Found another 68 Camaro, opinions?

[Vicinity]

Alright, so I found a decent Camaro. The car is the guys daily driver. He says he has another one, that he keeps pristine, but wants to sell this one. He said it has a bondo crack, which is pictured. Asking $9k and it's completely running and he drove it 400 miles in one sitting. So it's at least known to be reliable. Please keep in mind, I don't expect to pick up a cherry car, especially since it will be my DD for a while, until I pick up a bike or some other cheapo transportation.

EDIT: Forgot to mention... it has a new front end, new tires, new posi, new interior, new floor/trunk.

I have higher res pics, but these are sized down.

Bondo, I guess? I've never really seen bondo before.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/eaftae-1.jpg

She's got a nice interior, for sure!
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/ncnho3-1.jpg

The "little" bit of rust the guy told me about:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/2e56t60-1.jpg

The trunk (I noticed rust around the edge, isn't that common?)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/30t3zio-1.jpg

Let me know, guys. This is like a 6 and a half hour drive, so I want to be perfectly sure it's at least a decent car by PT.com user standards before I drive all the way up there. If you need to know anything else, just post/PM.

Sorry about all these thread on 68 Camaros :(

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

hmmmm... thats a hard one..

the quarterpanel shot makes me suspicious..

[MonzaRacer]

Looks like its had a quarter panel replaced there and there is rust underneath after it cracked. Most likely used to fill in the panel seam to smooth the back out.

[69TAPoser]

Literally climb in the trunk with a flashlight and look up at the seam/rear window area. That is a very common rust area and my bet (based on the exposed bondo and the looks of the seam and thickness of bondo) that there is quite a bit of bodo across the bottom of the window.

I would be suspicious about other hidden/covered issues based on the quality of that repair.

Phil

[Andrew McBride]

Hard to tell. The trunk pan looks solid. I wonder how the floors and rails are? Quarters are simple to replace and fix, but after seeing that rear seam pic it may be worse in other areas from previous fixes.

[barraza]

It is very difficult to appraise cars by photos, and has become even harder since there is money to be made by covering up defects. I'm not sure why that body filler is in the quarter, but I had a camaro a long time ago that had filler there because it had been hit in the rear enough to wrinkle the top of the quarter, check it closely. Since you dont have a fortune to spend, my advise is to always take an expert with you to look at any old car. Even if you have to pay a body guy to go with you, it will be money well spent. There is a world of difference, not to mention money, between a car with a little rust, and one that will become a money pit. An additional problem is that a cheap camaro costs as much as a decent c4 vette, which honestly is a much better daily driver.

Take your time, the more cars you look at, the more chance you have of buying the "right" car. Remember, rust = $$$$$. I think the suggestion in the other thread to look outside the NE is the best way to go. Hop a plane to Ca. or Az. and you will be amazed at the rust free cars. You will be way ahead in dollars spent and time not wasted.

[Vicinity]

Well, I'm looking in to a few others, also, that are a bit more expensive, I believe I may have found a fully restored one.

I think the guy may have just threw bondo on it because it was just his daily driver, and he didn't want to do through a bunch of effort to replace the panel.

I'll ask him for pics of the frame rails, and the inside sides of the trunk. Any other spots?

[Andrew McBride]

I'll ask him for pics of the frame rails, and the inside sides of the trunk. Any other spots?

lower upper dash panel, rockers, inside the rear of the door jamb, inner and outer tubs, frame rails, floor pans, around the bottom and sides of the rear window trim, top of the quarters (where the lip of the wheelhouse is) and lower halfs of the rear quarters. These are some of the common areas.

The area you mentioned around the trunk-where the seal goes tends to be a place as well.

[Vicinity]

Is a little bit of bondo alright? The car seems solid, and the guy does daily drive it, which is a plus. And the price seems great.

[dropit69]

doesnt seem to bad..and if car is reliable you can replace panels later..if you are worried about driving that far and not buy it ask a member thats closer to go look its cheaper to pay a member for there time than to drive and be disapointed..alot will do it for free..good luck..

[Vicinity]

doesnt seem to bad..and if car is reliable you can replace panels later..if you are worried about driving that far and not buy it ask a member thats closer to go look its cheaper to pay a member for there time than to drive and be disapointed..alot will do it for free..good luck..

That's actually a good idea, I didn't think of that.

