Minor update: While there wasn’t a “bicentennial edition” of this car recorded in the books, my mom assured me that this car had a dark blue top, probably blue painted over a black base. And that it was described as a bicentennial edition when it was bought in the 70s. It DID have side pipes, likely as a dealer installed add on, the paint could have also been added as part of this special package. One last thing to note: this car was built at the van nuys plant, which is just a few miles away from where it was bought and lived its entire life. My grandparents were known for custom ordering cars. It is entirely possible they special ordered this car with options that were not documented as being a factory option. They also owned the fanciest ford windstar to have ever been built, and a 99 Chevy Silverado in a trim spec that I havent seen for sale even on bring a trailer. I’m not saying this Camaro is definitely one of one, but it’s also not run of the mill. A build sheet would be invaluable here, but I haven’t found it yet. Maybe under the tank but it wasn’t behind the seat.
Mr. B. Here ! 👀😎👍. You have a lot of work ; 1. Big Wash & Clean up, then and then only you look at what can be saved; seats frames can be re covered. Many of the mid 70’s cars have been sent to the crusher ! Good luck !
This is so cool. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and being able to get this car back into the family (in any condition) is remarkable. Can't wait to see what you do with it!
Hi google Rallye sport Camaro and full page ad from 1976 shows paint scheme like your car wheels are 5 spoke steel. Z28 PAINTED BODY COLOR WITH TRIM RING AND SMALL. CENTER CAP. INTERIOR VAN HAVE PROPER SEAT COVER'S MADE ALONG WITHRUGS HEADLUNER. TEPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH EDELBROCK AND HOLLEY. CARB NEEDS GAS TANK TOO POWER WASH CAR FOR NOW AND SEE IF IT RUNS GOOD PROJECT
Memories man I had one i got I bought it from the second owner for s 150 bucks first thing i did was a burnout I was in highschool i just locked ❤ it thanks for sharing your story
Looks like a solid project. The Rally Sport was an appearance package as ‘76 was a couple years into smog and emissions. The plastic interior is gonna be challenging. Aftermarket is a huge disappointment to say the least, for fit and finish. Good luck
Wow , my best friend at that time bought a brand new one . Man he ran his rally hard , had lots of fun and I think of it once in awhile . I think his had fine red pinstripes on the orange band . We traded vehicles sometimes and it was great to drive . I almost got a 77 Z28 , a chocolate brown or a dark green one ,but instead bought a 77 El Comino Classic , as I was just starting up a business , probably saved my life . Yours should clean up well , dirty but not too much rust like we have in ONT . My dad had a 1950 Studebaker Truck like yours , he had his painted light yellow for his Irrigation business . Please put it inside or undercover as it needs to be preserved for when you are ready to do it .
Definitely. My garage is still under construction but as soon as I can free up space again, it’s going in the center bay next to my prelude. I sprayed a layer of clear on the Studebaker to slow the corrosion, it helped, but I’ll get to it soon. It does run but it needs a rear end and suspension.
Dirt Sweat & Gears Hello Friend I just Subscribe to your channel , and it's great you found your Grandma's Chevrolet Camaro !! But please do your Grandma's Camaro Justice , and restore that car back to it's former glory 🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪🙏🙏
Thank you so much! I intend to, and I’m going to hopefully make it a little better in some tasteful ways. Little things like polyurethane bushings and such. Nothing that will change the personality and charm
You very well could be right. Good eye, thanks for this. I’ve asked my uncle to keep a lookout for pictures of this car, he has all of their records, documents and pictures. I think if it was like that in their pictures, I’ll keep it like that. If not, I’ll correct it.
@@DirtSweatGears of course as for your rear bumper filler plastics thats a absolute battle it took me a year to come up with mine for the 77 z28 im restoring they arent re produced everything else isnt a problem
@@adrianfreeman7319 I did pull the seats out today but didn’t see a build sheet. But I did find a golf tee which was definitely left by my grandpa, and some directions on a post it note written by my grandma
Body looks very nice. White paint can be revealing with regards to rust. Look forward to seeing where you bring this family heirloom. Thanks for sharing and posting.
