Strangest Automotive Features: The 1967-69 Camaro (and Firebird) & Its Cocktail Shakers!

[@kroge007]

I remember as a kid what I think was a 69 that was a white convertible with orange stripes on the trunk and hood for the first Time in Bloomsburg, PA, I loved the car with those hideaway lights.

[@sassed12many]

Visibility is a major issue on many cars now.

[@johna.4334]

Agreed. Soon all car windows will be replaced with video cameras and screens.

[@CJColvin]

Agreed 100% brother

[@charlesjames1442]

And ultra dark window tinting. How can people see out at night?

[@EyesWideOpen61]

My first new car was a 1988 Volkswagen Jetta. The visibility was absolutely perfect, a glass box

[@eartha911]

Another great tutorial from Adam! When I was 18 back in 1975, my dad and I decided we would snag up some 'disappearing' American convertibles. We found a 68 Firebird, and a 67 Camaro ragtop with a 396/375hp convertible RS/SS in butternut yellow with matching deluxe interior. It was a 4speed with power top, and windows. I actually drove it around Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1976. It looked great with redline tires. Wish I still had it.

[@hughjass1044]

Always learn something from Adam's videos. Had two friends who had Camaros and never once heard either of them mention these components.

[@VictorySpeedway]

I had a '67 RS convertible. I remember seeing those cocktail shakers in the trunk. Years later, I mentioned this to a so-called Camaro expert. He didn't know what I was talking about, which made me wonder if I had been seeing things. Your video validates my memory. I didn't drive the Camaro very much. It had a base 327 2bbl, four speed, no power steering or brakes, and a clutch that required two feet to depress. I parked it in the garage and sold it as we were scrounging for down payment $$$ for our first house.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Mustangs have 2 anti-wheel-hop-weights on arms added to the rear axles for past 50 years... Camaro/Firebird/Vega/Astre solved the problem by converting to torque arm rear suspension... it was also part of an $11K option on '87 Buick GNX...

[@DanEBoyd]

My Uncle dropped out of college and moved to California, got married, and bought a brand new '68 Camaro SS 396. Then he got drafted and had to sell it. My Dad said it was loaded - tape deck, alarm, AC... It was a four speed too, white with black stripes down the side, and Corvette-style Rally Wheels. My Dad took me for a ride in it once, but I was too young to remember...

[@WayneHarropson]

My uncle restored a 1932 v12 Packard limo. The bumpers on the front had big chrome bullet-shaped fluid-filled weights that he said were to dampen vibration. They likely had springs and weights like the Camaro. Google 1932 v12 Packard limo and you'll see.

[@tasmith1969]

I had a 1965 Corvair Corsa convertible that one time I removed all 4 cocktail shakers and it made it pretty much undrivable .

[@ppeller3]

This is why I continue to watch your channel. I learn something new just about every time I click on one of your uploads Adam.👍🏻👍🏻

[@randyscott2256]

Leave to Adam!! I'm 68yrs old & I thought I knew everything about Camaros!!?? Not this fact!! Your the real expert Adam!!!! Thanx!!

[@lasuvidaboy]

I remember the ‘cocktail shakers’ on my ‘69 SS/RS Camaro Convertible. It was a fully loaded model and the odd Liquid Tire Chain option.

[@DanEBoyd]

I like the subframe connectors best.

[@DSP1968]

Very interesting feature, Adam. Thank you for sharing.

[@marko7843]

You had me going there for a minute... When you said "accessories" and cans in the trunk, I thought for sure you were talking about the Liquid Tire Chain cannisters.

[@cdstoc]

Thanks, Adam, this is the first I've ever heard of these! It reminds me of a device my dad installed in our '64 Bel-Air that worked on a similar principle. It was a couple of feet long and about 5-inches wide. He mounted it transversely in the trunk between the back seat a spare tire. Inside was a damped, spring-loaded weight that moved side-to-side to counteract lateral sway of the rear of the car. It actually made a noticeable difference, especially with sudden lane-changes or panic stops.

