NorCam (Graeme Browne's) Lemans Blue 1969 Z/28

[NorCam]

Here's a final picture from today's inspections. The door jamb confirming star shape door strikers for a late issue car.

[Salvatore]

wow, really impressive Graeme.

[69L78]

Graeme, You are the right guy to take this car to the next level, if the 3rd owner would not have hit a deer, it would probably still have original paint.
Here is the twin to your car that was also sold at Freddy's in the early 70's, it had 30k original miles all org sheetmetal flat hood & no spoiler.

[NorCam]

That's a great picture Jeff...

It would be cool to have that early LB flat hood / non spoiler car and put it next to this late ZL2 optioned car, just to compare with one another. I'm still going through everything and learning the differences between the early vs late cars. There are a few subtle changes in the part numbers between the two.

In going through the car, it's just so original in so many ways. The lower suspension is fantastic and so much of the car remains original to the factory build. I think it would make for an excellent survivor car if not for the one early repaint. In saying that, Tim Leiphart did an excellent job in repainting the car as I have now inspected the car from front to back and love what I see. I'll continue on cleaning and preserving the car over the winter and should have the car dialed in 100% come spring

Thanks again for such a great car Jeff. I'm really impressed with it.

[NorCam]

Still going through the underside of the car and planning a course of attack to clean up some of the black paint that a former owner sprayed to fluff the bottom of the car. Not sure what's best to remove the spray paint but looks like he hit some of the front floor boards, trans tunnel, sub frame rails and the rear leafs in an attempt to cover the old road grime. Good part is that he sprayed it directly over top without much or any prep work so I'm hoping that makes it easier to wipe it down with some solvent and leave the original lacquer or factory rust inhibitor underneath? If anyone has any tips on cleaning off spray paint, don't hesitate to chime in as I'd appreciate any tips on how to scale it back to what factory finish remained prior?

In surveying the bottom of the car this week, I discovered that the rear rocker flaps are intact and I'm happy to say that most if not all of the hardware appears original and correct to the car. Now to go about cleaning it up and not restoring or over cleaning anything. First thing I'm planning is to get rid of the crappy exhaust system he installed and pull the fuel tank which needs a little help. I'll then wash down the rear springs to clean them up and clean the lower shock plates and cable brackets. The brake cables and hard lines will need to be cleaned to remove any paint and once I get the floors and sub frame rails washed down to a suitable finish, the cables and hardware can go back on. Not planning to overdo things, just clean off anything he fluffed and try to rid the chassis of any spray paint. Here's a few shots showing the bottom of the car and suspension before I get to work on it.

[NorCam]

A few more shots of the suspension and floors before cleaning. Rear shocks will need to be replaced when I get to the back.

[rlw68]

Originally Posted by NorCam

A few more shots of the suspension and floors before cleaning. Rear shocks will need to be replaced when I get to the back.

What up with that RH seat belt thing ?

[big gear head]

Has some of the orange overspray been cleaned off of the bell housing? I see traces of orange around the bottom, but that's all. Did the 302 get painted after the bell housing was installed or before?

[NorCam]

Engine has been out and was painted when freshened about 4-5 years ago. I don't believe the transmission has ever been out and has not been repainted since. There are remnants of orange paint along the lower bolt holes and a little along the upper flange which I suspect is factory paint. I'm sure there was more applied 50 years ago but much of what would have been there...looks to have worn or flaked off over time. I have not cleaned it but cannot say what the previous owner may have done. FWIW it has a 621 bell in it and I'm not sure if that's another thing with late cars, but it's looking like it's been mated with the original transmission for quite some time if not since it left Norwood? Some better pictures of the bell are being added to show how I got it.

[NorCam]

Don't know and never noticed it until you made mention of it? Must have been a lefty installed it. I'll have a better look at it later to see why it's clocked like that.