1977 Chevrolet Camaro LT Rally Sport Coupe 2-Door 5.0L

Description

Hello!

This is a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro, Type LT. Its bright red exterior and white vinyl interior just screams to be noticed, and let me tell you, does it ever! The VIN# is 1S87U7L576825. There is no Carfax due to its age but I have nearly all the real facts you will need since I have owned this car since 1979 and have all the repair records dating back to 1984. Further, I knew the previous owner, who had it for one year, and I know where he got it from which accounts for the two years back to 1977. The oldest photograph I have of the car is from 1983.

The 2nd digit in the VIN is an S for Type LT. The 3rd and 4th stand for 2-door Coupe. The 5th is a U, engine code, for 305ci. The 6th is a 7, for 1977. The 7th digit is L for assembly in Van Nuys, California. And the last six digits denote assembly line production. This car is 195.4” in length, 49.2” in height, 74.4” wide and has a wheelbase of 108”. These are all standard specs that can easily be found online at: http://nastyz28.com/camaro/camaro77.php. Check this website link for even further specs and details of this model year.

A couple specific things to note about condition: The fan blows on high only, but is not a/c cold. The heater core has been bypassed. The engine seals smoke when warming up. The dash has some typical warping on the passenger side corner but does not show or detract from the overall appearance with the nicely custom fitted dash pad.

We now know the car was built in Van Nuys, California, in the long closed GM assembly plant on Van Nuys Blvd. This spot made way for a shopping center years ago, aptly named, The Plant. This car has never left sunny southern California and has lived right here, well protected, all its long and happy life.

This car was originally a quiet little Hertz hardtop rental car from 1977 to 1978. In 1978, a local family-owned interior decorating studio, which is still in business today, bought the car from Hertz for one of their top designers, a friend of mine, who had the T-Tops installed that year. He was one flashy dude who looked like Jack Cassidy and used to tell me stories of driving down Sunset Boulevard in this car singing out the open rooftops to The Village People’s Y.M.C.A.

In 1979, I begged my conservative dad to buy the glitzy car from him for my high school graduation, which he did, for $2500, and I’ve proudly owned it ever since. This car was my daily driver throughout the 80’s and 90’s and as the years went on, the car seemed to get noticed more and more. With its fire engine red color and bright white interior, I would get thumbs-up everywhere I went, and still do! People would stop and admire it, tell me stories of cars like it that they used to have, tell me how amazing and well-maintained it looked, make offers to buy it, etc., but I wasn’t selling at the time.

In 2001, I bought a new Camaro and, except for a couple of car shows, I put this baby into storage. It was carefully covered and fully garaged. Then, a couple years ago, I brought it out, spruced up the engine’s appearance, gave it some new rims and tires, hoses, catalytic converter, etc., polished everything I could see, and entered it into some more local shows. By now, it was winning trophies in various categories, and, in keeping with the disco theme of its era, I renamed the plates DISCO 77, suspended a rotating disco ball overhead, and played some ‘70’s music, all in remembrance of my beloved friend. This car has some serious swag going on and garners a lot of attention wherever it goes. As a matter of fact, I remember my friend telling me that the owner of the decorating studio who bought the car for him, came back from taking the car in for an oil change one day, he said, in a joking way, that it wasn't fair, that he owns an $60,000 Mercedes, and nobody ever says anything, but as soon as he drives the Camaro, everybody notices!

I have all the repair records dating back to 1984 of which you may examine or have if you’d like. Nothing major there. Just the usual routine things to maintain a car over the years and the car was always clean and well-maintained. Anything that I have ever replaced was always done with an exact original or OEM part or of similar quality. Many parts I got from Classic Industries, in Huntington Beach, a well-known and reputable retailer of parts and accessories for classic cars. This car maintains almost all its original parts, original engine, original 159,000 miles, doors, hood, upholstery, etc. Things like hoses and fuel lines, fuel pump, spark plugs and things like that, have been replaced with like kind within the last couple of years but I have done no modifications to the original intent of the specs of this car. The front seats and interior vinyl side panels were reupholstered years ago, however, I went to great lengths to seek out and find, in Arizona, a bolt of original white material, of which I still have quite a lot of extra and this will also come with the car. The back seats have never been reupholstered and are all the original material. The carpet was changed a couple times but with a similar like, style and red color in keeping with the original assembly of the car. The car's tires are Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 and the wheels are American Racer. Also, there is professionally hand-painted white pinstripping on the sides and hood.

