came along, walked up to the garage find car, looked at front screen and saw the vin already etched by Ford into the screen, 50 years ago.
The licence disc revealed the true facts, the car arrived in this country with no engine number stamped on the block. The registration officer misread the title papers and registered the vin number, as the engine number.
This was accepted for 20 odd years, until all the local vehicles details were recaptured on the system.
A mistake was noted.
I had a engine number stamped on the block by the local traffic department and all were happy, except me.
That low mileage original car was parked for almost 30 years, because nobody looked at the disc or number stamped on the front screen, not even the owner of 50 years.
Love the story!
I can’t speak to this car’s condition or value, but I do find it incredible that the design of a fifty one year old car can still look stunning.
AGREED!
Agree 110% The 1969 Camaro, Corvette, and Chevelle are rolling art works.
Gotta love that Cortez silver and black stripes with black interior, that’s my choice right there. If I could buy it I would, right now, as to me this is the best all around ’69 Camaro I can think of owning…looks right, got the 350 and a 4 speed, nice wheels,
And hopefully the lucky new owner will drive this car, it’s the only way to enjoy machines like this. See ya!
This makes me think of the one I had, a 69 RS/SS 396/375 back in the early 80s. The one I should have kept. Oh well, at least I had it once.
Yep ! In 1982? I bought a 1969 RS with a 350 Canadian Target master engine, and it had a stock 2 speed power glide transmission, paid $2500 dollars , put a lot of elbow grease and parts to put it back to near stock and sold it years later for $5000…. who would think they would go for this kind of money now….. of course, now that we are in the middle of this corona crisis, we will see what happens in the car market .
This is a great time to buy, but a horrible time to sell. Car values will drop with the market.
Good point, BobMcK. In the long run, people are going to look for alternative places to put their money as the stock markets are tanking. Gold, diamonds, real estate, art and possibly classic cars. So, in the short-run, I agree with you, but let’s see what happens in a year or so.
I hope you are right. I need a good excuse to buy more cars.
“Honey. It is an investment!”
That’s a good line. Don’t you think?
I agree with many of the other comments – shifter hole looks like a hack. No underside pictures is a bummer. I can’t decide if the suspension is sitting at the right level or a little “high”. The trunk jacking instructions sticker is a repro/replacement. And the motor does look funky – where’s the original air cleaner? And the brake booster was simply covered entirely in gold paint. And how about posting the trim tag, which might be helpful. And the numbers on the transmission, motor and rear end would certainly help. Not enough red flags to walk away, but certainly an up-close inspection is required.
I prefer the earlier higher mounted gas caps. When i pumped gas i told people not to fill it up on these, Novas, etc. else gas would come out when they left the station & some thought i was crazy & said “fill ‘er up” & i saw the trail of gas over & over as they left. lol
Sounds like a vacuum problem for why the wipers and head light covers won’t work. Good luck trying to find where the leaks are at for the next owner to fix or if the owner now wants to get that problem fixed before selling the car.
It looks like the bottom of the door is sticking out a little next to the fender and right under the the body line in the middle of the door is pushed in next to the fender also on the passenger door.