24k mile 69 Z28 storage unit find
 

my dad i recently acquired a new 69 z28 for our collection. this car was stored since 1973. with the last forgotten 25 years in a storage unit in southern california. it was parked with just 24k miles on the odometer. the original owner was moving out of state and almost forgot it was there. he sold it to a fellow in san diego. over the next year, that fellow cleaned and reassembled the car to driving condition preserving every piece and part. the original owner modified the car slightly when new. he ran a 4:56 rear, koni shocks on all 4 corners, slapper bars, headers, mallory ignition and a fuel pressure gauge. being a young engineer, he was a very detailed individual and had the foresight to save every part he changed out on the car!! even the section of exhaust tubing that was removed to install the headers. when it was put into storage, the top end of the motor was off leaving the short block exposed to who knows what. so out of caution, the motor was disassembled, cleaned and reassembled with new rings and gaskets but preserving all the original paint and factory markings.

the car is an early build out of the van nuys plant. the trim tag is 12C. it was ordered in rally green with stand black interior. additional options above and beyond the z28 package were a center console, gauge pack, and power steering. for documentation, the car still retains the original window sticker, POP, original title copy, body broadcast sheet, chassis broadcast sheet, and the tank sticker is still attached to the the original tank. the paint on the car is all original, along with the interior.

here are a few pictures of it as found

detail photos when found
 

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more detail shots
 

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Wow!

some of the day 2 parts
 

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current state after re assembly
 

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incredible! the amount of assembly line markings that are still preserved is astounding.

Wow!
Incredible find!

$200,000 car.

Amazing find and great job on preservation!

So awesome! Amazing find! Congratulations!

Wow what a beauty and find. Looked at a 69 Z-28 in Mich down the street where i lived years back. The Z was the same color as this one with the flat hood. Looked like the original Z-28 intake was changed when i looked at this Z back then. I kicked myself every time i did not buy that 69 Z-28 Camaro. I am sure we have a lot of stories like these to share.

They are still out there! Congrats, holy grail right there!

Amazing.

WOW!:Can-I-Have-It:

Simply Amazing!!!

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W:eek2:W!!!
BIG C:headbang:ngrats!
~ Pete

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Now that's a score of a life time, what a time capsule.

Beautiful work preserving it.

Paul

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!!!!!!

Amazing unrestored condition! Congrats and thanks for sharing! Keep those pics coming!

Awesome car! Congratulations! I’m “green” with envy!:beers:

Wow...great find and congrats on the acquisition.

Please consider joining us at the MCACN show in November. I am sure there are a whole lot of people that would love to see this one. I know I would....

Bashton

We unfortunately can’t take the credit for the preservation up to this point. But we certainly will continue to do so. We hope to have the car up north in our possession in a few weeks. I am amazed at how well it held up and how all the assembly line markings are all intact. You can beat the southern CA weather! The rally green color was just icing on top as well.

Great find and awesome car. This car has the rear stripes that don't go all the way up to the rear window like most do. I have seen this on a number of cars built at the Van Nuys plant and remember it from back in the 1970s when I got my first Z. Possibly they had to use the stencil for the vinyl top cars if the assembly line was out of stock on the non-vinyl top one.

Thanks Jon for input! I was thinking the same thing. I know VN did a lot of different stuff back then. Something I’m also curious about is the black grille. Not sure if the original owner painted black? Was it replace for some reason? Or did VN run out of silver? I haven’t had a chance to verify this with the original owner and the seller…. A friend of mine (who we both know!) found out about the car through another fellow and acted as broker…..

Winner, Winner...! Just beautiful!

You're welcome, Mark. Yes, Van Nuys did some production oddities but I have not personally seen what I would consider a factory installed black grille from that plant. When you get the car in your possession and look it over, maybe that will shed some light on whether it has been repainted or replaced. Knowing that the original owner is still around is icing on the cake with this car. Congrats to you and your dad. What a find.

Very cool. :headbang::headbang::headbang:What did it say on the dymo tape on the fan shroud?

Great candidate for Vintage Certification.

My February '69 built Z from Van Nuys also had the emissions decal on the fan shroud like this one.

Amazing time capsule!
Buddy

Wow, what an awesome find! Looks like an virtually untouched car straight out of the factory.

Excellent car for looking at original details. Thanks for sharing.

bruce, it said "this engine self destructs at 8000 rpm". i hope they retained the label. i would of kept it on there my self. but every one has different thought and opinions!! or maybe the adhesive was so dry it fell off...

more as found
 

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shroud label
 

here is a better photo i found of the fan shroud

few more paint detail shots
 

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Great find.

Wow!

Great car. That owner was methodical.