SS 396? 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

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Well, this one’s an odd study. Yes, this 1967 Camaro convertible is a bit of a mess and it appears to be a standard model convertible. It’s advertised as possessing a 396 CI V8 engine but it would have to be a Super Sport (SS) model for that to happen. To add to the confusion, the passenger side fender bears a “350” engine callout but that too would be the province of an SS model (350 CI V8 standard with different 396s as options). So what is this Camaro? Well, I could say a rusty pile…but let’s give it a chance and see what’s here. Found in El Cajon, California, this first-year Chevy pony car is available, here on craigslist for $9,500.

Chevrolet covered a lot of bases with their new 1967 Camaro – they had to as their archrival Ford, had a two-and-a-half-year headstart on them with their fabulously successful Mustang. Camaros came in three flavors, basic Sports Coupe and Convertible such as our subject car; Super Sport – the performance variant, and the Z28, a road racing model designed to homologate the Camaro for Trans AM racing. This car, as previously stated, appears to be a disorganized base model convertible. Rust abounds and there are lots of mismatched body parts that have been boogered together. It would appear that it has been sitting for some length of time in top-down mode and the results speak for themselves. The only notable aspect of this car is the cowl-induction hood which is wrong for ’67. Known as RPO ZL2, it was only available in ’69.

The engine is a “short-pump” big block motor which means a ’68 or earlier vintage. The seller calls it a 396 CI so let’s assume that’s the case. It has a Holley carburetor which some of the low-performance variants built in ’66 and ’67 did wear, but lacking the engine code, it’s difficult to tell what it is. As stated earlier, the passenger fender, which may not be original, the lack of a black finished rear valence panel, and the grille tell us that this isn’t an SS 396 model so the engine would be incorrect. It really doesn’t matter as it’s inoperative. There is a four-speed manual transmission attached to the BB engine.

As for the interior, what interior? The seller tells us that there are no additional parts available so my guess is the seats dissolved in the elements. The floors are rusted through, the dash pad is cracked and the door panels are kaput. There is a convertible top frame that looks like some, or maybe all, is still in place, and maybe not, it’s hard to tell.

So, a ’67 Camaro convertible is a hot number, made more so with SS equipment and a big-block engine. But this one doesn’t seem to punch all of the necessary tickets – and in fairness to the seller, he never refers to it as a Super Sport-equipped car. Salvageable? Probably, but at what kind of outlay?

Comments

  1. Aussie Dave Aussie DaveMember

    Nothing about this car is original, why bother?

    Like 19
  2. Fahrvergnugen FahrvergnugenMember

    Chevrolet Camaro Harlequin. Or, more likely, a Camaro for Harley Quinn.

    Like 5
    • Kevin & Judy Griffith

      Left front fender has a side marker light. So that fender is off a 1968 or later. Gonna need to replace the floor & trunk pans, and probably half the other sheet metal. Sand the inside of the doors, and find an original 67 hood. Too much for me!

      Like 8
      • Robert Atkinson, Jr.

        Agreed. Just two (2) words come to mind: Parts Car! The body is toast. Strip out the driveline and call Dynacorn! The only good news I can find is that this relic may have had factory A/C. Other than that, it’s scrap metal.

        https://dynacornclassicbodies.com/

        Like 0
      • Robert Atkinson, Jr.

        I take it back, what I thought were A/C vents at the top of the center stack are actually an aftermarket gage package. My Bad. Or, in the words of Miss Emily Latella: “Oh! That’s different! Never Mind!”

        Like 0
  3. 8banger 8bangerMember

    A sad pile of rust that could be donated to serve as an artificial coral reef?

    Like 19
    • Melton Mooney

      Donated or detonated? Either one I suppose.

      Like 3
  4. Johnny Cuda

    At the very least, the front fenders are from 1968. They have side marker lights.

    Like 4
    • Jeff

      Glove Box is wrong too…

      Like 0
  5. james sartor

    Didn’t a 67 have vent windows too? A rust showroom!

    Like 16
    • Johnny Cuda

      Yes, 67 had vent windows.

      Like 7
  6. JohnD

    Not an original GM cowl hood. Too tall and looks to be fiberglass.