Looks like car was off road for at least 20 yrs. Where located socal? Find out check for rust then get into trunk by removing back seat Grammy keep any keys around???? CHEK out drawers and check for em....take out plugs shoot oil down. Cyl and gut interior to rid smell. Good luck
That’s what I thought!! I couldn’t find any documentation on a bicentennial Camaro so I wasn’t sure. The top looks like it could have a midnight blue or at the very least a blue-based black. It was also such a vague memory for me as I was about 5 when they let the car go.
As the one who will be repainting the car and returning her to her former glory days, I am beyond excited to see this video series. Now I need a big wheel for my son to pose with…
I’m aware. They were installed by the dealer at the time of purchase. I intend to recreate this car as my grandparents experienced it, so it’s getting side pipes, even though it wasn’t factory.
And hard to believe a dealer would do this as you would think it would involve removing the catalytic converter which would be a huge no no for the dealer to do especially in California. So I'm doubting the dealer installed story, Chevrolet certainly didn't need those headaches and specialty car builders like Motion, Nickey, Mr Norms and others had basically been put put of business overnight because they all tampered with the emissions which was and is still a federal offense to do. One thing for us to do it, a whole 'nother thing for shop or dealer to do.
After seeing this video I really think this car is in very rough shape. I know you probably don't want to hear this but it might be worth getting another one just for a parts car because there is just so much stuff that needs to be replaced in the interior alone. Just my two cents though. I do wish you luck with it.. .🙏🏼
Ah it’s not so bad, it just needs a new everything! Honestly I’m not going to do a full restoration because like you said it’s just not worth it with all that needs to be replaced. I can still make this a very nice car and keep it faithful to the original spirit.
Did I hear you Correctly, Did you say Pagan, worship, So you don't believe in Jesus, I mean that's your right, You just don't come across ,that way. Great car I have owned lots of these , I still Have lots of part, Z28 hood, Fenders, I had a 342 posi rear sold, Is that auto or standard.Glad you found your Grand mothers Car.
I mentioned it only because May Day and the May pole tradition is rooted in thousands of years of pagan tradition. It’s one of many things hippies adopted from various cultures. My faith (or lack thereof) is not a part of the story :) Car is an automatic. Could be 4 speed but I have to get underneath to confirm
I didn't mean anything By and I understand, None of my Business, sorry I mention it, God Bless, And Good luck with your Memory's of your Grand mothers Car
And again in the mid-2000s along with a whole bunch of amazing cars. I worked at a Honda dealership during Cash for Clunkers. I saw some beautiful low mileage cars ruined and sent to wrecking yards. They'd run an oil additive that tore up the engine internals, it was so sad.
Honesty I don’t think I can hold myself back from making minor drivability and safety mods. Things like polyurethane bushings, coil over suspension and some bolt in chassis bracing. Any mods I’d do would be fully reversible though.
@@Bill-lc1bzThe factory didn’t install side pipes, but the dealer may have. I have the scars on my calves to remind me that it had side pipes in the 80’s.
@@Bill-lc1bz I know. It was dealer installed when they bought the car though, we have always known that car to have side pipes, we Have pictures too. I’m less concerned with it being factory correct than I am about making it how my grandparents would have remembered it. And because I am now part of this cars story, I’ll have my own contributions along the way.
@DirtSweatGears love the resto-mod. I didn't mean to imply a total OEM restoration. You should be able to get most of the replacement panels fairly easily. My 2nd car was a 1979 Camaro and it didn't have enough power and didn't handle that well.
