Frame Up Restored Camaro SS 350 V8 4 Speed

We sell a lot of early Camaros here at RK Motors Charlotte, maybe more than anyone else. From Z/28s to Yenkos to COPOs, there's been a pretty spectacular parade of early F-bodies running through our showroom for a few years. But just when you start thinking you've seen it all, something unusual shows up and makes you realize that unlike today, in 1969 GM would let you do just about anything you wanted with your new car. This extremely cool SS 350 coupe is proof, thanks to its highly unusual color combination of Garnet Red with a white vinyl top and white interior. It also has a pile of receipts for a lot of recent work including a new top end with aluminum heads. If you're looking for a head-turner that can run with the big kids on the street, this might be the answer.

A Garnet Red Camaro isn't unusual all by itself, but it appears that the guys who did the bodywork treated it as something special. The entire car is very nicely finished with evidence of expert work everywhere you look. The hood, doors, and trunk lid fit extremely well with precise gaps, including the leading edge of the doors which is always tough. I like that it still wears its original hood with chrome inserts instead of a cowl-induction piece, and the duck tail spoiler out back always looks good. The paint is base/clear, which endows the red with a depth that is hard to duplicate with single-stage paint, and the clearcoat ensures that it will look this good for years to come. A correct white SS hockey stick stripe duplicates the original look, and it's one that many enthusiasts prefer to the dual longitudinal stripes most SS cars wear. The overall impression you get looking at this car is positive, with crisp details and expert care since it was complete.

All the trim was comprehensively restored as well, including the stainless trim around the windows and white vinyl top. And speaking of the top, it's brand new with the correct grain and no signs of rust bubbles underneath, which is always the first question we get on cars with padded roofs. There's a correct SS grille up front, bright chrome on the bumpers, and proper 350 badges on the front fenders. Optional gill inserts and bright wheel well trim add even more appeal to a car that is already an eyeball magnet. It also appears that all the glass was replaced during the restoration and it remains in excellent condition.

The engine is an L48 350 cubic inch V8, and in factory trim it made a nice, round 300 horsepower. However, this one has been extensively upgraded at a cost of more than $5500 in the past few months, and today likely generates substantially more than that. New components include an Edelbrock intake, 4-barrel carburetor, camshaft, and those lightweight aluminum heads I mentioned earlier. For dress-up, it also sports a set of finned aluminum valve covers from a Z/28, but the overall look is very authentic. Up top there's an open-element air cleaner with correct "350 Turbo-Jet" decals and the block wears a correct coat of Chevy Orange paint. Note that the exhaust manifolds are original and in exceptionally good condition with no rust or heavy pitting, and all the hoses are exact reproduction items with tower hose clamps securing them in place. This car includes power brakes and a heavy-duty cooling system, but oddly enough, no power steering. You'll also find that the correct shift stamps have been replicated on the firewall, which is something that many show-goers find endlessly fascinating once they discover what the fluorescent letters mean.

This one also sports a 4-speed manual transmission spinning a 10-bolt rear end, which was standard equipment on small-block Camaros. Both the suspension and braking systems have been completely rebuilt, and the new components are visible throughout the chassis: freshly plated brake calipers, proper cast iron finishes on the steering linkage, and new shocks fore and aft. The floors wear a protective undercoating, but it's obvious that the subframes were removed from the tub during restoration and finished in correct satin black. The only non-stock item underneath is the exhaust system, which features an X-pipe and a pair of Flowmaster mufflers. Beautiful Rally wheels wear recent 205/70/14 BFGoodrich T/A white letter radials.

The interior is extremely cool, with white standard Strato buckets and red carpets, matching the exterior perfectly. It's far more typical to have black carpets, but the red seems to suit this car much better. The dash and center console are still black, adding some contrast, and everything is beautifully finished. With new seat covers, fresh door panels, and a taut red headliner, the interior needs nothing to be ready to show. There's an optional wood grained steering wheel, a dash full of rebuilt gauges, and a beautifully finished console full of auxiliary gauges and the big, chrome shifter handle. The trunk is correctly restored as well, with a new mat and a spare tire with jack assembly.

Documentation includes an original owner's manual and a big stack of receipts for all the recent work, adding up to close to $10,000.

If you've been looking for a Camaro that isn't just like everyone else's, this attractive red and white SS 350 may fit the bill. With a lot of performance-enhancing upgrades that do little to diminish the cars authenticity, it drives even better than it looks. The small block cars offer much crisper handling than the big blocks, and with the aluminum heads removing at least 50 additional pounds from the nose of this coupe, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how agile it is on the street. And any car with more than 300 horsepower on tap is going to be an impressive performer. This is a well-sorted F-body with no issues, and the price is definitely right. Call today!