Camaro Faqs

1969 was the final year for the first generation Camaro and for many collectors, the Z/28 is the ultimate must have. It was fast and it drove like a real sports car, with a high-revving small block, and also came only with a four-speed and decent brakes.

A few camaro enthusiasts noticed option code JL8, which put a set of Corvette disc brakes on all four corners of the Z/28. Chevy said 206 people ponied up the $500.50 they charged for the JL8 option, but real numbers indicate only about 56 JL8 Camaros were actually delivered from the factory. The few that survive are the most desirable Z/28s built.

Including its original window sticker, dealer order form, and original factory shipper invoice, it was bought by auto writer Dave Emanuel and featured in several articles on Z/28 performance written by him in the 1970s.

There are fourteen factory options on it, including 4.10 Positraction rear, rear deck spoiler, cockpit instrumentation, cowl induction hood, and M21 close-ratio four-speed, in addition to the Z/28 package and the JL8 disc brakes. Emanuel also ordered it in Le Mans Blue (the most desirable color among today’s Camaro collectors), with the fold-down rear seat, center console, Endura front bumper, sport steering wheel, AM radio, and deluxe interior trim.

It is fitted with the standard four-barrel Holley carburetor, but also comes with one of the rare and desirable Holley Cross Ram dual four-barrel intake manifolds, still in the original factory packaging. Carefully restored and in better than showroom condition, there is probably no better 1969 Z/28 anywhere. The engine and all-important components are numbers-matching and original to the car. It is not a “clone,” a “replica,” or a “tribute.” It is a real, factory ordered JL8 Z/28 and is the best ‘69 Z/28 in the world.

In 1967, Chevrolet introduced Regular Production Order (RPO) Z28 (the slash didn’t come until 1968) to publicize the new Camaro, then racing in the SCCA Trans-Am series. The conservatively rated 290-hp, 302-ci small block V8 (basically a de-stroked 327) featured special cylinder heads, an aluminum intake manifold, a huge 750 CFM Holley four-barrel carb and specially selected components. It was an engine built to live at sustained high rpm.
Even the accessory drive pulleys were special deep-groove units to retain the fan belt at high engine speeds.

With aftermarket or GM “over-the-counter” exhaust headers installed and a competent tune, the 302 made far in excess of the 290-hp insurance-friendly rating. This engine, coupled with Z28-specific parts such as power disc brakes, quick-ratio steering, big E70/15 tires on 7″ wheels, and heavy duty suspension made it instantly competitive.

By 1969, Chevrolet had fine-tuned the Z/28 package and one could order a very purposeful Z right from the factory. The subject of this profile is one such car. With any Camaro, documentation is key and very few cars have it. While the validity of the proclaimed number of 56 cars leaving GM with the JL8 option is debatable, in the end it’s rare to find a real factory JL8 car with documentation.

A well known “real” car, our subject vehicle is without question an excellent factory JL8 Z/28. Owned for many years by Emanuel, it was later owned by a master fabricator who spends his days building hot rods for Roy Brizio, who’s often compared talent-wise to Boyd Coddington or Chip Foose, but builds more traditional-looking cars.