[406 Q-ship]

Dan check the car from underneath, that quarter panel looks like a poor repair in the picture and filler was used to cover it up. The trunk floor has been replaced, well then there is a better than average chance the back window is rusty and leaked into the trunk, quite possibly into the foot wells inside the car. I would look for inter structure damage and rusty floorpans (or even one floor pan laid on top of another with heavy under coat to hide) and all the fit of doors, trunk lid, front fenders and the hood. Just cause a guy is using it for a DD doesn't mean it ain't a POS, had a Camaro show up where I work that rockers were rusted off (covered with a rocker repair panel), the front leaf spring pocket wasn't there and only had one bolt holding the bracket in the car, the frame where the shock mount was rotted away and scrap metal that had been welded in (looked like seagull crap for the weld).......this was his daily driver. The car looked pretty from the top with its shiny paint and it was a 67 convertible Camaro that was told to me to be a "sweet" clean 1st Gen in #1 condidtion. I would not drive the thing around the block.......moral of the story is use your head to buy not your emotions.

There are plenty of cars being pasted off as "restored" that are just thrown together and cover ups, so the restored car you found needs the same scrutiny as any DD.

[Vicinity]

Dan check the car from underneath, that quarter panel looks like a poor repair in the picture and filler was used to cover it up. The trunk floor has been replaced, well then there is a better than average chance the back window is rusty and leaked into the trunk, quite possibly into the foot wells inside the car. I would look for inter structure damage and rusty floorpans (or even one floor pan laid on top of another with heavy under coat to hide) and all the fit of doors, trunk lid, front fenders and the hood. Just cause a guy is using it for a DD doesn't mean it ain't a POS, had a Camaro show up where I work that rockers were rusted off (covered with a rocker repair panel), the front leaf spring pocket wasn't there and only had one bolt holding the bracket in the car, the frame where the shock mount was rotted away and scrap metal that had been welded in (looked like seagull crap for the weld).......this was his daily driver. The car looked pretty from the top with its shiny paint and it was a 67 convertible Camaro that was told to me to be a "sweet" clean 1st Gen in #1 condidtion. I would not drive the thing around the block.......moral of the story is use your head to buy not your emotions.

There are plenty of cars being pasted off as "restored" that are just thrown together and cover ups, so the restored car you found needs the same scrutiny as any DD.

Very good point. The quarter does have me a bit worried, and I'm actually hesitant to buy it just from that, but from what you told me, I'm probably going to go up their and be disappointed.

The guy has another buyer up there and is going to look it over today, he said he'll let me know what happens.

I found a very local 6 cyl car, that has been garage kept and driven every once and a while since new. I'm wondering if that would be a better choice. I just don't like 6 cyls, and it's a drop top... I guess I could drop in a 5.3... But man, that drop top.

[Charley Lillard]

If you are asking if a bondo is OK then it is clear you are not going to do body work yourself. You can easily sink lots of dollars into body work. I would look at the 6 cylinder car. They were usually treated better.

[cheapthrillz]

You don't want to have to go through all of this....

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/03/MVC007F-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/100_0172-1.jpg

Takes a LOT of time and money to correct. Especially if it was not installed correctly the first time around.

Take a magnet with you every time you look at one. Also look in the trunk for symmetry between the passenger and drivers side on your reinforcing steel. Make sure there are no big creases and mangled messes. I wish I had a pic of the reinforcement behind the back seat on our 69... you could tell someone just threw a new panel on it after it had been wrecked.

[Vicinity]

If you are asking if a bondo is OK then it is clear you are not going to do body work yourself. You can easily sink lots of dollars into body work. I would look at the 6 cylinder car. They were usually treated better.

How difficult is a convertible removal? I'd imagine swapping a few pieces of sheet metal? I don't really know anything about convertibles.

[Vicinity]

You don't want to have to go through all of this....

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/03/MVC007F-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/100_0172-1.jpg

Takes a LOT of time and money to correct. Especially if it was not installed correctly the first time around.

Take a magnet with you every time you look at one. Also look in the trunk for symmetry between the passenger and drivers side on your reinforcing steel. Make sure there are no big creases and mangled messes. I wish I had a pic of the reinforcement behind the back seat on our 69... you could tell someone just threw a new panel on it after it had been wrecked.

Is that first picture rust damage? That looks horrible. That second pic I'm guessing has bondo filling in the rust dimples/holes? I'm definitely trying to avoid that.

I was only asking about the bondo if there was only a little and that piece could be replaced, but I guess if it has rust on one spot, it's probably in more places.

[cheapthrillz]

Is that first picture rust damage? That looks horrible. That second pic I'm guessing has bondo filling in the rust dimples/holes? I'm definitely trying to avoid that.

