As some of you know, I have been saving 6 years now for a '68 Camaro. I'm looking for a nice solid car and have a budget of mid 20's. I've come really close to purchasing one but it was bought before I had a chance to get up to see it on July 6th. The others had "things" that did not look right in photos and gave me pause. However, Gordon's red '67 really scared the crap out of me because the photos of the car made the car look exceptionally fine, but the rust/damage underneath took my breath away...I had a hard time believing it was the same car. He admits that the body work he had done 8 years prior was what his budget allowed for as a teenager.

Given the economy, I am more concerned of sellers "hiding" known negatives (e.g., rust) with their cars in order not to scare off potential buyers. I have even considered expanding my search to 2nd gens ('72, '78, and '79) in the hopes of such issues being less of a concern. I tend to look more at paint/body issues as I have minimal experience with doing either and paint/body seems to be the main "money drain." As such, I tend to look for bubbling paint, sanding marks, bondo, how the trim around the front and rear glass fits, etc.

So, my question to forum members is: What are tell tale signs that you look for when looking over a 1st gen?

Mark,in my opinion there should be some nice ones still around that are still solid at your price point.To be comfortable with your purchase i would try to get it on a lift or at least jack stands.Check out subframe,floors,trunk,frame rails,suspension componets from bottom.On the body check for good panel alignment,gaps in body panels around doors hood and trunk.Take a light weight magnet,to check filler thickness.The obvious things paint,chrome,interior you get from first impression and are easy to spot.

Mark - you already have addressed your own question but you haven't put it all together. Here goes, don't buy a car sight unseen. Pictures can make a junk heap look good and can make a decent project car look like a rust bucket. From what you have posted, you are capable of finding what you want if you stick with inspecting the cars in person. For a finished car in the mid $20's it isn't worth the expense of find one across the country. If you were spending that on a project where the finished car were worth $70k then that's a bit different.

I am no expert, but I've had 2 Camaros and learned a little after buying my first one back in the late 70's. My second one (purchased in '98) had much less rust damage. Two places I would definitely look are:
1. Up under the dash by the e-brake. The e-brake mount may be rusted (some rust is OK), but try to look at bottom of dash metal. Any more than surface rust is scary. Then check under the car where the drivers feet go and see if there is questionable metal or patches. Do this on passenger side also as well as back seat areas. You probably can't poke them with an ice pick, but you can feel almost rusted through metal.
2. Look up under trunk door hinge area. Camaros tend to have leaks in this area (bottom of back window) and trunk fills with water. Some rust is OK, but major rust is also scary.
Lift trunk mat and study trunk floor for signs of rust through.

Both of my Camaros had rust in these areas, but the first one was much worse and there was much rust in body panels etc. The second one, I knew enough to really check out these areas and this car doesn't have serious rust problems.
Some other areas to look would be to take a flashlight and roll down the windows and try to see the inside of the outer panels. Also, try to look up past the rear wheel wells through the trunk. The other obvious areas are the bottom of doors, front of rear wheels, inside rear wheel wells, front of roof, base of windshield and rear glass.

All this is basically for an unrestored Camaro. I personally, after going through all the resurfacing (frame off restoration), would look for a car that has already had a frame off resto and "drill" the owner for photos and exactly how he repaired all the 40 year old surfaces.(Unless you want to do the resto yourself) If the owner doesn't have anything to hide, he should want to confirm the "solidness" of the car.

One other piece of advice I have learned in this process. Unless you are wanting a highly modified hot rod, I would get the most rare #'s matching car I could find. It costs the same amount to put a new fender or whatever on a plain jane 6 cyl. as it does a Yenko, COPO, Z28 or SS car. And you will have a valuable investment on your hands. You can always take the #'s matching motor out, keep it safe and replace it with a super high performance unit.

Good luck!
John

Thanks for the replies; good advice (e.g., looking inside of door shell, up under trunk). The photos and phone conversations is what would get me to drive there or buy a plane ticket if it's too far to drive (~5-6 hours); I prefer to think I'm "smart" enough not to buy a car sight unseen. However, about a decade ago, I flew to Missouri, bought a '69 SS, and drove it 800 miles home...not a single problem (a combination of me being stupid/lucky I guess).

Take along a refrigerator magnet to check for bondo.