1969 Chevy Camaro
 

So, I know a grand total of...nothing about cars.

Well, I can change my own oil, filters, etc, but I don't really have any knowledge about engines.

Later this week, I'm (hopefully) test driving a '69 Camaro. What should I look for? Rust, obviously, but what else?

Anyone know approximate gas mileage for a '69 Camaro?

I've seen it (stood next to it)...it LOOKS gorgeous. Brand new paint, new tires, and the paper on the window said it was the 354 engine. It's inspected (PA State) until 11/03.

So, help a non-car guy out.

Thanks!

MPEDrummer

The best advice I could give you is take someone who knows about cars, or your mechanic so they can check the car out. That way you don't get jipped.... and do a little search for prices so you don't get ripped off either.

the only 354 i know of is a a Hemi from the 50's..... 350 you must be thinking of..

Yeah, Dougie, I looked into that too...I did't actually write it down while I was there, so I'm probably remembering it wrong.

Thanks guys! Any more opinions?

MPEDrummer

If this is your first car, I would think twice, unless it has recently underwent a MAJOR restoration.

My first car was a 1967 Pontiac Executive. It was well maintained and ran well when I bought it, but more gremlins shown up that you could imagine ( if you never have drove a 20+ year old car before). Panels that appared to be in good condition started rusting off, the car wouldn't start half the time due to quirky electrical systems, gauges wouldn't work... that's just half of it.

Gas mileage will be bad. I wouldn't think it would get into the 20s for highway, and town will be equally as bad. Old carburated engines were notoriously bad on gas, so don't it's better to be pessimistic with their mileage than optimistic.

You are best to take a mechanic or someone that knows ALOT about cars with you. If you can't , take a test drive straight to a mechanics place, and pay them to inspect it. You'll need to know just exactly what the problems are if you intend on driving this everyday.

If this is a secondary car, I say have fun with it. But as a primary first or second car...
:(
unless you become a hell of a mechanic..

Good to know.

This will be my second car. My first (and current) is a piece of shit 1991 Ford Ranger with almost 150000 miles on it. It barely gets into the low 20's for highway mileage anyway. Low 20's is honestly a lot higher than I expected to hear.

More opinions? We're here all week.

MPEDrummer

Oh, dumb (I guess) question...originally, a 69 would most likely have run on leaded gas...is unleaded ok?

is it a rebuild or original motor?

an octane booster will get you to run on unleaded fine.

I do not know.

It goes on the list of questions, though!

MPEDrummer

also, Just buy it! 69 camaros are great.

You *could* run it on 93 octane without a problem, depends on motor exclusively... My pontiac had an original 400 and it could run OK on 93, but that gets expensive after a while.
If the 350 is not a high output version with high compression ( like SS or comparable ) , I'd say you'll be ok with whatever the dealer/seller says they run it on(Just not 87).
Until it starts knocking, which my pontiac did on heavy acceleration with 87.

What leaded gas did was keep the engines from "knocking"- premature detonation that harmed them. We don't use it now because it destroys catalytic converters, and causes gross pollution.

I'd say 20 miles per gallon is the very very highest estimate for mileage, if it was a manual and had "granny gears" from factory. Proceed with caution. Dougie probably knows more about this specific model than I .

Yeah, 4-on-the-floor.

This is great. Keep it coming, guys!

My brother has a major hard-on for 68 Camaros. We do a lot of old cars around my house.

Unfortunately the mileage question is impossible to guess. It could be anywhere between 2mpg and 28mpg.

It could have a 354 in it, a 020" over 350 could be called a 354.

