I am thinking about getting a 1969 camaro this summer in may or june.

i want your opinions.

I could rebuild the engine easy with help from some buddy's. so i'm planning on buying one with an old engine.

Also should I use the parts on it from factory or use after market parts to restore it to factory. Will it decrease it's worth if i replace original with after market?

and how do i know what the original color on the car was?





one more question not about the car but when someone says they have a 400 crank, what does the 400 mean?

hi there

the original paint code is listed on the body cowl tag

what parts and stuff to use is dependant on how large your wallet is

parts are going to cost alot of $$ either way

but aftermarket will be lots cheaper


you can find a good used running engine for dirt cheap and clean it up and paint it and put it in

in which is what i would do, for around 300 to 500 bucks, then later on down the road at some other point in time you can build or find a really badass engine for it


no need to go crazy at first

unless youre rich or something

to me the goal is to get it together and running and driving reliably first, then later on add to it/improve it

i wouldnt worry about value unless youre in it to make money off it by selling it

it will be a nice ride no matter what

no ones going to care much once its done if its got a gm fender or not on it,

its not going ot be a numbers matching 100% correct car, theres little point in worrying about what sheetmetal is on it

its still going to be a 69 camaro and worth alot


a 400 is a 400ci engine

the size of engine the crank came from

i have a 1977 k-10 pickup it has the original 400sb engine in it, 509 casting, 175horse and 290 torque, im selling it pretty soon to a kid whos putting it in his 91 camaro rs in which has the 305 in it right now still

ppl put 400 cranks in 350 blocks commonly and make a 383 stroker out of it

stroker means the engine is stroked longer than it was from factory, due to the 400 crank

350 are shorter stroke than the 400 was


good luck

thanks for the great response, i'd add rep if i could

and if the 350 is a smaller stroke than the 400, if you put a 400 in it then wouldnt the piston go to far up and damage the valves? or is it a kit that make the chamber bigger?

also what are 509 castings? are they the pistons?

i'm worried about the worth of the car because when i have it I want to make it a kinda showy car that will impress but i do not want it customized.



I know alot about the bodies of cars but right now i'm trying to learn more about the engines so any help is appreciated

unless its a numbers matching car I wouldn't worry about keeping stock. I think the cart before the horse applies here. Find the car 1st and let us know what it is and we can be a little more helpful. If I was going to do a 69 I would go small block and 4 speed and make a RS/SS clone with far more bite. Make it look stock and only the pro's would be able to tel it not the real deal. They are very hard to find in any type of shape but bad and real bad or mint. Stay away from rust. Unless you know or are a badass body guy and are BA @ welding leave those rust cars for the next guy. Take someone that you know that is a gearhead with you when you go hunting. Look it over top to bottom...Check for cracked paint as this a sign of bondo, which is the wrong way to fix a medal car. Pull back the carpet and look on the floor broads and the trunk. Best of luck. Let us know what you find. BTW-I hate 400's they over heat and have oiling problems. (some folks have better luck with them)

mainly the only 69's with any matching numbers at all are the ones filled with rust, unfortunately.

BTW how many different types of body styles are there for the 69 camaro? I hear x11, x44, and x55.

What are the differences and which one is the best? ( are they the rs, z28, and ss?)



also when there are gears 3.73 or 3:31 what do they mean?

I'm not trying to be a hassle but i'm trying to find out as much as I can about the car so im not illiterate when im looking for it (i hate when people don't take time to research it)

There is only one body style for 69. The RS, SS and Z-28 are option packages you could have with them. It will be very hard to find a numbers matching car that you can afford.
The Z-28 was a engine code DZ-302 as in 302 cubic inch small block that was designed for road racing in mind.
The SS was a trim and engine package with lots of combo's
The RS was a trim package, then you could have an RS/SS together.
I would buy any book about Camaro's and start reading.
Gears: 3:73 vs 3:31. When the number is higher the gears are lower. This is also covered very well in most hotrod books. (lower gears=better acceleration and less top end and more gas) For street I say 3:42's or 3:73, you can go higher but I dont like to fill up that much.

then what are the x11's and x44's and x55's?

There are codes...I will look them up for you.

it goes x11 thru x77

x11 , x44, and x66 are what copos were made out of

x11, and x55 are the ss 350

x22 and x66 are bbc?

x33 and x77 are z28's

x44's were just plain camaro



x11, x22, and x33 were with z21/z22. which is a trim style, main difference was taillight lenses and headlamp

x44-x77 are without.