(None of the pictures in this article are of the actual cars but pictures borrowed from the Internet using Google image search)
So my Mom’s co-worker’s son, Nick, had just graduated from grad school and scored a job as a chemist at a large pharmaceutical company. Since Nick was a young unmarried guy, the first thing he did with his fat paycheck was upgrade his wheels.
Being a fan of muscle cars, he bought the contemporary equivalent of a new muscle car, a 1991 Oldsmobile Calais 442 with the famous Quad 4 engine.
This left him the question of what to do with his old ride, a 1976 Camaro. Since his Mom and my Mom were not only co-workers but friends, she convinced Nick to give me the car. On my end, there was no problem with the idea of a free Camaro.
My first thought when we got to their house upon seeing the Camaro was how much it dwarfed Nick’s new “muscle car.” It was obvious which car had the V8 and which one was a four-banger. I must say that the 442 did look pretty good in its shiny new black paint. My second thought was how ugly the Camaro looked. However, instead of being repulsed by its ugliness I actually found myself attracted to it. It wasn’t the type of ugly that left you disgusted, but so ugly that it was at once intimidating and strangely compelling.
This picture from the internet does not quite do the actual car justice. The body was much rougher than depicted above. It was originally silver which had faded to a very dull gray–so faded that when I first saw it, I thought that it was unpainted dull metal. There was rust rot in the lower rear quarters and sections where there were no lower rear quarters, just holes where the rust had eaten through. There were a few bondo patches, and the wheels were bare steelies with no hub caps.
The interior was austere and in poor condition. The headliner had been removed a long time ago; the black vinyl seats were torn and covered with very poor fitting seat covers; the automatic transmission lever had no shift boot cover, so you could see down into its inner workings; and all the weatherstripping had grown very brittle, so the interior leaked when it rained. It sat low–much lower than my Pontiac Sunbird, and lower than Nick’s 442. It sat in the street, a bold, imposing presence in the neighborhood.
As our parents began to socialize, Nick gave me an orientation to the car. I remember the first thing he said to me: “Just so you know, this car beat a Monte Carlo SS on the Garden State Parkway doing 130 mph.” “O…kay” I said. He responded, ” I just wanted to make sure you knew what the car can do.”
The car was a base Camaro with a few options. While it did not have the rear spoiler common to so many of these cars, it did have the 350 V8 engine, smog-restricted to 165 HP with torque listed at 260 lb. ft. at 2400 RPM. The car had no inside hood release. One gained access to the engine compartment through a hidden lever in the front of the car. There was no rear defroster.
While the car came with factory air, Nick said that it had been disconnected long ago. In addition, while the blower fan was operable the heat was on all the time with no way to restrict it from coming into the cabin. The high-beam switch was mounted on the floor by the brake pedal, which I thought was kinda neat. Also, the ignition lock was broken so the car could be started without the key, and the windows struggled to stay in the up position.
The car’s aura was what the early Dodge Vipers wanted to capture. A primitive, crude, rude, bare-bones beast of a sports car that was unapologetic and imposing. Its one concession to comfort was an Alpine removable face cassette player (remember those?). One concern was that at 158,000 miles the car had extremely high mileage (for the time). Nick’s response was “these engines only get better with age.” Besides, the car was being given to me free of charge so the mileage issue was quickly forgotten.
In order to start the car, one had to follow a special starting procedure which I cannot now remember, but which involved some combination of pumping, half pumping, turning, and half turning and pumping again. It was complicated, but it served as an effective anti theft system since the windows would not stay up and the car could be started without the ignition key. The exhaust was rotten, which made the sound from the 350 V8 much more noticeable.
One more thing–the trunk was jammed shut, but you could open it by using the Fonz’s method of banging it just so and it would pop open like magic. I never mastered the trunk-opening technique. It worked sometimes but not always. It was just as well, since the trunk was no longer watertight and as a result was quite nasty. Needless to say, I never used the trunk. In fact, I remember helping my dad with a fence project and having to haul multiple 60 pound bags of cement in the back seat of the Camaro.
It reminded me very much of an F15 Eagle Fighter jet. Big, gray, imposing, and all business with impressive off the line thrust. The car was very different from the front-drive GM A and X cars and J cars I was familiar with.
I did enjoy the car. The torque was very noticeable when accelerating and I clearly remember beating a Mustang in a side-by-side race up a steep hill. With it’s low driving position, stiff suspension, uncomfortable seats and lack of creature comforts, the car was not easy to drive, but was fun on a nice day and definitely stood out from the crowd. I particularly liked (and still do) accelerating away from toll booths. It gave me such a rush!