[@cycleguy666]

Wow!! Could have just beefed up the chassis to take the flex out of the body!! Shakers seem to have been a stop gap at the very least! Sad.

[@pcno2832]

Tuned mass dampers have also been used in bridges, skyscrapers, structures supporting powerlines, and spacecraft: just about any place where resonance can be a problem. There was even one with simple rubber mounts on the far end of the arm in the Garrard 42C turntable I had when I was a kid. The Wikipedia page on the subject mentions a Renault, a Citroen, and of course the dampers that are ubiquitous on the ends of crankshafts (often inaccurately referred-to as "harmonic balancers"). But the "cocktail shakers" in Camaros and Firebirds seem to have escaped the attention of the authors.

[@oi32df]

more and more frequent on three cylinders

[@jetsons101]

So that's what those were..... Boy, learn something new every day.

[@bretfisher7286]

This is and always has been my favorite pony car. The Camaro. There's no particular reason for me to choose the Camaro over the Mustang. I came from a family that loved Chevrolet. There is no objective reason to say one or the other car is better. They're virtually the same car made by two different carmakers. This is probably a controversial statement of mine, but I've grown older and now see things more clearly. The hot partisanship and rivalry between American car enthusiasts is completely contrived, because no American carmaker has always made good cars, and no American automaker has always made bad cars. Or fast cars. Or slow cars. It's simply what you like. And choose responsibly, from real data and statistics.

[@fhwolthuis]

Great story, didn't know about this. In my 1995 VW Golf cabriolet I found a large weight inside the trunk and wondered about that but it had the same purpose as the cocktail shakers of the Camaro.

[@1127csk]

never knew that! truly enjoy your channel....I've had a number of old american cars...72 riv, 72 gs455, 72 camaro, 78 riv...my grandfather had a 70 electra four door hardtop with that 455 so these videos bring it back! appreciate the vids

[@CORVAIRWILD]

Corvairs had 'em 1st, 1965 model year

[@danr1920]

Hi CorvairWild, See you next week at the International Corvair Convention. Dan

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I've never been in a first gen Camaro. But I owned a second gen and drove it for a few years. 78 base model with a 250 straight 6 and automatic transmission. Not powerful by any stretch of the imagination. But handled great. I loved driving it. I work at a collision repair/body shop so I get to drive a lot of newer vehicles. And the newer Camaros are definitely not for me. It's impossible to see anything. But that's common for pretty much all newer vehicles. That's why they have so many cameras and sensors. I prefer older vehicles. My 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan is too new for me. I want something made between the 60's and mid-late 80's. Back when cars were cars.

[@danr1920]

My '65 Corvair convertible has those. Took a long time to figure out what they were, Many people took them out. But if GM paid the money to put them in, they must of been worth it.

[@Snocone333]

i have a 63 vert turbo and i either haven't noticed, they're gone already, or they weren't in by 63. Yours is the 2nd gen vair right?

[@danr1920]

@@Snocone333 Mine is the second generation. Don't think the first gen. had them as it was overbuilt as it was GM's first North American unibody car.

[@bobhill3941]

Very interesting, I knew what they were and what they looked like, I just hadn't seen the inside of one or knew what they weighed or what they were filled with. A supervisor I had when I first started had a brand new 2010 plumb crazy Challenger and she told me she bought it instead of the Camaro specifically because of the visibility.

[@flyonbyya]

Only until the 5th Gen did appreciable structural rigidity arrive. The 6th GEN Alpha platform is indeed world class

[@donfronterhouse1849]

You nailed down every point. The 68 was perfection. My dad owned a 68 and later a 70. The 70 had more options including the 440,and the last year of high hp. But externally the 68 is definitely my favorite because tail light treatment . But it is tied with the 67 GTO.(you guessed it,dad had one of those too. When I started driving,they were just old cars to me. I owned under powered but much newer Tbirds , Cutlass Supremes, etc. You know,nice but gutless by comparison. Some say if they had a time machine they would blah blah lol. I'd buy cars and store them somewhere. If anyone reading this has a time machine please dm me.