@@DirtSweatGears I had a 76 cam in high school 82 built engine in auto trades showing off managed about 74 tickets loss driver license ,cost me a fortune to stay out of jail , but it was unforgettable ,after 35 yrs I would love to remember the day
In general I agree with this statement, in fact half the reason I phrased it that was was to poke fun at people who call cars that sat in a garage “abandoned”. The other reason was because it’s a good clickbait keyword that helps drive traffic to my tiny worthless little channel. That said, this car had No title. No keys, not in the system, buried behind a literal ton of stuff and sat for 30 years with the window down? Yeah man that’s abandoned. Out of respect for the people associated with that residence, I did not take pictures, but you might agree if you saw where it was when I got it. Neglect is when the car was used but never maintained. This car was left to be reclaimed by nature. Abandoned is the most appropriate word.
LT Rally Sport bicentennial car with dealer-installed side pipes. For a 2nd gen Camaro it doesn't get much better than that. Not to mention, out of ALL the Camaros ever made for the 1976 year model, only one of them was owned by my grandmother. Since you're in a snarky mood, go check out one of my first videos where I called my 73 Maverick a "muscle car" :D
@@DirtSweatGearsThey made 15,855 Rally Sports in ‘76; available with five primary colors. I spent my entire high school life in a ‘76 Rally Sport owned by my best friend; an LM1 4 speed car in blue. Lots of good memories.😎 BTW, 1976 was the first year that Camaro/Firebird production returned to Van Nuys since 1971; Norwood Ohio was the main plant.
@@DirtSweatGears I was told, in about 1978, by your grandmother that this car was a special Bicentennial edition Rally Sport with dealer-installed side pipes and a red, white and blue color scheme. It was a darkish blue, but it was blue. others can say what they want, but I even drove this car a few times so I think I know it a bit. The side pipes are original to THIS car no matter what anybody else has to say. 🙂
@@artnoldstuff That settles it because mom always knows best! I always thought the same too, hopefully the build sheet is behind the fuel tank because that would definitely have it. Or maybe uncle David will find some sale documents in their records. I’m almost certain we will find a gold mine of documentation eventually.
Minor update: While there wasn’t a “bicentennial edition” of this car recorded in the books, my mom assured me that this car had a dark blue top, probably blue painted over a black base. And that it was described as a bicentennial edition when it was bought in the 70s. It DID have side pipes, likely as a dealer installed add on, the paint could have also been added as part of this special package.
One last thing to note: this car was built at the van nuys plant, which is just a few miles away from where it was bought and lived its entire life. My grandparents were known for custom ordering cars. It is entirely possible they special ordered this car with options that were not documented as being a factory option.
They also owned the fanciest ford windstar to have ever been built, and a 99 Chevy Silverado in a trim spec that I havent seen for sale even on bring a trailer. I’m not saying this Camaro is definitely one of one, but it’s also not run of the mill.
A build sheet would be invaluable here, but I haven’t found it yet. Maybe under the tank but it wasn’t behind the seat.
Mr. B. Here ! 👀😎👍. You have a lot of work ; 1. Big Wash & Clean up, then and then only you look at what can be saved; seats frames can be re covered. Many of the mid 70’s cars have been sent to the crusher ! Good luck !
Recover seats new carpet. Bang on motor to get windows up
@@gerry-p9x Mr. B. Here ! Looks like a lot more than just the trim & windows ! Very good inspection of all systems & fine cost to bring it back !
This is so cool. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, and being able to get this car back into the family (in any condition) is remarkable. Can't wait to see what you do with it!
Thank you so much Tyson!
Hi google Rallye sport Camaro and full page ad from 1976 shows paint scheme like your car wheels are 5 spoke steel. Z28 PAINTED BODY COLOR WITH TRIM RING AND SMALL. CENTER CAP.
INTERIOR VAN HAVE PROPER SEAT COVER'S MADE ALONG WITHRUGS HEADLUNER. TEPLACE INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH EDELBROCK AND HOLLEY. CARB
NEEDS GAS TANK TOO
POWER WASH CAR FOR NOW AND SEE IF IT RUNS
GOOD PROJECT
Memories man I had one i got I bought it from the second owner for s 150 bucks first thing i did was a burnout I was in highschool i just locked ❤ it thanks for sharing your story
Looks like a solid project. The Rally Sport was an appearance package as ‘76 was a couple years into smog and emissions.
