[EricTopless68 Camaro]

hi all! I wanted to check in with you all on a question.

I am buying a 69 Camaro convertible to join the 68 I already have. The car is an original small block 4 speed car, but comes with a 396 and supposedly all the pieces (frame mounts, radiator, heater box, etc) to make it work.

My question is this: Does anyone know where I can go to find underhood photos of a stock big block 69? The 396 will be rebuilt stock or very mild, so it won't have roller rockers/tall valve covers. I will most likely run stock exhaust manifolds, because I'm not thrilled with the way the headers make my 68 sound. I do want to add power disks up front, so I'm really interested on seeing how a stock brake booster fits and clears the valve cover. Also interested on seeing how the heater box side looks when original.

This car is completely solid, with all new GM sheetmetal, so it has the potential to be a really nice car, so that is why I'd like to to look as original as possible without getting into the craziness of chalk marking and part tagging.

I have seen plenty of these cars done someone else's way, with the heater box butchered up, aftermarket setups on brakes, etc. I'm just trying to find as many pictures of how the General made them look, so I know what I'm getting into.

I'd also love to hear from those who have big block cars and are running stock or close to stock tires out back. I know my small block Camaros (a 67 in high school and my 68 now) have a hard time hooking up, so I assume I'll have to run 3.08s or 3.31s with the 396.

If it turns out to be too much, the 396 will find a good home and I'll put a good small block in it. I have never been a Rat kinda guy, but because it is coming with the car, I want to at least consider it.

Thanks in advance!
Eric

[gt2betubbed]

Well, I don't have any pics here at work, but I owned a 69 with a BBC. I didn't run the heater, but left the core in and there was no clearance issues at all with tall valve covers. I also didn't run power brakes, so can't really help ya there either. My car also came with a BBC already in it, but it was an original SBC, 3 speed manual. The guy I got it from said that he didn't have to do anything to put the BBC in. When I get home tonight, I'll look for some pics of the engine bay, and I'll try to post em.

[EricTopless68 Camaro]

Thanks for anything you can find. Like I said, I am just trying to understand what I am getting into. My 68 is a driver, and I haven't worried at all about making it "correct". I'm not wanting to make this 69 perfect, but it has the potential to be real nice, and if I can't get the Rat in there and looking mostly correct, I'll just get me a Mouse and be done with it. I've been wanting to build a stroked mouse anyaway, so....

Eric

[gt2betubbed]

I'm a Rat guy. I love the sound and torque of em. I know you can build SBC's very well to make great power, but to me, there's nothing like cubes. Hopefully I have some good pics so you can see that it does look good in there. Check out Troy-Curt's albumn (I beleive he's the one with the 69 that's REAL nice). He's got some good pics of the engine bay.

[Super Streeter]

Here is a source I bet you didnt think of.Go to Ebay and look at one of the dozens of original first gen all numbers matching bigblock camaros they have in the camaro section.When you see on that is a big money car you can bet it is correct or at least as correct as you would want to be.I browze Ebay for ideas all the time.It is like a collector car magazine only with hundreds of diferent feature cars every few days.

Here are a few examples.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6161

Nice resto

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...6161#mainImage

Knock off hot rod,without PB,but still pretty good looking

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6161

Another hot rod with crappy pics

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6161

and this last one is my vision of the perfect bigblock camaro.{No offense}