I was only asking about the bondo if there was only a little and that piece could be replaced, but I guess if it has rust on one spot, it's probably in more places.

The first pic is about 3/4 to 1 inch thick bondo that was used to "make" the car symmetrical without doing "real" bodywork. The second pic shows all of the bondo removed but you cant tell that the seam is like a crevice.

I would want to be 100% positive that the extent of the bondo usage is limited to that area only. Bondo was used primarily to hide evidence of a wreck or damaged panels, so if they did that in one place, they probably did it somewhere else. It is really hard to patch a rust hole with bondo.... so take the rust for what it is...
Also check the windows and cowl area on the front for rust.

[Charley Lillard]

You aren't going toconvert a convertible into a coupe. If you don't want a convert. just keep looking for a coupe. The one you posted in my opinion is not right for you.

[Vicinity]

You aren't going toconvert a convertible into a coupe. If you don't want a convert. just keep looking for a coupe. The one you posted in my opinion is not right for you.

Good call, I won't be picking it up.

What do you think of this one?

http://poconos.craigslist.org/cto/1355635765.html It's about 5 hours from me. I emailed him for some more pics, but it's a soft top. That seems like something that would be PRONE to rust, what's your take? That kinda ruins it for me, but if the guy proves theirs no rust, I'll be happy with it, plus I like that color :P

[MonzaRacer]

A garage kept convertible even I6 and you could get it for how much?
That would be a dream if you could get it and heck if you find your sour on a convertible do a few things make it better and flip it for more than you have in it.

[Vicinity]

A garage kept convertible even I6 and you could get it for how much?
That would be a dream if you could get it and heck if you find your sour on a convertible do a few things make it better and flip it for more than you have in it.

The asking price is $15,000, but it isn't listed as firm.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1387412902.html

There's the ad if you're curious.

[Charley Lillard]

I like that bronze one better but you need to see better pics.

[lightninjack]

the bronze one isn't a convertible, just has a vinyl top

[Vicinity]

the bronze one isn't a convertible, just has a vinyl top

I know, that is a different car. Can a vinyl top be swapped to a metal top?

[cheapthrillz]

I know, that is a different car. Can a vinyl top be swapped to a metal top?

It takes a little bit of work, but yes it can be done. I think there are studs that hold the vinyl down, and those have to be cut off and patched, but the 69 you saw in my earlier post was a vinyl top car at one point in its life (not since we've owned it).

[Vicinity]

It takes a little bit of work, but yes it can be done. I think there are studs that hold the vinyl down, and those have to be cut off and patched, but the 69 you saw in my earlier post was a vinyl top car at one point in its life (not since we've owned it).

Yeah, I kinda got that feeling from the pics, I don't know why.

Is the vinyl top likely to leak/rust? If I pick it up, I won't be able to do much about it right away. But I will eventually convert it.

It's really the only thing holding me back from buying it, I don't want to buy and and realize its only vinyl with a huge rusty roof, lol.

[barraza]

I was beginning to think some of your questions were getting ridiculous until I stepped back and realized that if I were looking for a 40 year old car when I was your age, it would have been a car from the 30's. I would have had lots of seemingly silly questions to an old timer.

That bronze car is worth a look. Nothing wrong with a vinyl top car, lots of people like them, but I don't really care for them. I just removed the vinyl top from my 68. Look out for rust under the edges of a vinyl top car. The top is tucked in behind the window chrome trim and tended to cause rust in the window channel. If it was fixed properly when it was painted, it might be possible to remove the top without damaging the paint underneath, and just leave the chrome trim that runs around the bottom rear of the vinyl.

My advice is to decide first what you want out of the car. If possible buy something that is as presentable as you want and don't plan on painting for a long time. Paint work is expensive, no way around it. Show quality paint will cost more than the buying cost of any of the cars you have linked. I can't say this strongly enough - BUY THE BEST BODY YOU CAN. That doesn't necessarily mean an already painted car, it means the least rust and most original. For example, it will do you no good to buy an already painted car with hidden rust or poorly installed replacement panels.

My other advice is don't buy a 40 year old car for daily driving, especially in MD. I know many people DD their old cars, and when I worked were there was safe parking, I DD my old cars, but I didn't depend on them as an only vehicle. Always have a backup for something you are going to hot rod.

There's a lot of experience on this board, but for looking at buying a camaro, you should also ask questions on camaros.net.

