I am the owner of a 1967 Camaro. The car was purchased by my mother and has been sitting in a garage in Nevada since the energy crisis in the late-70s. It is all original (matching numbers) and the body is supposedly in good condition. It was repainted a year or so before it when in the garage.

I am looking at bringing the car up to my home in Seattle, Washington. Do you think it is a reasonable expectation to be able to do some minor work (i.e., new battery, hoses, belts, check breaks, etc.) and drive the car the 750 miles to my house or would you think it best to tow the car up here. The car reportedly ran fine prior to its extended storage. We plan to restore the original engine and keep the car as original as possible.

Second, we are looking to replace the existing stock 14-inch diameter wheels with rally sport wheels (15x7). Some people have suggested that we use a 15x7 in the front and a 15x8 in the rear. Is their any reason to do this? Also, what size tires should I use?

Thank you for the advice.

Brian

 

Minor work, no. After sitting for 30 plus years, you're going to need to go through the whole car to get it road ready. If you're lucky, the engine will still turn over. You'll need to change the oil, transmission fluid, differential oil, brake fluid & bleed the brake system, replace the brakes or at least dress them up, flush the cooling system, drain and flush the gas tank, rebuild the carburetor, repack the front wheel bearings. And since you brought up tires, driving on 40 plus old tires is looking for a blowout before the car even leaves town. As far as tire size, it depends on what kind of look you want for the car. Are you going for a stock look with same size front and rear. Or more of a performance look with wider tires in back (which is one reason to go with the wider wheels in back).