The plastic interior is gonna be challenging. Aftermarket is a huge disappointment to say the least, for fit and finish.
Good luck
You've got to save or re-produce that "I love Pavarotti" decal; I feel most won't know who he was, but I'll bet you do as well as grandma!
I can confidently say I’ve heard Pavarotti over that car’s speakers at some point in my life.
Cool car and great story!!! We were just talking about it at Radwood glad to see its really happening!
Wow , my best friend at that time bought a brand new one . Man he ran his rally hard , had lots of fun and I think of it once in awhile .
I think his had fine red pinstripes on the orange band . We traded vehicles sometimes and it was great to drive .
I almost got a 77 Z28 , a chocolate brown or a dark green one ,but instead bought a 77 El Comino Classic , as I was just starting up a business , probably saved my life .
Yours should clean up well , dirty but not too much rust like we have in ONT .
My dad had a 1950 Studebaker Truck like yours , he had his painted light yellow for his Irrigation business .
Please put it inside or undercover as it needs to be preserved for when you are ready to do it .
Definitely. My garage is still under construction but as soon as I can free up space again, it’s going in the center bay next to my prelude. I sprayed a layer of clear on the Studebaker to slow the corrosion, it helped, but I’ll get to it soon. It does run but it needs a rear end and suspension.
I had that same car I bought it from my brother years ago. Man I would give anything anything to have that car
Ha ha...I see the "would you look at that" stuck! It's begging for my help in cleaning it!!!!
Bring all your toothbrushes 🪥
@@DirtSweatGears I'll buy you new toothbrushes, you'll need them when you're done.
Dirt Sweat & Gears Hello Friend I just Subscribe to your channel , and it's great you found your Grandma's Chevrolet Camaro !! But please do your Grandma's Camaro Justice , and restore that car back to it's former glory 🇺🇸🇺🇸💪💪🙏🙏
Thank you so much! I intend to, and I’m going to hopefully make it a little better in some tasteful ways. Little things like polyurethane bushings and such. Nothing that will change the personality and charm
The left fenders been replaced with a base camaro fender the stripes 2 tone orange and red phoenix graphics have the decals
You very well could be right. Good eye, thanks for this. I’ve asked my uncle to keep a lookout for pictures of this car, he has all of their records, documents and pictures. I think if it was like that in their pictures, I’ll keep it like that. If not, I’ll correct it.
@@DirtSweatGears of course as for your rear bumper filler plastics thats a absolute battle it took me a year to come up with mine for the 77 z28 im restoring they arent re produced everything else isnt a problem
@@DirtSweatGears also pull the rear seat and gas tank get the build sheets and preserve them that would be the first thing i did
@@adrianfreeman7319I’m working on trying to get the factory / dealer invoices, it’ll make a nice addition to the car’s story.
@@adrianfreeman7319 I did pull the seats out today but didn’t see a build sheet. But I did find a golf tee which was definitely left by my grandpa, and some directions on a post it note written by my grandma
Body looks very nice. White paint can be revealing with regards to rust. Look forward to seeing where you bring this family heirloom. Thanks for sharing and posting.
Liked and subscribed 🚗💨
@@rodneymercerchannel thank you so much!!
Looks like car was off road for at least 20 yrs. Where located socal?
Find out check for rust then get into trunk by removing back seat
Grammy keep any keys around????
CHEK out drawers and check for em....take out plugs shoot oil down. Cyl and gut interior to rid smell. Good luck
Cool story. Get busy feller... you can save it.
1976 was the bicentennial year. They painted the cars red white snd blue. That year of the Nova was called the Spirit of America Nova
That’s what I thought!! I couldn’t find any documentation on a bicentennial Camaro so I wasn’t sure. The top looks like it could have a midnight blue or at the very least a blue-based black. It was also such a vague memory for me as I was about 5 when they let the car go.
Your car is not a Spirit of America edition; all Rally Sports had black accent striping with primary color.
