After a long hiatus from the Camaro resto biz, I've jumped back in, skull first. Here are some observations of then and now:

1. Boy, it's good to work with the ol 9/16's and 5/8's instead of 10 or 12mm.
2. The braintrust at WD-40 still hasn't figured out a design that keeps their straw attached to the squirter.
3. It's easier to change out leaf springs on my 69 than to swap water pumps on my wife's Saturn.
4. Radials dramatically improve the ride of 1st Gens.
5. Only Camaros that had spoilers survived the years...an oddity.
6. Hard to imagine only about a third of the 1st Gens had factory A/C. 99% had heaters. What if Detroit was in Central Texas?
7. Only SS's and Z-28's survived the years. I did see a rare blue-bowtie 69 car. Kind of cool!
8. Rick's, Year One, Classic, NPD,..sure makes it easy...keeps me out of the boneyards.
9. 350 Chevy originally designed for a 67 C, is still the best damn engine ever developed!
10. Clutches are much improved...easier on my quads.
11. Much more emphasis on suspension and brakes these days...back in the day, the quarter mile was all that mattered.
12. Eaton still makes the best posi units. Hurst is still tops for the Muncie's. BFG's still look great!
13. Body paint is much improved.
14. Quadrajets are now considered great carbs. They weren't back in the day.
15. What ever happened to Cragers and slot mags?
16. What's with 16 & 17 inch wheels? Looks like they'd easily melt on launch with very little side wall...(but what do I know).
17. Roller cams and roller lifters for the street?
18. Nitro?
19. 2.5 and 3 inch exhaust pipes? 2.25 was all you needed back in the day, and only a few shops had the tooling for anything bigger than 2 inch.
20. Aluminum heads? Only Big Daddy and a couple of other guys had alum heads.
21. When buying parts, I ask for the old guy...you know the one...the guy who smiles when you tell him the application.
22. What's a "frame off" restoration? It's impossible with a Camaro!...unless some genuis wants to reweld the whole car back together...that would look good.
23. There's more cowl hoods made today than Detroit made in the 60's.
24. Cherrys are now almost impossible to find 25. Lastly, crusin-n-boozin's no longer cool...but boy was it fun!

That's it from a middle-aged born-again C-man.

Hey sleepy 69,
Welcome back
Cragers - yes
Aluminum slots- yuck
my 68 survived without a spoiler
still can't find a WD40 straw when needed'
40 somthing, feeling like I am 20 again
Rob

Good list!!

26. The stink bug look was left in the past http://www.camaros.net/forum/wink.gif

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...Dennis
'69 RS Convertible w/SS trim (http://www.camaroslimited.com/memberscars/den.htm)
'96 Z28SS #1679 of 2410 (http://www.camaroslimited.com/graphics/memcars/96ss.jpg)
"The Club" (http://camaroslimited.com)

[This message has been edited by DjD (edited 06-25-2001).]

Sleepy, I agree 100% with all the above. I too am back with it after a little hiatus. http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif

you forgot one.
27. 90% of all first gens had the Z/28 stripes painted on from the factory!

(include mine http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif ) Next repaint will fix that!

Kevin

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69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, Driver (http://www.fototime.com/3C870D9037E51DE/standard.jpg)

Me too with the stripes (but I like 'em) and I do have the blue Bow-Tie on the front and rear. Mine is one of the rare unbadged Z/28's. http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif

Good observations Sleepy.

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Robert

'69 getting better every day... (every pay day)

[This message has been edited by rojo (edited 06-25-2001).]

"CRAGER SS" getting some.

TIM

I am also 40 something. have owned several camaros. my newest adventure is a 67 ragtop,502 4-speed. this is probably the 3rd time I "got back into it". its hard with young family of 3 boys and a not so interested in cars wife. But the kids are really starting to show an interest.should make it alot easier.good luck with your projects, I love reading about all of them, chris

Oh yes I too am 40 something.

