Modified 383 V8 Project: 1973 Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro sales bounced back to nearly 100,000 units in 1973 after an abysmal 1972 showing. That upward motion may have been helped by the addition of the fancier Type LT model which replaced the Super Sport. The seller’s car seems to be a combination of versions, including the LT, Rally Sport, and maybe the Z28 (although the VIN decoding indicates that a basic 350 cubic inch V8 was once in this ’73 Camaro). With some upgrades to the current engine, this 1973 LT can be found in Stokesdale, North Carolina, and is available here on eBay where the current ante is $10,200.
Some will remember the 1973 model year as being the one when U.S. automakers began adding cow catcher bumpers to the fronts of their products. Chevrolet pulled it off better than most with the Camaro, and especially the Rally Sport with the split front grille. Though the “bumperettes” of the RS were beefed up, they still looked sleek and attractive. 32,300 Camaro’s were the Type LT in 1973, 11,400 had the RS option, and 11,600 were Z28s (which this car may not be, though it has the badging). But when you mix all these together, I’m not sure how many were built like the seller’s machine.
The seller offers a Type LT whose swapped 1971 350 cubic inch V8 has been stretched to 383 CI, capable of 450 horsepower with its Super T10 4-speed manual transmission. The car is a good running and drivable project that needs finishing. The 383 comes with all sorts of goodies, including aluminum heads and headers. Paperwork will be provided to back up the work done and expenses. But it doesn’t stop there as the fuel system is new as are the tires.
While there’s no hood shown in the photos, the seller has the stock flat hood that’s not going to fit with the current setup. All glass is complete except for the windshield. The interior looks good, and the body is solid though the seller says one of the rear quarter panels will need some attention. If you like what you see and don’t mind picking up where someone else left off, could this Camaro be the one for you?
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Comments
Get it road ready, and drive 🏁
I always liked these split bumper Camaros. This needs some work to make it nice but at this price there’s certainly room to do that without being too deep in it. Nice find.
Real split bumper cars have round turn signals, this is very common swap and looks good..
This car was modified later to the RS split bumper as it has the bigger turn signals not the round ones in the front fascia, so there’s that to deal with. If it were a true Z-28, RS, AND Type LT, you’d have something here. Needs too much to finish at that price.
This is NOT a Rally Sport (RS), it just has RS bumpers bolted to a standard front sheet metal. It’s not a Z28 either. The seller never infers it’s ether a Rally Sport or Z28, only Type LT.
It’s a bit rough and the parts selection is somewhat questionable, but it might make a good project if it checks out in person and bidding stays reasonable.
Steve R
Looking at other ’73 bumpers, such as the Torino’s, i would be skeptical if production ’73 camaros truly have 5 mph front bumpers.