Fifteen or so years ago, the car saw one very minor, very low impact rear hit, which affected only the rear driver-side tail light which was repaired and replaced with an exact original like and kind. There was no damage to the strength or integrity of the frame. I took this opportunity to have the entire car fully repainted with the exact color mixture as the original specs called for and I have all that paperwork. They did such a beautiful and lasting job, that only two years ago, the car won a first place trophy for Best Paint, even on a paint job that was then already 13 years old! A couple of years ago, for aesthetic reasons, I had both aluminum bumpers removed, completely restored and polished, and new bumper impact strips installed. The impact strips came from Classic Industries. Also, by the way, the car is stored in an enclosed garage on carpeting and I have no drip pan under it because it does not drip anything. There are virtually no stains on my carpeting.

As you now know, the car was originally a hardtop and my friend had the T-Tops installed in 1978. I remember he told me he paid $2000 to have that done. These were professionally installed mostly on Camaros and the Firebirds of the time. They are the original American T-Top style, of Dallas, Texas, and I have both original smoked-glass panels, which, of course, will come with the car. I have always shown the car without the panels because it always looks so much nicer without them and this is such a wonderful fair-weather car anyway. Also coming with the car is a very good quality, indoor custom-fit car cover which came from Classic Industries.

One thing that people have told me over the years that they say makes this car special over many others is the fact that I have owned it all these years, have good track history and records for it, have always maintained it well, and have never changed out the engine, etc. I have heard that buyers want things original, and folks, let me tell you, this is probably about as original as they come. The car starts up nicely, purrs like a seasoned tiger, doesn't make any wierd sounds, doesn't shake or vibrate while driving, accelerates and brakes just fine, doesn't overheat, and looks simply striking when crusing down the boulevard. You won't want to miss out on the opportunity to own this classic for yourself. All the lights on the dash and all the lights around the car are in working order.

In addition to the photos, please watch these recently uploaded YouTube videos of the car in performance at shows from 2014 and 2015:
https://youtu.be/GdZVi4tEd0Y
https://youtu.be/5HpJoUnd3aw
https://youtu.be/gOKGRaR6ACY
https://youtu.be/udQcFLpzB_c
https://youtu.be/cMpNUg8rBbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVJtaXyyWtw

So what are you waiting for! You know you want it! Oh, sure, you can go out and buy yourself a nicely equipped brand new Camaro, but why do what anybody else can do? Why have what anybody else can have? Why not own something that nobody else has, a piece of American history, and treat yourself to something truly unique and special. This opportunity doesn't come around everyday, you know.

Or, think about it this way: Yes, I guess you could go out and find yourself some junky old Camaro for cheap, rip out and gut the old original engine, rip out all the old original seats and replace them with some new unoriginal ones using some new unoriginal material, tear the original dash to pieces, yank off the original steering wheel, repaint the car with some unoriginal new color, etc., and spend about the same amount of money or probably more. But big deal. What do you have? Some mis-matched potluck of Frankenstein parts? Anybody can do that. That's not restoring an old car. That's just thoughtless remodeling. I can do that to my kitchen any day of the week and twice on Sunday. This car, on the other hand, is a wrinkle in time. Look at that original engine. Look at those original seats. Look at that original steering wheel. Were those bought at Pep Boys or Auto Zone or some discount online market? I don't think so.

Keep in mind, this is a binding contract so if you are the buyer, I will not negotiate a lower price once the sale is closed. The car is fully owned by me and has been since 1979. I have the registration and the title. The car is current on its registration and passed its last required smog inspection in 2014. This is to besold as-is, paid in full, cash-only orcertified U.S. cashier’s check.Also, depending on your location and logistics, the buyer will arrange and pay for any and all shipping costs or if local, arrange to meet with me at my bank, with a bank representative, to complete the transaction, sign papers, etc., and to collect payment.

This is a wonderful creation of the 1970’s and I am excited to offer it here today! Maybe this was a style of car you used to have back in the days and you are longing for it again. Maybe you loved this style as a youngster but could never afford it, and now you can! Maybe your mom or dad used to have one just like it and it brings back fond memories. So, for whatever the reason it may be, you may just be the ideal buyer who is serious, reputable, verifiable, and a true collector who wants to make a solid purchase and be the next proud owner of this rare find.
If you have any questions, I will be more than happy to assist you with an answer. Just ask. Thank you! =)