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Old 05-19-2009, 11:21 AM   #1
DVLDAWG
 
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74 Camaro

Hey guys - I'm looking into possibly buying a 74 Camaro. The guy says is runs good, just needs a new gasket for the thermostat. He's sending me pictures and I will post as soon as I get them. If everything looks good in the pics I'll go check it out in person.

The one pic that I have seen the body (right side anyways) seems to be in good shape. I expect there to be rust in the trunk and maybe on the floor pan.

I'm not too concerned about the thermostat gasket as I should be able to change that myself pretty easily - if somone knows something about these being difficult for any reason, please let me know.

What should I ask about and what should I look at when I go to check out the car? Anythign specific about this model year, or these cars that I should look into?

Right now he's asking $2800 - I can probly talk him down, but what do you guys think? Great deal, fair price, or rip off?


Thanks guys!!!


Last edited by DVLDAWG; 05-19-2009 at 11:22 AM. Reason: spelling
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Old 05-19-2009, 11:50 AM   #2
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Hello DVLDAWG,

I have a 76 Camaro which I have owned for almost 25 years. It was my first car. What is the engine in this 74? I would assume it is a 350, but you never know. If it is a 350 then I would tell you that is a good engine. My car is a 4 speed, is this car an automatic or 4 speed? The 4 speed is more desirable than the automatic as is the case with all old muscle cars. There are really no big issues on the 74 Camaros which you need to know about that I am aware of. The fact that this car is a 74 and not a 75 is actually a good thing as this was the last year before they started installing the anti-polution equipment on the engines. This should mean this car would have more horespower than a stock 75 or 76. This is also the last year for the Z28. They did not make one in 75 or 76, but they came back with the Z28 in 77. Hope this helps.
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Old 05-19-2009, 11:55 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by camarolt76 View Post
Hello DVLDAWG,

I have a 76 Camaro which I have owned for almost 25 years. It was my first car. What is the engine in this 74? I would assume it is a 350, but you never know. If it is a 350 then I would tell you that is a good engine. My car is a 4 speed, is this car an automatic or 4 speed? The 4 speed is more desirable than the automatic as is the case with all old muscle cars. There are really no big issues on the 74 Camaros which you need to know about that I am aware of. The fact that this car is a 74 and not a 75 is actually a good thing as this was the last year before they started installing the anti-polution equipment on the engines. This should mean this car would have more horespower than a stock 75 or 76. This is also the last year for the Z28. They did not make one in 75 or 76, but they came back with the Z28 in 77. Hope this helps.

It does have the 350. I'm not sure about the transmission yeat though I would definintely prefer the manual.


How difficult would it be to put a 6 speed trans in this? (just curious)


Thanks for the input!
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Old 05-19-2009, 12:28 PM   #4
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Ok - I got pictures and it seems to be in good shape. There is some minor imperfections in the body - mostly on the front bumper and hood - pretty normal I think.

The headliner is gone, its an automatic, and the drivers seat is really worn. Passengers seat isnt too bad, but its not prefect. Back seat is in decent shape. The trunk actually has almost no rust. I could see any in the pictures, but I'm guessing there is at least a little bit.

I'm still waiting on pictures of the engine.


What do you guys think - What should I be looking to pay for this?

Thanks!



(Pictures are too big to upload here (3264x2448), and I dont have an account to host them anywhere to link to them)
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Old 05-19-2009, 08:03 PM   #5
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Minor imperfections in the bumper are pretty normal for a 74 to 77 Camaro. To fix these imperfections you will need to paint the bumpers. Attached below is a picture of my 76 Camaro with painted front and rear bumpers. On the 77 Camaro Z28 the front and rear bumpers were painted also. As far as the cost goes back in 1984 I paid $2550 for my Camaro so in 2009 I don't think $2800 is a bad price for a solid 74 Camaro which has a lot of potential.
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Old 05-19-2009, 08:09 PM   #6
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As far as how hard it would be to convert the car to a manual 6 speed I really do not know. I know I have heard of other people doing this; however I do not personally have any experience in this area. I can tell you from my own research that only 6% of all produced 1976 Camaros were manual cars. I am guessing 1974 percentages would be similar.
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Old 05-20-2009, 09:00 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by camarolt76 View Post
Hello DVLDAWG,

My car is a 4 speed, is this car an automatic or 4 speed? The 4 speed is more desirable than the automatic as is the case with all old muscle cars. .
That's an opinion not a fact. Fact is the overall quality is what effects old cars not the tranny. And prices with automatic are higher not lower.

You can performance build a GM TH AT in case you didn't know.
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Old 05-20-2009, 09:07 PM   #8
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you may need to pull apart the engine and rebuild it.


Not necessary but you might want to.

The reason? : 1974 was the last year that leaded fuel was used. You don't want 35 year old lead residue in your engine.


as far as parts. From experience, good look finding them. If it's an LT your sore out of luck. I'm still trying to find the rear decklid emblem, which is impossible to find unless you make it yourself.

Other than that, make sure there's not too much rust. I still use mine as a daily driver, so the cars can be put through some decent amount of abuse.
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Old 05-21-2009, 02:48 AM   #9
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Sounds like a pretty decent price for the car, check the rear sub frame rails, i see alot of them rusted out on 2nd Gen cars, Friend of mine had to have both replaced and ive heard of alot of others having to have sections of them replaced. I have seen many parts for the mid second Gens at Carlise, so i dont think you will have too much trouble finding them. 6spd swap should also be pretty easy, there are companys out there that make kits to swap out, pricing is pretty high on on them but you could probably just buy what you cant find used to help with cost,
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Old 05-22-2009, 06:06 AM   #10
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Quote:
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That's an opinion not a fact. Fact is the overall quality is what effects old cars not the tranny. And prices with automatic are higher not lower.

You can performance build a GM TH AT in case you didn't know.
Actually it is a little more than just an opinion. My camaro was appraised several years ago, and the company who appraised the car had a book which listed the value of all 76 Camaros according to the condition they were in. There were 4 to 5 levels for condition. This highest was showroom quality, and the lowest was a car which had set in the back yard several years and needed a lot of work. Mine was determined to be the 2nd best level (one down from showroom). There was also an adder ($500 to $1000) for a car which was a manual. This I exactly the opposite to what is done on late model cars in Kelly's Blue Book.

And yes I do realize you can performance build an automatic tranny. I have nothing against automatic cars. I also have an 88 Iroc with an automatic which I have owned for 11 years.
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