1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 – LeMans Blue CE302 Factory M22 Rockcrusher 3.73 Posi

CamaroNews found this gem on Ebay, you have to see this real 69 Z/28! Read the owners story below. This car is a total masterpiece and a work of art!

1969 Camaro Z/28 LeMans Blue / CE302 Factory M22 Rockcrusher 3.73 Posi

Offered for sale is my 1969 Z/28. I call it a driver survivor – not restored or perfect – but a blast to drive anywhere! I haven’t even washed it in the last couple of years – just dust off and go… Lots of original stuff plus some new, along with a little fluffing…

This car previously belonged to a lifelong friend of mine, Danny, who sadly passed away over a decade ago. The first time I saw this Z was when he called me back in 1980 and wanted me to check it out for him. The car was just brought into California (out of New York I believe) and it was mostly original paint, all stock and very unmolested at that time. It has remained in this area (within a 50 mile radius) since it first arrived. I do not have any history on the car before 1980. Unfortunately NCRS shipping data reports are not available for Norwood Camaros in this VIN range.

Evidently the original owner blew up the DZ 302 within the first month, and a warranty replacement block was installed. Danny was an avid drag boat racer, and into hot rods and motorcycles. Basically he liked things fast, loud and shiny. As such, he ended up chroming many parts under the hood of this car, and what wasn’t chromed he painted blue – including the engine. Also did the typical black paint on everything under the car, gas tank and all, moved the battery to the trunk, etc. This car was always a show winner at many events – Super Chevy Sundays, Good Guys and others, and a local favorite at Sears Point Raceway in Sonoma as well. Here are some details about the car:

Early Norwood built Z/28; 10A of 1968, N515415 (both hidden VIN’s match). Less than 50K original miles on the car itself. NO FACTORY supporting documents in my possession. Original flat hood car with the factory installed short spoiler package. Has a CE9 302 engine (recently rebuilt), born-with matching numbers M22 Rockcrusher (not a made up M22) and the original 3.73 Posi.

Most of the body panels are factory original to the car, other than the two fenders and the cowl hood. Back in the 80’s, one fender got damaged and Danny went to the Chevrolet dealer and purchased a new one. I believe the fender extension was also replaced. The antenna hole was never punched on the replacement fender and it remains that way. Sometime later the other fender was damaged and also replaced, and the cowl hood was added as well. It’s an original GM date coded cowl hood, and I think it may have originally been from another car because it has hood locks installed in the hood but there are no signs of the related hood pins ever being attached to the radiator support.

Some of the paint is original, and some has been repainted (the front end for sure and the driver’s side quarter panel). Door jambs and inner trunk are original, as well as perhaps the roof and rear sections of the car. There are minor rust bubbles on the bottom of the driver side quarter and door (see photos), but they are solid. The paint looks great from 10 feet away, but has the typical age issues you would expect. The pics don’t show all the fading, spots, etc. but they are there. There is cracking in the paint on the drivers quarter (see photo) but I don’t believe the quarter was really damaged since there are no signs of any bodywork inside the trunk (which remains unrestored). That repair was done before 1980 and the cracking is probably just due to bad prep and finish work back then and old age. The header panel is original and still has original LeMans blue paint and white stripes under the grill reinforcement. There are still remnants of the original blue paint and factory white out under the cowl area as well. The trunk floor has small pinholes in the lower section but the rest is solid with the original unrestored finish. I added a trunk mat to cover and protect it rather than try any restoration efforts.

All original glass in good condition. Excellent mostly original interior – except for faded carpet (must have been replaced long ago) and the rear package shelf that I installed. Curled dash pad of course. Walnut wheel has separation crack on the bottom. Everything works except for the wipers, clock and reverse lights (no linkage). I have the original wiper arms, but do not have the wiper blade assemblies. Originally had an AM radio, which is long gone. I installed a repro radio delete plate because I prefer to listen to the car versus the radio. Exhaust is aftermarket chambered system. Wheels on the car are generic 15 x 7’s, but included is an AD spare (freshly stripped and ready for paint).

When I got the car it was not running and it sat dormant for the previous ten years before Danny passed away. I recently had the engine rebuilt (roughly $10K) to oem 302 specs, but with some HD upgrades for strength and longevity. Engine codes: 3932386, cast J 22 8, CE936525. The oem crank was not so great, so I purchased a custom ultra-light Scat 302 crank. Went with 6” rods and custom made pistons (.020 over) to achieve a true 11 to 1 CR. Had the heads updated with screw in studs and guide plates, hardened valve seats, etc. Has rollers rockers. Broke the engine in properly on a dyno and did a few light runs achieving about 340 HP. I didn’t care about maxing out the HP, just wanted it to run great and be strong. Has new replacement carb, non-original dist, repro exhaust manifolds, repro cowl air cleaner assembly, repro deep groove pulleys, etc. Runs like a bat outa-hell……

Still retains its Born-with matching numbers M22 Rockcrusher, which I freshened when I rebuilt the engine. Stamped P9P12, 1N515415, metal trans tag shows 3950318. The internals were in very good unrestored original shape, but I replaced second and third gear since it was apart anyway. Still have the original gears that came out of it. Rear end is internally original and has not been retored, other than some cosmetics, axle bearings and brake parts.

I had to undo all of the blue and chrome customizing effects that Danny did under the hood, and detail the bottom of the car as well. Tried to duplicate the factory look but wasn’t trying to do a 100% factory oem resto. Had to remove the front end for those efforts, so I detailed the subframe and replaced all the bushings, ball joints, subframe bushings, brake lines, wire harnesses, etc. at the same time. Everything is still fresh with less than 5K miles on it at this point in time. I kept most of the original parts that were not restored or reinstalled, and they are included with the car.

Original parts not installed but included with the sale:
Front calipers (unrestored), Brake booster (painted black), date coded gas tank (painted black and scuffed on bottom but still good), date coded Hurst shifter body (I installed the oem handle assembly in a new shifter that doesn’t use the rubber inserts on the rod ends so it shifts much better), date coded radiator (I ran it until recently and it worked fine, but replaced it with a new repro to feel more reliable), manual steering box (I upgraded to P/S, coincidentally with correct date coded items), master cylinder cover (chromed), deep groove harmonic balancer and water pump pulleys (chromed), 7708 harmonic balancer (painted blue), horn cap (wouldn’t stay on the repro horn contact I installed), non-cowl air cleaner base (I used the lid on my other Z), M22 2nd and 3rd gears and internal parts, and probably more oem items that I can’t think recall at the moment.

The personal California license plates are not included (unless you convince me otherwise).

I highly recommend you inspecting the car in person, or have someone inspect it for you, prior to purchasing it. There is no way my description and pictures can provide all the details you need to make a good purchase decision.

Any and all shipping arrangements are to be made by the buyer. I am willing to drop off the car in a nearby location if that is helpful. The car can stay at my place for a short time if necessary while you make shipping arrangements, but must be paid for in full within 3 days of auction end. Serious buyers only, no refunds on deposits if you fail to complete the deal.