Not correct; that was a 1974 only package offered exclusively on the Nova, Vega and Impala.
@@cheaptricked ah ok, well that's good to know. I'm glad I didn't say anything on the video then because the internet would have destroyed me 😅
@@DirtSweatGears It’s all good brother…..and you got a great family keepsake for many years to come. Plus that SoCal weather!😎🍺
Goody for you glad you got your grandma's car back good luck
As the one who will be repainting the car and returning her to her former glory days, I am beyond excited to see this video series.
Now I need a big wheel for my son to pose with…
He might be like 8 by then, so you need a big wheels and 2 plane tickets. I’m doing this right, which means it’s going to take as long as it needs to.
@@DirtSweatGearsWell YOU need a big wheel, and I need 3 plane tickets.
Try not to strip it too much. Make it a running resto...stockpile parts and keep chi com repro junk outm of. The. Mix
A Smurf big wheel to be correct.
I bought my first car at 18. A 1976 rs Camero same paint color as yours. 15'855 was ever made.
The Rally Sport Camaro NEVER came with side pipes, if there was sidepipes on it then they were aftermarket. NEVER A FACTORY OPTION.
I’m aware. They were installed by the dealer at the time of purchase. I intend to recreate this car as my grandparents experienced it, so it’s getting side pipes, even though it wasn’t factory.
I wasn't aware of that.
Sorry if I offended you
@@michaeljankowski8036 no worries at all. Community input is really valuable to me
Thank You
And hard to believe a dealer would do this as you would think it would involve removing the catalytic converter which would be a huge no no for the dealer to do especially in California. So I'm doubting the dealer installed story, Chevrolet certainly didn't need those headaches and specialty car builders like Motion, Nickey, Mr Norms and others had basically been put put of business overnight because they all tampered with the emissions which was and is still a federal offense to do. One thing for us to do it, a whole 'nother thing for shop or dealer to do.
After seeing this video I really think this car is in very rough shape. I know you probably don't want to hear this but it might be worth getting another one just for a parts car because there is just so much stuff that needs to be replaced in the interior alone. Just my two cents though. I do wish you luck with it.. .🙏🏼
Ah it’s not so bad, it just needs a new everything! Honestly I’m not going to do a full restoration because like you said it’s just not worth it with all that needs to be replaced. I can still make this a very nice car and keep it faithful to the original spirit.
That’s a very solid start, honestly it’s not that bad… lol
I’ve had and I’m currently restoring much much worse.
It did get worse. I’m not even going to say “I think I’m through the worst of it now” because every time, literally every time….it gets worse.
You're a good man that's do you have any questions and if I can help you in any way let me know
Front driver fender has been replaced. That's reason for different fender badges
Time to get to work. It’s going to keep increas😅ing in value. Except you have sentimental invested 👍💰
As far as I’m concerned, the car is worth a million dollars. It’s priceless.
Koool story……… getter done
Take out back seat long. Extension with half inch socket mand unbolt trunk latch
Matte black
That's a 10kncar as is
Did I hear you Correctly, Did you say Pagan, worship, So you don't believe in Jesus, I mean that's your right, You just don't come across ,that way. Great car I have owned lots of these , I still Have lots of part, Z28 hood, Fenders, I had a 342 posi rear sold, Is that auto or standard.Glad you found your Grand mothers Car.
I mentioned it only because May Day and the May pole tradition is rooted in thousands of years of pagan tradition. It’s one of many things hippies adopted from various cultures. My faith (or lack thereof) is not a part of the story :)
Car is an automatic. Could be 4 speed but I have to get underneath to confirm
I didn't mean anything By and I understand, None of my Business, sorry I mention it, God Bless, And Good luck with your Memory's of your Grand mothers Car
@@brianbloom1799 no need to be sorry at all! I'm glad to have you along for the ride!
@@DirtSweatGears
That's an automatic, if the shift handle didn't give it away then the lack of a clutch pedal should.
@@wolfman515 right. But I don’t know how many gears these automatics have. Probably 3 but could have overdrive?
