I started this thread on CRG and sYc and after more thought I felt it might be beneficial to some here as well that may not have a Camaro or frequent CRG.
I’ve thought long and hard about this and I think, with the rising interest in proper restorations coupled with the surging popularity of survivor cars I felt it would be an opportunity to go through the processes of preserving a vehicle. While I have decided that since RGR is no longer in business and, myself, wanting to help the community, I wanted to start a new thread on how and when to try to attempt preservation on these survivors. I will be using my 68 Z as the platform for the processes I use. I recently brought this car home from a prolonged storage at a friends home and I, then, took a small vacation from my automotive duties. Now that the fog has settled, I have looked the car over and decided to abandon the original plan. Which was restoration that has now turned into a preservation attempt.
I thought seeing how far it had deteriorated to reviving the remaining original car and enjoy the path and hopefully learn some new info along the way. Overall I look forward and encourage additional input from some of the; as I like calling them, Automotive Preservationists. My approach will be from a person that likes to work in the garage and maybe doesn’t have limitless resources but I think an average enthusiast can do and feel good about doing it. Also if you have never attempted any of these processes do so on a test panel or junk part before moving to the desired part or area needing the work. Let me make it clear I am certainly no expert when it comes to preserving as this has always been a hobby. With that said, Let’s get started…
Photo 1 - First let’s go over the history of the car to date 11/22/21. Car was originally ordered by Capitol Chevrolet in the fall of 1967 and left Van Nuys plant on 12/22/67.
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Unfortunately no history has been found but the trail starts to pick up in the spring of 1970 with this article from the Austin Statesman newspaper. I believe that this is potentially the order in which the story goes at this point. Purely speculation to date.
01/20/70
Photo 2 - Person w/ 68 Z writes into newspaper about hill climbing/gymkhana racing.
Columnist T.Q. Jones suggests going to Armstrong-Johnson Ford and meet up with the Cobra Colts Mustang Club.
![Image]()
While this is going on a salesman by the name Bill Pevey sends out a note in the paper that he was currently at Henna Chevrolet the other dealership in Austin aside from Capitol.
01/30/69
Photo 3 - Bill Pevey ad for him moving to Henna Chevrolet
![Image]()
The cause for this info as he then writes another ad in the for sale section that he was back at Armstrong Johnson Ford in
03/14/70
Photo 4 - Bill Pevey (salesman) ad listing he left Henna Chevrolet to work for Armstrong-Johnson Ford dealership
![Image]()
This becomes important as Mr. Pevey places another ad several months later of a, you guessed it, 68 Z.
07/16/70 - 07/18/70
Photo 5 - Ad appears 68 Z for sale to contact Bill Pevey with A/J phone number 454-3711
![Image]()
Also of note is the company Armstrong Johnson is undergoing a name change from the 51% of Bob Armstrong’s ownership being bought by Leif Johnson (which already owned the remainder 49%) in July of 1970.
07/27/70
Photo 6 - Article about Leif Johnson buying out Bob Armstrong's 51% share of company to become primary owner of Ford dealership which would include the name change from Armstrong-Johnson Ford to Leif Johnson Ford.
![Image]()
Photos 7 - 8 - This is very important as the car still has the Armstrong Johnson of Austin dealer emblem on the tail pan. For the next month or so there are several ads with a 68 red Z28 for sale on the lot.
![Image]()
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Photo 9 - This is where the lead cools off for a couple years. We fast forward to April 1972 when I was able to obtain the last known registration of my Camaro’s vin in the Texas DMV database. A gentleman named Mr. Donald A. Dixon. I have been searching for Mr. Dixon since 2013 as some of you might remember from previous posts. The summer of 2021 became another jumping off point and reignited the search when a friend gave me access to their newspapers.com search and ultimately subscribed myself. As I made my way through all this new found info I began the search again for Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon originally was from middle TN and went to Texas for basic training and met a young lady that he dated for a month or two and as it turns out went to his girlfriends house for dinner one night. As he pulled in there it sat in the yard like a shiny penny fresh off the press. He amazingly worked a deal with her father (traded is 69 Roadrunner and $50 for the 68 Z) which was a wheeler dealer of used cars on the side from being a Major. There were several training camps in the area as the Major was living in New Braunfels, Texas. Mr. Dixon said the first thing he did after getting back to the base was go to the local speed shop and bought a new Hurst shifter. Once Dixon finished training and was finally done with his service to our country he moved back in 1974. Upon coming back to middle TN he traded the 68 Z into EB Smith Chevrolet on a 72 Monte Carlo and as he put it the worst mistake he ever made..
No results were found on any transactions or listings for a 68 Z from EB Smith from 1974-1975. The belief is EB wholesaled it to another used car lot where the next owner bought it in 1975. His name was Randy Cassidy. From ‘75 until 2005 he owned the car and in the late 70’s decided to blow the car apart and begin a resto. Luckily for me, the car sat basically untouched until this fall. My father, along with myself, had been after the car for as long as I remember. With the passing of my father in Oct of 2006 the car was passed on to me for ownership. And with that, the preservation will begin.