On early Sunday mornings, I would take it to South Mountain Reservation with its twisty roads and uphill S-turns in order to enjoy the car. Many times, I just enjoyed opening the hood and admiring the engine. I really enjoyed the fact that it had no computer, so no pesky Check Engine lights that drove me crazy in my last vehicles. Also, unlike my previous vehicles, it was actually very reliable, not stranding me or requiring any repairs in the ten months or so that I owned it.
The fun came to an end for several reasons. Winter was coming and the car had wide summer tires, not good in a rear-wheel-drive V8-powered car with a light rear end. Plus, the windows would not stay up and the weatherstripping was worn. In addition, according to Nick it was known to not start reliably in winter. Most importantly, the frame had quite a bit of rot to it so it was becoming unsafe. We reluctantly had it towed to the scrapyard before the heavy snow started. But it was fun while it lasted. I just realized that this is the last two-door vehicle I have owned.
It was replaced by a distant relative that had many of its attributes but was much more practical. I will talk about that one next time.
I can’t be the only one who thinks the 74-77 Camaros appear to have a severe under-bite?
While they are the same basic car, I prefer the 78-81 Camaros for their much better looking bumpers and slightly better interiors.
That said, I’m no fan of these cars. I owned a 77 Nova and drove my boss’s 78 Camaro. My boss’s Camaro was less than 5 years old but the interior already looked very worn and had several missing and broken trim bits. Both the Camaro and Nova had long hoods, cramped interiors (for the large overall size) and smallish/shallow trunks. Everything was compromised by the styling….though it did drive nicely.
I forgot to add, every time I see a decent looking vintage Camaro I’m tempted to stop and ask “how much?”
I have not seen a vintage Camaro of this generation (74-77, 78-81) in the wild in many years. I think I’ve seen only two ’82-’92 Camaros this year and I couildve been looking at the same car.
You’d probably like my ’76 orange Camaro that I bought a few years ago in Jim Thorpe, Pa. Not sure what you call “vintage” though, but I get tons of compliments on it. I don’t have a pic at the moment to show you, but I love it!
fm
A good friend of mine had one of these Camaros. He drove it for many years until it became so rusty that it wouldn’t pass road safety inspection. It was driven hard and not properly maintained yet the engine was quiet and smooth without leaks or smoke and the transmission flawless. The car never failed or left him stranded.
My first car was a 74 Type LT, bought in 1977. 3 years after it’s manufacture and it had terminal body cancer in the lower rear quarter panels. But even to this day, manufacturer’s do not believe in zinc coated metal (unless you’re Porsche), nor do they believe in spraying the frame rails or under body with a tough epoxy primer. Planned obsolescence is alive and well.
But the drivetrain of the Camaro is a good and proven one and I suspect the odds of that Camaro surviving today better then the Quad 4 Olds. Forums like NastyZ28 document some nice builds and vendors are out there to fix anything and everything for this car.
“Nick gave me an orientation to the car. I remember the first thing he said to me: “Just so you know, this car beat a Monte Carlo SS on the Garden State Parkway doing 130 mph.”………………. classic!
I had a 75 as my first car ( in 1980 ), and the PO had bondo’d-up the rear quarters something fierce — but he did a nice job on it, practically unnoticeable.
One year after I got it, the bondo eventually fell off, exposing the rear quarters — the lower portion was completely gone! From about an inch or two below the body crease down, there was nothing. Body rust like this on a five year old car today would be unimaginable.
I did hit 125 on the highway in it though…..
In about 1974 I was working for Sparks Auto Parts and a young Hispanic guy came in looking for new spark plugs , Dave was helping him and running two ‘phone lines at thew same time , looked up and said ” sorry man , what year was your Chevy ? ” .
The young man got quite angry , threw a tough guy pose and yelled ” Naw , man ~ I ain’t got no Chebby , I gots a _CAMARO_! ” .
Also good times .
-Nate
My dear high school buddy had a mostly yellow one of the same vintage, that was in the condition of Methuselah’s last year. We had some great times, its 350 could still scoot as yours. He was de facto cool in the school pecking order, though; just for having it. I was secretly jealous.
I forgot about the magic pedal voodoo starting procedures on carbed cars. They had antitheft properties.
I had an avocado Mercury Monarch that was called the Puke’cury Nerdzmobile, I may have had more to do with that than the car.
