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Texas Barn Find: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro

UPDATE – This Camaro has been relisted here on eBay. The seller hasn’t changed their ad, but hopefully, they’ve decided to lower their reserve to something more realistic given the condition and specs of the car. Let us know if you’ll be bidding on it this go around!

FROM 5/5/2021 – The owner of this 1969 Chevrolet Camaro discovered it hidden in a Texas barn. It isn’t clear how long it has been parked, but the last registration showing on the plate is for 1972. He believes that the car has been driven since then, but how recently that was is a matter of conjecture. It is a complete vehicle, and beneath that dirty and faded exterior is a Camaro that is refreshingly free of significant rust problems. The owner has decided to part with the classic pony car, so he has listed it for sale here on eBay. It is located in Katy, Texas, and the owner has set a BIN of $30,000. If that’s a bit rich for you, there is the option to make an offer. Barn Finder Boot has had his radar working overtime to spot this one, so thank you so much for that, Boot.

Now that it’s out in the open and has been treated to a quick wash, the Camaro looks a whole lot better. The Dusk Blue paint has seen better days, and a repaint will be on the cards. What is encouraging is that the owner says that he has checked over the Camaro, and the only rust of any note is in the lower rear quarter panels. He says that the floors and frame rails are sound, and the only other spot that might demand an inspection is the cowl. If that’s also rust-free, that could make this a pretty straightforward restoration prospect. However, the significant amount of visible surface corrosion suggests that the buyer will be stripping the panels back to bare metal to achieve a flawless finish. The glass is in good order, while most of the trim looks to be restorable. The car wears several Z/28 trim pieces, but a past owner added these. It rolls on aftermarket wheels, but the original hubcaps are present if the buyer wishes to complete a faithful restoration.

The interior of the Camaro features standard Blue vinyl upholstery, and it’s all pretty dirty. The buyer will want to clean everything thoroughly first. Then they can compile a shopping list of parts that they will need to return it to a factory-fresh state. However, it looks like there are a lot of parts that the buyer will be able to salvage. The dash and pad look to be in remarkable condition, as are the door trims. The owner has found a new set of seat covers still in their box in the trunk, so a carpet set and a replacement wheel could be the only major purchases that the buyer will need to make. That means that this is one aspect of the Camaro that might not consume much money.

The owner seems to be unsure about the exact mechanical configuration of this Camaro, but he believes that it features a 307ci V8 and a 3-speed manual transmission. If that is correct, the little V8 would have been producing 200hp when the car was new. It isn’t clear whether the engine turns freely, so that is something that the buyer will need to investigate. It also opens the possibility of performing some form of transplant if 200hp isn’t enough. There are a range of options available if that is the path that the buyer follows, and I’m sure that our readers will provide plenty of sound and sensible suggestions on that front. That is one of the greatest attractions with the classic car scene. The available options in a case like this are only limited by people’s imaginations.

As a project build, this 1969 Camaro holds plenty of promise. It also graphically demonstrates that classic cars still lurk in barns across the country, waiting for someone to bring them out into the light of day. Undertaking a faithful restoration would see this car presenting at its best, although for the buyer, the world will be their oyster when choosing a project path. My most significant concern with this car is the BIN price. It is extremely high, but I will attempt to partially justify this by stating that the vehicle is complete and that it doesn’t look like the buyer will be spending a king’s ransom on rust repairs. Is that enough justification, or is the owner aiming too high on this one?

Comments

  1. Avatar Tooyoung4heyday Member

    Too high…. Needs complete resto and it is a low option base Camaro. If it were a Z or an SS i could maybe see the thirty. This should be in the teens at best.

    Like 78
    • Avatar Jamie

      I do see Z28 on the front fender.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Warren Hurd

        The car wears several Z/28 trim pieces, but a past owner added these.

        Like 6
      • Avatar robert semrad

        Jamie, according to the write up, it’s not a real z28…..
        “The car wears several Z/28 trim pieces, but a past owner added these.”
        I may be mis-reading it.

        Like 4
  2. Avatar Ralph

    Good, the 30K rusted, worn out, and wasted, non running Camaros are back!
    And I was afraid that the world was slowly returning to some sense of “normal.”
    Anyone can restore a car, but the question is: “how far underwater do you really want to be?”
    This is not a unicorn, just another very old, trashed, not really special Camaro.
    Thanks, but no thanks.

