[merlin803]

Originally Posted by MovieGuy

The ol "at the dealership for an oil change in the other car" trick. I fell for that one too.

LOL! I was innocent this time!

I really did just want to look at it while I was waiting for the oil change because I had not seen one in person and it was in the showroom just staring at me through the window!

I had zero intention of even thinking about getting one at that time (the 5th Gen I had at the time had a year left on the lease).

She was like "why don't you just find out what the payments would be"?

The rest is history, lol.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Shultzy

Being only nineteen I can only imagine how awesome it was seeing these bad boys around on the road everyday! Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era

Fifty years ago we all knew that these cars were more than just point A to point B transportation, but we didn't look at them with the reverence that they now command. Really, they were just fun, fast cars . . . fun because of their somewhat rebellious image, with 'fast' being relative to most of what else was on the road at the time.

They weren't technically excellent cars, certainly not by today's standards. Maybe that was part of their appeal, and part of why cars like this tended to not remain in 100% stock form.

Today's 6th gen SS would have been a legitimate supercar, had that term existed. But if you could have somehow showed up in 1967 with a 6th gen you'd have given away respect points for it having all sorts of luxury-car features. Including, for such a hot performer, A/C for sure and the 8A transmission if that's what came on what you rode the time travel wave in.


clanky has described the hardcore performance side of the 'Pro-Touring' movement quite well. The character and lighter/more graceful styling of the original rebels with the performance improvements that have come since. Hotrodding to another level.


Norm

[fastball]

Originally Posted by Richard0nee

LOL that was hilarious! Good info, I never knew they changed the HP rating. I wish there was a hardcore movie director that put the 6th Gen Camaro SS back into the future of the 60's/70's. The reaction would be priceless! I would def. pay to watch!!

Yeah that's why the 70s and early 80s were really a terrible time to be a car enthusiast. Corvettes rated with 160 hp. Camaro Z28s rated with 130 hp. Had to have been utterly depressing for the car guys who were in their late teens and early 20s in the late 60s that by their late 20s the cars they grew up on became slow and the hp ratings took a nosedive by 2/3rds.

But once they got fuel injection and computer engine management systems down - i.e. CPUs became powerful enough and had enough memory to be reliable - that all turned around. We would never be able to have 455 true horsepower meet all the modern fuel economy and emission laws were it not for the highly sophisticated and advanced engine management systems in cars today. Not to mention that aluminum blocks are a dime a dozen today, so virtually all engines are made of all aluminum. Lighter weight than cast iron obviously. Back in the 60s, aluminum was EXTREMELY rare and expensive. It was a precious metal.

[Shultzy]

So I think it's safe to say that while we have much faster hybrid and super cars today, there's a huge difference in culture. When my dad describes growing up in Miami it just seemed like such a different place. Everyone was "into" cars. Playing football for free at a private school just showed me that most kids only got beemers, ferraris and other nice cars as just a status icon. Also when looking at and hearing some of these stories it seemed like everyone could afford a certain kind of car and that certain kind of car was bad ass! Now the most things people with part time jobs can afford are hondas and toyotas. Don't get me wrong nothing wrong with that, just a difference in the times. I guess what I'm getting at is I wish the culture was different. There is no argument when it comes to the better car as modern technology has progressed unbelievably. But my biggest argument and in my opinion, the whole culture and especially car culture has fell flat in terms of people who are able to afford/appreciate these cars as opposed to having them as a status icon.

[SpookShow'84]

The culture is hurting for sure. It's sad to say but the Mustang does more to keep it alive than any other car. Those guys get their rides out to shows and cruises. If you want a budget ride that's cool a '05 coyote swapped Mustang GT is about one of the best bang for the buck rides to get. Everything bolts up, you swap the computer and off you go. Most of the 4th gen Camaro's are used up and the 5th gen is still too much $ for a budget build. The G-body is a good platform for a build too but the prices have been going up pretty fast and the availability of the cars is going down just as fast due to the dirt circle cars that have been eating them for 20+ years. Keep your eyes peeled and you can still find build-able examples for $2-3k

[Lafourche1]

Being 62, I did grow up with these machines. My first car was a '67 Mustang with a 289 2BBL and 3 speed on the floor. I went to prom my senior year in a 1966 Chrysler New Yorker that had a 440 Wedge with a 4BBL. I think that car was just short of 200 feet long. The back seat ........ I'll stop there. My dear, departed grandmother drove a Chrysler 300G (oh do I want that Banker's Hotrod back).

I love the sounds. Everyone should have grown up just knowing it was a Mopar cranking up by that particular sound. Older folks know what I am talking about. To hear the Wedge or even better yet, the Elephant clear its throat was better than the sound of Santa on the rooftop.

Now for the reality. Many of these cars had drum brakes. Stopping was more of a hope and pray endeavor. Handling was "basic". The skinny bias belted tires were iffy, at best. Even the better of these cars were a handful to drive.

