“I found this in a shed, way back in the corner,” says Dave Haugen of Lanesboro, Minn., about the 1969 Camaro Z28 he bought a few years ago. “I was pretty lucky to find this one.”
Having favored Camaros and Chevelles over the years, Haugen has owned a couple other older Camaros, and had restored a 1968 Chevelle. “I was looking for another car to restore and I stumbled across this one. This has always been my dream car,” he said.
He bought the ‘69 Camaro and sold the Chevelle to focus his time on the Camaro.
His camaro has the X33 code; Haugen explains that the Z28s came in two models — the X33 code which is more of a deluxe model with nicer interior, more chrome and other extras, while the Z77 package was a more bare bones model.
As Z28s were designed for racing, they had to be under 305 cubic inches, which is where the 302 came in to play.
“In order to race officially they had to be under 305 cubic inches according to the race rules, and then they had to be a production car and an “x” amount had to be sold to the public in order to officially race,” explains Haugen.
This Camaro is a 1178 crank and has the original snowflake intake. The car was originally licensed in 1969 in Georgia and spent most of its years in Florida and Georgia.
A previous owner must have raced the car, as Haugen found plaques and trophies in the vehicle after he purchased it.
When buying a Camaro Z28 back in the ‘60s, a person had to get a manual transmission and it had to be a four speed. Air conditioning was not an option at the time. Power steering was an option, however, and Haugen’s Camaro does have power steering.
Haugen has gone through the motor and the transmission of the car to make sure everything is in good working order. The rear seats in the Camaro are original with houndstooth and leather while the front seats, which had more wear, have been redone.
The car was painted back in the ‘90s and although the paint job is not perfect, it was wet sanded after Haugen purchased it and the paint looks very nice.
“I can do everything except paint,” notes Haugen, as he received his auto mechanic’s degree from Rochester Community & Technical College in Rochester, Minn., in the late ‘90s, so when he is looking at cars he is always looking for one with a decent body.
Haugen’s Camaro Z28 has 73,000 miles on it and he does not add a lot of miles per year, as he says they use it to go cruising on Sunday afternoons and special occasions, but his family doesn’t take it on long trips.
Haugen and his family have attended a couple car shows with the ‘69 Camaro and he says, “It’s fun to go to cruise-in’s and things like that” every now and then.
Haugen has been a “car guy” for as long as he can remember and he enjoys working on cars as a hobby. This is actually his fourth Camaro. He also currently owns a 2010 Camaro, a fifth generation Camaro that is modeled after the ‘69 Camaro.
The interest in cars is being passed down to his and his wife Melanie’s children also. Their kids Madelyn, 17, and Dayton, 12, enjoy going for rides in both of their Camaros. “My son is very interested and that’s why I’m looking for another one to do — he wants to learn more about it and I’d like to teach it to him,” remarks Dave.
“That’s a skill that should be taught more,” he comments, adding, “and it gives me an excuse to get another project.”
“I’ve always got my eye open for the next one,” Haugen says, as you never know when the next opportunity to own a part of history will come along.
While working in the cramped space of their attached garage for years, Haugen was making plans to some day build a large separate garage to house his vehicles, with plenty of room to do mechanical work on them.
That plan finally came to fruition in December 2017 when his “man cave” was finished being built. Haugen designed the 36×48-foot building so that he has an area with a hoist, a clean area, an assembly and disassembly area, and a large open area where he can do frame-off restoration.
The building has enough space for socializing as well, complete with a TV, basketball hoop and seating. The Haugens have been adding their personal touches to the interior, such as window trim and an impressive wood ceiling.
A few collector items such as porcelain signs, old gas pump globes and vintage photographs add to the man cave and mechanics garage atmosphere.
As treasured relics of the past slip away every day, it is a comforting thought to know that there are those like Haugen who recognize the importance of maintaining these classic cars for generations to come.
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