    Like 86
  3. Avatar Sam Shive

    Put a cheap LS in it and call it a rusted, resto mod.

    Like 7
    • Avatar jeffro

      Rusto mod

      Like 31
  4. Avatar Dave

    This is a perfect example of the basic Camaro. It should be restored, tweaking it with some handling and horsepower upgrades. It will always have value. As for the asking price-will somebody pay that much; maybe, and then clone it. I personally would like to restore it closer to original.

    Like 20
  5. Avatar T

    The vehicle is “complete” with a 307?

    Like 7
  6. Avatar Bob C.

    Early in the 1969 year, the standard V8 was still the 327 2 barrel. The later ones had the 307 which this looks like.

    Like 11
  7. Avatar Steve R

    Sellers asking absurdly high prices is nothing new, in the 1980’s me and my friends would to roll our eyes and laugh at ads like this when we came across them in the local AutoTrader, later on as platforms changed, it was Craigslist. Nowadays people take it as a sign of a coming societal collapse. It’s not a big deal, just seller that are out of touch with the market or on a fishing expedition.

    Steve R

    Like 40
    • Avatar KELLY SHARPTON

      I agree, they see a fully restored high options car and ,think wow I have the same car lol and ask the same price. Been seeing that for forty years. Like you said only the market place adds have changed.

      Like 14
  8. Avatar Mark C

    The ’68 RS convertible (from yesterday’s BFs) with a 327 and a 4-speed and in nice driver condition is currently bid to $29k. I think that might be a better value proposition.

    Like 35
    • Avatar John S Dressler

      Even that is too high. The 69 Camaro body is the most desirable and sought after.

      Like 4
  9. Avatar Paul Glas

    Parked because he was tired of being mocked by his friends that knew what is was

    Like 24
  10. Avatar Scott

    This is a $10k car at best ! It was the least desirable car when new the turd 307 is probably blown and the reason it was parked and forgot about in ‘72 the 3 speed is a good demo derby trans and that’s about it. If the body is solid and would survive an acid dip then it’s a good base for a resto mod project at best!

    Like 17
    • Avatar Steven Brown

      I’m thinking more like 6-7k its a 307 3 speed with nothing only a floor shifter

      Like 1
  11. Avatar DennyKingtutscamaro@yahoo.com

    Texas flood car comes to mind.

    Like 18
  12. Avatar Maverick

    Well at least the owner cared for it properly. Bo

    Like 4
  13. Avatar Doug

    You’ve got to be kidding me!

    Like 10
  14. Avatar Dan

    The owner can’t even bother to clean it, but wants $30k??? Pulleeze….

    Like 14
    • Avatar Rex B Schaefer

      40 yrs ago straight to the crusher! My how things have changed!

      Like 1
  15. Avatar charlie morrison

    Nice car great for a restoration but at $30 k it’s way out there I’m sure out there in space somewhere you can buy the same car with little work to do on it and a decent paint job for $30. Like other fellow BF’ers I’m sure they would agree. Is it a numbers matching car?. However I wish the seller good luck and the buyer more luck,the way the car market is you will need another $30k to get a beautiful car out of it.

    Like 6
  16. Avatar Rustytech Member

    Was it parked in the barn or in the pond? Another seller spending too much time watching BJ.

    Like 15
  17. Avatar JC

    30k for a base Camaro that needs a full resto… ummm, yeah, no. I can get a 2015 RS with 335hp for 24k and pretend I’m in a ’69…lol.

    Like 17
  18. Avatar JC

    30k for a base Camaro that needs a full resto… ummm, yeah, no. I can get a 2015 RS with 323hp for 24k and pretend I’m in a ’69…lol.

    Like 4
  19. Avatar Little_Cars Member

    No title? The hell I’m gonna drop $30k for this commoners 307/3spd car — only to have to jump through hoops (yes, I know about the Vermont “loophole”) just to make this car mine. Took three years to acquire a new title for one of mine currently in the barn….not going through the “no title, out of state, online purchase” BS at the local DMV ever again.

    Like 18
    • Avatar Purple sky

      Exactly! No title, get one and have a dark cloud over my head worrying about some jokier coming along wanting “his” car back. Here in Michigan getting a title is fairly easy but you have NO recourse if somebody shows up claiming it’s theirs. Chances are next to none but why spend hours and $$$ then live with a cloud hanging over you. No title, no thanks, no matter what car it is.