[cheapthrillz]

Definitely look for rust around the windows or you'll end up with something like this:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/MVC006F-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/09/MVC011F-1.jpg

[Vicinity]

I was beginning to think some of your questions were getting ridiculous until I stepped back and realized that if I were looking for a 40 year old car when I was your age, it would have been a car from the 30's. I would have had lots of seemingly silly questions to an old timer.

That bronze car is worth a look. Nothing wrong with a vinyl top car, lots of people like them, but I don't really care for them. I just removed the vinyl top from my 68. Look out for rust under the edges of a vinyl top car. The top is tucked in behind the window chrome trim and tended to cause rust in the window channel. If it was fixed properly when it was painted, it might be possible to remove the top without damaging the paint underneath, and just leave the chrome trim that runs around the bottom rear of the vinyl.

My advice is to decide first what you want out of the car. If possible buy something that is as presentable as you want and don't plan on painting for a long time. Paint work is expensive, no way around it. Show quality paint will cost more than the buying cost of any of the cars you have linked. I can't say this strongly enough - BUY THE BEST BODY YOU CAN. That doesn't necessarily mean an already painted car, it means the least rust and most original. For example, it will do you no good to buy an already painted car with hidden rust or poorly installed replacement panels.

My other advice is don't buy a 40 year old car for daily driving, especially in MD. I know many people DD their old cars, and when I worked were there was safe parking, I DD my old cars, but I didn't depend on them as an only vehicle. Always have a backup for something you are going to hot rod.

There's a lot of experience on this board, but for looking at buying a camaro, you should also ask questions on camaros.net.

Yeah, I knew my questions would probably come off as pretty stupid, but in all honesty, these cars are so different from newer cars, it's almost impossible for me not to ask. And I do plan on getting a DD soon after buying, but I'd like to pick up a Camaro while people are still getting rid of them some what cheap.

@ cheapthrillz,
How would you go about spotting something like that? Wouldn't that be hidden under the trim? It looks nasty. Would the magnet thing pick that up?

[cheapthrillz]

........@ cheapthrillz,
How would you go about spotting something like that? Wouldn't that be hidden under the trim? It looks nasty. Would the magnet thing pick that up?

Take a thin rod or razor blade and poke around behind the window trim if the owner will let you (or while they're not looking).

[barraza]

Take a thin rod or razor blade and poke around behind the window trim if the owner will let you (or while they're not looking).

Actually, if I were selling a car, I would be pissed if someone took a razor blade to the vinyl top. A better way is to take a bodyman with you. The trim is pretty easy to take off to see underneath and the bodyman can look at the other typical rust areas. Anyone that has owned an old car knows what a problem rust can be, and won't mind a complete inspection. If they object, walk away, they are hiding something. After all, we're not talking about a $500 dollar car. If you can't get anyone to go with you, take the car to a body shop that is familiar with old cars for an evaluation. Don't skimp out on this, you will be money ahead in the long run. Remember, the cost of fixing hidden rust could double the cost of your purchase. Or look at it another way, getting in a hurry and buying a car that needs extensive rust repair could be the equivalent of flushing a LS3/T56 drivetrain down the toilet. Virtually everyone in this hobby can relate stories of "restored" cars that are cobbled together, bondo filled, previously wrecked pieces of crap. The previous owner may also have pictures of the last time the car was painted.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

man you guys forgot to tell the kid the likelyhood of finding a "rust free" car is damn slim..

best he can do is find one that is MODERATELY rusty.. but running and let him cruise it abit..

when he gets through with his studies and whatnot and learns all he can about these cars (especially if its a daily.. hell learn REAL fast..)
he will appreciate a full build when his moneys right.

or.. keep searching long and hard.

holler!

[Vicinity]

I haven't got any emails back from anyone.

I'm starting to think I could get the 6cyl drop top and throw a gen3 5.3/T56 in it and use it as a fun car, possible do some small upgrades to increase it's value, and sell later on, what do you guys think of that idea? Just not go full PT with it.

Of course I'd only do it if he was willing to come down a little on the price.

EDIT: Heres the link to the drop top http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1387412902.html

[mroth]

You would think in todays economy that you could get some great deals on completed restorations. I know of a Colorado car that is mechanically complete with a cherry exterior that could save you some money if you are still looking.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

come down here and get this for 8500..

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/1391710815.html

then sink a couple of extra gs to get it how you want it..

dc aint that far..

[77thor]

I would run (not walk) away from that one.

[Vicinity]

I would run (not walk) away from that one.

If you mean the car in the beginning of the thread, it sold a while ago. I'm currently looking at other options..

And a slight update, I might be able to buy in the $18,xxx range. Waiting on an answer, right now.