SSMOKE-U

I am looking for a 69 Camaro, preferably project car, to work on with my pops. Where is a good place to look for such a car??

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

I can help you out, since i've just been shopping for about 3 months for one and found mine. Here are the links I used:

http://www.carbuyer.com/search/camaro.phtml
http://www.ecoastcc.com/camaro.htm
http://greatvehicles.chooseyouritem....cgi/search.cgi
http://www.cars-on-line.com/camaromenu.html
http://www.motorheadtrader.com/board...et%2C%20Camaro (I found mine here)
http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com
http://www.racingjunk.com

Learn more about what you are buying here:
http://www.camaros.net/links/Cool/
http://www.chevy-camaro.com/chevy-ca...ecode-1969.htm

That should keep you busy for a LONG time! I think I shopped for about 3 hours a night for 3 weeks in the last few weeks. Feel free to email me with any links of cars you find if you want my opinion on them.

Tony

GMBOYZ

Are these expensive cars to buy and fix up? A '69 Camaro is high on my list of project cars, but I don't want to end up with a money pit. Is it best to buy one that's already in fair condition and won't need a lot of work? I would plan to keep it mostly stock except maybe try to bring the SBC up to LT1 or LS1 levels of power.

Rob G

Try to buy one with the least amount of rust or body work needed. And 69 camaro prices today are somewhat inflated so you'll be lucky to find a "deal." Otherwise, they have a huge aftermarket, theres parts virtually offered for most replacements. My brother and I bought a 69 camaro for a 1000 bucks and we had to do all the body work, add engine/transmission, and interior. We replaced every single body panel on the car except the roof. IF you want a decent running camaro expect to spend 7-12k on it, regardless if you fix it up or if you buy one already "fixed" up/

Jon

They can get pretty expensive if you buy one that has been eaten up with rust. I have to replace both my rear quarter panels, rear light panel, door skins, and rocker panels.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Two words: AVOID RUST

Unless you know how to weld new body panels in place and have alot of free time, I'd find one that has a body that is rust-free and completed. There are actually quite a few cars out there that were someone else's project that they didn't finish for whatever reason.

Luckily, body panels are pretty cheap for these cars if you can do the welding yourself. Fenders are around $200 each, quarters about $250 each, hood is $200, door skins around $150, etc...

Interior items are dirt cheap also, so don't base a purchase on the interior. You could buy the seat skins, door panels, carpet, headliner, dash pad, etc.. for less than a grand total and have a like-new interior.

Having a straight, rust-free body is THE most important thing. Also include floorpans and trunk floor in that body, as those are prone to rusting out also.

67-68 Camaros are sold much cheaper than 69s, even in the same condition. The 69s just bring in more demand since they are the most popular of the three.

To get an idea of replacement part costs, check these out:

www.RicksCamaros.com
www.YearOne.com

Tony

SSteveL

Nine Ball,

Good, solid info.

I think if I were going to get a 1st gen project Camaro, I'd opt for a '67 or '68. It's funny that even though the '69 is more popular, there were more produced (the model year was longer than normal), so you wouldn't necessarily expect '69 prices to be so high. Obviously, they'd be even higher if fewer were produced.

<small>[ March 24, 2003, 01:01 AM: Message edited by: SSteveL ]</small>

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Yes, but the 1969 is the only Camaro model that has an exclusive body. The body style was only built for one year, and no other Camaros have that claim. The 67-68 share the same body panels, just slightly different trim/chrome.

I prefer the grille, interior, tail lights, and fender sweeps on the 69 more. The cowl hood was also introduced in 69.

Tony