The Supercar Registry - 1968 Camaro Z/28 Survivor Race Car 19,000 Miles

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1968 Camaro Z/28 Survivor Race Car 19,000 Miles

Was walking around the block with my girlfriend one night. I get a call on my cell. Guy says I have a car for sale I think you might be interested in... I said sounds intriguing, whatcha got? And who gave ya my number? He said I hope you don't mind but I saw your car in MCR and did a Google search for your name. I said that's fine, as long as you are not trying to steal my identity.. We laughed.. He mentioned that he wanted to ask me a couple questions to help determine if you can have a chance at this car. As there were 2 or 3 other people that wanted it. I said, ok hit me... He then said while I was searching out your name, I found a Joseph Cannuli's Obituary, who is that. I said that's my Father. He said, who wrote that obit, I said I did, I spent 13 hours on it. He said then I think I want you to have this car. I wasn't really looking for a car but that touched me. I felt proud of that obit. Well my health was up and down and I just had another Surgery to remove giant ping pong ball size Cancer Nodules from my neck. It took I think about 2.5 years or more to make the trip. He waited patiently for me. I had him send me some picture, but there were NO trans or Rear Axle Pics. Just some OK block pics. I finally told him in mid May of 2020 I was coming out to check it out. My friends thought I was crazy. They said you are going to drive a total of 5,000 miles to look at a car you know nothing about. You don't even know if it's a real Z/28, or if it has the original block or drive train. You don't even know the price! You are crazy. I said when there is a possible deal you have to make it happen. So I reserved a U-Haul trailer down the road from his house and set off for Wisconsin from northern CA in the middle of the pandemic. I asked KurtS at CRG if I could send him a pic of the block when I got there, he said yes. I met the owner and we walked a couple blocks over to an elderly couples garage he was renting. It was there since the 80's, and had been sitting at the previous owners house since the mid 70's. It had not ran on the track in many years. I think I found out later why. I sent the picture and Kurt got back to me...

From: Kurt Sonen
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2020 9:55 AM
To: DC
Subject: Re: Danny Pictures '68 MO Engine Stamp #1

The pad is original.
Kurt

So of course I began to get intrigued. I wanted to see if I could get a picture of the transmission VIN since the car was on jack stands. He said I wouldn't go under there, those are the harbor freight recall jack stands that could come crashing down any time. Car has been on those stands for years. So I decided to try to purchase the car without seeing the trans or rear axle numbers. I asked what he wanted for it and he said do you think I could get 30K or 35K for it. I said maybe, but I can’t go that high. He knew I wanted it and he wanted me to have it. So I brought the maximum amount I could spend on the car in cash. Hidden in our new Suburban. Long story short, he accepted the exact amount I brought with me. It was late at night, I think 3am, so the next afternoon I went to pick up the trailer. BUT WAIT... All the restaurants were closed and no food in the hotel. I ate an entire bag of Pistachios the night before for dinner. I began to have Gout pain in my left ankle. Slowly coming on, and I had no medication with me. I later found out I had cherry pills, but didn't see them until I got home. His friend was nice enough to move all the items blocking the car, air the tires, and start to push it out a couple three feet. We pushed it up with his friends van and a tire carefully. I used a come-along for the last foot and strapped it off. Put the front and rear safety chains on. And a big ratchet strap in the back and threw the slack in the trunk. We did the money transfer. And he said his friend had the paper work in his safe a few miles down the road. The guy showed up and handed me the Plastic Bag, Owner Manual, Owner Protection Warranty Booklet with the original owner Protect-O-Plate inside. This was the original with the plastic tape attached. I didn’t even ask about that stuff. But no title. He never got the car in his name the last 30 or more years. I thought, oh crap, I am buying a car with an open title in another state thousands of miles away. The pain was beginning to really come on from the gout. So I said forget it, I’ll worry about it later and got on the road. All the while knowing legally the guy he bought the car from years ago, STILL owns MY new car. I paid 3 people at gas stations to put gas in my car for the ride home. Stopped at a rest stop exhausted and some how was able to sleep 4 hours. Got back on the road, I had 987 miles to go. But I made it home. I parked the car and trailer in my neighbors drive way. My girlfriend brought me out crutches and I hobbled in the house. Took a lot of medication and 3 days to be able to walk. I had the trailer for 7 days total. So I had to get the trailer back. When I went to my neighbors, someone had tried to steal the car. I don't know how they were going to get it off the trailer and around. But maybe break into my neighbors and bring it into his garage and around the trailer and Suburban. There WAS room to do that. They took off the 2 front straps and safety chain, my back strap, but not the safety chain. Turns out I had 3 guys push down on the car to get it on the next link. So they could not get it off, as it was SUPER tight. Maybe there was only 2 crooks and they couldn’t push it down? Of course all I did was lower the tire pressure half way and popped the chain right off. Ran an air hose over and aired them right back up. Backed it in my driveway and my friend helped me push it off onto my 4 post lift. Took the trailer back and went back home. I told my girlfriend, I have to know. She said what, the other numbers? I said yes. I was still limping and sore. But I raised it up and took some pictures. And it looks like everything matches. Long story short. It took 46 days, but I got the title and proceeded to title it in our name.
Car is a real ’68 Z/28 with a M21 and original 3:73 with a trashed gear set. See picture. I found bolts laying in the housing. I think that is why it was parked.
Her name is Jessica, named after another Allman Brothers song.
Pulled the engine and trans and have started body work etc.

