While there’s nothing like the rush of tracking down a forgotten classic buried in an old barn, some of the best automotive discoveries have happened purely by accident. While it might not bring the same satisfaction, stumbling on a great find can be just as much of a rush. For Reader Sam B, being misdirected by his GPS accidentally lead to the discovery of this 1967 Chevrolet Camaro.
Here is the event in Sam’s own words, “We traveled from NC to Arizona to buy a 68 GT350 Mustang convertible (S code). While traveling around Tucson our GPS took us the wrong way and we had to make a U-turn in a neighborhood, as we were turning around we came face to face with this perfectly straight and rust free 67 Camaro P/S, P/B, A/C, 327 car.”
“The Previous owner’s husband died while working on the car and she kept it under a car cover, in a car-port since about 1999. She spent all the years since refusing to sell it because the thought that she might see someone driving it around her home town was too heart breaking for her, but since we were not local, there was no chance of that and she named a price and we gladly took possession of this fine car.”
“Sometime in the 90’s the original 327 was replace with a Blue Pontiac 350 motor. Our plans include a rotisserie restoration, powder coated sub-frame, 454 cid power plant and an M21 Muncie transmission. Paint will be Tuxedo Black with flat black stripes.”
This might not be a well optioned or rare Camaro, but it is extremely solid and will make a great starting point for a project. It sounds like Sam has some big plans for it and we would love to see it once it’s completed. Special thanks to Sam for sharing his find with us and we wish him the best with it. You never know what you might stumble upon in someone’s carport, garage, or barn, so be sure to always be looking!
Nice score! Glad it was saved.
I think they should restore as is: original color, wheels, etc. Find a motor like the one it came with and install that. Making it into something it wasn’t or isn’t is not where it should head. Give it some dignity. Tucson has a ton of cars around like this…old, solid, needing love. It’s my hometown.
I agree with you, Rick. Cars that are relatively complete should be restored/preserved. Too many complete cars are being diverted from what they once were and consequently fewer people are getting the chance to see one (other than pictures) in its original livery. However possession is 9/10ths of the law and the owner has the right to do with it what he wants. To him, I wish him luck with the resto-mod.
I am always looking. So much so that my wife has to hold the steering wheel sometimes while I am spotting good finds. This looks like a great find. I like what you are planning however, I am one of those original freeks and this looks like a good one to keep original. Have fun with it.
I’m as big a fan of restorations as anyone, but how many red Camaros are enough? It’s THEIR car, it’s no matching numbers museum piece, and the proper rendering of a resto-mod treatment might get the car on some magazine covers and help keep those showroom lights ablaze.
Go for it!
Hmmm I don’t see a blue Pontiac motor. I see a SBC with a quadrajet manifold. Not sure the heads are right, but other than that and the valve covers, it looks pretty stock to me.
trust me the block is blue and the heads/intake are orange
I ran the numbers and its a Pontiac 350
I hate domestics but this is a true classic it was made when GM was GM and not owned by the government, I respect these fine cars. Its awesome that your saving it.
+1 on a great find. Good luck and hope you have a smooth build.
-Mark
If someone wants to put a deposit on it we will let you choose the colors
Sorry to here that its color is changing and its going big block. There are plenty of plain jane 6cyl out there that are way more deserving of that treatment. This camaro is not that plain i.e a/c,deluxe int. prob consol shift and a v-8. This one is just so clean. But i dont own it so thats just my opion. Is it poss. for sale? i would love to save it. Trade for a 68 corvette or a 73 gmc stepside 2wd factory 454 12 bolt 4:11 posi fac. tach??????????
When I hear of something solid like this, I like to think it will remain stock after resto, but if the motor is non original that’s the point in my view, where the gloves can come off & the buyer get’s to do what he wants, so great find, go for it.
Ya I am somewhat disappointed to read 454 big block when the LS motors are way better. Chevy has a complete package including auto transmission and wiring harness. Bite the bullet, spend the money and do it right (imho)
At the very least, send pics of the finished to the old lady who used to own it. She’d probably love that.
for those of you that “think” we are not doing this car justice feel free to make us an offer and restor her the way you’d like to see it.
originally bolero red with factory “custom” interior A/C, Power steering, tinted windows, 327 CID, TH400 trans, on the colum gear selector, power brakes,
maybe a total of 2 tablespoons of rust in the entire car surface only no rot or replaced metal
no trades cash only
I’m on the “Original” side… What a shame this thing is going to be chopped into yet another street rod.
Yes I suppose they could at least look for a period correct motor & yes I agree with you something this good could be saved from the ” yet another street rod “.
I have a 71 SS 454 ElCamino that is original the springs on the front are much bigger than the 327/350 version. look in to what you have to do to change them your stock ones will not hold it up. I would put a vortex motor in it much faster and you can retain the same springs. But I would not give up my 454 for anything.
Oh ya nice starter.
the motor is a small block chevy and red not blue and not a pontiac,,,,,,,,,,,more storys
since im the one that yanked the engine out and ran the actual block numbers I can verify that the BLOCK is a Pontiac 350 with the orange heads and intake from the original 327
Yeah some people just don’t get it.
good day how do you start the day Don & Larry show with a 1963 Corvette, on a rope behind Dons Mustang, ??? I did not ask just where it came from? but a few days after this man was sacking around it a car like it had seen and sitting in my shop? the 63, call my 2 good friends, come and get it and it got cut up as I was told?? hope not, going down 2st, and a lite blue 1959 Chevy, I told my dad we got it $75. a week after I see one on the other side of town Just like the 59 we got last week, found a 58 ford wagon
????
