1968 Camaro Z/28: Road Race Special

[@mattgause3178]

Product specialist Vince Piggins got the Z28 program on its feet in 1967 at a time when Chevrolet had pulled out of all racing......and the best part is that GM packaging was all demoted in the "Z" packaging.....Z27 is the Camaro SS and Z28 was the Trans Am packaging, which stuck as the actual name of the car......a true legend, and Larry Shinoda was involved as the designer, specifically, the 69 Z28 model, before going over to Ford to develop the Boss 302 that won in 70. Trans Am series was a defining moment for all the manufacturers and also for car collectors today! Beautiful 68 you featured today 😎💯🏁

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Shinoda designed the front and rear spoilers on the ‘69 Boss 302, which were instrumental in improving the cars lap times.

[@DanEBoyd]

And Trans Am paved the way for the Pontiac Trans Am. An early second generation TA in white with the blue stripe is such a pure looking car - like the early GT350.

[@mattgause3178]

Yes DaneBoyd, the white with blue stripes is among the very best looking TA cars you're going to get...... I saw a real one at Auburn auction Indiana, and it did large 💵💵💵💯🏁

[@jeffebinger1218]

Love the DZ and 68 with this trim level.

[@musclecarcampy9922]

The ‘68 was not a DZ. DZ was the ‘69-only engine code.

[@p1315]

Chevy 302 MO better than any Furd 302.@@musclecarcampy9922 😉

[@angelo_giachetti]

Love the red on red. 1968 my brother ordered/bought a new Camaro SS RS, dark green with all the options except auto trans. It had a solid lifter 396 with factory aluminum heads. Before taking delivery a Holley 3 barrel, Mallory ignition, fuel cool can and other stuff was installed...I was only 11 years old but I loved fast cars. Before the Camaro he had a triple black 67 Firebird 400, 4 speed that he gave to our brother when he came home from Vietnam. The Camaro was traded for a new 1970 F250.

[@rajcam80]

Very unique Camaro!

[@JohnDoe-wy2py]

There are more first generation Z/28’s now than ever left the factory

[@musclecarcampy9922]

That may be true, but this one has a full book of documentation.

[@DanEBoyd]

And even more Cowl Induction hoods...

[@p1315]

Yup...pretty much every Fox body has one. @@DanEBoyd 🤣🤣🤣

[@zxtenn]

14.8 sounds correct and thats SLOW being realistic and honest. In 1975 i built a 67 RS Yenko clone, 427/425 with 456 gears and a 4 speed, 12.7 at 110 like nothing with 25 inch slicks and i only made 3 runs

[@musclecarcampy9922]

To be fair, that was without powershifting and with two aboard, plus test gear. Easy low 14-second car. That was enough to take down many stock big-block muscle cars.

[@micahcastillo9113]

My old Z/28 ran 12.70 @ 108 with 4.88’s and slicks.

[@musclecarcampy9922]

@@micahcastillo9113 That is what they needed to really wake up, that and open headers.

[@kennydemartini2169]

@@micahcastillo9113 My DZ ran a best of 12.56 @109 with 4.88, slicks, single plane intake, open headers and leaving the line at 5000 rpm and shifting at 7500.

[@micahcastillo9113]

@@kennydemartini2169 Mine had the factory intake on it with a 750 double pumper, and 1 3/4” headers.

[@p1315]

Fun fact...a 1967 Z28 set the NHRA C/Stock record at 10.09 @ 130 MPH in 2021.

[@musclecarcampy9922]

1968 Super Stock World Champ, too (Dave Strickler).

[@bruceh92]

Awesome car. Great job.

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Thanks! 👍

[@p1315]

Dave Lyall...Furd dyno room operator and company racer...was present when Furd dynoed one of Smokey Yunick's Trans Am Chevy 302 engines. Made over 500 HP on Furd's own dyno. (So more like 450 on a regular dyno lol)

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Furd? C’mon. You can do better than that!

[@p1315]

Furd...cause it rhymes with turd. 🤣🤣🤣@@musclecarcampy9922

[@timothyrobinson894]

I'd love to see an actual MO code 1968 302 get strapped to a dyno, tuned and see what it really makes!

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Great idea. I have chassis dyno tested several vintage muscle cars. Problem is the drivelines are super inefficient, even with manual gearboxes. Add in V-belts and factory exhaust and the numbers can be horrifyingly bad.

[@jedjohnson6781]

I had 2- 69’s; one new, one used in ‘75. I don’t remember them having a rear sway bar. The ‘72 I bought new did have a rear sway bar. When tuned they were a hoot to drive! However, the ‘69s seemed to eat spark plugs for lunch. After 500 street miles on a new set the engine would start to miss at 4000 rpm. All three were rust buckets which turned me against GM vehicles of that era. I especially miss the ‘69s.😢

[@p1315]

Nice! 🙂

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Thx.

[@DanEBoyd]

Is that straight rocker molding a Z28 thing? I ask because I see that the car is apparently equipped with the Z21 trim package, which got you bright drip-rail moldings, those fat bright moldings under the side-glass, bright wheel opening trim, and the angled rocker trim which followed the angled skeg-line slightly above the rocker area. My understanding was that only non-Z21 cars got the straight rocker molding. The RS/Z28 in Car Life @4:40 shows the angled rocker moldings. But the SS shown at 4:47 has the straight moldings with the Z21 package - so maybe the angled ones are a Rally Sport (Z22) thing. SS had the rockers, under that straight molding, blacked out. You know an early Z28 is an honest car when you see one with the flat hood. So if my maths are right, Joel is 79-80 years old! He could pass for 55-60!!! Well done sir!

[@musclecarcampy9922]

I am not familiar with the vagaries of first-gen Camaro trim. I’d only be guessing.

[@musclecarcampy9922]

Believe it or not, Joel is 80!

[@DanEBoyd]

@@musclecarcampy9922 But you were wearing a Chevrolet hat!😁 Those big bright belt-line/greenhouse moldings are the quickest way to spot a Z21 equipped '68 Camaro. Quickest way to spot Z21 on a '69 is the chrome 'gill' molding on the rear quarter panel. '69 got bright headlight and tail light trim, and drip rail, wheel opening, and rocker trim. When they talk about X11 and X33 on '69 Norwood Camaros, the difference between them is Z21, but without looking it up, I forget which is which.🙄

[@musclecarcampy9922]

@@DanEBoydThanks for smartening me up. That is a difficult task! LOL.

[@johndillinger8482]

this is the most overrated musclecar made but i do like the 67 & 68. .its absolutely ridiculous the nut hugging people do to this car. the engine is basically a destroked L76 Vette engine.i seriously doubt it could outrun many big blocks

[@musclecarcampy9922]

All it did in 1968 was win the NHRA Super Stock world championship and 10 of 13 Trans-Am races to give Chevy its first title in that series. It was a beast on the street and was indeed quicker in road tests that year than many big-block muscle cars that year. I have a vast library to back up this claim.

[@p1315]

BOOM@@musclecarcampy9922