I had a 68 Nova but willingly would have traded for a camaro. Think I liked the second generation better than the first. IMHO GM hit a home run with these. Of course I can hardly think of these without thinking of the Mustang also. Good cars and good memories.
I was always amazed at how quickly these things deteriorated but remained drivable. There are still a lot of Camaros of this vintage seen around here. It is a mystery what is holding some of them together.
About 5 years ago I almost bought a ’74 Type LT, metallic medium blue with a black vinyl top and a scary amount of rust. It belonged to a friend’s neighbor.
The guy only wanted $600, but the rust put me off. I hesitated, and some guy passing through the neighborhood spotted it and offered him cash on the spot. I missed out on that one- but it was probably for the best.
Ah, the mullet-mobile. For a couple of decades, this is what you drove if you had a McJob and a room temperature IQ. They were everywhere, mostly with a lo-po 307, THM350, and loud mufflers. They were stout enough, at least in comparison with the next generation f-body that followed. That one was a true, outright POS and I’ve never been able to figure out why it never winds up on any worst cars list (except for the four-cylinder version).
Ironically, in the movie, “Heroes”, Henry Winkler starred with one of these that had ‘Ace of Diamonds’ plastered on the side of it. Winkler didn’t drive it but it was driven by none other than Harrison Ford. If someone wanted to see the stereotypical driver of a second gen Camaro, Harrison Ford’s character fit perfectly.
I had a 3rd gen Camaro (and a 72 Z28 and a 94 cop car camaro) and the the third gen was a good car. I know its fashionable to trash them now, but the car never gave me an trouble when I owned it and I still love the look of it.
3rd gens werent “true POs”.
Car and Driver, among others, would disagree. They tested a new 1982 Z/28 and the title of the review was “A 25,000 Mile Tale of Woe”.
that was a first year for a new car and magazines label a lot of terrible cars “good”. The Citation was Motor Trend’s car of the year for example.
I had my 86 Camaro for 5 years and never had any problems with it. Again, I know it’s became fashionable to trash 3rd gens and they did have problems (like the door hinges but 2nd gens have that problem too and most cars have some problems if they last long enough) but they weren’t “POS” at all.
Yep. I read that article. Most of the problems seemed to stem from the automatic used in these cars.
When I ordered my ’84 Z28, I got the 5-speed manual and never had a problem with transmissions. I eventually put about 240,000 miles on the car without even having to replace the clutch. (most of these miles were interstate driving, where you aren’t shifting so much.)
By keeping the oil changed regularly and the spark plugs replaced about every 6 months, I had a fairly reliable daily driver. The most problems I had with the car seemed to be electrical in nature, with the high under hood temps causing a main electrical cable to fry, shutting down the car completely.
This was before serpentine belts to drive the accessories, so I had 4 belts to check and maintain. The worst was the alternator belt, which had only a short tension leg to adjust. You either got the belt too loose, in which case the lights would dim and the belt would squeal, or you got it too tight and the belt would snap. I had the high output alternator, so if the belt was tensioned correctly, everything would work good, but it still seemed the car needed more amps.
A friend of ours has a ’78 Camaro. It is in fantastic all original shape and gets driven a few times per year.
I once took it for a ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn’t so much the qualities of the car but the reactions by those who saw me. I never experienced so many thumbs up and nods of approval before and since. Obviously it still stirs emotions.
From a car consumer’s perspective this car is a piece of junk. It rattled, wallowed, and squealed. The steering was a notch better than that of a hot air balloon. I know that because I did not hit any telephone poles even going as fast as 65 mph. The plastics were feeling greasy because they leeched out some ingredient.
They are damn cool looking American cars! They need to be measured in “thumbs up per mile”.
don’t get the hate for the 3rd Gen. nice looking cars and I put 100 k on one with no problems. a little underpowered but what wasn’t at that point? OK, the average used owner was a bit sketchy but I never hear anybody bashing hondas because they often end up being driven by the next generation of broke hot rodders?
Haters gonna hate…especially on the internet.
Funny you should mention Hondas. A lot of them end up as fart canned “Fast and Furious” wannabes that are every bit as tasteless and low brow as our old Camaros and Firebirds ended up.
