Hot Rod Magazine: Monk's Z/28
A few years ago in one of the clubs I am a member of, The Chicago Gearheads, I had heard a story about one of the members had a 1969 Camaro Z/28 that had been sitting for decades. Nobody knew exactly who it was except that his nickname was “Monk”. So after the holiday party a few years back I was talking with some people and Barn Finds came up and this guy piped in saying he had a 69 Z/28 in the garage. It was Monk, and he invited me to see the car once it warmed up a bit. So we made the arrangements and a few months later I shot the car.
I met up with Monk one day after work, thankfully he didn't live far from my 9-5 job. So he opened the door and you can't see anything but a light tan 67 Camaro. This wasn't what I was here for. But in the very back of the garage was what I was there for. A legit 69 Camaro Z/28.
We cleared some of the debris away from the car to get a better idea of what was all there. The original engine had a hole in one of the pistons and was under a bench, but the rest of the car was there.
The car was a 4-speed and it had the RS package as well with the console mounted gauges. Everything was in the garage somewhere he said. I didn't doubt that in the least.
What lead to it sitting so long was that Monk had bought the car, used it for a short time. Then was doing a burnout when he discovered that the previous owner had only replaced some of the original valve springs in the engine and dropped a valve and it ruined the engine. He pulled the engine, put the car in his garage and basically put it away in 1977 and it hasn't been touched since!
Monk then showed me his drag car Camaro with original paint. With a huge engine and a ton of nitrous the thing is a beast. When it isn't buried in the garage.
After shooting the car I see Monk every so often at the club events. He was happy to see the car in Hot Rod a few months back. The Z/28 still hasn't moved... but he has another “Barn Find” to work on now. But that's for another blog!
4 comments:
Wow! Hugger Orange ’69 Z/28s are stashed all over the place. I found one in Alabama with 28k original miles. It was a theft recovery in 1971, then a drag car until the early 1980s. Read more about it here
The best color on the best year Camaro. While it's a shame to lose the use of this car for 35 years, at least it was not left outside.
Amazing! Hugger Orange '69 Z/28s are stashed onto every part of the spot. I discovered one in Alabama with 28k new miles. It was a robbery recuperation in 1971, then a drag auto until the early 1980s .
This guy needs help, why would you let a car sit for that long without fixing it and getting it back on the road. Man, priorities are screwed up.
Post a Comment