The first thing you need to sort out is what year and options you want and how much money you have to spend. Do you want a numbers matching car (meaning the engine VIN code matches a portion of the vehicle VIN code)? Are you looking for an all original car or a modified car? Do you want a camaro that is already done or do you want a project camaro. If you are not mechanically inclined or can do bodywork and paint, you are best to buy a complete camaro, unless you have a large budget and can pay professionals to do the work for you. If you choose to take on the restoration project yourself expect it to take many years and lots of cash to complete.
Now that you know what you want and how much you have to spend the next step is to do some research. Learn as much as you can about the Camaro you want to purchase so that when you inspect a possible car you know what to look for. Sources of information are: Books, Camaro club members, Camaro Internet sites, Camaro owners at Show and shines, Magazine articles. By being informed you will be more likely to buy a Camaro that you won't be second guessing yourself about its purchase.
Join your local Camaro Club, the best place to find leads on a Camaro coming up For sale is by letting club members know what you are looking for. Post the details of the Camaro you are looking for on the www.camaro.ca site. Travel to local Show and shines, Auctions, Cruise nights, and Swap meets. Quite often a Camaro is listed For sale at the show or in a neighboring parking lot. Monitor local trade papers, classified ads, Auto traders and Camaro.ca Local Cars for Sale Section. Some of these offer on-line access which saves you being at the newsstand early. Cars that are a good deal go fast! I have heard of Camaros that were advertised in a Thursday trade paper that comes out at 7am that were sold by 8am the same day. Canada Trader is updated every Monday and you can search across Canada Canada Trader . Another good one which is from the States is Deals on Wheels .
Auctions are another possibility. Be careful to do a pre-inspection prior to bidding. Sometimes Camaros are parked in the parking lot with For-sale signs on them. On-line auctions such as Ebay are another option. Beware of the bidding climbing beyond the actual market value of the Camaro in question.
Some companies that do full restorations, often advertise cars For Sale that belong to their customers who have made the decision to sell. One such company in Canada is Legendary Motor Cars, you can check them out on the web at : Legendary Motor Cars . Another company to check out is The Guild of Automotive Restorers Inc. Some shops also have bulletin boards posted in their shops with cars For Sale.
When looking at a first generation Camaro here are some common weak points you need to be aware of: Rust in the following areas: In the front of the dash. In the bottom corners of the back window. On the sub-frame, especially at the body mount locations. In the floors, both inside the car and in the trunk. In the door pillars, both inside and outside the car. In the rocker panels. In the doors and fenders. In the inner and outer rear quarter panels. On the front radiator support assembly where the body mounts to the sub-frame. Discuss with your body-man the level of rust you are willing to fix. Some cars are best parted out.
Convertible: top actuators, cocktail shakers, chrome front window pieces.
67/68 AM radio or Am/FM radio, original antennas.
Original carburetors, air cleaners, accessories.
Ralley-Sport : wiring, headlight motors, headlight relays.
67 windlace moulding.
Manifolds, especially big blocks.
Correct colour seat-belts, unless yours are black, which is the easiest colour to locate. The most difficult to find are the front seat-belt retractors, which were only used on the Camaro and Firebirds for that year
Consoles, gauge packages and Tic-Toc-Tachs.
Going Stateside
The big benefit to buying a Camaro in the southern States is the fact you are more likely to find a rust free car. This will save you a lot of money in body work. The big disadvantage is the current poor exchange rate.
If you are curious to see what Camaros are being listed for sale in the United States check out the following publications: Hemmings Motor News and Deals on Wheels which are available at your local newsstand. Both publications have websites as follows:
Hemmings
Deals on Wheels
If you see a Camaro that you are interested in, parked and the owner is nearby, ask them if they are interested in selling. You never know, you may catch them at the right time, just prior to it going in the papers.
Click Here to visit the Calgary Camaro Club Website
Click Here to visit a Camaro Website
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