Newwwwbie here

[ravenspep]

Hey everyone and yes, I am a newbie to this site.  I have a Norwood 2/69 Z and pulled the motor last night and I have a few(4,398) questions.

1.  What is the correct engine compartment color?

2.  What is the correct undercarriage color?

3  What is the best company for correct repop(concourse) parts(suspension), etc.....since finding nos will be extremely difficult not to mention expensive?

Any help would be appreciated and thanks again....be easy on me, lol

[hotrod68]

   Welcome to the world of restoration, Pep! It's complicated and frustrating but very rewarding. I don't know of any reference book at present that can answer your questions, and everyone has an opinion on everything...chuckle. For example...the engine compartment can be different glosses of black depending on the part. The undercarriage could have been different colors of primer, springs could have been coated with cosmoline instead of painted...the list goes on and on. Every car seems to have been different. I can tell you this; if you can find NOS pieces, bite the bullet and pay the price. Repro parts are generally inferior--especially sheetmetal. I deal with Classic Muscle in Winston-Salem, NC. Their prices are very good and the service is good.
   My advice for what it's worth is to read everything about restoration you can get your hands on and play it by ear. This site has JohnZ who knows more about the 1st-Gen cars than anyone I"ve ever seen, and he'll shoot you straight.
   Good luck and welcome to 1st-Gen madness!!

[ravenspep]

Hotrod.....thanks for your advise!  While I am "new" to the Chevy side of restorations, I am not new to Fords.  With a Ford, the colors, etc... is based on the year, date code and which plant it was built in and I was hoping for the same with the Camaro and that is why I put the date code and plant in my orignal post.  I agree with NOS but not on the suspension as finding the parts would be difficult.  As far as other componets....I agree, NOS is the only way to go especially with sheet metal.  I don't use anything other than NOS on my Fords but the documentation and originality is there on my Fords. 

[JohnZ]

Welcome to the 1st-Gen Camaro world! If you don't have them already, your first purchase should be the '69 Camaro Assembly Manual (available from all the Camaro parts vendors), and Jerry MacNeish's "Definitive 1969 Camaro Z/28-SS396 Fact Book" (see Jerry's site at www.z28camaro.com to order). Those two will get you off to a good start.

Also, click on the CRG logo at the top right of the page, and poke around the CRG site - you'll find ACCURATE, comprehensive restoration info, charts, photos, tables, and research papers that cover all aspects of the '67-'69 Camaros.

[ravenspep]

John.....Thanks, I have already been poking around quite a bit along with ordering service manuals.  I went to Jerrys site the other day  and it showed that he was out of stock on the book, I haven't called him yet but will in the next couple days.  The body is sound with no rust issues that I have found as of yet.  There is very little paint on the undercarriage which has made it easy to strip so far and no evidence of pans being replaced. 

Thanks again for you comments!

Jim