Strike Year Survivor: 1972 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

Some project cars are worth saving for what they are, and this 1972 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 comes from the lowest production year of the early second generation Z28s. It is an authentic L code car, but it is now a rolling chassis with no engine and plenty of rust. It is located near Jackson, Mississippi, and the seller is asking $10,500 or best offer. It has been listed for about two weeks, and you can find it here on Craigslist. We appreciate Chuck Foster sending us this unique car listing.

The second generation Camaro arrived in February 1970 with a longer, lower and wider body, and the Z28 got the Corvette derived LT-1 350. 1972 was a rough year. In April 1972, the United Auto Workers went on strike at the Norwood, Ohio plant, which was the only plant building Camaros and Firebirds that year, and the line was shut down for 174 days. About 1,100 unfinished Camaros had to be scrapped because they could not meet the 1973 bumper standards, and GM seriously considered dropping the Camaro and Firebird altogether. Production fell to 68,656 Camaros, including 11,364 Rally Sports, 6,562 Super Sports and just 2,575 Z28s. 1972 was also the last year for the SS and the big block Camaro.

The seller says this Z28 was originally painted Mohave Gold and that the cowl tag shows the Z28 package and factory white accent stripes. It has a rear spoiler, Z28 badging but lists a Rally Sport style split bumper front end, that is not consistent with the pictures. It rolls on a set of vintage turbine wheels. According to the seller, all of the body parts are original to the car except the hood. There is rust and patina throughout, and the seller will show the floors, trunk pan and rockers on request. The engine and drivetrain are gone, so it will never be numbers matching again, but it still has the front bucket seats, center console, shifter, dash, instrument cluster frame and steering column. The interior will need a full restoration. The odometer shows 77,295 miles, and it has a clean title. The buyer will need to bring a trailer.

The Z28 package included the solid lifter LT-1 350 rated at 255 net horsepower, along with special instrumentation, power brakes, a 3.73 Positraction rear, heavy duty cooling, dual exhaust, a black grille, Z28 emblems and a special performance suspension. Chevrolet offered 16 exterior colors for 1972. With only 2,575 built, an authentic 1972 Z28 is worth saving even without its original engine. Would you restore it back to factory specs, or build it into a pro touring car with an LS or LT swap?