Steve's Camaro Parts: November 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts - 1969 Camaro Parts & Restoration Specifications - Steves Camaro Parts San Bruno - 650-873-1890

1969 Camaro Parts & Restoration Specifications

The 1969 Camaro marked the last of the first generations and is arguably the most popular. While it shared the same basic body style as its earlier siblings, it featured entirely new, more aggressive looking sheet metal and an entirely revised grille. The familiar coke bottle shape was flatted more to give the 1969 Camaro a lower and wider looking stance. The grille was much more angled and the parking lamps were moved to the lower front valance below the bumper. Other than the roof itself, the 1969 Camaro doesn’t share very much sheet metal with earlier models.

The 1969 Camaro was available in many different configurations. From a plain Jane sport coupe to asphalt eating Super Sport, there was something for everyone! All 1969 Camaros shared the same body unlike the Chevelle and were available in either coupe or convertible. Buyers could choose from the base model Sport Coupe, drag strip ready Super Sport, or road racing Z-28. The Rally Sport option with hidden headlights could be added as a separate packing to any of those models.

Interiors were only available with bucket seats and were available in a variety of colors and styles. Standard interiors were available in Black, Dark Blue, Red, White, Light Green, or Dark Metallic Green. Buyers who ordered a deluxe interior received unique door panels with molded in arm rests and Comfortweave seats with color choices of Black, Dark Blue, Light Green, Dark Metallic Green, or Red. Even rarer was the deluxe Houndstooth interior with unique pleats in Black, Orange, Yellow, or White. A fold down rear seat was available but very rare. An optional console was available with our without gauges. The buyer could have ordered a number of different exterior colors including Tuxedo Black, Butternut Yellow, Dover White, Dusk Blue, Garnet Red, Glacier Blue, Azure Turquoise, Fathom Green, Frost Green, Burnished Brown, Champagne, Olympic Gold, Burgundy, Cortez Silver, LeMans Blue, Hugger Orange, Daytona Yellow, or Rallye Green. Two tone color combinations were available in Glacier Blue/Dover White, Azure Turquoise/Dover White, Glacier Blue/Dusk Blue, Dusk Blue/Glacier Blue, Olympic Gold/Dover White, and Burnished Brown/Champagne.

To complement the wide variety of available colors were the available drive train combination's that could be opted for on the 1969 Camaro. Base power was had by one of two available six cylinder engines. Buyers who wanted more power could opt for a V-8. Manual transmissions were either 3 speeds or 4 speeds. The 2 speed Powerglide was the standard transmission and a 3 speed Turbo Hydramatic was optional.

About 243,000 1969 Camaros were produced.

1969 Camaro

Models

1969 Camaro Standard Sport Coupe

1969 Camaro Rally Sport (hidden headlights)

1969 Camaro Super Sport

1969 Camaro Rally Sport Super Sport (RS/SS)

1969 Camaro Z/28

1969 Camaro Rally Sport Z/28 (RS/Z/28)

Body Styles

2 Door Coupe

2 Door Convertible (except Z/28)

Engine Options

230 cubic inch 140 horsepower 6 cylinder (base)

250 cubic inch 155 horsepower 6 cylinder (optional)

302 cubic inch 290 horsepower V8 (base Z/28, Z/28 only)

307 cubic inch 200 horsepower V8 (base)

327 cubic inch 210 horsepower V8 (replaced by 307 January 69’)

350 cubic inch 255 horsepower V8 (optional, dropped midway)

350 cubic inch 250 horsepower V8 (optional late in the year)

350 cubic inch 300 horsepower V8 (base Super Sport, SS only)

396 cubic inch 325 horsepower V8 (optional Super Sport, SS only)

396 cubic inch 350 horsepower V8 (optional Super Sport, SS only)

396 cubic inch 375 horsepower V8 (optional Super Sport, SS only)

427 cubic inch 430 horsepower V8 (Central Office Production Order COPO)

427 cubic inch 435 horsepower V8 (Central Office Production Order COPO)

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

Tags: camaro part, camaro parts, Camaro restoration parts, 69 camaro, 1969 camaro, aftermarket camero parts, chevrolet camaro, ss, z28, rs, chevrolet, restoration, 68 camaro, chevy, 67, 69, f-body, camaro, chevy camaro, chevrolet camaro, gm, z-28, 350, ls1, z/28, pace car, camaro ss, 69 camaro, first generation, copo, fbody, yenko, 67 camaro, 68 camaro, musclecar, second generation

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts - Ron's 1969 RS/SS Camaro - one of our Customers - Steves Camaro Parts San Bruno - 650-873-1890

Ron's 1969 RS/SS Camaro at Concours on the Avenues in Carmel

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts - 1967 - 1969 Camaro Wheels Offset - Steves Camaro Parts - San Bruno - 650-873-1890

Wheels Offset

...One of the most popular questions we have heard here is, " How do I measure a wheel's offset and what is the difference between a wheel's offset and it's backspacing?" At Steves Camaros, we handle a number of different types of wheels and we would like to help clear up any misunderstandings.
A wheel's backspacing refers to the measurement taken perpendicular from the mounting inner face of the wheel (the contact point where the wheel meets the brake rotor or drum) to the inner rim height.

