Remember the green 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that was saved from spending its retirement in a backyard? Well, it's been taken to a shop for repairs, received its first wash in almost two decades, and it looks better than expected.
Parked due to engine issues 18 years ago, this 1969 Camaro got a second chance when Dustin from Life of Lind bought it and decided to put it back on the road. He got it running and even managed to do a few burnouts with it, but the coupe needs a lot of work to become a proper muscle car again.
No one likes to work on a dirty car, so the Camaro got its first cleaning in almost 20 years. The owner got rid of all the useless junk stored in the trunk and on the back seat and cleaned the grime that plagued the naturally aspirated V8.
The clean-up reveals a solid paint job that still shines in places. The metallic green hue comes back to life once all that dirt is gone, and it seems that the Camaro will not need a repaint. There are tiny scratches everywhere, but there's a clear coat too, which means it can all be fixed with a bit of buffing.
On the other hand, the driver's door and the roof need a lot more work due to cracked paint. The door is a replacement that was originally blue. The green paint has peeled off to reveal some rust, so the door will be replaced rather than fixed. Still, this 1969 Camaro looks damn impressive for a 50-year-old muscle car that's been sitting for almost two decades.
It will be interesting to see what happens to it in the near future. The owner says he will be doing some engine work next. The car needs a new fuel pump, a new carburetor, and valve seals. But more importantly, he wants to find out if it's a numbers-matching car. If it is, he might restore the 5.0-liter V8. Otherwise, he's thinking about dropping a big block under the hood.
As much as I like big-displacement mills, I'm hoping for a numbers-matching engine because this is a rare, one-year Camaro with a 307 (5.0-liter) V8. Built for 1969 only, the 307 was the nameplate's entry-level V8 trim. Sure, it's not impressively potent at 200 horsepower, but the naturally aspirated L14 sounds meaner than its output suggests.
Now hit play to watch that metallic green paint come back to life.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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