Hello,
I am looking at buying this Cortez Silver 69 Z28. I would like to post some #'s on here to see if someone can help me decode it. I of course want to make sure I am gettting a good car. Its a boby off restoration from about 3 years ago. Looks to be a high #2 type car... Runs, drives, and looks incredible.
The car has a dated coded 69 DZ 302 motor but not the one that came in it from the factory. They are asking 50k for the car. This seams to be about the going price for the these from what I have found.

Here are the #'s...

vin# is 124379L528175
9L528175 on Cowl

Engine V050DZ
Cast# 3970010
Transmission P9B22A A35861 LT9 January
Rearend BU0122G2 a 13 9 January
Trim Tag ST 69 12437 VN306474
TR 716 69
03 D U080


Some of these #'s were a little scetchy. I had a guy get the #'s for me and his writing is really bad. So please bare with me...



Thanks for the help!!!!

Anthony

Heres what I got:
1 = Chevrolet
2 = Camaro
3 = 6-cylinder engine
37 = coupe body
9 = 1969 model year
L = Los Angeles, CA assembly plant (Van Nuys)
528175 = vehicle serial number sequence

Decode for body number: 306474

03D = Built the Fourth week of March.
69-12437 = Coupe.
VN = Built in Van Nuys California.
716 = Custom Dark Blue Bucket Seats.
69-69 = Car Color is Cortez Silver
U080 = internal plant scheduling code.

Double check for yourself at camaro.org

As you noted, the engine's not original.
I question the rear, date is a little early.
Trans should have the VIN stamped on it, does it?

12(4)379L528175

I think 4 is 8 cyl? correct? I have never heard of the cin # on the trans. But I will check again....

Thanks for the info guys....

Has he got any paperwork or history with the car? Write down all the numbers you locate and keep them safe(it'll keep you from doing it again). Check camaros.org and you'll find some other telltale signs, but the fact it's an LA car and they don't have X codes can make it harder to verify lineage, because they are making everything needed to put one together from scratch. See if you can locate previous owners. $50k is about right for a Z, but it's awful high if it's a clone.

TX Paul,

Thank you for your input. (I am in TX by the way and the car is local...)
There is really no paper work to speak of. All we have is a bill of sale from Corvettes and Classics in Houston and the body shop in Garland TX that restored it. I will have to call them on Monday. But the dealer that is selling it is not hiding anything and guaranteeing it to be an authenteic Z with a date coded 69 DZ motor. Of course that does not hold water these days.
Are the #'s I posted not enough to say its a real Z? Is it bad that it was built in LA CA?
If this "particular car" had paper work like the protecto plate I think it would be in the 60k range and then out of my price range.

Pictures....

http://www.nvo.com/texasmusclecars/1969silvercamaro/view_all.nhtml

Many LA/VN cars had a build sheet on top of the gas tank - fabulous documentation when found.

Ask what happened to it during the restoration.

If they never removed the tank during the restoration, crawl underneath the drivers side, in front of the axle, and take a peak. If you see any paper on top, good chance that's the buildsheet and have them drop the tank - it's only held up there by two bolts. Shouldn't take more then 30 minutes to drop it and re-install it.

With it, you can easily document what kind of car it left the factory as; without, LA cars that don't have the original driveline can be tough to prove.

Ok, I will try that. But lets just say its not there but the restorer claims that it was an original. Then I am basically in the same boat. I hate that we do not have any paperwork. But truthfully the more hands that these go through the more chnces of being without any papers. The dealer is asking 50k because the fact that their are not papers. Otherwise it would be out my league.

Should I walk away from this thing and just keep on looking???

A lot of nice looking pictures, but I didn't see a single shot of the engine or any of the mechanical components.

Before you buy, if you don't have it, buy this this book:

http://www.z28camaro.com/publications.html

It will tell what to look for, to make sure you're at leasting getting the right components.

Also, LA cars are not bad by any means. Those with the original chassis broadcast sheet have some of the most solid, hard to fake documentation around. No reason to fake the tags, etc, on LA cars as it doesn't disclose the options (ie - as X codes cars do, which are being faked why too much).

Your doing the right thing by posting your questions here - keep 'em up.

Maybe they will have that book at Barnes and Noble and I can pick up a copy today. Not that it matters, but this place has a very good reputation. But then again he only knows what I do at this point. The dealer also has a 69 survivor car with all of the paper work and the paper work showing it truly has 70k original miles. On the other side of that is another 69 Z that is even nicer than the one I am looking at. My point is, they are all side by side. I looked at everything on all three. ( no I am not a pro ) But I could not tell any differnce in visuals. Besides the stripes on the trunk of the silver one are past the rear spoiler. The original one did not have the stripes past the spoiler on the trunk. But the restored ones did. They all three had the double humped heads with DZ stamped on the blocks. In my eyes they were darn near all identical.

Whats funny is the last owner was TX Supreme Court Judge. Wonder if he did his homework??? LOL!
I may can get a hold of him. I have his name and the city where he lives. Doubt he will be listed though...

all LA built Z28's had the stripe color painted on the cowl BELOW the cowl vent grille from fender to fender and from the front edge to the base of the windshield

IF they did not repaint that it is one of THE clues to indicate a real Z or not

for instance in this case the cowl (top) would be black instead of silver

Jim,

Thanks, but I am not totally following you on where exactly to look??
Are talking about the Cowl Hood?
As a reminder this car has had a body off resotoration. If you are referring to some sort of original strtiping I seriously doubt it will be there. Just my luck...

Maybe I can give you some reference numbers for comparison.

My Van Nuys 69Z has a vin of 124379L528199. The original engine was changed for a CE replacement short block. My transmission is original and has the matching partial vin of 79L528199 stamped on the top of case and on the passenger side next to the date stamp of P9A24B.

My rear end is coded BU0328G2.

Being a VN car and knowing what to look for with information from this site should help you from buying something you think your getting and then realizing later you have learned a costly lesson. :beers:


Steve