Just So You Know – A Few Tips to Buy Your Camaro Safely
By David Atkin
Here are a few tips to buy your classic camaro safely, as you know there are a lot of people cloning camaro’s , and when that happens you also find that there are a lot of people that can’t refuse to try and rip you off, just so you don’t become a statistic, I’ll give you a few things to look for.
First of all if you’re looking at a 1969 model, and the car you looking at is an SS, or a Z/28 camaro, easy to tell if it’s real or not, there are some things that most rip off artists will over look during the build of the clone that their going to try to rip you off with.
First let’s say one thing here, there is nothing wrong with a person building a clone of their favorite camaro, unless they decide to sell it, and try to rip of the person buying it, OK now, first of all if the car is a Z/28 camaro and it’s represented as original it must have a 302 CI engine in it.
You can tell this by looking at the rpo code of the car, the rpo code is located on the passenger side of of the engine block on a machined pad in front of the cylinder head, you can’t miss it, if you don’t see one there, it may be covered in grease, just clean it off, and if it’s a genuine 1969 Z/28 it will have the letters DZ in the rpo code.
A 1968, or 1967 would have the letters MO in the rpo code, now the other area on the engine that you should look at is the casting number, because this number cannot be ground off and replaced, the casting number can be found on the transmission mount on the driver side engine block at the back, it’s sometimes hard to see, but it’s a must to look at, it will tell you year, size, and application of the engine.
The casting number will also tell you if the engine is a four bolt main or not, and a 1969 Z/28 should always be a four bolt main, A 1969 Z/28 should also have front sway bars from the factory, and should have a Muncy M21, or M22 transmission, or of course a turbo 350 automatic transmission.
Now for the SS, depending on if the car is an SS 350, 396, or some special build car, it should have all of the above, minus the 302 CI engine, obviously id it’s an SS 350 it will have a 350 CI engine, and if it’s a SS 396 it will have a 396 CI engine, the SS ant the Z/28 both came with a 12 bolt rear end housing, and multi leaf springs, these should be on any car that you purchase,
Both also had the 120 MPH speedometer, and the 8,000 RPM tach, and these should be present in them also, you going to want to check trim tags, and paint codes, check all the numbers, and if they don’t match, don’t second guess, the rpo code, and the casting number should match, the rpo code will also tell you what transmission the car came with from the factory.
Both cars came from the factory with front power disc brakes, and should always have those installed, and a lot of the had the option of a center console, and the console is cool, but it’s not a must to show that the car is an original, if you check these few things, you’ll save yourself a lot of agony in the end.
I’ve been in the automotive business for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it’s where my heart is.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Atkin
http://EzineArticles.com/?Just-So-You-Know—A-Few-Tips-to-Buy-Your-Camaro-Safely&id=1679206
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Well written article. Guys like David are few and far between. Most automotive guys can’t write a paragraph about themselves let alone a well structured article.
The statement that the casting number will identify it as a correct 302 engine is not quite accurate though, but close.
There were 2 different casting numbers used in the (302) Z28 in 1969.
The casting number in early 1969 Camaro’s was used for either a 302 or a 350, or a large journal 327 and could have been a 2 or 4 bolt main block in any of multiple cars from 1968 thru 1976.
The casting number used for late 1969 Camaro’s was used in the 302 or 350 for both 2 and 4 bolt main blocks installed in any of multiple cars from 1969 thru 1979.
Either casting was only used for the 302 in 1969.
The best you could do to verify the engine as original is to match both the casting number and the date code to the correct time period. However, keep in mind that most engine castings were done before they were needed on the assembly line so you’re likely to see late 1969 casting numbered blocks with casting dates from early 1969, especially in cars assembled in the earlier part of the year when they switched casting numbers. You’ll even see 1968 casting date codes in early 1969 model years.
One way to really tell if the engine is not correct is if the casting date on the block does not predate the car’s assembly date, as it should.
Thanks for the information. This is the kind of interaction we need to make sure that everyone is getting accurate information. I really do appreciate your input.
Thanks Bobby,
I’m not trying to be contentious. I’ve read many of David Atkins articles and he writes good stuff.
I just thought it needed clarification since the article was about arming people with information they can use to catch a fake SS.
Too many people put a great emphasis on the engine alone, but like David outlines above you need to consider the car as a whole. The more original and correct parts you find on the car, the better.
Even still, you can see there is ample opportunity for someone to fake a 302. For example they may use a 350 4 bolt main with a 1969 casting date code and a 283 crank with spacer bearings. Without taking it apart, who would know? Even by the numbers, it looks correct. Even the suffix code can be removed by decking the block and restamping the Camaro suffix codes.
It’s a lot of work to go through to fake an SS. Considering the prices these cars can go for at auctions lately, you can see the financial motivation.
Even still, there has to be easier ways to pickup a few thousand dollars. Faking an SS is not cheap and would take a lot of time. If anyone doing a pristine restoration of any other valuable car generally loses money when they sell it, I’m inclined to think they aren’t faking an SS for the money anyway.
The criminal mindset is more interested in the challenge of the deception, and the bragging “rights” for pulling it off. They will go to great lengths to satisfy this emotional benefit.
Carl
I personally have not seen a 69 Z-28 with an automatic transmission.
Some numbers were not stamped up front on the machined pad up front, Some were stamped on the block near the oil filter