TIM

Two years ago I 'got back into it'. Skipped right over the 40's. How about those tinted headlights? ( # 28).

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4.10's

RickD, are you referring to the tinted headlight craze of the 60's? I wasn't old enough to drive but my uncle use to take me and my brother to atco dragway on wed. nights and i remember tinted headlights, lots of them. must be the same? chris

hey TIM,
Iam going with the cragar S/S's also!!!
and have a standard grill, very rare
and probably have a case of half full cans of DW40,someone should sell those straws, I am still pushing 40 won't be long before I am pulling it http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif

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camaro's for ever!!! :D
67 327 11:1 4spd.
70 454 400thm 10 posi
my 70 454 camaro (http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1422059&a=13264660&f=0)

Ah, yes, "Quadrajunk" and Ansen slotted mags, the smell AMACO 102 gas, "Cool Cans", M&H's and the noise a clutch makes when it hits the flywheel at 6000 rpm!

OLD GUY

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99 Camaro SS pewter A4
69 Z/28 white, original

I'm done with my 17" TT II's, my car had Cragar SS's when I bought it & I want 'em back!

Good list! It got me reminiscing of the mid '70's and...

Flex fans
Hooker headers & turbo mufflers
Gabriel Hi-jackers or shackles
Goodyear L-60 15's
8 tracks & Led Zeppelin I
Drive-ins

JD

JD...you've brought a tear to my eye. Good to hear from middle-aged! What memories!

There must be a lot of us. I'm 42 and started a resto of the 67 ragtop I drove in high school. I had visions of a 12 month project that has extended now to 2.5 years.....but I'm getting close!! My wife is very patient, there is just a line (imaginary) on the garage floor that I dare not cross with car stuff.

I love working on the car....and I have a lot more money to put into it than I did when I was 16. Back then it was slotted mags, 60 series tires...and Gabrial Hi-Jackers!!!

I would assume this all qualifies as one of those "mid life things"

Mark M.

Got the cragers SS but they will stay on the 69 Nova for now but still having a hard time selecting which rims to put on my 68 RS with Bumble Stripe http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif have to choose between a ste of gold tint ansen sprint slots or almost new Keystone classics spokes. Ah gone are the days of 32 cents a gallon gas and that good old SUNOCO 260 gas http://www.camaros.net/forum/frown.gif

Welcome back!

1a) Aftermarket parts still don't fit worth a s*!t.

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The Red Beast http://www.geocities.com/casanoc

Although I wasnt around "back in the day", one of my co-workers was (and still is) big time into hot rods...he loves telling me about the days when you could get a 350hp 327 short block direct from any chevy dealership for $275...you could get the balanced 365hp shortblock for $325. He also said that nearly everybody ran 2" exhaust on their small blocks with 350hp nova mufflers, or if they had the bucks, they used a 2 1/4" system with big block chevelle mufflers. Of course, later on the muffler of choice was cherry bombs (glasspacks). He also said that before holley carbs became the standard, everybody used carters. And also, since aftermarket heads was unheard of or very expensive, they just ported whatever they had to within an inch of its life. And the performance cams of choice was factory gm! And of course, real hot rods had 4 speeds...no automatics.

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375hp 78 Chevy truck
77 Chevy Nova
95 Chevy Lumina 3.4L
and building a 78 Nova

Well I have to say this . After reading this stuff yesterday I went to the Air Port and got 10gal. of Ave Fule and put it in my Z last night. Hit the key and just set there and lisen to it hit man I love that 302.Had the Three Dog Night playing I thout it was 73 all over agan. Man oh Man.

TIM

Yes, tinted headlights, in blue. Reverse lights wired on all the time. Reg gas 27 cents/gal. Cherry bombs and Officer Smith giving muffler tickets all the time.

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4.10's

Sounds like some of you guys are still smoke'in that 70's stuff http://www.camaros.net/forum/cool.gif.