![Image]()
I’ve thought long and hard about this and I think, with the rising interest in proper restorations coupled with the surging popularity of survivor cars I felt it would be an opportunity to go through the processes of preserving a vehicle. While I have decided that since RGR is no longer in business and, myself, wanting to help the community, I wanted to start a new thread on how and when to try to attempt preservation on these survivors. I will be using my 68 Z as the platform for the processes I use. I recently brought this car home from a prolonged storage at a friends home and I, then, took a small vacation from my automotive duties. Now that the fog has settled, I have looked the car over and decided to abandon the original plan. Which was restoration that has now turned into a preservation attempt.
I thought seeing how far it had deteriorated to reviving the remaining original car and enjoy the path and hopefully learn some new info along the way. Overall I look forward and encourage additional input from some of the; as I like calling them, Automotive Preservationists. My approach will be from a person that likes to work in the garage and maybe doesn’t have limitless resources but I think an average enthusiast can do and feel good about doing it. Also if you have never attempted any of these processes do so on a test panel or junk part before moving to the desired part or area needing the work. Let me make it clear I am certainly no expert when it comes to preserving as this has always been a hobby. With that said, Let’s get started…
Photo 1 - First let’s go over the history of the car to date 11/22/21. Car was originally ordered by Capitol Chevrolet in the fall of 1967 and left Van Nuys plant on 12/22/67.
Unfortunately no history has been found but the trail starts to pick up in the spring of 1970 with this article from the Austin Statesman newspaper. I believe that this is potentially the order in which the story goes at this point. Purely speculation to date.
01/20/70
Photo 2 - Person w/ 68 Z writes into newspaper about hill climbing/gymkhana racing.
Columnist T.Q. Jones suggests going to Armstrong-Johnson Ford and meet up with the Cobra Colts Mustang Club.
While this is going on a salesman by the name Bill Pevey sends out a note in the paper that he was currently at Henna Chevrolet the other dealership in Austin aside from Capitol.
01/30/69
Photo 3 - Bill Pevey ad for him moving to Henna Chevrolet
The cause for this info as he then writes another ad in the for sale section that he was back at Armstrong Johnson Ford in
03/14/70
Photo 4 - Bill Pevey (salesman) ad listing he left Henna Chevrolet to work for Armstrong-Johnson Ford dealership
This becomes important as Mr. Pevey places another ad several months later of a, you guessed it, 68 Z.
07/16/70 - 07/18/70
Photo 5 - Ad appears 68 Z for sale to contact Bill Pevey with A/J phone number 454-3711
Also of note is the company Armstrong Johnson is undergoing a name change from the 51% of Bob Armstrong’s ownership being bought by Leif Johnson (which already owned the remainder 49%) in July of 1970.
07/27/70
Photo 6 - Article about Leif Johnson buying out Bob Armstrong's 51% share of company to become primary owner of Ford dealership which would include the name change from Armstrong-Johnson Ford to Leif Johnson Ford.
Photos 7 - 8 - This is very important as the car still has the Armstrong Johnson of Austin dealer emblem on the tail pan. For the next month or so there are several ads with a 68 red Z28 for sale on the lot.
Photo 9 - This is where the lead cools off for a couple years. We fast forward to April 1972 when I was able to obtain the last known registration of my Camaro’s vin in the Texas DMV database. A gentleman named Mr. Donald A. Dixon. I have been searching for Mr. Dixon since 2013 as some of you might remember from previous posts. The summer of 2021 became another jumping off point and reignited the search when a friend gave me access to their newspapers.com search and ultimately subscribed myself. As I made my way through all this new found info I began the search again for Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon originally was from middle TN and went to Texas for basic training and met a young lady that he dated for a month or two and as it turns out went to his girlfriends house for dinner one night. As he pulled in there it sat in the yard like a shiny penny fresh off the press. He amazingly worked a deal with her father (traded is 69 Roadrunner and $50 for the 68 Z) which was a wheeler dealer of used cars on the side from being a Major. There were several training camps in the area as the Major was living in New Braunfels, Texas. Mr. Dixon said the first thing he did after getting back to the base was go to the local speed shop and bought a new Hurst shifter. Once Dixon finished training and was finally done with his service to our country he moved back in 1974. Upon coming back to middle TN he traded the 68 Z into EB Smith Chevrolet on a 72 Monte Carlo and as he put it the worst mistake he ever made..
No results were found on any transactions or listings for a 68 Z from EB Smith from 1974-1975. The belief is EB wholesaled it to another used car lot where the next owner bought it in 1975. His name was Randy Cassidy. From ‘75 until 2005 he owned the car and in the late 70’s decided to blow the car apart and begin a resto. Luckily for me, the car sat basically untouched until this fall. My father, along with myself, had been after the car for as long as I remember. With the passing of my father in Oct of 2006 the car was passed on to me for ownership. And with that, the preservation will begin.
