Hello all,
Great site! I'm soakin' it up.

I just purchased a 68 'vert and drove it nervously home (2hrs) but all is well for the maiden voyage. In the first 10 miles, the left turn signal broke off (what am I getting myself into!) but that turned out to be the only hiccup.

I have a couple of specific and general questions.

1. The ragtop doesn't stay down. It looks like there were supposed to be some "clips" the top -- when folded down -- to latch on to, but they are both broken. Where can I find these?
2. General question: Recommendation on manuals/shematics for every part and assembly so I can solve some of these types of problems? I have a DetroitIron CD but its outdated (only for Win95)

If there is a FAQ or other set of web resources you all can point me to, I'd appreciate it.

I have a host of other questions/issues, but this will get me started.

Thanks,
mac

Welcome.

Yes, if you have a manual top there should be clips. Most repop dealers carry them.

There are many good reference books on the market. If you are going to restore the vehicle, I would invest in a couple. I am sure some folks here will have some suggestions.

A factory assembly manual is also an excellent reference for what should be where. They are repriinted and cost about $25.

Welcome, there are thin metal brackets with a molded plastic head that hold the top when it is down (assuming it is a manual top), and variuos manuals including complete assembly manuals available from numerous suppliers. I generally use Rick's First Generation but there are many others.

As for books, the first 2 should be an assembly manual and a fisher body service manual. These are al;so available from all the reproduction houses. In case you're not familiar, there are a host of quality vendors who sell reproduction parts for our cars. A short list would includes rick's (http://www.firstgen.com (http://www.firstgen.com/)) D&R Classic (http://www.drclassic.com (http://www.drclassic.com/)) and of course our site sponsor, ground up restoration (http://www.ss396.com) These are 3 out of probably 20 or 30.

Welcome to the site, and congrats on your 68 vert purchase. I also drive a 68 vert, so you made a good choice!!!

First off - WELCOME to Team Camaro :hurray:

Congratulations on purchasing a really fun car!

As others have stated, Get yourself a full set of the original Factory Manuals.
There are several that will prove invaluable to your efforts to repair and maintain your new car.
I would recommend the following;
* 1968 Factory Assembly Manual - known here as the "AIM". they are available from all the Camaro Stores for @$20.oo
* 1968 Chassis Service Manual - this is the manual the dealers used for info to repair your car. Reprints and (worn...) originals are available from many sources.
* 1968 Chassis Overhaul Manual - this manual is an addendum to the above and is more detailed on certain components. If you intend to do any major mechanical work it will be valuable.
* 1968 'Body by Fisher' Service Manual - this book is put out by the people that built the Body Structure for GM and has all the info on servicing the body and some interior - including a section on Convertible Tops! They are available from the Camaro shops for @$25.
* The Camaro Restoration Handbook - by Tom Currao & Ron Sessions (HP Books #758 - ISBN: 0-89586-375-8 1990 ) This book has some excellent information on repairing/restoring many of the parts of your car - including an excellent chapter on Convertibles! It is available from most of the Camaro sources and also at most big book stores (Barnes & Noble types) for less than $20.
* Chevrolet by the Numbers by Alan Colvin. This book details many of the original parts and casting numbers used on your car and also gives data on decoding the VIN and Cowl Tag. Not a 'have-to-have' but, I would think you would find it interesting in the long run - maybe a good Birthday/Christmas list item... @$20. at many big book stores or the Camaro shops.

Lastly - and for FREE (everybodies favorite price...) is the 'CRG' - www.camaros.org The CRG is a group of guys that have spent many years docummenting these cars and putting the information together on a free web-site :thumbsup:
Many are active members of this site and will likely chime-in to ask information about your car for their data base.

Which brings me to my last entry - where are you :confused:
You don't give a location - I'm sure it's because you were just trying to get registered quickly - but, I would really sugest you update that as soon as you can.
We are a great group of folks and promose we won't show-up on your doorstep overnight if you do update it - we keep the couple of crazies on a pretty short leash... you guys know who you are :p
If you post location and facts we can help you with references to people and suppliers in your area that can help you out quickly in most cases.
It's also nice to know who those "other guys" you see driving by you in Camaros are...
Many of us on this site have met up at shows etc. You may want to do that in the future. :beers:

Hope some of this is helpful;
John M.

btw - don't overlook the "search" funtion on this site! Lots of great past posts with info for you.
Here is a link to a past post 'Angel' provided on convertible top replacement -
http://www.supercar.com/installconvertibletop.asp
I've got it saved in my favorites!

I've updated my profile. Thanks for all the great info! I found my part at Ricks and I'll start ordering some manuals.

Thanks again!

Hi Mac ... first off - welcome. This is a great site and I've founds tons of information that has helped me with my Camaro. The 'search' function on this site will most likely return an answer to your question and there's a lot of knowledgeable folks here who are very willing to help.

If you're looking for parts vendors, I've had very good luck with Ricks and Classic Industries.

Since you're in Sacto, check out these folks: http://www.camarogenerations.com/index.html
Once I get mine on the road, I'll be paying them a visit or two or three or ...

Hey Mac :thumbsup:
Well, you're in very good company around here! Lots of good Camaro (even a certain Buick guy near you that knows a thing or two... :p )
If you need any parts in the future in your gereral area, Sac./Rancho Cordova, there are quite a few places that feature Camaro and Chevy restoration/repopped parts.
Just down the road from you are places like Jim Dyer's ChevyClassics (Stockton), Matts Bowtie's (Concord) and other's.
Many of us on the boards have known and done business with these shops for years and can help steer you to one that can get you what you are looking for.

Would love to here more about your new find! :hurray:
Where/how you found it, how it is equiped, is it restored/modified?

Looking forward to your input on the boards :thumbsup:
John

John,
Thanks for the interest.
I bought the car on an eBay auction just a few weeks ago. I've been looking for awhile and it seems to be a pretty safe bet. It has a new engine (p/n 12496769 from the Chevy website, based on the zz4 block --385hp) but the engine doesn't feel like it's doing anything near that yet. Stock headers, stock exhaust, stock powerglide.

Its not an RS/SS, and it is blue with black stripes -- but the original color was Ash Gold according to the plate in the engine.

Any other interesting things I should look for? Next steps for me are to rebuild the rear suspension, new brakes (disc maybe) and to start tuning the engine.

I bought the car on an eBay auction just a few weeks ago. ...and it seems to be a pretty safe bet.



"eBay and safe bet" :D
Those are two words you don't see used in the same sentence very often anymore... :)

Glad to hear you got a 'find'! If you read through many of the posts on here you will come to appreciate how rare that can be at times.
The majority of cars I've investigated for purchase have been 'over represented' to some extent... ;)

As far as your upgrades - :thumbsup: Go for it. Unless the car is a documented or documentable collector I think they should be tuned and restified to suit your cruising needs.
The motor sounds like it is a good base to go from.
I would next work on the 'stopping' system... Disc upgrades are a no-brainer on these cars. You don't need to cut/weld/modify anything to bolt-on a system that will offer reliable modern stopping power. Visit David Pozzi's great site for donor cars to get the systems from - http://www.pozziracing.com/first_gen_suspension.htm
These parts are available at any Pick-N-Pull type yard or several of the vendors offer them. You can literaly do one in a day if you have all the parts and tools onsite.

Keep us posted on your progress;
John