[@jaycarlson927]

Another great insight into a great classic car!

[@arevee9429]

Thanks, Adam. I've had a lot of cars of the course of my many decades of life, but surprisingly, Camaro hasn't been one of them. I've always liked the 1st 2 years - such clean and simple lines. Year 3, '69, was also nice, but it lost some of the tidy looks of the prior 2 years. I had no idea these counterbalancing devices were used to quell vibration.

[@BuzzLOLOL]

Mustangs have two weights added to rear axle, also...

[@drippinglass]

Wow Adam… I never heard about them! 😁 Although I’m not a Chevy guy, I’ve been reading about 1st gen F bodies sines the late 70’s. I recently had to show a guy that all ‘67-‘69 Z/28’s were 4 speed cars. He didn’t even know they made them in’67-‘68. 😀

[@madmike2624]

I learned something new with this video! My best friend had a 69 vert. and we beat the snot out of that poor car, little did we know the true value (this was 1983 in our defense) what it would be worth in today's market! Great video!!!

[@1776-r4j]

I have a 5th gen and the visibility issue is a bit overblown. However, I did replace the stock side mirror glass with euro style aspherical mirror glass and it makes highway lane changes a lot less stressful while looking totally stock and avoiding the need for those ugly stick on blind spot mirrors.

[@chrisjeffries2322]

While restoring my 68 convertible, I removed all 4 of them before I had to drive it to a shop. The car drove like a horse-drawn buckboard.

[@damianbowyer2018]

Wow, Interesting Stuff, Adam😯🤘

[@CJColvin]

My mom has a 2010 Camaro RS with a 3.6L LFX V6 making 304 HP and 278 Ibs of Torque and man its a blast to drive.

[@douglasthrelfall5318]

I had heard about these back in late ‘70’s and never knew what was inside of them. The 1969 model was my favorite body style. The more options, the better! I had a chance to purchase an original owner 1969 SS396 325 HP four speed with factory a/c for $1,500 in 1978 and passed it up, I still kick myself every time I think about it.

[@jeffsmith846]

My 61 Lincoln convertible had tuned weights at all four corners. The rear were sprung and had a brake type dampener on them. The fronts if I recall were just sealed looking weights. I had all of them off when restoring the car. The fronts were attached with the same bolts as the front bumper which really made it fun to get them and the bumper all in place to install the bolts.

[@sooverit5529]

Both of my 61s have the weights at each corner, but my 62 doesn't. I wonder what was changed in the build to be able to not need them.

[@jeffsmith846]

@@sooverit5529 I wonder if they were removed by a previous owner? I had a 62 convertible but only for a short while so I don't know if it had them or not.

[@MFE92]

These "cocktail shakers" are what's known as tuned mass dampers. They are designed to resonate in a frequency that cancels out a frequency in the body structure, and most of them are just hunks of metal attached in strange places like front fenderwells. These are the most mechanically elaborate ones I've ever seen.

[@SportsKnowItAll11]

In HS, ‘77, I bought a 67 Camaro from an elderly lady down the block. It’s color was “old man tan” and had a V-6 with 3 on the tree. But….it was a great looking car!

[@LlyleHunter]

And excellent handling

[@artieb2168]

V6 in a 1967 Camaro?

[@SportsKnowItAll11]

@@artieb2168 correction, it was a straight 6.

[@garyruark9506]

1969 is coolest bodystyle. Had a 1969 convertible in 1974. Drove it through high school and sold it in 1978 for a lot more than I paid for it. It had 68k on it in 1978. It's still around too.

[@CORVAIRWILD]

NVH... my 1981 Bonneville that I just drove from San Francisco to Houston to Upstate NY, has such a great ride... it just turned 60k, and the 5.7 Olds diesel got almost 30mpg cruising windows down 4650 miles...