A wheel offset refers to the distance between the mounting surface of the wheel and the rim centerline. The offset is positive when the mounting pad is outboard of the rim centerline and negative when inboard of the rim centerline. See Diagram for a complete understanding of these two important concepts.

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Classic Camaro Parts - Camaro Under Body 67-68-69 Camaro/Firebird Frames Basic Dimensions. - Steves Camaro Parts - 650-873-1890

Camaro Unibody Frame Dimensions

Under Body 67-68-69 Camaro/Firebird Frames Basic Dimensions.

These are the Basic measurements from Fisher Body Specs and are modified, to correct printed errors in the Fisher Body manual.
All measurements are center to center unless otherwise noted.
Car must be setup on a level surface, for accurate measurements.
Factory Tolerance plus or minus 1/8 inch.
Note: Your car may measure out differently. This is due to difference in measuring methods used.
Most important is that the car is square and level to its self.

Note: A Tram Gauge is recommended for more accurate results, the supplied diagram is for basic building references to help with frame mounting and alignment questions, and measurements are a must when installing SUBFRAME connectors for them to be the most effective

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Friday, November 15, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts1st Generation - RallySport Hose Routing Diagrams - Steves Camaro Parts San Bruno - 650-873-1890

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts 1st Generation - Check out this 1968 Camaro Z/28 Restoration - Steves Camaro Parts San Bruno - 650-873-1890

Car owner: Jeff Gray-Ferndale Washington

This is a 1968 Camaro Z/28 and 1 of 3 1968 Camaros that were specially painted Pontiac Green and has an off white vinyl per order.

This car still has original 302-V8 and Muncie 4 speed. This is a total nut and bolt restoration! Car has been certified by Jerry Macneish. Most parts were supplied by Steve's Camaros

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Friday, November 8, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts 1st Generation - HOW GEORGE LYONS WRANGLED AND RESTORED A SUPER-RARE '69 CAMARO PACE CAR - Steve's Camaro Parts - 650-873-1890

In 1969 the Chevrolet Camaro was selected to be the Official Pace Car of the '69 Indianapolis 500. It was a repeat performance of their selection for the 1967 rendition. For the 53rd running of the race at Indy, Chevrolet knew the car had to be striking— and, indeed, the Dover White and Hugger Orange Official Pace Cars that were out in force at the track that day, were, indeed, just that.

Future collector, restorer and muscle car historian George Lyons, a budding Camaro enthusiast at the time, never could shake the indelible image of that gorgeous pace-setter, and a little over a quarter of a century later would seek out his very own '69 Camaro Pace Car. And what he eventually stumbled across in a suburban Cleveland garage while on his quest was one of the most coveted of the all the '69 Camaro pacers— a 100 percent complete, rust-free version that sported the ultra-rare L89 motor.

While historians can't agree on an exact number, the popular opinion is that only seven to ten of these 375HP versions were ever produced.

We recently sat down with George, a frequent contributor to The BLOCK, to find out how he procured this insanely rare, high profile Camaro, and restored it to the immaculate assembly-line quality machine you'll see in the photos today.

Going back as far as 1975 I had great success advertising in larger city newspapers, in the cities surrounding me, including Pittsburgh, PA, Cleveland, OH, and Buffalo, NY. I would advertise in the wanted section for particular types of cars, different collectible cars. And, of course, most of the success I had with this was well before the growth of the Internet. Back in 2001, I'd advertised in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I was looking for early Camaros, and I listed them by model: Z-28s, Super Sports, good cars or good restoration projects.