Honestly if this is your first drive in a 60's car be careful. They can be quite vicious. If you can, bring a friend with some old car experience. A lot of things that will feel like problems are just part of the nostalgia. Good luck though.

this is true, but its not a common, setup. where as there was an actual 354 hemi from chrysler

Oh yeah, I never said it was factory, just that it could be done easily.

yeah dont most octane boosters have some sort of lead additive?

i know we add it to the 37's, the 34's and the 57

Who buys any Camaro for fuel economy :confused:

ha! 0001 wins

I have a car with the more or less the same engine, but just after fuel became unleaded (74 vette). The gas mileage depends on how the car is setup (is the engine stock?), how its geared, how good of condition its in. I've seen 350's (355 is common for a rebuilt 350) get anywhere from 5 to 25 mpg, with 12 about average. If that's a concern, you can improve it slightly for some performance loss. The engines in these cars are fairly reliable though. Its everything that's attached to them that you should watch out for. As everyone else has said, its best to just have someone who knows about cars to look at it.

is it SS?

do the numbers match?

Lead was originally added to boost octane rating for cheap. The higher an octane rating a fuel has, the less prone to knocking it is. The effeect on valves is not a primary one, but a secondary one. After combustion, the lead coats the valves , protecting them from the combustion energy. In turn, that would allow the factory to make valves slightly less strong, but I'm not sure of how much of an effect it really has.

The more compression an engine has, the more prone to "knocking" it is, and late 60s engines had high amounts of compression. When an engine knocks, it compresses the gasoline so much it spontaenously ignites ( sorta like a diesel engine would, but in this case a very undesired effect).

The fuel additives shouldn't have lead in them, as lead destroys modern cars catalytic converters. No cats is ok on a pre-catalytic day, but on modern cars it's illegal ( even though people do it...)

Read up here at howstuffworks if you don't believe me. They are a credible source.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/gasoline.htm

Boo nice to see you again :)

Hey cool car and just a little word of experience. I recently bought a 71 mustang and there is a world of difference between it and my only other car which as a POS 1991 chevy blazer. Do be thorough in checking for rust EVERYWHERE. floorpans underneath the car, the rocker panels (below the door), trunk, and anything structural. Wiring in old cars is SO much fun *sarcasm* i basically had to rerun about 65% of my wires to get the charging system working and such. Just beware and like others said, get a mechanic that works on classics to check the car out. Good luck and long live the early muscle cars!

If you thinking about getting a Camaro, then you can't get it for fuel economy. It's great to own a classic car. If you know how to change oil and filters then your well on your way to learning more.
I would just make sure you don't see any leaks. (Drive it, and then look for leaks) Look for rust/calcium build up in and around radiator hoses, both top and bottom. Look at the belts see if they look old. Look at the fluids like the oil and Tranny see if they look clean. If you can take some with you who knows more then do it.
Having a great old car is...well great. If the price is not out of reach go for it.

Oh, not to worry, I'm certianly not buying it FOR the fuel economy, I was just curious about what it might be.

MPEDrummer

So, more questions for those who have time to answer.

I just got off the phone with the guy who owns it...he told me that it's "taking a little water, but it's not in the oil"

What does this mean? He mentioned that it might be the head gasket, and that he has a spare one but hasn't gotten around to changing it yet.

What are Rally wheels/tires? Those are apparently included in the asking price.

Thanks for your help!

MPEDrummer

That's because you have a Ford. Sorry could not resist that. I Have 79 Ford LTD, not a sports car but a PITA none the less. Also check out http://web.camaross.com/forums. They are good guys and could also giv eyou some good advice. And what ever you are buying it for, take that amount again and put it in the bank, you will be using it later for little fixer ups.

That's the truth. I've had my 66 nova for about 8 years now. And it's great now. The first 2 years I spent chasing all the little things that nickel and dime you into bankruptcy. Carb rebuild kit, gaskets, radiator hoses, wiring here and there, bushings. When you look at them seperately it's only $20 here $50 there. But if start adding it up you tend to regret it till the next time you get behind the wheel.

Other then what has already been said. Do you know why the recent paint job? If he painted it to sell he may be covering lots of shoddy body work. Seen it before. Tape/bondo just to make it smooth. In a couple years when the paint starts peeling you find out what was hidden. Same with the underside if it's undercoated. Try and take someone with you that really knows the car and what to look for.

For me I can handle most all of the mechanical jobs in the driveway but I despise bodywork. So I want the body solid above all else.