Hi everyone!

I have been drooling over gen 1 camaros for as long as I can remember and every spring I get the itch to finally buy one of my own. I am still young (24) and just starting out in the married/career life with a new home as well so really the only thing holding me back is money... whats new right? I was just browsing some local ads and came across this:

1969 CAMARO SS...........DAMAGED
ALL NUMBERS MATCHING X-11 ....4 SPEED ,12 BOLT, DISC BRAKES,AIR,DELUXE HOUNDSTOOTH INTERIOR,ROSEWOOD DASH,TAC AND GAUGES.
TRUE SS CAR......HAVE ALL PARTS FOR REPAIR.........RUNS AND DRIVES , NEW MEXICO CAR






That is the extend of the ad, and I haven't contacted him at all.

I guess my question is how much work with the very limited amount of information you have been presented would need to go into this to get it looking presentable? I am by no means a mechanic, but I am not afraid to try darn near anything.

This is all most likely wishful thinking, but I just need to be either encouraged or brought down to earth in my thinking

Thanks guys, hopefully someday I will be able to have some input on these boards from experience!

 

Is it a decent deal? Don't know, you didn't say how much. If you do go look at it, make sure the partial VIN on the engine does indeed match the body. X11 on the trim tag does not make it an SS. And anything, as far as options, can be changed or added.
http://www.chevy-camaro.com/faq/chev...ro-faq-SS.shtm

 

It is also worth noting that I have some friends that are car savvy and have owned/worked on cars like this for a long time. My time frame for restortation is pretty wide open too, I am not looking to have this running around town in a month, I plan on owning this for the forseeable future. Hand it down to the kids someday when gas is extinct

 

Yeah I took a look that the whole x11 deal so I know what you are saying there. I would certainly check that out.

He is asking 13500.00, thought I typed that but must have forgotten.

 

Might be worth it, if it's an otherwise solid car. The ad says they have all the parts needed to fix. You need a door, rear quarter, and the latch pillar. Can't see if the rocker got crunched, or if the axle got bent? The rear window doesn't look shattered, and the trunk looks like it fits fine, so that part of the body probably didn't get get shoved over. The costly part will be paying someone to do the panel replacements, unless you intend on learning how. Also check closely underneath where the vinyl top is torn open. That can be a rust prone area, even without something extra to trap water.

 

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it! Any idea of how much it would cost to get the panels replaced? I know I am asking a lot on very little information, but a general ball part estimate would be nice to chew on.

Again, thanks for the info!

 

At least you're doing your homework with this thing. I bought mine without a thought or care in the world when I was 14...I'm 23 now and still working on the thing (but I just got the engine started last week : ) It all depends on what you want, it would seem to me that this car is a find, as it runs and has some nice options if what the seller is saying is true. I'm a little wary of the body work that would be involved after seeing that massive dent on the passenger side. I'd also ask about the rust, if it's spent its whole life in the desert it wouldn't be to bad I think but after replacing 80% of the sheet metal on my car I'm very wary of rust damage. Also, I'm not very familiar with the value of these cars today, as the interest in the hobby has grown drastically in the past 10 years, but it seems to me like he's asking a lot. If you want an original numbers matching SS (if that's what that car really is) go for it. However in my opinion, many people will at some point want to load their car up with the latest and greatest aftermarket parts (of which there is no shortage of these days), which the numbers matching guys can be a little more hesitant to do than us base model guys. I think for the same amount of money, you could find a car that had fewer factory options and then upgrade to something that is much better than what was available in the late sixties. I think that if you just want something to cruise around in and baby every once in a while, I would pass on this one, particularly if time is not an issue...but then again it is enviable to have a numbers matching car.


In regards to the body work estimate, again I'm no expert, but I can't see it the quarter and door done for less than a thousand. If you plan on doing it yourself, make sure you get lots of practice on something else before you touch the Camaro though. Hope this helps.

 

I say its too much. Unless he has ALL the parts, new door, and rear quarter - even then, its gonna cost to have that stuff hung/painted etc...
Also, I am not convinced its a true SS, the shifter **** is the clue, if I remember corectly, it should be the type that has two bars going into the console, not one. Just sayin.

 

Thanks for the response, sounds like you have a very similar situation to mine! At the end of the day I am not bent on having matching numbers. I just want a nice looking ride with great sound and a 4 on the floor. I would probably end up moddifying certain things anyway which would probably void the whole "numbers matching" value. From what I have seen, any manual gen 1 camaro in drivable condition is 18-20k for starters, ss's are 25+ easy. I thought this might be a good way to get in the door without spending a fortune right away... we all know this will end up costing a fortune in the long run

 

Two bars on a 4 spd? Are you talking a automatic?