Hi everyone,

First it's a great site and lots of useful info but I do need a little help as I am not a technical guy at all.

I am planning on buying a 68 camaro SS clone ready to drive. I can't do anything on it because I surely will do a poor job. Plus I should be moving overseas in a near future.

Anyway, if you could help on some issues I have, I would greatly appreciate it.

The cars is not a matching number car, it was a 6 cyl originally but the resto was done a few years ago and is now with a 350 engine big block, 3 speed, 350 Turbo Transmission, 3000 stall. I will ask the seller which frames were used during the engine swap though. It's in great condition and he asks for $25,500.

It's one of the cleanest car I have seen so far. What do you think and what other questions should I ask him? I am not so concerned of the matching number because I have no intent to sell it but I don't want to overpay it either.

My second concern however is the drum brakes. I asked the seller how much it would cost me to get the front ones replaced with disk brakes and apparently it's roughly $1,500 with a disk kit plus a power booster and the labor. Do I really need to change the brakes or should I be fine with drum brakes?

Thank you very much for your help.

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Price is very dependent on area you are in. You want to look around and see what things are going for a craigs list and in the paper. If your new to older cars you really should get the car checked out by a mechanic. Once he has it up on the hoist he should be able to tell how well the restoration was done.

As for the brakes, that will depend on what you plan to do with it. I take mine on Sunday cruises and rarely get on it. I still have manual drums all the way around. If I was driving this car in real traffic I would want a disk upgrade. 4 wheel disks is a little overkill for a driver but worth it if you plan on running it hard.

Just remember this 68 will never be as safe as even a car built in the 80s. You chances of surviving a major wreck in one of these is very small. Lap belts and steel dashes are a bad combination. At lease you have a collapsible steering column. It debut in the 67 Camaro

 

The pics look really nice. I noticed it doesn't have power steering, to me that would be more of an issue than the manual brakes. My 69 didn't have power steering or power brakes. I installed the power steering last fall and it made a huge difference, it even made the manual brakes tolerable. I have since installed power disc brakes which also made a huge difference. Good luck and I agree if you are not that mechanically inclined you should have it inspected by a mechanic.

 

No, it is a 350 small block. It is not a 396 big block.
which frames? it is a direct bolt in no frames needed.

You need to be more concerned with the condition of the body work. It is easy to use cardboard and cat-hair to cover rust. I would take it to a body shop, rather then a mechanic. Engines are cheaper then quarter's or floors.

That seems a little high for a clone. I would think $18k to $22k. But that all depends on how nice it really is. If it was a frame off restoration it is probably worth $25k

 

Thank you very much for the quick replies. It's great. I'll try to contact a mechanic although I am afraid he'll tell me there is a lot more to do. As for the safety, for this price I think it's almost impossible to get a 2011 camaro inside with the exterior of a 68 (you should check what Westcoast custom did it's quite impressive).

I'm buying the car to cruise on week-end. It's been a dream since I'm 10 and I can now afford it.

For the price, I think it's fair given the condition and what I can find around whether in garage or online. I'll try to negotiate though and at least you did not jump up saying I'm getting ripped off. I actually haven't found any car as clean as this one for the price. It's either with other major stuff to do for $20,000 or convertible and/or not so clean with ss clone or z-28 clone for 30,000.

For the breaks, I just don't want to risk anything for my passengers.
I haven't thought about the power steering which could be pretty good. I could actually change it which is again $1000 at least as I can't do anything myself.

Anyways, you guys started with this kinda car and made the adjustments later apparently so I think it'll just have to be a decision if I feel it's needed. Now I have to enjoy it mostly

Thanks again very much. If I forgot something, please let me know.

 

I didn't know that. So apparently it's just because the blocks are bigger than a small block but it's thus impossible to have a 350 big block right? For the frames, I did not know, does it make a big difference?

Apparently, price quite good with room for negotiation. From all the info I collected from you guys on the website as to where to look, I did not see any rust when I inspected the car. Though again I am not a mechanic or a pro. I'll look into that.

Thanks again

 

This is the reason to bring it to someone before you buy it. You want to be sure there are no hidden issues.

 

Aboslutely.
Thanks again

 

These are older car and they will need a lot more maintenance then a newer car. In a perfect world you would find the mechanic that will be doing all the work on the car and have him check it out. If the mechanic thinks your going to be a long term customer then he will give the car a good looking over. Most of us mechanic love to fix issues on these car but hate to deal with a car that is not put together right.

 

The car looks very nice from the pictures, but we don't have the luxury of seeing it in person. Paint can hide a lot of issues, as many of us who have restored old cars before can attest to. If you go to look at it again, take along a magnet...one of those weak thin refrigerator advertising types. Cut about a 1" square of the magnet and check how it sticks on all parts of the body. If you hit an area with a thick layer of bondo, the magnet won't stick as strong or maybe not at all. My car doesn't have power brakes or steering, and I'm fine with it. The only time it's a little harder to steer is if parallel parking, which is almost never. Eat your Wheaties and you'll be fine! To me, it's less clutter under the (ahem) hood, and a couple less things that can wear out or leak.