[bigdave]

My son and I were at a car show recently in Holland MI. we saw a 69 camaro and 69 Chevelle sitting next to each other. They both were owned by the same couple and said they were original in every way.
the color was hugger orange. I know camaros were painted that color but that is the first and only Chevelle I've seen. another thing is the gaps in the fenders and doors were way off, tight at the bottom and huge at the top.
how good/bad were they when they came from the factory?
Dave

 

[ss1970chev454]

yep. 69's (SS) came in Monaco Orange, number 72.

and it was not unusal for the panel alignment to look bad from the factory.

 

[rubadub]

Since you mentioned panel gaps. Another thing to look at on a restoration, or orginal car.

Take a close look at the door gaps, and if you look real close you can see where they have rounded it a little bit right on the edge of the door and quarter.

You need to have a straight line down those gaps, and if its done right it will look almost like a straight edge, but there will be a radius on it, and that radius will be the same all the up and down.

You will have a hard time finding one thats done like that.

But once you see it, theres no mistaking the clear cut on it when looking at it from any angle.

That edge separates the men from the boys when you're pulling out all the stops.

A little overkill maybe, but you can buy radius gauges to check your work with, and they aren't that expensive.

Once you start looking at that area, you will see what I'm talking about.

Rob