[@RareClassicCars]

Yes those diesels get good mileage when working properly.

[@MrJoeltrain]

I changed the body mount bushings on my 81 TA. I used energy suspension polyurethane aftermarket kit. The difference was extreme. If you own a TA or Firebird thus is a cheap way to get a really nice ride. Firm and accurate feeling turns. The LABOR is also extreme. My car was a Pennsylvania car the mounts in the firewall were really really bad. It took two strong men, a 1/2" breaker bar and a 4 ft cheater. I wouldn't have been able to do I t without the entire front end off and I was really glad I had when it was all said and done.

[@AaronSmith-kr5yf]

As somebody who owned a 1999 Z28 t-top and a 1998 Z28 drop top, I thought the structure/chassis was pretty stiff. Never had any issues with "cowl shake" in the convertible, unlike a similar year Chrysler Sebring I rode in where the whole dash/windshield seemed to shake on rough roads. Its just that if you remove any of the cheap ass interior panels with their stupid spring clips they will never fit together quite like they did at the factory. That's what gives you the squeaks/rattles. As far as these 1st gen f-body cars, I think both the Firebird and Camaro are two of the sexiest looking drop top cars ever made. They look great with the top up or down IMO.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you again Adam. I liked the information and the education rewarded with your videos. I think it was quite informative and interesting about the engineering that took place. It is these facts people do not think about. I have heard the complaints about not being able to see out of the vehicle. You said it so eloquently about the Camaro: "Sunset". It will soon "sunset" again as I read 2024 will be the last run and they have the "panther" collectors special edition , but they think it will return again in electric form. Thank you once again.

[@leewaken5059]

My second car, bought in late 1975 was a first gen Camaro. A 1968 RS 327, 4 speed with a Hurst shifter. My first of four owned Camaros.

[@jeffedge872]

Bought my 67 camaro convertible in 1975 for $1,500.00 after getting it perfect cosmetically and upgrades to the motor and 2 yrs later I never knew what those cocktail shakers were or were called until a day at the track lol . To them out but didn’t take long yo put them back in 😅

[@BarryTsGarage]

Alright Adam!

[@markbehr88]

Interesting. I was not aware of that feature.

[@meathead585]

The Camaro was just awesome for 1967 and 1968. Downhill in looks from there on. Just as Ford chose to do...Mustang 65-66.

[@johna.4334]

Wrong. The `69 Camaro was the best looking of all the years.

[@HAL-dm1eh]

I think most of American cars went down after the 60s with a few luxury car and full sized truck exceptions. But honestly it was probably just a matter of time anyway. Cars were rolling works of art in the 60s but how many really appreciated them fully for that like we do today? They were to be used and they were a dime a dozen, even if beautiful. Cars have such use and utility wasn't it only a matter of time they lose their artfulness and become what they are now?

[@johna.4334]

@@HAL-dm1eh "...become what they are now?" Giant rolling potatoes on four oversized wheels. UGLY!!!

[@rextownsend5101]

@@johna.4334 No wrong or right. Just a guy’s opinion. I happen to like all three years of the first gen, but that’s just me.

[@greggc8088]

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working as a tech at a shop that catered to many car collectors. I put a heater core in a 65 Mustang 289 V8 one week and then a 68 Camaro SS 396 4 speed the next along with a carb rebuild and a tune up. I never knew until then how much more well built (and probably more expensive new) that the Camaro was over the Mustang. Night and day suspension wise especially.

[@giggiddy]

The mustang was simply a cheap secretary car that was built to a price point- period. Never meant to be anything but cheap, hence why they sold millions. Way too common of a car and don't understand why people get so excited over seeing a sixties rustang.

[@timbullough3513]

To my eyes 95% of model years, the Firebird looks significantly better than the Camaro. And barring the 74 through 86 model years the Mustang looked significantly better than the F bodies.