Great find!! Would love to find something like that to rebuild. Too bad it does’t have the original power plant. That would be something to take back to original but it doesn’t so there’s no real reason to go that direction. Sounds like it’s going to be very nice when you get through with it. Would love to see the before, during and after photos somewhere.
Guess the real question here is… Did you get the Mustang??? That’s what my stepdaughter wants. Well, I do too but she wanted it for her first car. Even found one the color she wanted. Needless to say she was told to find something else.
we have the 68 GT 390 convert as well as a 65 convertible mustangs
SamB. 10k?? You said it had a pontiac 350 with the 327 heads! I did not think that was a cobo that would fit did all the bolts and pushrods line up? Im just cuious.Erik
Alot of Pontiacs came with the corporate small block motor, it is a Chevy motor but may have come out of a Pontiac.
I like the Studbuster in the background.
The Studebaker in the pictures is now for sale , after owning it since 1959 he has decided to let her go.
I know little about engine numbers. I do know a pontiac 350 and a Chevrolet 327, are as dissimilar as a Ford 302 and a Chevy 302. Yes late 70’s and early 80’s Pontiac used Chev 350’s painted blue. In fact, I think Chevrolet also painted them blue, in that same time frame. So yes, I suppose there could in essence be a “Pontiac”engine in the car. As far as the heads are concerned I think they are the later heads ie 69 and later, also the first year of the “long water pump” All of this to say, something just isn’t jiving in this story to me. I mean no offense, to the author, or the buyer of the car. I guess I am just making a pointless vote, to return the car to stock, even with the column shift auto. Again sorry if I offended anyone.
Around 1977 GM started painting their engines Corporate Blue. And that meant EVERYTHING, although I’m also aware that Cadillac Division drug its feet. Pontiac (my ’78 301 was Corporate Blue), Oldsmobile, Buick, and Chevrolet all went blue. I think it was in preparation for the eventual downsizing that was about to come. By the 80s Buick and Pontiac engines (with some exceptions) were pretty much out of the picture with their own divisions making engines. Eventually Cadillac would even have an SBC although Caddy carefully put a (fancy) decal on the air cleaner proclaiming that underneath was a General Motors engine made expressly for Cadillac. Of course that engine was made expressly for Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac as well. I might add that there were a bunch of Oldsmobile owners got their noses out of joint at suddenly having an SBC under their hoods. They started a lawsuit although I don’t know the outcome as I was finishing my tenure as a service technician for GM at that time…
GREAT FIND AND GREAT IDEA FOR WHAT HE IS DOING TO IT.THAT’S THE FIRST THING I DO TO ALL MY CARS AND TRUCKS UNLESS THEY SOMETHING SPECIAL LIKE A SHELBY,SALEEN,COPO OR OTHER FACTORY FREAK. I LIKE THE BLACK SO MUCH THAT I WAS GOING TO PAINT MY HEAVY EQUIPMENT BLACK BUT DECIDED CAT YELLOW AND BLACK TRACTOR AND TRAILER LOOKED GOOD WITH BLACK ESCORT VEHICLES ALL LIT UP.AS FAR AS THE MOTOR BIGGER IS BETTER AND THE BIGGER IT IS THE BETTER IT IS.AND AS ONE OF THE EARLY BIRDS SAID DON’T FORGET THE SPINGS.
yes……put a block in it………so it will handle even worse………Z-Z-Z-Z-Z
I suggest that all of the people wanting to return it to stock put up or shut up as it is for sale. It does not have it’s original engine so who cares what replaces it. Some people are idiots.
I offered 10k no answer. And to add to the engine question, not that its a big issue . I forgot that in late 70s pontiac did put chev small blocks in a lot of there cars. So looks to me that this camaro did have a transplant with one of those and yes the 327 heads would fit just fine the whole engine is a sbc with pontiac numbers. I remember back then that there was a few ruffled feathers from people that bought a pontiac,found out it had a chev motor not pontiac and they where not happy-some even tryed to sue pontiac over this but i think things where swept under the rug and it was just forgotten about and went away. You cant fight big corps.
You offer of 10k is appreciated however it is a far lower offer than we’ve already turned down (which was made the day it came off the transport from Arizona.
currently the car is 90% dismantled
and its much better than a dynacorn (now made in Taiwan) shell you can purchase for 15k+ which doesn’t include interior , vin, fenders motor, trans ect ect ect .
Thanks for the info. Good luck with the camaro wheather you keep it or let it go. Erikj
If anyone is seriously wanting to purchase the car now, it has been dismantled already only the windshield and rear window are still installed.
my brother and I decided to finish one of our other cars.
Josh – please keep up the good work…really appreciate seeing all the cars. I was fortunate enough to have experienced 2 of the great American cars (IMO)…my first car was a 1965 Ford Mustang 289ci with bench bucket (wish I still had that one) and 1969 Z28 Camaro that I sold just before I got married in 1978, just an awesome drive…both are stories for another time – Thanks, Rick
That’s a SBC I don’t care what “THE NUMBERS” read! It’s a CHEVROLET!