My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
#1
09-09-2007, 10:11 PM
My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
Hi everyone. I’m new here but not to first generation Camaros. Let me tell you my story. I bought my first 1967 Camaro about 30 years ago when I was in my first year of College. It was a navy blue coup with no engine but came with a four speed standard trany. I just happened to have 350 engine that I rebuilt and put in it. From that moment I fell in love with these cars. I later bought another 67 coup for parts only. I had the first one for about a year before I lost control on a slippery Canadian winter road and hit a 6 foot snow bank head on at 40 mph. The car was totaled.
I couldn’t be without a Camaro and I had a lot of spare parts so I bought another one. It is a 1967 Camaro RS convertible with a newer 350 cid engine. The original was a 327 210 hp but was long gone. Everything else on the car was original including the paint. No bodywork was done on it before. I purchased it from the original women owner. It came with factory power windows, console with clock, power steering and brakes, AM radio, remote driver’s side mirror, and 12 bolt posi rear end. One option I was surprised that it didn’t have was the deluxe interior. The car was white with a black roof and black interior. I paid $750 Canadian and all my friends thought I paid too much but I knew it was something special. I drove it for one year when I decided to restore it. I completely stripped it down and had everything except exterior body panels sand blasted. I primed and painted everything. The floorboards and trunk were in fairly good condition with only a few small holes that had to be repaired. I replaced one rear quarter partial panel, both door skins and patched both fenders.
At the time General Motors was starting to run out of 1967 Camaro parts and I new I would have a hard time finding some of them so I purchased a GM Camaro parts catalog and made a list of all the important parts I needed. Reproduction parts were not yet available. I purchased all new RS chrome, grill, emblems, weather-stripping and many other parts. I had the bumpers straightened and re-chromed.
While I was doing this work I couldn’t stand being without a drivable Camaro so I bought another 1967 convertible with an original 327 210 hp V8. It had factory cruise control, a very rare option and a fold down rear seat. I have read that the fold down rear seat was not available on the convertible but I see no reason to think it was added later. It had major body work done to it but it wasn’t very straight. It really didn’t mater because I just want it while I was restoring the RS convertible. It was medium blue with a blue interior. I had it for only a few weeks when I took it on a major trip from southern Ontario Canada to South Dakota for a vacation. On the way back, only an hour away from home, I was in a major accident and the car was totaled. My girlfriend at the time and I were both sent to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.
I now had another parts car for my restoration. I took the all original engine from the medium blue car and rebuilt it. I put it in the RS and ran it for about a half hour. It wasn’t long before I bought another 1967 Camaro convertible for my everyday transportation. It was a 1967 red Camaro convertible with power windows and a newer 350 engine. I drove it for about a year when I decided to sell it and get a more practical car for everyday use.
The red one was my final Camaro that I purchased. That makes 2 coups and 3 convertibles, all were 1967s. Unfortunately 3 of them made it to the scrap yard after striping them down and either selling or keeping as may parts as I could.
I originally started the RS restoration at my parents’ house but soon ran out of room and had to move. I rented several different garages but it seems as if I was forced to move every 6 months. I finally found a garage that I thought would be temporary until I got things sorted out. This garage was
I couldn’t be without a Camaro and I had a lot of spare parts so I bought another one. It is a 1967 Camaro RS convertible with a newer 350 cid engine. The original was a 327 210 hp but was long gone. Everything else on the car was original including the paint. No bodywork was done on it before. I purchased it from the original women owner. It came with factory power windows, console with clock, power steering and brakes, AM radio, remote driver’s side mirror, and 12 bolt posi rear end. One option I was surprised that it didn’t have was the deluxe interior. The car was white with a black roof and black interior. I paid $750 Canadian and all my friends thought I paid too much but I knew it was something special. I drove it for one year when I decided to restore it. I completely stripped it down and had everything except exterior body panels sand blasted. I primed and painted everything. The floorboards and trunk were in fairly good condition with only a few small holes that had to be repaired. I replaced one rear quarter partial panel, both door skins and patched both fenders.