I’m glad you got a good one. Here’s a story of one owner who didn’t: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/classic-curbside-classic-1989-camaro-rs-gms-deadly-sin-6-46-trips-to-the-dealer-in-the-first-year/
When I first started driving in the late ’70s, GMs F bodies were THE car to have for a young guy. They were literally everywhere. These cars were only moderately popular when introduced in 1970 and almost died completely a few years later, then sold as fast as they could be produced from about ’76 on. When every other manufacturer dropped their ponycars at the end of ’74 GM won by default and sold a boat load of cars.
As the story above relates, these cars did not age well so the depreciation on plain jane base models was rapid. Unless you were looking for a Trans Am or Z-28, you could score a 5 year old beater for a song and by the mid ’80s you hardly ever saw a stock one. No High School parking lot or low rent trailer park was complete without at least 3, and some of the larger “auto recycling” yards had entire rows dedicated to ’70s Camaros and Firebirds.
It somehow seems to me that these cars disappeared from the roads almost overnight, and now what was once so common is almost extinct. The last one I saw was part of a load of crushed cars heading for Seattle or Vancouver to be shipped to China. I wouldn’t want to own one today, but I wouldn’t mind a quick trip around the block just to burn off a little rubber!
A friend of mine had a nasty beater 77 Camaro back in the early 90s. He swapped in a 454/T400 from a Suburban which made it pretty quick and a bit scary.
One day, trying to show off, he pulled a hole shot at a stop light and both of front mounts for the rear springs pushed through the rear floor.
That engine and trans eventually wound up in my 79 Z28.
There was a red ’80 (with a black vinyl “canopy” roof) that was on the Jacksonville CL for a few weeks this summer. It was a 250 straight 6 with a 3 speed manual…in what looked like the original coat of paint. Unfortunately, it was literally on “the wrong side of the tracks” I forget the price but seem to remember it was between 2 and 4 thousand dollars.
completely forgot about the 441 calais. http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/cars-that-time-forgot-1991-oldsmobile-cutlass-calais-1006348273
Many people do not consider these to be true Camaros, because they were way down on power, and had those huge safety bumpers. I actually owned a pristine condition 1979 model “Berlinetta” in brilliant white. I owned it for 3 years, and traded it for a brand new Pontiac Fiero GT. It is a car I wish I still had, though I have to admit I preferred the mid ’70s LT model, with a vinyl roof and the aluminum bumpers. No, they were not performance cars. I saw them as sporty personal luxury cars. I especially liked the 1974 model, as it still had the earlier model rear window and B pillars. Unfortunately these cars are almost impossible to find today in decent condition. They were a product of what many considered the “malaise: generation, and nobody took care of them. To me they are a zillion times better than the junk available today. I think today is by far the worst era for cars ever.
I went out with a badass who owned a de smogged 74 350 4 barrel.It had a severely bashed drivers door and a white passenger door(red car black interior).It looked at home outside the pool hall in the warzone,being a non drinker I got to drive it quite a bit,very quick car
Chevy seemed to take a page from Ford’s book on 1970s Bumper integration when they redesigned the 74s. Awful awful looking cars, especially coming off the beautiful 71-73 and simultaneously being the cousin to the much better executed Firebirds. The 77-81s were a nice improvement, albeit pretty much directly stealing the Firebird look, but better nonetheless. The most use the 74-76s have as far as I’m concerned is being a body doner for a 70-73 clone(for the 74 body with the old rear window that is), or a figure 8 racer. Aesthetically speaking this wasn’t really much better than the Mustang II, it’s classic proportions are the saving grace.
The S-curves! The LeMans of Essex County. Remember when they were two lanes on both sides? I used to freak out people by passing them on the curves at excessive levels of speed….
Wow…I have not been back there in a long time…have they been widened? Last time I was there, it was still two lanes on both sides. This is where I went when I really wanted to see what a car could do!
In the book Christine, the bully Buddy Repperton scored one of these that was a recent roll over. I think he jacked it up with air shocks & put cherry bombs on it. Every time I see a middle 2nd generation Camaro that’s what I think off.
My father in law has a 73 Type LT that I can have, it’s pretty soft in the rear though.
Having seen the movie version before reading the book the beat up 70s Camaro would have been a much better choice, not just for fitting the character but for not trashing that really nice looking grey 67 with turbine wheels used in the movie!
I believe he gave your very attractive sister the car. And I also believe that your sister– because she was and still is so awesome– let you drive it. But that’s just the unbiased opinion of someone who has childhood pictures of you dressed as Tarzan.
Hmmm….looks like we’ll have to take this up at the next family gathering. Some edits and revisions may be in order…especially since you have those Tarzan pictures.
hehehe ;)!