im 24yo but i always loved the look of first gen camaros. first gen chargers, mustangs - all looked awesome. anyways i snapped while looking on ebay and blindly bought this car, maxing out 3 credit cards (thanks paypal). i basically took this guys word on it that it was an excellent car. it cost over 10k after getting it to NY from MI.

i took it out for its first test run with me at the helm for 15 mins. and at first it ran awesome but then theengine stalled out on the highway after 5 miles,scaring the hell outta me.i guessthere wasenough engine breaking from the t350to keep turning and so it started back up again after5-10 secs of rollinglike nothing ever happened. i frantically found an exit andgot off toget back on west bound. then the engine died in a slow area where there was heavy traffic getting off the highway ramp to get back onto it and no palce to pull over but i manage to coast it to a restuarant parking lot with 1mph to spare! once i got it in park, turned the key and (bullitt muscle carvroom!) likethere was no problems) on the way back it died3 moretimes. it would be running just great then all the sudden it just quits, back firing then runs again as if its losing electrical maybe? when i got back i called the guy who sold it to me, he swore to help me diagnose the problem and said he drove it 50 mins with no problem.

so i took the car out again after 2 hoursto play and try to make sense of the stalling. i got one block and it quits at a stop sign. starts back up and i drove it for 15 mins after that on the streets and highway and it didntgive anymore issues, ran wonderful. a problem like that is intermittent and thus will cost an arm and a leg to get a professional to fix it. although id like to think that the car has an issue when 'warming up' but it was off 2 hours after the first run so it should have been cold again right or does it take longer with 350 small blocks?

this car is my new love of my life, the new interior astonishes me, sharp black with that mafia look. the only other problems i can complain about are: no speakers, might need new radio too (the engine sound makes up for it), no gas pedal!, the drivers side window is not sealing at all, the speedo is bouncing all over the place making it worthless to do a 0 – 60 time, and there is some annoying rust under the doors

- 1968 Chevrolet Camaro. Car was re-done some time ago. Looks to have new quarters. Floors are solid. Frame is solid.
- Motor is a rebuilt 350 Chevy, with less than a couple thousand miles. Crane cam and roller rockers, aluminum intake, Mallory distributor, Holley carb, Pete Jackson timing gears.
- Interior is in good condition, doors have astro ventilation glass. All chrome
- and stainless steel good.
- Original color Grecian Green. - Automatic, Turbo 350.

this post is a long brag becuase ill probably never like anything more than this. honestly, i would choose a first gen camaro over a ferrari, probably even this car if it was perfect and with more HP.

i think the engine is putting out maybe 350hp? its hard to tell without being able to do a 0-60 speed test. it feels a little more powerful than my previous 74 camaro with a 383 stroker that had 300. this first gen feels very different than my 74 and 81 camaros i used to have.the 68 feels very very slow. i hit 90 on the freeway very easy and it felt so slow and when i do burnouts the other camaros would <>< tail but this car keeps going straight. no posi, it doesnt need one unless the roads are wet then rearwheel just sucks 100fold. anyways i always correlate 1st gen with bigblocks and i wish i had atleast a 396, but this engine is so loud and shakes everything i cant complain. the entire car shakes like some cars with502ci motors! oh btw im high as a kite now so im going to stop nattering and post this and maybe someone w

 

awesome car dude

I hope I have a 1st gen when i'm 24!!!!

 

Nice car, nice rant. Do a complete tune up; plugs, filters, fluids and timing. Check all the lines going to the carb and make sure all the bolts on the top end of the motor are torqued down. Get a chiltons manual and a good set of tools. Your gonna need them both. Welcome, nice to see another classic.

 

welcome! have fun! nice!

 

Sounds to me like you have an ignition over heating problem. What type of ignition does it have? If it was fuel it would kind of lose power before it stalled.
Also check for loose wires in the distributor area.

 

I read your post again and see that you have a mallory distributor. If it has points the condenser could be shorting out or the coil could be over heating. Swap out these items and see if the problem goes away.

PS. I'm still learning how to use this Forum and am not sure etc....

 

Welcome to the forum, nice car hope you get your problems fixed. I kinda know the feeling of the car feelin slow. I had a 68 442 that was a fast car but traded for a 74 with a 454, now it could be the big block , but the 74 feels a whole lot faster.

 

nice ride man, too bad you aren't on long island, we have alot of camaro meets along with the ricers and supras out by robert moses, i'd say bring it by and show it off since we only have 1 classic lol

 

hi guys and thanks for the replies. i have not driven it again yet but i plan on doing so later today because i just registered it and insured it last night! gico didnt offer classic insurance and only would do liability. but it was only like $246 every 6 months. i think i have to be 25 before the oter insurance agencies that do offer classic full coverage will permit me.

as for the stalling, now i think about it, it seems just like it randomly loses ignition or somthing impossible to figure out. intermittant problems are impossible for an amature like me to figure out. the guy i bought this car from also doesnt know much about it. he told me got it by trading his sled and that he didnt get hardly any specs on it. but he did know alot about the motor since it just got rebuilt, maybe someone here can estimate how much HP it has? its a 350, i dont think its bored .30 over, but i think youre supposed to turn those into strokers when you rebuild it if you want a performance motor. and its a performance motor so i dont know why it wasnt bored .30 over to give it another 40hp? anyways heres the specs:

Crane Cam #110921
Mechanical Special
Grind Number f-244/3454-2s-6
Valve setting - Intake .026 Exhaust .026 Adjust Hot
Intake lift 518
Ex. Lift 536
Max Rpm 68000

Top Line Pro Cast Heads
2.02 Valve

Crane roller rockers 1.6 Ratio

can anyone tell me what the above means? I really dont know much, I can google some numbers but I don't know what it compares to when it comes to performance motorsvs stock

I'd love to come down to roadisland but im afraid the $200 in gas round trip + showing off i cant afford at the moment. i run my own cunsulting company for pc repair and networking and when all job sites are fixed and running i will have no work for long periods of time until something breaks again or upgrades are needed.

right now i cant even afford to get this car fixed if anything is wrong with it. im sure if i bring it to a garage its not going do its stalling thing and ill get charged $80/hr while they are trying to get it to stall. then they will replace some parts without know whats bad. then ill get a $500 bill. under the dash board i was very unhappy about how the wiring is loose and flopping and hanging around. i often think a wire is hitting the frame and shorting out causing the ignition to turn off. but then again when it stalls its very sequential. like it will not start again until exact6 seconds go by. it doesnt jitter when its stalling like it would if there was a wire brushing against some metal. the stalling was random, just not how it stalled. the back firing indicates its getting fuel. i can say one thing, the stalling stopped as soon as it got darker outside and i turned the head lights on. the whole time i was driving it i had an issue with pressing my foot on the bright lights button over and over, and i stopped doing that when i turned the lights on because i became aware of it.. i might wonder theres a short by resting my foor on the button, not sure. the ignition is very unusual. like i can take the key out with the car running (maybe bad igintion switch?)

 

took it out today legally this time, drove it on streets and highway for 20 mins. didn't stall once. battery was flat though and wouldnt turn the motor. theres got to be an electrical problem