At the time General Motors was starting to run out of 1967 Camaro parts and I new I would have a hard time finding some of them so I purchased a GM Camaro parts catalog and made a list of all the important parts I needed. Reproduction parts were not yet available. I purchased all new RS chrome, grill, emblems, weather-stripping and many other parts. I had the bumpers straightened and re-chromed.
While I was doing this work I couldn’t stand being without a drivable Camaro so I bought another 1967 convertible with an original 327 210 hp V8. It had factory cruise control, a very rare option and a fold down rear seat. I have read that the fold down rear seat was not available on the convertible but I see no reason to think it was added later. It had major body work done to it but it wasn’t very straight. It really didn’t mater because I just want it while I was restoring the RS convertible. It was medium blue with a blue interior. I had it for only a few weeks when I took it on a major trip from southern Ontario Canada to South Dakota for a vacation. On the way back, only an hour away from home, I was in a major accident and the car was totaled. My girlfriend at the time and I were both sent to the hospital by ambulance with minor injuries.
I now had another parts car for my restoration. I took the all original engine from the medium blue car and rebuilt it. I put it in the RS and ran it for about a half hour. It wasn’t long before I bought another 1967 Camaro convertible for my everyday transportation. It was a 1967 red Camaro convertible with power windows and a newer 350 engine. I drove it for about a year when I decided to sell it and get a more practical car for everyday use.
The red one was my final Camaro that I purchased. That makes 2 coups and 3 convertibles, all were 1967s. Unfortunately 3 of them made it to the scrap yard after striping them down and either selling or keeping as may parts as I could.
I originally started the RS restoration at my parents’ house but soon ran out of room and had to move. I rented several different garages but it seems as if I was forced to move every 6 months. I finally found a garage that I thought would be temporary until I got things sorted out. This garage was
#2
09-10-2007, 06:01 AM
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Northern VA (but still in the south)
Posts: 4,010
RE: My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
Welcome to the forums. Sounds like you really like the 67's. Nice to see more 1st gen enthusiasts on here. Post up some pictures when you get a chance.
#5
09-10-2007, 05:00 PM
RE: My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
You have a great story. It's very touching. It just shows how attached we can really get to our cars. Good luck with your restoration and welcome.
#7
09-11-2007, 08:05 PM
RE: My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
Welcome!
Post some pics up...everyone loves first gen's almost as much as 3rd gen's
Post some pics up...everyone loves first gen's almost as much as 3rd gen's
#9
09-12-2007, 05:22 AM
RE: My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
Thanks everyone. I’ll try to get some pictures soon.
Hey Rand, my insurance rates never went up. The first accident was never reported and the second was not my fault. At today’s prices I don’t think I’ll be buying another one soon. They were really cheap back then.
Hey Rand, my insurance rates never went up. The first accident was never reported and the second was not my fault. At today’s prices I don’t think I’ll be buying another one soon. They were really cheap back then.
#10
09-16-2007, 04:28 PM
RE: My 1967 Camaro RS convertible story
Here are a few pictures of my car. It’s a little dusty but it has been sitting for 20 years. I just haven’t had a chance to clean it up.
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/6EAD3A36F71941519309D5876CCFAE68.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/F5C8FE1CEC2B4D1F83E2FCE2C05ED1DD.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/BA7C093B37514D08A22C078DE2F45565.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/403CE0CF5FF04DC8B70FDA0C6A5B8618.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/6602D13B77E54890869132710B9BD943.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/6EAD3A36F71941519309D5876CCFAE68.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/F5C8FE1CEC2B4D1F83E2FCE2C05ED1DD.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/BA7C093B37514D08A22C078DE2F45565.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/403CE0CF5FF04DC8B70FDA0C6A5B8618.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]local://upfiles/9630/6602D13B77E54890869132710B9BD943.jpg[/IMG]