One day, I got a call from a gentleman that described a 69 Indy Pace Car Camaro Convertible, and I was immediately interested by two things he told me: It was a 396 big-block car, and it came out of Arizona. He'd purchased the car and brought it back with him to Cleveland, though he'd never really done much with it. I told him, of course, I was very interested, and made the trip to Ohio the following day. I knew it was a good bet that I'd probably see a good, solid, rust-free car, being that it was coming out of Arizona.

when I first saw the car I was thrilled with the condition, as far as being a great core car for a restoration. As I expected, there was no rust, deterioration, modifications, or damage. But, overall the car was in somewhat tired condition: very poor amateur repaint, tired interior and convertible top, and fairly tired mechanicals— but the car was 100% complete. And it just got better the more I looked… Not only was it a 396; but it was a 375hp car, the high-performance 396 paired to a 4-speed. So, then I checked the engine numbers only to find out that this was a "Code JJ" motor, which is not only a 375 but also the ultra-rare L89 Aluminum head car.

I was absolutely astounded to discover that. I'd only ever seen one other one in my life.

The word is that Chevrolet built a total of ten, which may have included the three that were used at the speedway as pace cars and backup cars. But, we do know the number is between seven and ten as the total build number of these L89 Pace Cars.

I can tell you once I saw the car and inspected it; I was determined to own it. Once I found out what it was, I mean, there was no question I was going to own this thing

I brought the car back to Erie, PA, and immediately began to sort out what I'd bought. I immediately decided that the car warranted a complete, ground-up rotisserie restoration with the highest degree of skill and new old stock quality parts. It was certainly a car that deserved to have the money spent on it, as it was such a big opportunity with it being an L89, 4-speed pace car.

In addition to the documentation I received with the car, I tracked the car back to the original selling dealer, Lamb Chevrolet in Prescott, Arizona, who are still in business today. I went so far as to visit that dealership on a trip out west, and spoke to the original selling dealer's son, who actually remembered the car. He recalled they got two pace cars, one automatic, and then this monster. I also discovered that it'd changed hands once or twice in the Prescott area.

It was a wonderful car underneath the paint, and, actually, as restorations go, this was fairly easy. Though, it did take about a year to complete. We really worked hard to restore the car to a correct assembly line level of finish and detail. We weren't trying to "over-restore" it, just trying to get the fine details right. We wanted to achieve the same paint quality, overspray, plating and assembly techniques that would have been used by the Camaro plant, when the car was built new.

We tried to build it to be an exact representation of what this car looked like in 1969. We really tried to use as many new old stock, factory GM parts as possible with this restoration. What reproduction items that are on the car, were things that were simply not available new.

I spent a good deal of time sourcing some of the best parts I could find to do the restoration. And, ultimately, I believe I achieved what I sought out to do with this car. It's an all-correct, original drivetrain car, and the mechanicals are completely rebuilt to stock specs. And it performs very strong. I've driven the car very little since it's been finished, but it runs and drives just like a brand new car. In the end, I couldn't have been happier with the way this restoration turned out.

source: https://theblock.com/news/how-george-lyons-wrangled-and-restored-super-rare-69-camaro-pace-car
by George Lyon

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts 1st Generation - The Legend of the Camaro ZL1- Steve's Camaro Parts - 650-873-1890

The ZL1 Camaro is likely the most legendary vehicle in a long and storied history of Chevrolet muscle cars. Although only 69 ZL1s slipped out GM's doors, the ones that did were the fastest cars GM would sell for decades to come. The name of the all-aluminum 427 V8 became synonymous with what remains one of the most potent Camaros to ever leave the factory.

The ZL1 Engine was never intended to be put into a street legal production car. Chevrolet had developed the engine primarily for Can-Am racing and other track use under the hood of a Corvette. Featuring aluminum heads used on the also potent L88 iron block 427, the ZL1 also featured an entirely aluminum casting of the 427 engine block. The combination resulted in an engine that was rated at 435hp and weighed about the same as a small block 327.

General consensus among those knowledgeable about ZL1s is that the engines actually produced in excess of 500hp. The engine could easily propel the Camaro in "stock" form to low 13 second ¼ miles. With minor modifications the cars were able to run deep into the 11s. In a time when muscle reigned supreme these kinds of numbers were unheard of.

The ZL1 Camaro came into existence through an exploitation of a Chevrolet factory process. The Central Office Production Order, known as COPO for short was a process that allowed vehicles to be specially ordered from the factory. The original intent was for specialty commercial vehicles, such as taxicabs or possibly trucks, although the process remains best known for the rare and special muscle cars it allowed Chevrolet dealers to produce.