      Like 2
  20. Avatar Johnmloghry

    This guy found this car, thought he hit the jackpot, hauled it to his garage, washed it then realized he would soon be upside down trying to restore it, so he’s decided to try to get his fortune by selling it at a rediculous price to some poor sucker. It’s a $1000.00 car at this point.
    God bless America
    P.S. I do like the wheels.

    Like 15
  21. Avatar Howie Mueler

    Was this in the barn or buried underneath the barn?

    Like 16
  22. Avatar Steve Clinton

    “refreshingly free of significant rust problems.” Say what?

    “30,000.00” Say WHAT?

    Like 11
  23. Avatar Jamie

    Rust bucket. Shoot it now. The buyer bought it realizing what they have done and new they want to recoup their lost wages. It’s a 307 Camaro. Not the taj mahal. Takes your loss eat some humble pie and be done with it.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Purple sky

      The infamous, it’s clean and/or solid. 30+ years restoring rust buckets. Until you strip all those years of shitty bodt or paint work, or even an original paint job you CANNOT be sure what lays beneath.

      Like 1
  24. Avatar Jay McCarthy

    30 large? I’m not seeing that for a base V8 Camaro

    Like 5
  25. Avatar Steve Courchesne

    What ever happened to common sense and reality!?!?!?! Summer of 82 I purchased a rust free 69 Camaro Base with the 250 6 out of a back alley in Calgary, Alberta. Price of purchase? $200 Yes, those days are obviously long gone but people need reality checks on occasion. The big problem with the classic bike and car market is their is a number of people out there that just want to make fast big money. They really don’t have a passion for anything else than making money. That is the main reason for these over inlfated prices.

    Like 15
    • Avatar DST1965 Member

      Oh if only-if I could go back to the mid to late 80s- I let a 69 Firebird 400 4-speed in beautiful condition slip thru my hands, could have bought it for well under 5K-still kicking myself, oh the “what if’s”

      Like 5
    • Avatar Purple sky

      I’d go back to 1977 and buy a couple or three Hemi ‘Cuda drop tops for the same $$ I paid for my brand new 77 Trans Am $7200.00 If we knew then what we know now. LOL I’d go back in time with the winning lottery numbers for a $100,000,000 lottery drawing. Wouldn’t need any “old” car. LOL Need that time machine first. Or buy that Amazon stock back in 80’s for $1.00 a share

      Like 1
  26. Avatar John C.

    And to think that back in the late 1980’s I paid $500.00 for a 69 SS with all the emblems missing and needing some work but drove it home 20 miles! Sold it a few years later semi restored for $4500. and was thrilled to get that for it. SMH at today’s camaro prices.

    Like 6
  27. Avatar vintagehotrods

    Another dreamer that was too lazy to put some air in the tires or even really clean the car inside and out. For that kind of money it should be a nice driver! So for your $30G’s you get a lot of rust pitted sheetmetal, a rat infested interior and a junk 307 with a 3 speed trans. I’d bet there’s a lot more rust there than meets the eye there, because these things rusted from the top down, so with no pics from inside the trunk or around the rear glass you can bet on it. But the seller did take the pics after hosing it down to give it that “new car shine”, so that must be what made it that valuable. I’ll bet it comes with a crack pipe for that price!

    Like 11
    • Avatar Howie Mueler

      Yes, and i bet even that crack pipe needs work.

      Like 14
  28. Avatar Al

    At 1st I was in somewhat awe, a ’69 w/ a hopeful DZ sitting under that hood but a lame of all lames, 307. The more I read, the more I laughed, then the kicker! Seeing that price, Aerosmith comes to mind. Dream On!

    Like 7
  29. Avatar Bruce G Hughes

    Is that old Dodge Ram stepside available? More interesting to me than another overpriced rusty Camaro

    Like 4
    • Avatar Paolo

      That’s a D-100. They didn’t call them Rams back then. And I find it to be of much greater interest too.

      Like 4
  30. Avatar Paolo

    A genuine “Barn Find!” Found in a barn under a pile of manure, that is. Open the door, look inside and experience an intense sensory rush. That’s the heady “Barnyard Scent” that lets you know you’re looking at the genuine article.
    And the greatest thing of all? You’ll never get the smell out of it.