[@GoldenGun-Florida]

The "cocktail shakers" were less costly and added less weight than rebracing the structure on the vehicle.

[@donk499]

Wonder how they came up with that expensive/heavy solution!

[@joesmithjoesmith4284]

Didn't the 1976-1979 Cadillac Sevilles use cocktail shakers too?

[@maxhenry1977]

Rather than canceling the camaro, again, gm ought to update it to be a retro design of the 2nd gen camaro.

[@Johnnycdrums]

Panthers are part of the Cougar Division. I almost bought a Marauder, I broke down and got a Super Duty with leather captains chairs instead, and for about the same price.

[@markchandler90]

Packard used a similar feature on their larger cars in the mid 1930s

[@tomtheplummer7322]

The 396 made it hot.

[@ericbitzer5247]

I still kick myself in the ass for not buying a 68 Camaro that was for sale right around the corner from where I worked. Blue and white with no rust, was beautiful. I can just imagine what it would be worth now. I bought a motorcycle instead. Seemed like the right decision at the time.

[@2509498788]

Thanks for schooling me..

[@HAL-dm1eh]

Wouldn't it have been more feasible to have put bracing back in the frame where it belonged?

[@Johnnycdrums]

The doors are too high on the new Camaro's. Additionally; "High Chaparral" was a great program, following some other big TV Western. They advertised Chevrolet, big time.

[@tomtheplummer7322]

Barracuda 🏴‍☠️✌️😎

[@WhittyPics]

Nothing like the pony car wars of the 60s and 70s. Can these cocktail shakers be rebuilt?

[@robbkiker6861]

My sister bought new a baby blue 68 or 69 Camaro convertible with white interior and white top. Definitely a "girls" car. Don't know the engine as I was 8 or 9 years at the time. Just remember riding with the top down. Think they chose white so interior would not get as hot in the sun.

[@JodyOwen-we6oo]

I’ve always hated black interiors both for heat retention and because they make a car feel a bit claustrophobic to me.

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

The Chevrolet Camaro...Also known during development as the Chevrolet Panther.

[@bobpierce115]

Really interesting video on the first generation. I personally prefer the '67 & '68 over the '69 because they're sleeker and more sports car like. I still like the '69, and realize it's the most popular of the first gen model years. The 5th generation though successful, looked like a grotesque 'fat pig' take on the '69. Fortunately they fixed all that with the 6th gen, except for the poor visibility 'chop top' roof. I don't understand why the 6th gen didn't sell better. The body was sleek and sexy, no longer looking like it was trying to "copy" the '69. It cleverly retained the flavor of the first gen Camaro, but in a fresh way without specific ties to the first gen. Truthfully, and this is almost never said, the closest the Camaro ever got to the first gen (again) was the 3rd gen, from 1982-'92.

[@karatejoe5049]

I've never understood why they killed that body after 3 years.

[@raymondcanessa7208]

In the 50's and 60's cars changed more often than in the 70's,80's and 90's. Changing roll over safety and EPA regulations. They wanted something more exotic to compete with the mustang.

[@oi32df]

If there will be a next gen Camaro it would be nice if it looked like the first one with long and high side windows and not like the big bathtub it has become

[@stormythelowcountrykitty7147]

For the algorithm

[@rogersmith7396]

In 1970 you could get either the old style or the new as a 70 and a half. My friend had an early style 70 Z 28 302. I am thinking the Camaros cost more than comparable Mustangs. And I thought a Camaro was a horse, hence pony car. The Barracuda definitely was'nt.

[@CORVAIRWILD]

Same jiggle as 1971 Full Size Chevys

[@phildem414]

What a bodge 🤦‍♂️

[@tomtheplummer7322]

Fox 🦊 body

[@Kar-wm5on]

For real, the "French slang" thing is absolutely false, never ever heard that ; and I've lived in France, well, all my life

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

And now Cock Shakers buy cars.

[@jetsons101]

Second?????