Z28 Emblems.... HOW MANY have been made??

[X33RS]

One of the research lists being maintained is the ZL2 hood dates I think...  so that listing would contain the cars owned by folks on this site with original ZL2 hoods...  as I've said before, I was around *many* early Z28s when they were new and a few years old, and VERY FEW had the cowl induction hood from the factory...

Yep I don't remember seeing cowl hoods that much back then.  Boy you sure wouldn't think that today.

[JKZ27]

Gary, Ed,
I can totally remember being that newbie when I attended my first ALL Camaro show back in 1992. I was an "enthusiast" of first gens, though I didn't own one, and I could identify a 69 "Z28" by its emblems and its overall great looks but I really knew nothing about them, as it turns out. I arrived at the show in my recently acquired 1979 Z28 (which I loved) and quickly found myself surrounded by Z28 badged Camaros with 302 engines. I had never heard of a Chevy 302. I just assumed a Z would have been available with any of the performance engines and trans available, including automatics. I was 18 at the time and someone could have easily sold me a 69 "Z28" with a 350 and A/C and, if I didn't become passionate about originality, I could still be trying to defend its legitimacy today.   I'm not saying that I'm not tired of seeing innocently, falsely badged cars but I can surely see how and why it happens. A "middle-of-the-road" car guy sees a look that he likes and then copies it. No mal intent.
We had a fellow come in and buy a new well equipped GMC Sierra and then paid for ALL the Denali emblems and trim pieces and had us install them. I was thinking, C'mon man! But, now he has the "look" without the price tag or lower fuel mileage.

[camaroboy68ss]

Gary, Ed,
I can totally remember being that newbie when I attended my first ALL Camaro show back in 1992. I was an "enthusiast" of first gens, though I didn't own one, and I could identify a 69 "Z28" by its emblems and its overall great looks but I really knew nothing about them, as it turns out. I arrived at the show in my recently acquired 1979 Z28 (which I loved) and quickly found myself surrounded by Z28 badged Camaros with 302 engines. I had never heard of a Chevy 302. I just assumed a Z would have been available with any of the performance engines and trans available, including automatics. I was 18 at the time and someone could have easily sold me a 69 "Z28" with a 350 and A/C and, if I didn't become passionate about originality, I could still be trying to defend its legitimacy today.   I'm not saying that I'm not tired of seeing innocently, falsely badged cars but I can surely see how and why it happens. A "middle-of-the-road" car guy sees a look that he likes and then copies it. No mal intent.
We had a fellow come in and buy a new well equipped GMC Sierra and then paid for ALL the Denali emblems and trim pieces and had us install them. I was thinking, C'mon man! But, now he has the "look" without the price tag or lower fuel mileage.

I was just like that when I was growing up, though I remember seeing my first early 68 Z/28 that was pre Z/28 badging and just had 302 emblems and I was utterly stumped because only Z/28's had 302's and there was no emblems on the car, plus it was missing the cowl hood that was apparently standard on all 67-69 Z/28s right? lol.

[ban617]

Obviously , you did read section in this topic about the ZL2 (cowl hood) they on 69's only & started in late Dec of 68 ...

[camaroboy68ss]

Yeah I read that, and I have learned a lot more about first gens since I was 10 years old thinking that.

[X33RS]

There was the one thing that always set them apart from others early on, and it could be seen a mile away.  The stripes.  Unfortunately everything has Z28 stripes now.

[Kelley W King]

It is amazing what this site and age teaches us. In the 70,s I lived in an apartment and a neighbor had a ralley green 69 Z like the surviver in another post. The local guru said it was a clone because they did not make RS Z,s. We new nothing then about X codes or DZ letters or anything else about what makes a real Z. But even then the emblems and stripes did add value to the cars real or not. Back then my brother had a real 68 SS L78 but it had Z emblems and Z stripes.

[X33RS]

In 1970, my father almost bought an exact duplicate of the car I have now.  My father had his 69 GTO already, and was thinking about a second car.  Neighbor had a 69 frost green RS Z, black stripes, white deluxe houndstooth, flat hood, no spoilers.  Car was only a year old at the time and the guy wanted to sell.  Test drove it and all but in the end he passed on it for money reasons.  The owner and my father knew it was a real car, they weren't really being cloned yet at that point, lol.  So some people were aware they made RS's.   But yeah Kelley, I know what you mean, I ran across a lot of people even up into and throughout the 80's that scoffed at Z's with the RS package thinking they were never made.  Always thought that was weird.

[wtexz10]

 

"I was just like that when I was growing up, though I remember seeing my first early 68 Z/28 that was pre Z/28 badging and just had 302 emblems and I was utterly stumped because only Z/28's had 302's and there was no emblems on the car, plus it was missing the cowl hood that was apparently standard on all 67-69 Z/28s right? lol.
[/quote]


I was that guy.  While looking to purchase my first car with my dad in 1971, we stopped at a car lot that had two Camaros for sale.  One was a red/white striped 69 Z/28 and the other was a Lemans Blue/white striped 69 302 sport coupe.  I new my dad wouldn't let me purchase a "fast car" but I did know what a 302 meant in a Camaro.  So we test drove the 68 and putted around in it.  I knew he wouldn't punch it because that would have set a bad example.   All the good stuff was there.  302, check, 4 speed with muncie shifter, check, 15" wheels check, multi leaf rear springs, check, disc brakes, check.  So I bought the car for a princely sum of $1150.  Took it home, dropped my dad off at the house, drove it about 2 blocks and nailed it.  I'll never forget the feeling of elation that I had indeed scored a Sport Coupe with a 302,  but what the heck was the deal with no Z/28 emblems?  Must have been special order?  Nope I just hadn't figured out that the early ones didn't have emblems.  So what did I do the next day?  Stopped at the Chevy dealership and ordered Z/28 badges.  Still have the 302 emblems, wish I had kept the car, but that's another story.