    Like 9
  31. Avatar JBD

    Remember the 36” of flood water in Houston. I would love to see where the waterline is on this one. No way it could be sold locally. Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown had some hundreds of acres of cars.
    https://texashillcountry.com/cars-raceway-graveyard/

    Like 4
  32. Avatar Paul

    Pay 30, spend 30 or more to finish with a 25,000. car, put it back in the barn please, would make a good chicken coop…..

    Like 4
    • Avatar Little_Cars Member

      What d’ya mean? It’s already BEEN a chicken coop!

      Like 6
  33. Avatar BK13

    It’s funny, just throw up a post about a 69 Camaro (or 57 Chevy) and the comments come a flowin like the great Mississippi River!

    Like 6
    • Avatar vintagehotrods

      The comments come hard and fast for lots of cars, Corvettes (especially the ones with a Toyota engine!) vintage Ford hot rods, and God knows what. Usually if its outrageously priced (like this Camaro), in especially poor condition (like this Camaro), or has weird modifications. There’s even guys that comment about the comments! It’s just a bunch of old guys that are easily entertained!

      Like 5
  34. Avatar Little_Cars Member

    So, with 7 hours left to go, this 1969 Camaro WITH LESS THAN 10K ORIGINAL MILES will possible sell in the upper $20k range. Hmm, I wonder if someone needs to go back and reASSess their barn find Camaro!

    Like 13
  35. Avatar benjy58

    Yesterdays parts car is todays treasure

    Like 2
  36. Avatar Jamie

    Still an X11. Still a piece of crap. 30 k??? I can buy 2 good condition Corvettes for that. Put it back in the barn and give the chickens their house back

    Like 0
  37. Avatar Steve

    Think about 6500.00 the engine trans junk mode likely rear ended too new wireing harnesses ect not to think of sheet metal work is just base camaro!?

    Like 0
  38. Avatar gaspumpchas

    I’m all for taking a pic of the storage then cleaning it off, but they didnt clean the gut and it looks like it could very well be a flood car. Suspect bidding- one bidder with 265 feedbacks running it up. listing says its up to 13,299, believe it when you see greenbacks on ther barrel head. I can only imagine what the underbelly looks like after sitting in the dirt. If somebody offered me 14 large for this, I’d take it and run. Everyday is a new education on BF!! Stay safe and happy motoring.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 4
  39. Avatar Lance

    Chicken Barn.it would appear.

    Like 0
  40. Avatar Al

    Any indication that maybe the flipper is clueless as to what the ‘real’ engine is in it? What distinguishes it from a stock 302DZ that a real Z came with? Can you tell by pics or can be sure that’s a non angle plug engine, by the 1 pic of it? Guessing its a 3sp on the floor?

    Like 0
  41. Avatar vintagehotrods

    It looks like the seller needs to score some more crack so he relisted it with the same ad with the same price! Unbelievable!

    Like 2
  42. Avatar Daniel Blancher

    I am probably off on this .but i didn’t think the emissions with the air pump,
    Plumbing air into the exhaust manifold
    Came about untill the 70’s like 1972?

    Like 0
  43. Avatar Russ

    Rather go for the Dodge pick emup in the background. Wait, it’s also probably made of gold!

    Like 0
  44. Avatar Ralph

    With all the recent rain in Texas I would not be surprised if this one has been under water for the 10th or 11th time…
    Got to wonder about the seller too.I mean look at this Loch Ness monster folks, there is nothing left to “save.”
    Even if I needed a parts car this is only a 100 buck hulk.
    YMMV.
    Been sitting here for 15 minutes trying to think of something nice or positive to say, but was taught not to lie. Sorry.
    Brain damage is truly a terrible thing.

    Like 1
  45. Avatar Desert Rat

    In 05 I bought my 69 camaro form an old guy in Las Cruses NM. 307, three speed on the floor base Camaro. The one thing that made it some what special was it was a hugger orange car, which I wanted. Payed 4,200 for it which I felt was way too much but after trying to get the old guy to sell it to me for 6 years I was willing to meet his price. Today I have a nice 350 powered,4 speed Camaro with a/c and rs front end. Orange with white z stripes but no fake z or ss badges she just a dressed up basic coupe, thank you very much.

    Like 1
  46. Avatar Dave

    How much for the barn it was in ?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Paul M

      No roof, no floor, so technically, not a barn…lol

      Like 1

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