i am looking at picking up a 1971 ss/rs and yes it is real z27 on the cowl tag. i can pick this car up for 3,500 bucks and it runs pretty darn good. the heads have been replaced, the guy said due to one cracked and I don't know if the block is number matching. it is an original blue plate cali car with very very little rust at all. one wierd thing is that it is an automatic with a column shifter not a console. it does have the large tail on it as well but that could have been added?
what do you guys think?

 

Sounds like a no brainer to me. Any complete SS/RS is well worth $3500, even if it isn't running, as long as it's not a rust bucket. As for the spoiler, all the 1970's came with low one piece, but only the first of the 1971's had the low one piece. Later 71's had the three piece, so it could well be original.
Have you checked under the back seat cushion for the build sheet? Mine was there, and I've got it in a plastic sleeve for posterity

 

More info;
It does not have a tach, but for a column style shifter, should it?
It is obvious that it is an RS, but does the Z27 on the cowl tag mean it is also an SS? It has the correct badging, but no adjustable mirror, might have been changed. I checked the block code and it is not number matching. Motor is from a 1973 truck, not sure about the trans yet. Runs and drives good, all lights and guages seem to work, just needs love.
is this worth the 3500 or more the way it sits?

Thanks, Greg

 

Drove it today. Full posi, did a little power brake just to check, NICE! Someone has removed the power steering pump so it drives like semi with flat tires. I plan on bringing it home on wednesday. As soon as I get it home I'm going to look for the build sheet behind the back seat and if not there I want to try above the gas tank. Any tips on lowering the tank enough to see?

 

I've never heard of a build sheet being on top the gas tank? It would be ruined and useless if it was there. Mine was stuck under the seat bottom cushion springs.

 

Can't say that I've heard or seen that about the Camaro. But, the Corvettes' build sheet was attached to the top of the tank. The build sheet listed all the car's options and was there so that the assembly line workers knew what options to put on the car. The reason it was on the Vette's tank is because it is a full frame car, and it would be rolling down the assembly line with the body off as the selected drivetrain components were attached. You can't do that with the unibody Camaro, so putting a build sheet on the tank wouldn't make sense since the tank would have been installed further down the line. For the Camaro, the build sheet was referred to during assembly, and then stuffed somewhere in the car.

 

Where all did they put the build sheets on the Camaros? I know mine isn't under the seat but I've heard of a couple of other places like in the passenger fender area. I think someone else on here also said on top of the gas tank a while back.

 

Not sure if all of them were under the rear seat cushion, but since I got my car when it was two years old nobody had disturbed it yet.

 

WOW, 2 years old, pretty cool!! A lot of build sheets got ruined after being on the gas tank for 30+ years, but that's where I have heard some were. The seats in the car I am getting were recently re-done by the current owner, but he said he did not know if it was there or not because he did not pull the seats out the shop did. If it was there, what are the odds they left it alone or put it back. Maybe they didn't touch the foam and only put new covers on the rear. oh well, i'll know in a couple of days. If I don't find it there, I'm goin after the gas tank.

 

Empty the tank first! That sucker is heavy, especially full! Gas weighs about 7 lbs. per gallon!