    Like 5
  7. mike

    Put it back in the salvage yard you found it.Wonder what he’s asking for the early Corvette??

    Like 5
    • Dwight

      My sentiments too, Mike. I wondered who would be the first one to mention the only thing maybe worth looking at in these pictures…the Corvette in the background.

      Like 6
  8. Dana

    You hang a bunch of junk on a rusted out shell to try to sell it

    Like 6
  9. TRUTH

    I wouldn’t pay 9.50 for that pile of garbage let alone 9,500!!! Sorry if I offended anyone. But I’m getting sick and tired of people who think they have $$$ just because it’s old. It’s garbage. Send it to the junkyard. Maybe someone can save a part or two but that’s it.

    Like 9
  10. Bud Lee

    Well it is a Camaro. That’s all I know about it.

    Like 2
  11. Oldschoolmuscle

    pieced together big mess…

    Like 2
  12. AndyinMA

    One Piece at a Time

    Like 3
  13. Bamapoppy

    Or, or, OR you could just buy a truck and forget about this POS.

    Like 1
  14. Charles triano

    It’s a 67 right side door has the vent window,the left door and front fenders are 68,it was most likely a six cylinder 3 sp car but with a clear title and vin it’ll probably sell for that amount,you can buy the complete floor pan and trunk pan for it the wheel tubs look good so it could be saved by someone that could do the work themselves

    Like 4
  15. Rex

    It’s a COPO, collection of parts outcast.

    Like 6
  16. justpaul

    The only reason I could see to go look at this would be the engine. And I’d want absolute confirmation that it’s a 396 before I got in the truck to go look.

    Like 2
  17. MJF

    Nightmare ….

    Like 1
  18. Doug M

    Heater hose routing says it was originally a small block car

    Like 2
  19. Patrick LaBarge

    Restoration requires replacement of most of what was mentioned and they aren’t making anymore of them. This is a perfect candidate for a big block restomod convertible.

    Like 1
  20. Jim

    Flintstonemobile! Need a picture of Rick from Pawn Stars inserted in there with his head tilted…”Best I can do is”….LOL

    Like 1
  21. Dean Miller

    Only a true Chevrolet collector would buy this for 10 grand all the rest of us I’d give you maybe $3,500 …. but then again it is a Camaro convertible… it’s a hodgepodge of parts, but it can be put back together again…. whether it’s numbers matching or not it is salvable by today’s standards but by how much ….?well what I’ve seen 67 Camaros convertables ,clones are still in the neighborhood of 30,000 plus dollars…. I’d go for it but not for 10K

    Like 3
  22. dogwater

    Y are right on Miller it would a great project for a hands on guy in its
    condition $3500.00 is about right we have restored worse

    Like 0
  23. Michael

    The doors are also from a 68′ or 69′. That is not a original big block car. It was either a 6 or small v8

    Like 0
  24. Ron H

    Let me preface this by saying the car is rough. I won’t be buying it.

    It does look to be a 67 with some replacement parts from a 68. The surround for the vent window can be seen on the right door even though the left doesn’t have one. And nowhere in the cl ad does it say this is a 396 car. It says it has a 396. Big difference. It’s not misrepresented as the ad is very simplistic and correct, it does appear to have a 396. A fairly common swap back in the day.

    If you want to have it all, then you will have to look elsewhere but I will caution you all that; the day will come when you will say ‘I can remember reading about one like this on Barn Finds and passed because I thought it was too rough!’ . We probably all have that type of memory over something. I certainly do.

    Like 0
  25. john atanasio

    looks like johnny cash’s old car that was put together one piece at a time. send it where it belongs back to the junk yard.

    Like 1
  26. Bobby P

    It’s to bad this car is soooo rusted! It definitely is not an original big block car, and 68 part are used on the front end. This would be a huge undertaking, and if you were looking to sell and make a profit, after restoration, I don’t know if there would be much to make ,if any. However, if you were restoring to keep, then how much to are you willing to spend ,and you would have built a car to your own likes. It’s a double edge sword, and I agree it would be worth it at 3500.00 but not 9500.00

    Like 0
  27. John P Lewis jr

    It’s a 67 how about a 68 cause I don’t see no vent windows

    Like 0

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