FEBRUARY 2025: ’69 CAMARO CONVERTIBLE—HIS SISTER BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW

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The 1st Gen Camaros are blue-chip cars in the car hobby because they’ve been popular since the day they hit the showrooms.

Arnie Scott’s parents were looking for a new car back in ’69, and his sister was in a semi-serious search for a new car, so she tagged along. A salesman liked her looks so he asked if she was interested in buying a new car too. Arnie’s sister gave him a list of options she wanted, and they had the exact car in their inventory—the deal was cut over lunch the next day.      

Arnie and his wife are now the proud owners of the Chevy classic because he wanted to keep it in the family. His sister wanted her daughter to own the Camaro, but she shied away from the car because it was such a big job.

Arnie said, “The Camaro sat in a barn for 18-20 years”, so it showed some serious wear and tear, but he added, “The horse left it alone, so it could have been worse

Arnie’s sister used the car as a daily driver for years and routinely drove it to Texas on business for a 6-month stay. Eventually, she reached a point where the car wasn’t practical for regular use, but she never sold it.

Instead, she registered the Camaro for a month every year so she could hit a few car shows with her daughter. Arnie still has the pink cards.

The Camaro had 108,870 documented miles on it when Arnie bought it for 2500 dollars in 2009.

Arnie and his son took the car apart, did the front end and upgraded the brakes to discs. His plan was to make the car a solid driver so that was the game plan form Day 1.

The car was decent overall, but the back half had suffered over the last several decades. The quarter panels had some serious problems—one side had suffered damage from a blown rear tire.

The trunk floor had less damage, but Arnie decided to replace everything to make the Camaro 100% sound. He had a body shop do the technical work.

The front fenders, rocker panels and floor pans were in great shape, so Arnie’s list was smaller than expected.

The Camaro came with a 307 cubic inch V-8 hooked up to a 350 automatic and a 2:73 rear end.  The engine and transmission are numbers-matching, so Arnie had them rebuilt to better-than-factory specs.

He did upgrade the two-barrel to a four-barrel carburetor, and he added a mild cam to make the car run a little higher. Arnie also added a factory spec Z28 dual exhaust system to give the Camaro more of a rumble.

The seats have been redone and the convertible top was replaced because Arnie wanted to take the car back to showroom condition. He has some serious inspiration—he remembers when the Camaro came out of the showroom.

Arnie said the car turned out great. It drives “better than new” in his opinion and it gets enough exercise to keep the seals in good shape.

It’s a convertible, so Arnie and his wife pick days when “It’s not too hot or too cold”.  He wants to make the car a special occasion driver because it’s back to mint and he prefers to keep it that way.

By: Jerry Sutherland

Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post,  Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.

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