This is my first post, fittingly on my birthday. One day, a long time ago, I was driving down a main street in a small city in Oregon, and I saw a Camaro in a used-car lot. It had a big sign on its windshield, saying $3000.00. I pulled in and the salesman and I took it for a test drive. To his horror, the heater core failed and dumped radiator fluid all over his shoes, and I agreed to buy the car if they replaced the core. And the rest is history. It was a 1968 SS, but not original, as it started life as a 396, and it possessed a 327 instead. Also, the Muncie had changed into a Saginaw, and whoever built the 327 failed to match its torque curve with the rear-end gear ratio. Getting it off the line became an exercise in revving the engine, slipping the clutch, and on occasion restarting the engine after I succeeded in stalling it. It was very fundamental, no power steering, no power brakes, and it had the world’s heaviest clutch pedal ever. But I bought it, and for five years I drove it as my every-day car, and smiled. It was a very rare color, Cordovan Maroon, with black vinyl top, and Centerline mags, 14” on the front, 15” in back and it just looked so good, it made me smile every time I got in it. I read somewhere that Chevrolet only offered that color in 1968, and only on Camaros and Corvettes. Further, the article stated only 3% of 1968 Camaros were painted with that scheme. I re-cammed it, changed rear end ring and pinion (plus new axles) and other than that, just drove it. My best friend back then was a pure-black wolf hybrid named Targus (3/4 wolf, ¼ German Shepherd), unbelievably noble, and he would sit up on the front passenger seat, and we were a vision. That was in the ‘80’s, a very smoky and long-haired time in my life. Ultimately Targus the Wonder Dog lost the light and the air, filling me with sorrow, and the Camaro got parked in my garage while my life transformed the way life does. But after 5 years of use, Ricky Camaro was amortized, and I had a free Camaro with plans for someday… When I figure out how to upload photos, I’ll post a picture of a very good looking car, from an age when a car’s design wasn’t created in a wind tunnel. Now I am old, and Ricky Camaro is going through a frame-up restoration, and soon, he will be back on the road, somewhat re-configured, but still essentially true to design specs. First generation Camaro’s stir my soul.

 

kool, looking forward to the photos. welcome to the forum, good to have you with us. enjoy.

 

I was rocking a '69 back in the late '70's and '80s also bought in a small town in Oregon.I had to let mine go when I was raising a family and buying a piece of property for a future home (1987 bought the land,still living on it since 1992) Wish I could have stashed the Camaro away,who knew what they'd be worth these days sheese!
Welcome aboard,looking forward to pics.

 

Welcome to the club

 

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