Jessica Options
1 - Special Performance Package = Z/28
3 - C80 Positraction Rear Axle
4 - D80 Spoiler
5 - U63 AM Radio
6 - K79 42 Amp Delcotron Generator
7 - D55 Console
8 - N40 Power Steering
9 - U17 Console Gauge Package W Tic-Toc-Tac
10 - Z21 Style Trim Group
11 - Z23 Special Interior
12 - 717 Medium Blue Interior
13 - N34 Simulated Walnut Wheel, Need to install

Mandatory Options;
14 - J50/52 Power Front Disc Brakes
15 - 4-Speed Manual Transmission

Love the LeMans Blue with 717 Medium Blue interior.

Danny

Don't know why pics are upside down all of a sudden.

Many things came loose in the housing and the gears hit and ground/dug into the posi unit.

Congrats! That’s a heck of a story. The things we do for the hobby we love. Enjoy it!

Cool car from one of my hometown dealers. Interesting that it was sold on the far south side of town to someone on the far north side.

Congrats,great car!And thanks for sharing the story!

Thanks for sharing! Killer car:biggthumpup:

Awesome car and fantastic story!!! Congratulations :beers:

Cool car. Couple things.

1. Why blank out the last of the vin on the pop but yet show the pad, trans, & vin tag?

2. Interesting to see the pop trans stamp to be way off what’s in the car.

Way cool car! Congrats!!

Yes I saw that.. I did this during the 46 days while I waited for the Title. Thinking I wasn't going to post the VIN in the beginning. I posted the wrong one. I have the exact same picture layout with the full VIN. I didn't notice I posted the wrong picture until it was too late.....

Trans...
Yes it seems like it was punched up and printed and then they put a much earlier set-up in the car. Could it be that they checked stock and thought that set-up was available, but then when it came time to install it, it was used? So they grabbed one of the last ones on the rack, hit it with the VIN and through it in?
Remember this is a pretty late build. There is only 3 or 4 days in the FIFTH week of July '68. Things were getting cleared out. Thank goodness it has the VIN or I wouldn't believe it myself.

July 1968
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

I am super curious myself. Maybe you or someone has an idea. What say you-all..
D

I don't have an explanation on the trans info.... other than mistakes were made.

Great car and great story. Looking forward to progress reports.

BTW, I read you father's obit. Sounds like a great guy who always put others first. Some similarities to my own father. Dad never finished HS, not because he was a slacker, but because he was the oldest child of a wife beating drunkard. Dad quit school to go to work and put food on the table for the family.

This country was built on the blood sweat and tears of guys like our dads. What a HUGE debt we owe them.

Weird that the date first placed in service is September '68?
Couple more Manual Pics... D

Left over inventory possibly. My 69 was rec'd Sept 1969 & not sold till July of 1970....Joe

Working on Body work.. Found nice original fender and hood and NOS header panel.
Getting some parts ready as I go... WP, ALT, Starter...Check out WAY EARLY water pump date. D

Got the shift tunnel repaired. Tack welded the console nuts so they don't spin during assembly.
Spare tire hold down nut... Trans Mount

Danny , Great story and awesome car ! Did your dad own it in the past? Great Job!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynn (Post 1615293)

BTW, I read you father's obit. Sounds like a great guy who always put others first.

x2. Congrats to you for writing such a heartfelt tribute to your father, and thanks for posting about finding such a great car!

Rural,
No not my Fathers.. You'll have to read the whole story.
Thanx everyone, I am excited to keep moving on it.
Lynn - Thanx for that. I had a dead line for it to make it to print in local newspaper. Hence the 13 hours straight. Wrote my Mothers also, not fun. Yes he worked 16 hour days for months at a time, for years. My sister and I ALWAYS ate. But there was a time where my parents ate dog food.
Bill P- Thanx..

Look at that beautiful paint! The seam sealer guy got carried away? No Second Hidden VIN under fan... D

Short Block complete. Had to go to 30 over. "DO NOT SURFACE" Tag made and installed by Charles Clifton... Hubleyman. Good idea eh. Charlie did the oversee at the machine shop that built the motor. As he has had about 15 or 20 engines built there...Heads are complete and ready for install.
Nostalgia 30/ 30 cam. New 11 to1 pistons. Reconditioned rods. Crank 10/10 and balanced.

Trans inside super nice showing alot of factory markings. Original front input bearing cleaned and re-installed. Lock washers for safety, you'll never see them. One thread repair only. Original header panel HAMMERED! D

Fan dated July of '68 ...Little creature had a snack. Plastic fan blades. He ate too much, he looks sleepy. SSHHH don't wake him D

Deck Lid gasket line-up marking... D

No keys, used factory coded picks. Got it on the 4th one. D

Man what a great car and a great story to go with it.

That “Do Not Surface” bracket is pretty cool.

Yes Charlie had a 396 4-speed El Camino block decked. After instructing them to make sure not to do so. He knew I was worried so he made that before I dropped the block off at the machine shop. And I have to give them credit, as it was on there every time I went there to check on progress. Each time they asked me to come in and check it out and talk about the block, it was on there hand tight.
You tell them no, another guy is on vacation or a day off. He comes back sees the block to be rebuilt, the foreman is on the phone or at lunch, and he decks it.
I told them 3 or 4 times to PLEASE make sure ALL employees know not to deck it or it will be a paper weight. D