Super Sharp! 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible
If I counted every ’67 Camaro that we’ve covered on Barn Finds, I’d have no time for anything else – yes, it’s that many. Many of those covered have been junkers but this convertible’s condition is so strong, and with my belief that the first gen is the best, I figure that it’s worth a gander. It’s not original but it’s not too far removed from the day that it rolled off of the Norwood, Ohio assembly line either. Located in Linden, Michigan, this freshman year Camaro is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $35,600 with the reserve not yet met.
An initial observation is that this SS appears to be wearing the wrong hood vents – they look like the SS pieces that were introduced in ’68. I will say that the Nantucket Blue finish is flawless though the seller mentions some minor bubbling in the passenger side rocker panel. Claimed are the “original” Cragar S/S wheels and I’m not certain what original means unless the seller is suggesting that they date to the origins of the car – regardless, they look fine with no sign of surface rust. It’s not stated if the convertible top is power operated but as I recall from experience, they move easily in manual mode – and the fabric and plastic rear window appear to be in fine nick. You can check this car out in more detail with this video clip. (BTW, one thing that I did not notice in the video of the engine compartment, or in the image of the open trunk, is the inclusion of the canister-shaped “cocktail shakers” – critical for elimination in motion vibration).
Power is provided by what started out as a 295 gross HP, 350 CI V8 – another first for ’67 was this ubiquitous, and still in crate production, small block engine. This one has been modified with a Holley carburetor, headers, a serpentine belt system as well as other mechanical improvements. The only automatic transmission available with this engine in ’67 was the Powerglide two-speed, however, in this case, it has been replaced with a three-speed automatic, likely a Turbo-Hydramatic 350 (introduced for the ’69 model year) but that’s speculation on my part. Whatever the case, it’s a good move. As for the driving experience, the listing claims, “Equipped with power steering and power brakes, It also has new shocks this Camaro provides effortless control and a smooth ride. The 3-speed automatic transmission ensures seamless shifting and an exhilarating driving experience“.
The interior is in amazing condition for a convertible and is indicative of a well-stored car that probably hasn’t seen a lot of top-down time. The odometer shows a “believed-to-be original 59,107 miles” and the interior could be indicative of that but other than an odometer reading, there’s no additional documentation. The radio and kick panels, with their enclosed speakers, look like replacement items and an under-dash gauge trio has been added but the interior is mostly a stock environment.
The current bid doesn’t really surprise me, there’s no BIN price so it’s difficult to estimate where the reserve is set. As stated at the outset, I enjoy these first-gen cars but really have no interest in what followed. Would I enjoy this one at $35K plus? Probably not but I’m sure someone will, wouldn’t you agree?
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Comments
Nice at 35k tops
And reserve not met at that… Mmmm, proud of this car, you are…
“Cocktail Shakers”? “Elimination in motion vibration”? Enlighten me please
I think the peak price for it was $3000 ago, take the bird in hand
When you cut the top off of early Camaro’s and Corvair’s the car body vibrated noticeably because of the loss of structural strength. Some enterprising engineer designed “cocktail” shakers to be placed at each corner of the car. The “cocktail” shaker consisted of a rather large cylinder with internals that would oscillate at the exact opposite harmonic of the car. Problem solved. Many people did not know what they were and guessed they were weight (they are fairly heavy) to make the car handle better, and removed them. Not good.
Most convertibles had beefed up frames to compensate for that, apparently the engineers missed the boat on this one. Anyway, thanks for the info, always good to learn something new.
Also consider that the Camaro was one of the earliest attempts and a Unibody with a front subframe and rear frame rails welded in. Couple that with no hardtop and you had a lot of body flex. Then throw the rear end on leaf springs… The cocktail shaker had a viscous fluid and a dampening piston to help offset the vibrations. I used to pull mine out on Friday nights to lighten up the car back in the 80’s. Fortunately I still have mine.
And unibodies.
Lots of British cars had the same problem which was solved by adding weights to the front and rear bumper ends. Also, problem solved.
I removed mine right after I bought it new in 67, since I autocrossed and drag raced it.. and was our ‘family’ car with 2 small kids
Never missed the containers and until today didn’t know what they were!! Thanks!!
That’s a 68 or 69 hood,not a 67
Nope, not for me.
I got a ‘67 Firebird conv, 68k orig mi.,last yr., no accidents or 18 dog houses installed since new. It had some upgrades I’ll return to orig.
1-(disc brakes back to drum) to provide for stock 14” Rally II wheels(replace Cragars)
2-(intake & carb & 4bbl) to return to stock built 2 bbl)
3-(headers) to return to stock manifolds
& it’ll be “as built” again.
Don’t forget the cocktail shakers. Lol
Looked at one in a garage about 20 yrs or so ago just like it was this color and a conv, the guy said he turned down that much back then, however his had a factory 427 so it must have been extremely rare…
I think that if this 1967 Chevy Camaro was %100 original, it might just be worth close (ish) to 40k. Maybe. As of today – the market is in question. Will it go up or – down? Even really nice upgrades (like this one) sometimes “detract “ from a higher price. This one looks AWESOME! I love it, even the upgraded engine and transmission! BUT 35k+ ? I’ll probably think about it all night but in the morning – I’ll probably be glad I DIDN’T spend $35,000.00. Nice article!
I owned both a hard top and a convertible . Both ’69 models. Compared to the hard top the convertible was a tin can. It was awful. But it was still a lot of fun ! 35k is the limit on this very nice example. This generation will always be a hot commodity but my opinion is take the money and run. Nice looking unit !
I just don’t understand the fascination with stock from the factory cars. Tasteful mods like those on this Camaro to improve the appearance and driving are a plus to me. Unless it’s a one of one or two, I had rather have one like this that was done right over what the factory offered. To each his own…
I’m with you on that…however modern wheels (17″-18″) and top tier rubber (yes, Michelins are worth the $) are the best upgrades you can put on an older car. In this case, the owner missed the boat on both.
Never heard of a Turbo Jet 350, only big blocks. It would be nice to see a pic of the rust bubble they spoke of, and a good description of the sheet metal and underneath.