Looking to get my ragtop painted within the next month or so, would like to have nearly finished by October.

Curious as to what the value may be when complete.

I am the 3rd owner, I have the POP and have documented the complete restoration process. I have been in contact with the original owner, he has supplied me with original photos and info.

It is a numbers matching car EXCEPT the rearend is numbers correct!

I am restoring to complete stock as it rolled off the floor back in 69.

Original 6 cylinder Turbo thrift, 3 speed saginaw on the floor.

Glacier blue with white standard interior and white top.

Please see the pics and work that has been done.

Thanks --- http://blondesandrednecks.com/camaro/

As cool as that car sounds, it won't be worth anywhere near what the same car with a 350 or 396 would be worth. I'd guess fully restored, maybe 20.

The value of the car will be in the quality of the restoration. It won't bring a big block SS price but a V8 swap is easy and would cost you the same as it would the buyer. The fact that it's a ragtop will also increase it's value. There are a lot guys that it has to be a V8 or nothing but the funny thing is, take a really nicely done I6 to a show and people will be around it all day long, you just don't see an I6 that often...

If you plan to sell after completing the restoration you might as well sell it as it is, to restore it right you will put more money into it than you will get out of it, it's the same with a V8 as well.

Thanks to both of you for the comments.

I do understand the straight 6 is not desireable to most car guys, I would think it would either need to go to a collector or someone that has a v8 that they would swap in and keep the original driveline for a future sale, but being that there were so few built with this combo, I think it needs to stay original.

The good thing about it is that I do 95% of my own work so my costs stay very low compared to shopping out the work.

These were the answers I pretty well figured I would see...

Are you restoring it to make a buck? If so you will make more money with a V8 in the car. If it were mine and I wanted to keep it I would leave the original drivetrain in it and enjoy the heck out of it! If I had room at my house I'd build a keeper six cylinder camaro....I guess I'd also have a tuxedo black with deluxe red interior 67 and a 427/4 speed 69 and a 68 RS ragtop and....well I guess I digress!! :D

Paul ...

No I did not purchase to sell for a profit, I bought the car back in 1988 for my (girlfriend then/wife now), It was in millions of pieces when I brought it home, so needless to say after 19 years she would like to someday drive it :yes:.

She knows that it has value to it and thinks maybe drive it a year then sell it, but who knows I think once she gets behind the wheel she may never let it go.

I fully agree a big block car would make a much better seller, but driving ANY convertible camaro is a good time.

Regardless I bought the car for $1000, and doing the work myself I should still be able to turn a decent profit when the time comes.

Buying a Car...........$ 1,000
Restoring the car.....$20,000
Giving your wife what you promised 19 years ago...........priceless!!

Buying a Car...........$ 1,000
Restoring the car.....$20,000
Giving your wife what you promised 19 years ago...........priceless!!

LMAO ... my wife loves it!

I have thought about installing a big block and setting aside the original 6, what kind of price difference would it really make.

Then the next question/problem is the 3 speed saginaw and 10 bolt rear.

JMO but like I already said it will cost you just as much as the next guy to install a V8 into the car. I may not have come right out and said this part but if you spend $6000 on an engine swap and beef up the rest of the drive line you'll see about 25 maybe 30% of that back in the difference between a correctly restored numbers I6 and a not matching numbers V8 and drivetrain that looks correct. If you spend all the money necessary to make it a correct big block with an I6 vin you'll be even further behind finding correct and correct dated parts. You're loosing more money the more you do to the car... If you can write it off as the price of the hobby, have at it... Sure a V8 will bring more but you are not looking at a shell and deciding between building an I6 or V8 and the drivetrain to support the choice, you already have the I6 and a drivetrain...