I'm 40 something and miss cheap cars (55 56 57's $150 bucks running !!!) local dragstrips and drive-in theaters (here in California long gone) freeways that move (rush hour what a joke !!).Cheap gas (first "Gas Crisis" guys were pulling big blocks and giving them away !! 2 barrell manifolds in demand and the gas companies swore gas would not go above $1.00 a gallon ).Easy smog tests (not the NASA tests they have now,"You didn't pass the test we'll have to put it on the scope ($60 bucks)" and they tell you that a vacuum line is cracked and you just changed all the vacuum lines, lowlife jerks. Good Parts Stores (not the super stores "I need exhaust gaskets for a small block Chevy, What year car ? 1973 Vega, "I'm not showing a V-8 in Vega's....." You guys know the drill. Honda's and Toyota's knew there place on the freeway (right lane right behind the 18 wheeler!!).

Great list! I miss torque thrust rims without the center caps. You're right about all the bogus cars. In the day we called them frauds or bogus, now someone decides it's okay as long as you call them "clones". They do make a tool for keeping the straw on the end of a spray can, they're about 25 cents. I just started using them, they look stupid but work great. I got tired of losing my straw down into the belly of the planes. I'll get the part number and spupplier for you and get back to you.
Dave

Wow, I really feel old. Got back into this about 14 yrs ago after being into boats for about the same length of time. Lucky the wife enjoys this stuff. Remember punching out the center of my wheels and reversing them , painting the wheel wells white every Fri before cruising in the '58 Chev, interior light was painted blue to match the interior, baby moons and beautyrings (couldn't afford chrome wheels). Am I the only mid 50's guy around here??

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'69 original 25000 mi. Lemans Blue Yenko Camaro, '70 Yenko Nova Deuce, '66 L79 Nova

We went to extremes to get our cars "jacked up" as high as we could with coil spring spacers, shackles, shock extensions you name it. Now they all scrape the pavement. Thing I remember the most is how raising my car made it look shorter. Maybe it was a side effect sorta like the munchies.

John

Jack the front lower the rear, better weight transfer. Lower the front jack the rear,better weight transfer. Jack it all the way around, better weight transfer. Drop it all the way around, better weight transfer. Maybe that is why I did not go into engineering!!

NWYENKO

I had a 72 Duster and you could do just that, and I did. A 3/4" socket and you raise or lower the front with the torsion bars and pump up those Hi-Jackers in the rear. I had a whole new look just about every week. Of course the front end was never in alignment. http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif

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Robert

'69 getting better every day... (every pay day)

Still have the hi-jackers and shackles on my Nova, love that retro look. Every now and then I'll jack it all the way up and drive it for a couple hours, until my kidneys protest. Twenty years of 'family' cars, it's nice to look under the hood and know what everything is supposed to do.

I'm another back in after (family obligations!) I can still remember 5 gals. for a buck, full & baby moons on a 49 Merc. so low that it scraped rabbits off the back roads.

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69 CAMERO STD/ZMONIQUE
78 BLAZER 2WD
(WIFES CAR)

Gosh does this all bring back memories. I raised the front end on my dad's 64 Dodge with the ratchet wrench. (I was 15) Got it so high he couldn't see over the hood and it bounced like crazy. Didn't take him long to convince me to put it back.
Travis you are so right about 4 speeds. I don't care how fast a car is, if I can't slam it thru the gears its just plain boring.

Man, you guys almost brought tears to my eyes!! Don't want to tell my age but I got my FULL drivers license in '59. Looooong time ago.
Nice to hear some of the same reasons for hiatus from this passion; marriage, house, kids, collage, etc.
Have had my '69 Z for a little over 2 years now and having a ball trying to remember things like Chevy firing order and the smell of unburned hydrocarbons.
Let's see if I can get this right: "You're just trying to relive your youth". Damn right, and lovin' every frustrating minute.
Thanks gentlemen for bringing back some great times and reassuring that the Passion lives no matter what the age.