Fred Gibb owned Gibb Chevrolet and was one of the dealers who were well versed in using COPO to produce rare muscle cars. Gibb Chevrolet was well known as a high performance Chevrolet dealership before Fred Gibb even conceived the Camaro ZL1. Dick Harrell, a longtime Chevrolet drag racer, had already been tuning COPO cars that Gibbs ordered for several years. The drag racer, who was already familiar with the ZL1 engine, had a hand in encouraging Fred Gibb to pitch manufacturing ZL1 Camaros to Chevrolet. Both men believed the ZL1 engine in a Camaro would prove dominant on the street and more importantly on the track for the 1969 NHRA season.

With this in mind Fred Gibb contacted Vince Piggins, who was the head of product performance for Chevrolet engineering, in the late summer of 1968. Piggins was the man with final approval over what could be ordered through the COPO system. ZL1 Camaro production would be approved, Piggins told Gibb, as long as the dealer placed an order for at least 50. Gibb said yes, Piggins approved the COPO 9560 package, and the stage was set for the production of one of the most serious Camaros Chevrolet ever built.

When the first two Dusk Blue 1969 ZL1 Camaros arrived at Gibb Chevrolet in La Harpe, Illinois neither of the cars would start due to the cold weather. That wasn't close to the worst of it for Gibb though. The sticker price on both cars, which has been previously unknown to the dealer, was over $7200. The price was significantly more than what a comparable iron blocked 427 COPO car cost. Not surprisingly, selling the expensive ZL1 turned out to be fairly sizable task.

Although 50 of the first 52 ZL1 Camaros made were shipped to Gibb Chevrolet, the dealer was ultimately only able to sell 13, with the rest being returned to Chevrolet or exchanged with other dealers. After being prepped by Gibb Chevrolet, the ZL1s were tuned by Dick Harrell. The dealership sold their last ZL1 in 1972, although it was actually repossessed and returned to them a year later. Some of the other dealerships who ended up with the now legendary cars pulled the ZL1s and replaced them with less expensive engines in order to sell the cars.

In the end, a total of 69 ZL1 Camaros were built. Even though the cars were barely street cars, they were supported by a 5 year/50,000 mile warranty. Chevrolet actually considered a regular production option ZL1 at one point in 1969 but wisely decided it was not a good idea. The ZL1 engine was also put under the hood of two Corvettes before leaving the factory. Although the cars didn't sell well when new, they certainly do now.P

The low production numbers combined with the high performance potential make the ZL1 Camaro on of the most sought after rare muscle cars ever made. Before the collector car market burst, it was thought the ZL1 would be the first Camaro to sell for a million dollars. The Grey ZL1 seen at the top of the page sold for $486,000 in 2006 and you can see the sale of Reggie Jackson's green ZL1 post market implosion in the video above.

Although the just-unveiled Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be the top-end performance package of the Camaro, Chevy's reborn muscle car, it won't…

Taking into account the ZL1's reputation for being one of the fastest and most collectible Camaros ever made, it isn't hard to see why Chevrolet opted to bypass the Z28 name (for now) and name their new car the ZL1. Giving a production vehicle the name of what has until now been a Camaro legend for not only being the most powerful ever, but also for such a limited run, doesn't exactly sit right with us but it doesn't make the 2012 Camaro ZL1 any less cool. For now at least, the legendary 1969 will remain the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of the term ZL1

(Photo Credits: Barrett-Jackson and Hemmings)

Source: Jalopnik
by Tom Joslin

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts 1st Generation - One of our Customers Car- Steve's Camaro Parts - 650-873-1890

Here are some pictures of one of my customers car. Daniel's 67 Camaro finally complete after 5 years of Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Great Job!!!!

No Other Camaro Supplier in the Business Comes Close to Our Selection. We have been serving the Camaro Community since 1976 and Supplying Camaro Parts since 1981.

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com

Friday, November 1, 2013

Classic Camaro Parts 1st Generation - 1967 Camaro Exhaust Systems Diagram and Data - Steve's Camaro Parts - 650-873-1890

The Camaro exhaust system employs a transversally mounted muffler located between the real axle and the fuel tank.

A single muffler is used with both the single and dual-exhaust systems (fig. 34). On the dual system the muffler has two inlet tubes in the lower portion of the muffler has two inlet tubes in the lower portion of the muffler and two tail pipe outlets in the upper portion of the muffler.

The exhaust pipes are routed under the transmission crossmember, along the tunnel, over the rear axle and into the lower side of the muffler. When resonators are used, they are located between the front and rear exaust pipe forward of the muffler (fig. 35).

Chevrolet Service News Sept- Oct 1966 Volume 38, Number 9

YOU ARE NOT JUST BUYING PARTS – YOU ARE GETTING OUR CAMARO EXPERTISE

Http://www.stevescamaroparts.com