[Heavymetal454]

Has anyone even discussed affordability. If you were 18 and you wanted to buy a 69 Z28 it would set you back between four and five grand. How does that compare to a ZL1 or Z28 in today's dollars? I'm not sure that owning a performance car today is as affordable as it once was. Hence many people were able to buy a car and fix it up. That was what the hot rod movement was born from. TRoops returning home from the war with a few dollars and the ability to turn a basic ride into something more with their own ingenuity and craftsmanship.

What has been lost is the hands on creativity. Today's youth open up a catalog on their smartphone, click a button and the part shows up at your door. How many people here crawled around in a junk yard?

I'm definitely buying a new ZL1 but given the choice I would keep my 69 if I were forced to give one up because it is unique, will always be a looker and cannot be duplicated so easily. I'm sure my new ZL1 will look the same as the one many of you buy. My 69 doesn't look like any other on the road.

[fastball]

Originally Posted by Heavymetal454

Has anyone even discussed affordability. If you were 18 and you wanted to buy a 69 Z28 it would set you back between four and five grand. How does that compare to a ZL1 or Z28 in today's dollars? I'm not sure that owning a performance car today is as affordable as it once was. Hence many people were able to buy a car and fix it up. That was what the hot rod movement was born from. TRoops returning home from the war with a few dollars and the ability to turn a basic ride into something more with their own ingenuity and craftsmanship.

What has been lost is the hands on creativity. Today's youth open up a catalog on their smartphone, click a button and the part shows up at your door. How many people here crawled around in a junk yard?

I'm definitely buying a new ZL1 but given the choice I would keep my 69 if I were forced to give one up because it is unique, will always be a looker and cannot be duplicated so easily. I'm sure my new ZL1 will look the same as the one many of you buy. My 69 doesn't look like any other on the road.

The base price of a 1969 Z28 was $2880. That was with the base 307 Camaro V8 with ZERO additional options besides a base Camaro coupe with the $474.00 Z28 package. That means 4 wheel drum brakes, no power steering or brakes, no radio, no center console/gauge package.

Most Camaro Z28s were equipped with all that. Which brought the total to about $4500.00-5000.00. Of course you could also opt for higher powered V8s and that of course would raise the price.

That comes to about $30,000 today factoring inflation.

Yeah a ZL1 or Z28 today is all north of $50k. But if you look at a base 1SS today that is $37,800 which includes everything that was optional in 1969 as standard equipment and obviously then some. So you really are only paying $7800 more for an SS in 2016 than you were in 1969.

Not a bad deal if you ask me.

[LT4Greg]

Shultzy, you are fortunate to have a 1SS at age 19. My first car was a Chevy Vega that would use a quart of oil in 75 miles or so and was underpowered but it was my means of getting to college and working a part time job to help pay my expenses. My parents really had to pay for things because at $2.30 an hour minimum wage your money didn't go that far. In the 60s gas was cheap but the wages were low and of course vehicles weren't too expensive depending on what you were looking to buy and afford. And it was mentioned from people posting about the Vietnam war and draft going on. That was a 18 year old male nightmare if he got drafted and had to go fight. I wasn't quite old enough to get drafted but had relatives that were. The war ended when I was 16. And everyone is right about our culture has changed dramatically in the last 25 to 30 years. I hate to see all these things happening worldwide but that's the times now and life. Trust us older folks when we say now is the best time to be a gear head and love these new factory hotrods and enjoy driving them. I do understand your posting though and wondering about how it was back a few decades ago! BTW, nice 1SS Camaro and in my favorite color too!

[Richard0nee]

Awesome stories guys. Since I missed out on the 60's it looks like now is a great time to be a gearhead!

Just yesterday, an gentleman drove his green 68 Camaro to work (I work at Northgrop Grumman, there's a few classics here) and he mentioned that he bought it new in 68 and still runs well 48+ years later!! What a beauty and the idle sound will never get old!

I would LOVE to own a classic so I can share the experience of the older muscle cars.. too bad they are not cheap! lol

[RenegadeXR]

Originally Posted by Shultzy

Being only nineteen I can only imagine how awesome it was seeing these bad boys around on the road everyday! Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era

I think we've all felt that way at one time or another. The 1960s and 1970s evoke a lot of strong emotions. Rock and roll was at its peak, people were expressing messages of peace and love, the cold war was spawning a ton of cool movies like James Bond, and performance cars were starting to come out set up from the factory for the everyday worker.

But here are the harsh realities of the time: Racism was still more alive than today, politicians were even more corrupt than today, places like New York City were slums, the internet's predecessor was nothing more than an experiment being ran by a few universities, and although cars looked cool, they were honestly very crappy. The quality of life was lower for most people than today, despite what some people claim through rose colored glasses when recalling the past.

