The car had been primered to cover the flaking original lacquer paint. It was originally Red with White stripes and Red standard interior. The Nevada Sun had done a number on the paint and interior, but the body was rust free. The owner told me that the car was delivered new to Cone Chevrolet in Fullerton, California and that it was brought to Nevada in 1979. He bought it in 1982 and at that time it had a big block in it and a COPO 4:10 rear axle. He sold the motor and transmission and then parked the car behind the yard office with his other "personal" cars. He had hoped to restore it one day if he ever found the time. Also shown above are a couple of photos of the '70's style velour seat covers and the cowl tag. Notice the "4L" on the tag which confirms that the car is an original 1967 Z-28!
I was a little overwhelmed at the amount of work that the car would require and decided that I needed some time to think about it before making an offer. I traveled back to Ontario and spent a couple of days calculating what it might cost to restore the car. I called the owner again and we worked out a deal that was fair to both of us. I arranged to return to Nevada to pay the owner and make sure that the title was clear. When I arrived, I was surprised to find that he had cleaned the car up a little, installed a rust free hood, inflated the tires and moved it closer to the shop. It looked better already...
After making sure everything was in order, I arranged to have the car transported back home. A week later, the car was safe and sound in my garage...
I immediately began collecting parts for the restoration and found some very rare pieces in exceptional condition. These included NOS fenders, inner fenders, rad support, emblems, console gauges, lower valance and header panel. Also correct intake, carb, distributor, rear axle, transmission and shifter. I completely disassembled the shell the following summer and found an excellent body showing very little damage or rust. In the photo below, you can even see the factory applied white paint on the cowl panel...
In the Spring of 2000 I decided to sell the Cone Z after the birth of our son left little free time for working on cars. I was contacted by a very nice fellow from California named Ron Scherer and we quickly worked out a deal on the car. A few weeks later it was loaded onto a trailer for the journey back to California...
Ron is well on his way to restoring the Cone Z back to its original glory. Click here to see Ron's progress.