Help buying 69 Camaro....

[Dirtcrasher]

OK, so the girl I'm dating has always wanted a 69 Camaro. She has been talking about a 69 Camaro for months and today comes upon a nice one and wants to buy it. I am not a muscle car expert, I do know what patched/hacked junk is but not an expert. She found a 1969 SS clone (not originally an SS) but a very nice car nonetheless. 355 motor, standard tranny (I forget the fancy name) and a 12 bolt rear end. I crawled all around this car and it is very straight and nice, the interior is excellant and it runs and boots very well. But, again - I know nothing about these other than an EBAY search. They were asking 18K and she offered 15K which was agreed upon. Trunk, floors, mounts etc all look very nice. Car has been restored but again it looks to be well done. These cars seem to fetch quite a bit of cash and I just want to be sure it's worth it, where I can get information on it and what you experts would look for. Thanks for any help!!!!!!

[DeePa]

kelly's blue book will tell you what you want

[cliff2302]

alright man, i worked at Camaro Specialties for 5 years on and off, heres the rundown.

Look at the rear quarters real good, i have NEVER seen a camaro with original quarters. If they did them right, there WILL be a skim coat of bondo, no way around it unless they leaded it. Look in the rear posts for any bubling, and open the trunk too look at the trunk seams. There will be a weatherstrip along the trunk seam, so look around it for any bent metal, bondo, etc.
Camaros also rotted out in the front cowl, among other places. you can't see this unless you take the front fenders off.
more rot prone places:
crawl underneath and look at the floor boards, once again, i have never seen many camaros with original floor boards. (I'm from NY though) look for patches, jagged metal, anything that looks out of the ordinary.
As for the 355, originality makes up most of the camaro's price. Check out the VIN #, and see what it originally came with. Is it a Muncie tranny or Saginaw? big difference between the two. Muncies are more desirable, but it depends on the model. If its an aluminum tranny: M20, not so good, M21, getting better, M22, rock crucsher, $1200 tranny. The best way to find out which it is is to take it out and look at the imput shaft. If the tranny is cast iron, its a saginaw. lower first gear, but wider ratio. good tranny, but worth less moeny

15K doesn't sound too bad, but i would be worried about buying it without someone who knows the cars checking it out.

If you have any specific questions, send them too me. If i cant answer them, i know people who can. Good luck, hope your g/f didn't get burned
Joe

[69HemiGTX]

Nice info, Joe. Me being a Mopar guy, I wouldn't know where to start with an F-body. The one good thing about any Camaro, especially a 69, is that you can buy almost every single part ever offered for one brand new, and relatively cheap. Remember, I'm a Mopar guy, and here lately, our market has exploded, so broken 71 'Cuda grilles that fetch $2000 are the norm. Just be glad she isn't buying an E-body Mopar!

[cliff2302]

Forgot the most important part, check the frame rails in the back, they are very prone to rotting. Also, see if the rear end is a posi, and get the gear ratio. nice 12 bolts dring $1000 or more if they are posi and have good gears. Sorry i didn't put that in my first post, i had just came back from the bar and wasn't in my right mind. later

[threewheelin-feelin]

is it a monsee 4 speed ? i think that how its spelled....and if it been completly restored then 15k sounds about right...would be more if it was a true ss

[Mobular]

Muncie 4 gear....

[OldSchoolin86]

kelly's blue book will tell you what you want

LMAO, good one!

[84honda 200X]

69hemigtx is right you can get what ever part you want you can even buy brand new bodys for them. Im also a mopar guy and have been trying to get my dad to sell me one of his Challengers. I think your g/f picked a nice GM car if i had to buy a GM car it would be a camaro or a firebird those are the only ones i like.

[Dirtcrasher]

It's a Doug Nash tranny SP???? I'll check those frame rails... Thanks very much for all the replies!

[cliff2302]

Doug nash trannys are aftermarket 5 or 6 speeds, very very nice and expensive