I encourage you to find a place that sells cheap classics and take a test drive with a car that has its original drum brakes. That's what I did. The handling is horrible and you need to anticipate in advance when you want to stop. The engine sucks fuel like no tomorrow, making it impractical. The cars then are really not built for today's roads and driving styles.

You have to realize. All that freedom is what eventually led to the modern day we have now and we're kind of still living in the era that began then. We're in a golden age of automotive performance. We live in a world where you can embrace technology, but there's also more recently a movement to go back to the basics and get out and about. Car culture is also not dead despite what people say. If you want to buy an old car and act out a hippie lifestyle, you wouldn't be the only one.

The only thing I will say that isn't as good as then is movies. They're consistently getting worse every year. Less plot, more CGI. I feel like movies peaked out in the 90's as an art form. One way I also remove bias from the equation is to watch period pieces (eg: westerns) where it's harder to tell what era a movie was shot in. Just going by plot and overall effort alone, the old movies generally blow new ones away.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by RenegadeXR

I encourage you to find a place that sells cheap classics and take a test drive with a car that has its original drum brakes. That's what I did. The handling is horrible and you need to anticipate in advance when you want to stop. The engine sucks fuel like no tomorrow, making it impractical. The cars then are really not built for today's roads and driving styles.

All true. But those are all solve-able problems. Google "Pro-Touring".

You have to realize. All that freedom is what eventually led to the modern day we have now and we're kind of still living in the era that began then. We're in a golden age of automotive performance. We live in a world where you can embrace technology, but there's also more recently a movement to go back to the basics and get out and about. Car culture is also not dead despite what people say.

Maybe not dead, but certainly diluted from when performance was what impressed most enthusiasts and "features" were luxury options that belonged on your uncle's Buick or Olds.

I have to shake my head when a discussion comes up on any of these supposedly enthusiast forums about things like bluetooth and ambient lighting. That just doesn't fit with what these cars were all about, too close to what that non-enthusiast uncle would choose.


Norm

[C5Txfan]

Originally Posted by Lafourche1

Being 62, I did grow up with these machines. My first car was a '67 Mustang with a 289 2BBL and 3 speed on the floor. I went to prom my senior year in a 1966 Chrysler New Yorker that had a 440 Wedge with a 4BBL. I think that car was just short of 200 feet long. The back seat ........ I'll stop there. My dear, departed grandmother drove a Chrysler 300G (oh do I want that Banker's Hotrod back).

I love the sounds. Everyone should have grown up just knowing it was a Mopar cranking up by that particular sound. Older folks know what I am talking about. To hear the Wedge or even better yet, the Elephant clear its throat was better than the sound of Santa on the rooftop.

Now for the reality. Many of these cars had drum brakes. Stopping was more of a hope and pray endeavor. Handling was "basic". The skinny bias belted tires were iffy, at best. Even the better of these cars were a handful to drive.

I have to agree 100% about the sound of the old Mopars starting up - that great high pitched whine of the starter - plus the awesome rumble of the big cube motors ! Growing up in the 60s was fun - best rock 'n roll still to this day. And yeah the modern cars today are much more powerful (actual HP), more efficient, safer and comfortable (no over heating with A/C on in traffic ! )- BUT they don't (to me) have the sex appeal and soul of the classic cars from back then even without the creature comforts of today's cars.

[Shultzy]

Originally Posted by LT1Greg

Shultzy, you are fortunate to have a 1SS at age 19. My first car was a Chevy Vega that would use a quart of oil in 75 miles or so and was underpowered but it was my means of getting to college and working a part time job to help pay my expenses. My parents really had to pay for things because at $2.30 an hour minimum wage your money didn't go that far. In the 60s gas was cheap but the wages were low and of course vehicles weren't too expensive depending on what you were looking to buy and afford. And it was mentioned from people posting about the Vietnam war and draft going on. That was a 18 year old male nightmare if he got drafted and had to go fight. I wasn't quite old enough to get drafted but had relatives that were. The war ended when I was 16. And everyone is right about our culture has changed dramatically in the last 25 to 30 years. I hate to see all these things happening worldwide but that's the times now and life. Trust us older folks when we say now is the best time to be a gear head and love these new factory hotrods and enjoy driving them. I do understand your posting though and wondering about how it was back a few decades ago! BTW, nice 1SS Camaro and in my favorite color too!

Right on! I have a tremendous amount respect for those who served and even more for those who were drafted at that age. It took courage and it's something
kids today most certainly would not understand. I try to keep the mentality of duty honor country. My dad was a captain in the army, my brother is airforce and I'm trying to become an officer in the airforce as well. Maybe this post goes beyond cars. I think I just wish people held on to certain values and appreciated things. Trust me I know everything was far from perfect back then. But as a young person I just can't help but wonder! Thanks for the feedback though. I always enjoy hearing the older generations give us young guns some knowledge.
P.S thank you! gotta love the white haha