1973 Z28 Camaro

[hubleyman]

I’ve owned many original paint 1973 Camaros Z/28’s, most of which were silver with black interior (one of my weaknesses). All of the Type LT Z/28’s, with or without the RS option, did not include the sport stripes or Z/28 badges. I’m currently wrapping up a frame off resto on my silver 73 RS/LT/Z28 with 4 speed and A/C. This car was factory equipped with spoilers, but the only visible exterior Z/28 specific details are the wheels and tires.
I’m really leaning towards painting stripes on this one when it’s done, because these cars just don’t have the same look without them…. but the car is so correct otherwise I might not…
I was always under the impression that spoilers were included with the Z/28 package in 1973 and optional on the other non-Z/28 models. Only one of my 73 Z/28’s did not have spoilers. This was an original paint car that I purchased from the original owner in Sacramento back in the late 70‘s. He and his brother ordered matching 73 Z’s and told me he had to special order the cars without spoilers. The original factory applied paint stripes on the deck lid were botched up where they would have met the front lip of the spoiler and then run up and over the top. It looked like the factory had to cut the stencil to shorten it and didn’t align the two pieces properly. So even though stripes may have been optional, it appeared to me that the factory had to modify their procedures for applying the stripes if a Z/28 was ordered without the spoiler package…

[al8apex]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hubleyman</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I’ve owned many original paint 1973 Camaros Z/28’s, most of which were silver with black interior (one of my weaknesses). All of the Type LT Z/28’s, with or without the RS option, did not include the sport stripes or Z/28 badges. I’m currently wrapping up a frame off resto on my silver 73 RS/LT/Z28 with 4 speed and A/C. This car was factory equipped with spoilers, but the only visible exterior Z/28 specific details are the wheels and tires.
I’m really leaning towards painting stripes on this one when it’s done, because these cars just don’t have the same look without them…. but the car is so correct otherwise I might not…
<span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">I was always under the impression that spoilers were included with the Z/28 package in 1</span>973</span> and optional on the other non-Z/28 models. Only one of my 73 Z/28’s did not have spoilers. This was an original paint car that I purchased from the original owner in Sacramento back in the late 70‘s. He and his brother ordered matching 73 Z’s and told me he had to special order the cars without spoilers. The original factory applied paint stripes on the deck lid were botched up where they would have met the front lip of the spoiler and then run up and over the top. It looked like the factory had to cut the stencil to shorten it and didn’t align the two pieces properly. So even though stripes may have been optional, it appeared to me that the factory had to modify their procedures for applying the stripes if a Z/28 was ordered without the spoiler package…
</div></div>

nope, NONE of the 73 Z28's had stripes OR spoilers &quot;standard&quot; they were both options you had to select and pay for.

RPO D80 at $77 for the spoilers
RPO D88 at $77 for the stripes

the RPO D88 states &quot;not available with Type LT&quot;

1972 was the 1st year that 2nd gens had spoilers optional, the short spoiler WAS standard in 1970 and 1971. The taller one was optional in 1971.

[mockingbird812]

SAWEEET Bill. Looks real good!! [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif[/img] I just love that SEVEN of your buds all got together and bought your Z's together. Did you get a killer deal as a result?

[jbsides]

It sure looked like that green '73 LT had factory painted om stripes to me. I bought the car from a woman in 1975 who had done nothing more than drive the car. The only thing that had been changed were the tires (car had 42K miles at two years old).
Either it was the &quot;never say never&quot; freak exception or there were more out there, I'm going to hunt for pics, but barring the tall rear spoiler the black stripes on that LT were absolutely identical to the green '70.5 Z I had in '71.

[al8apex]

There were no 1973 Camaros that came with stripes f<span style="font-weight: bold">rom the FACTORY</span> that were both a Z28 AND a Type LT.

period

many dealers added fluff to cars to move them or to customer requests but the FACTORY did not paint stripes on Type LT cars ...

[TimG]

They were good cars, I never really knew they were Z28's, though. I spent lots of time in a silver/black 4 speed with the RS option. It had the Z28 wheels, and the L82 motor. It was fast for the day.

[firstgenaddict]

Both of my brother's cars were wearing original paint when purchased, neither had any indication of having ever had stripes.

[Bill Pritchard]

Hey Darren,

Ask and ye shall receive....




For those that haven't seen that photo before, that was taken at the Union 76 gas station in North Aurora, IL where my friends and I all spent countless hours just hangin' out and growin' up. Obviously that does not include all 8 73 Z28's, but 4 of them were there at the time of this picture. You can see that Ron's white Type LT/Z does not have any stripes nor Z28 emblems on the front fender. Just behind Ron's car is Rick's black (that was a special order color in 73) Type LT/RS/Z, the only one of our group of 8 cars to have all three packages combined. Rick special ordered the car that way after he totalled his 70 L78 Nova SS.

Regarding the Day 2 pics of my car, yes I was also very fond of the 200-S wheels on it (the guy who owns it now changed to polished or chrome TT's, and they look nice, too). I did not have header mufflers, but had mufflers hung just forward of the rear axle with turn-down dumps.

In this thread, several people have mentioned having a silver/black 73 Z28. That is exactly what I was after when I wound up buying my Midnight blue 73. The local Aurora IL Chevy dealership, Ed Fanning, had a silver 73 RS/Z with a 4 speed that I really wanted. Couldn't come to terms with them....they were about $200 shy of giving me what I thought was a fair trade-in value for my Cortez silver 70 Z28 that I planned to trade in on the new 73. One of my friends had just bought his new 73 at Fencl-Tufo Chevy in Glendale Heights and suggested that I go up there and talk to them, so I did. Had to wait a while to talk to this particular salesman, but eventually told him of my predicament and he said no problem, we will dealer trade with Ed Fanning and get that car for you. Before we could get talking about price, some salesman walks into the showroom and is asking in a loud voice, &quot;Who owns a silver 70 Camaro out in the parking lot?&quot;. My heart sank, thinking that someone had run into it or something. I told them that I owned it. That salesman said, &quot;Are you buying a car here today?&quot;. I said I didn't know yet, why? He said, &quot;I just sold your 70 Camaro&quot;. I suppose I had a rather surprised look on my face [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/shocked.gif[/img] My salesman goes off and talks to the one that had just sold my 70, comes back and says &quot;We will make you a great deal today&quot;. And they did; gave me exactly what I wanted on trade, and discounted the new Camaro nicely. Well, long story short, they were unable to dealer trade with Ed Fanning because by then they had already sold the silver one I wanted. So I wound up buying my blue 73 - with an automatic and without the RS option that I really wanted - and I regretted it ever after. If I had got that silver one with the 4 speed and the RS package, I would still have it today, as I wound up keeping the blue one for 27 years anyway. Live and learn [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]

[DarrenX33]

I have always loved that picture and I think of it every time I go by there. Thanks for posting.

And look what popped up in your area...

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2172005285.html

[Bill Pritchard]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DarrenX33</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And look what popped up in your area...

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2172005285.html </div></div>

Ha! What a coincidence. Take away the spoilers and add the white stripes, and that's identical to my old car.