1969 camaro restoration

[vsj100]

I recently purchased a numbers matching 69 Camaro coupe.  It is color 59 59.  Not my favorite.  It also has a 327 and PG trans.  How bad is the idea to alter the following: Change int color to black.  Switch to a 700r4 trans or Change the engine to 427.  Of course I would save the original pieces.
Scott

[lcmc]

Restore to original. Whatever you do I would not make a color change. That is one thing when I'm buying a car I want to be correct. Engine and tranny change are OK as long as you keep original.

[zbo2]

it's your car do what makes you happy. with that being said......do keep all the original stuff so you could change it back if you were so moved. if my car was not a Z and was a lower HP car i would do the same thing. the change of color is a little harder to make that call. there is a lot involved to do a proper job in the first place. that would be a lot of work to change the color back to original at a later date......not impossibe just a lot of work. swapping out the engine and trans is no big deal.

[lakeholme]

it's your car do what makes you happy. with that being said......do keep all the original stuff so you could change it back if you were so moved.

zbo2 has a point:  It is your car...  Now, if you had posted under Originality, I'd be saying, "No... No... NO".  But you asked this question in General Discussion.  So what will make you happy for your car --long term?!?  Why did you buy it?  For what purpose will you restore it?  Will it be a trailered show car? (Which in your case, with those changes it will always be a clone...)  A drag strip champion? (Certainly not, without modification)  Or a cruiser? (For which a 327 with PG with a little paint and chrome was made for.)

A few years ago, I bought a Camaro similar to what you have.  A previous owner had started the cloning process.  It has actually cost quite a bit of money to restore it back to original.  And I'm still working on it.  The truly sad part is, he scrapped the original motor.  In that sense --even though his intentions were good and he passed it along at a fair price-- something irreplaceable was lost to the hobby.  I've got a restoration buddy who says, "It's like trying to replace a unicorn.  There aren't many left around!"

Also, if you make changes to the car and some day decide to sell it, document what you change as you go and sell it for what it really is.  We all owe that to the hobby!

Let us know what you decide and post pictures along the way.

[vsj100]

Well some time has passed.  The car is the original green with black SS stripes.  The interior will be black, the light green color is no longer available.  It will have front disk and rear drum.  Any help with brake line routing to the metering block, etc. would would be greatly appreciated!  More new stuff - Slide-a-link traction.  Posi 3.73 with 700r trans.  4 row radiator, and more.  <p>Thanks for your responses!

[JohnZ]

The brake pipe routings are shown in Section J52 in the Assembly Manual, assuming you have power disc brakes.

[no69x-44]

Are you in it for the sheer joy of saving a piece of auto history ... or because you want to build the car of your dreams?  I think only you can answer that.  Good luck with which ever way you go.