Back in the 90s they were crushed that car.
And again in the mid-2000s along with a whole bunch of amazing cars. I worked at a Honda dealership during Cash for Clunkers. I saw some beautiful low mileage cars ruined and sent to wrecking yards. They'd run an oil additive that tore up the engine internals, it was so sad.
More shitbox shenanigans. That car deserves a nut and bolt restoration to brand new condition. I can get you a new bumper sticker.
Honesty I don’t think I can hold myself back from making minor drivability and safety mods. Things like polyurethane bushings, coil over suspension and some bolt in chassis bracing. Any mods I’d do would be fully reversible though.
It did not come with side pip
@@Bill-lc1bzThe factory didn’t install side pipes, but the dealer may have. I have the scars on my calves to remind me that it had side pipes in the 80’s.
@@Bill-lc1bz I know. It was dealer installed when they bought the car though, we have always known that car to have side pipes, we Have pictures too. I’m less concerned with it being factory correct than I am about making it how my grandparents would have remembered it. And because I am now part of this cars story, I’ll have my own contributions along the way.
@DirtSweatGears love the resto-mod. I didn't mean to imply a total OEM restoration. You should be able to get most of the replacement panels fairly easily. My 2nd car was a 1979 Camaro and it didn't have enough power and didn't handle that well.
I want the dam camaro ,sell it to me an go buy you a truck
lol I have two trucks already, both of them I got for free. In fact, all of the cars behind the Camaro were free.
@@DirtSweatGears I had a 76 cam in high school 82 built engine in auto trades showing off managed about 74 tickets loss driver license ,cost me a fortune to stay out of jail , but it was unforgettable ,after 35 yrs I would love to remember the day
@@DirtSweatGears I had L-88 glass hood , alpine , I met my wife in that dam car
@@allendaigle6351 WOW! What a story!! It sounds like you had a lot of fun with that car!
Stop saying abandoned- it’s neglected
In general I agree with this statement, in fact half the reason I phrased it that was was to poke fun at people who call cars that sat in a garage “abandoned”. The other reason was because it’s a good clickbait keyword that helps drive traffic to my tiny worthless little channel.
That said, this car had No title. No keys, not in the system, buried behind a literal ton of stuff and sat for 30 years with the window down? Yeah man that’s abandoned. Out of respect for the people associated with that residence, I did not take pictures, but you might agree if you saw where it was when I got it.
Neglect is when the car was used but never maintained. This car was left to be reclaimed by nature. Abandoned is the most appropriate word.
It's a76 camaro they're not rare.its not even a 4 speed car
LT Rally Sport bicentennial car with dealer-installed side pipes. For a 2nd gen Camaro it doesn't get much better than that. Not to mention, out of ALL the Camaros ever made for the 1976 year model, only one of them was owned by my grandmother. Since you're in a snarky mood, go check out one of my first videos where I called my 73 Maverick a "muscle car" :D
@@DirtSweatGearsThey made 15,855 Rally Sports in ‘76; available with five primary colors. I spent my entire high school life in a ‘76 Rally Sport owned by my best friend; an LM1 4 speed car in blue. Lots of good memories.😎
BTW, 1976 was the first year that Camaro/Firebird production returned to Van Nuys since 1971; Norwood Ohio was the main plant.
@@DirtSweatGears I was told, in about 1978, by your grandmother that this car was a special Bicentennial edition Rally Sport with dealer-installed side pipes and a red, white and blue color scheme. It was a darkish blue, but it was blue. others can say what they want, but I even drove this car a few times so I think I know it a bit. The side pipes are original to THIS car no matter what anybody else has to say. 🙂
@@artnoldstuff That settles it because mom always knows best! I always thought the same too, hopefully the build sheet is behind the fuel tank because that would definitely have it.
Or maybe uncle David will find some sale documents in their records. I’m almost certain we will find a gold mine of documentation eventually.
Did Grandma not own a camera? 😀
Got to be a pic of this special car somewhere right?