Hello, newbie here. I've been drooling over 67-69 Camaros; I recently sold my car, and I'm thinking about getting one of these bad boys. But, I don't know anything about Camaros and I have zero experience with classic American cars, so I have some newbie questions.

1) Leaded gas was phased out in 73 I believe, so a Camaro of these years would required leaded gas? If so is there some sort of conversion that needs to be done so it could run on unleaded gas? How much would this cost?

2) I'm in Kalifornia, where the weather is nice, women have implants, and government have regulations about everything. I'm pretty sure 67-69 won't require smog and all that, but if I import one from out of state (say one that's not exactly "stock"), will they look under the hood anyway and go... hey, that's not original, and smack me in the face with some law? My current impression is that as long as it's before 75, and it's not shooting flames out of the exhaust, you just pay the registration fees and no questions asked.

3) Anyone with positive and/or negative experiences with this car that would like to share?

Thanks a lot.

 

i know the 69 Z28's had a 302 in them and were the only chevy car with a 302 but those camaros were still awesome

 

they also cost an arm and aleg though

 

first, leaded vs today's gas can be a problem. The first problem is octane rating. Leaded premium was higher octane than anything you can buy at normal stations. Generally if you run a classic car on today's premium it will do okay, although some of the more extreme ones will knock (pre-detonation) and you have to back off the timing. You can use octace booster (you buy in a can at the auto store) but that is expensive. (((As a sidebar, note that 1970s 100 octane premium was not 100 octane buy today's standard -- it was closer to about 96-98, but was slightly higher than our typical 93 octane today).
Second problem is heating. Unleaded gas is harsher on valves and tends to burn both valve and valve seat on stock 60s and 70s engines. Usually people have newer, harder metallic seats and valves put in when they rebuild (hard to believe you will find a late 60s car that hasn't had its engine rebuilt).

Second, I don't know California laws. But look, probably half or all '67-'69 Camaro left today are on the road in California already, so just shop around. You can check the laws, too, but it probably is a hassle: nearly everything else is CA is, why should this be different?

Third, general positive and negatives. First, speaking of implants . . . for much the same reason that women have their ***** augmented, many owners "upgrade" their cars, by implanting a new, bigger size engine. Very few Camaros on this generation that you find are going to be stock, and many arte going to be far, far from stock. A lot of 327 and 350s running around now were original 6-cylinder cars, more than a few 396s left the factory with the 2 barrel carb, 210 HP small block 327: some of these "implants" are very sloppy, and just like with the other type of implant, when you get close, you can tell it was a poor job: springs, suspension, differential and etc were not upgraded to handle the greater power and weight of the engine. The car is a pig. Beyond that, a lot of the big blocks (396) are very upgraded now: a few owners keep their 396 as a 396, but a lot go to 427, 454, a 472 or a 502.

And then there is the 302. This was a rare engine back then: a GM design that reduced displacement of the small block to just below the 5-liter limit for "stock" road racing and added all sorts of goodies to make the car FAST. It came out in late '67 as the Z28 (I've been told, never seen a '67 Z28) but early Z28s did not say "Z38" anywhere on them (just had a 302 badge as the only indicator) and the 302 was the only engine in the Z28, back when that code really meant "You're not really going to drive this on the street are you? We made it for racing." They came with a set of headers (in the trunk, you had to put them on yourself) and those are rare things indeed today, if you can find a set you just have to pay what people demand.
A real, verifiable this-came-from-the-factory-this-way 68 or 69 Z28 is VERY pricey. But be very careful:: there are probably more 302s running around in full Z28 garb today than the factory built in the 60s. These aren't necessarily bad cars, a clone (basic car someone converted to a premium model) is a good bargain if it was upgraded well and the price is right.

Finally, these cars rust. The floorpans around the driver and front passenger seats, and right above the windshield on the roof, as well as all the usual spots rocker panels, etc.

However, don't let that deter you. You can buy EVERY part needed to build a 1969 Camaro from

 

Thanks for reply, it was very informative. I remember seeing "Z28 clones" for sale, wasn't sure what that meant, but now I do.

 

First of all, know that older cars are a lot of work and usually require a great deal time and money. That being said, I myself have a 1968 Camaro and I would never trade it for anything.
As for your concerns with emissions, it isn't a big deal. Anything 25 years or older falls under a number of exemption laws. Basically, the worst situation is that you will need to make sure the car has all emissions control devices that it was originally supplied with; which in 1967-1969 wasn't a whole lot. As for the leaded/unleaded gasoline situation the basics are this: engine valves and valve seats (in particular) were not made from a hardened metal; most were cut into the cast iron head itself. The lead in the gasoline acted as a lubricant where the valve and seat came together to prevent wear. Unleaded gasoline does not have the lead and thus no lubricant for the old metals; which is why they crack running on unleaded fuel. If it hasn't been done already, the cylinder heads will need to be removed and machined for hardened valve seats. The seats will need to be installed and cut, replacing the valves and having them ground to fit the new seats at this time is also advised. That is the minimum you are looking at, however i would recommend a full cylinder head rebuild if you are going this far anyway, the difference should only be a few hundred dollars. Having hardened valves and seats installed should be done by a reputable machine shop and cost around $600 (depending on labor), if you live in or near south Orange County, where I used to live, I could recommend a shop.

jm