Berger info on warranty books

[ds1]

Two months ago I sold my turnkey 68 Camaro race car and started looking for a 68 to replace it with. I had the number for a guy who was supposed to have a 68 Z28 shell with the protecto plate and original rear in the car. Having 6 f body cars here I did not know what I was going to get into. I had the phone number 3 years, and I called it on a sunday morning. I heard nothiing back. Thursday that week I get home from work and my wife tells me a guy called about a 68 Camaro and gave me a time I could call him back. I realized it was for the Z. I am helpng a young friend right now fulfil his dream of building a 67 Camaro RS deluxe interior car. So after he left I called the number about the car. The guy was excentric to say the least, after listening for a half hour about investments alternative fuels and the government I asked "is the car for sale". He said yes it was for sale but was in a tight spot because he was a Camaro collector and had a LOT of cars and parts. Little did I know. I asked a few questions and he told me what he knew and that it came with almost an entire car of NOS sheetmetal "the good stuff from the 80's". I asked the price and it was not cheap, but it was a 68 Z28 RS with the precto plate and NOS sheetmetal. I had the money and arranged a time to see the car. He told me he had 50 engines and a lot of parts. I knew I was going to be impressed, but when I got there I was stunned at what I got to see. We had a narrow path to get to the car about 3 feet wide. This place was jam packed with parts. I got to see part of the driver side quarter and it looked rough. But I was not detered. I had my truck trailler and cash. I asked if we could open the garage door so I could look at as much as I could see. This building was an old gas station at the fork of the road, it was all wood with sliding doors. So we moved a 69 Z out of the way. Not for sale I asked, and moved a 70 Nova aluminum head 396 4 bolt main engine out of the way to get to the door. I crawled under the back and the rear looked right and had 4 leaf springs, the floors looked pretty good also. I tried to look at the passenger side of the car but there was a pile of parts over 6 feet high beside it that I could not see much else. I was in love. It is a British racing green 68 Z28 RS, deluxe interior, tinted glass, factory spoiler car. More than I could have ever hoped for. We came to price and had to get the car loaded up, it was getting dark. I follwed him to a storage facility where the sheetmetal and block was. He opened the door there and it was FULL of first gen Camaro NOS sheetmetal. I about fell over. I laid all the parts out to see what we had and what we needed yet. I told him we were a couple of parts short so he got out a key and opens the door next to it. There were rows and stacks of NOS sheetmetal. It was one of the craziest days of my life for a Camaro lover like me. I get the car home and inside the car are boxes full of NOS parts. I went through them and was amazed at what was there. So research began my dad looked up the original owners addressand gave me a picture of the house off Google maps. Later that week I went to the local phone book and looked the guys name up and found his new address and his age of 67. He lived about 15 miles from where he was when he bought the car. I tried calling the phone number and got an answering machine. I felt awkward about leaving a message so I hung up. That was a day before the car had been originally bought. About a month and a half passed and I was busy with work and in my garage. The weather was bad one evening so I called it a night earlier than usual. I thought I should call the original owner, I would be bummed if I had the phone number and did not at least try. The phone rings and I get an answering machine, so tonight I am leaving a message. I said my name where I was from and explained that I was loking for a man that bought a 68 Camaro new. I heard a click and the next sentence took my breath away. "I bought a green 1968 Z28 Camaro new". I had the original owner on the phone. He lives in Syracuse New York I am in the middle of PA, he expleined to me he raced all over the east coast and ordered the car to race. He went on to say he picked it up in Grand Rapids Michigan, this sounded familiar but I still did not know what he was talking about. I said that the warranty book lists New York as the original address. He said yes he registered it there but he had ordered it at Berger Chevrolet. I was speechless. He told me he ordered british racing green, deluxe black interior, RS, D80 spoiler package, Z28, with 4.56 gears to race. The car did not have the Berger emblem on the back. After opening the trunk the holes where filled and measuring the spacing they are dead on for a Berger car. The rear has 3.73 gears in it but the housing is tamped BW for 4.56 posi and the date is right for the car. He told me he put headers, a scattersheild and lakewood traction bars on. The car has traction bars on but I had never seen a square tube set of Lakewood bars until I found this website. So I am really sure they are the ones he put on. I am trying to get my documnetation of the car in line but my warranty book does not have the dealer name on it anywhere. The guy has no reason for making up that part of the story, everything else he told me checked out, and the holes





for the emblem are still there approximately 3 1/4 inches apart. Does anyone know any info from back then or anyone who would have dealt with warranty books? Where the dealer name should be it says 4210I 8N17 T9R51 original service date 5 21 68 plate was stamped 5 22 68. This started out as my most attainable dream car and with the parts options and history it has far exceeded my expectations. I am looking for a By Berger emblem that screws on the back so if anyone can help out with that I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT. Any info is a help. thanks so much Dan

[Charley Lillard]

Cool story. Post a pic of the filled holes.

[scuncio]

That's a great story. Nice car, too.

[ds1]

Here you go and a pic that may be hard to see but the Z stipes can be seen under the repaint on the cowl panel and under the trunk. I have a 396 holley to sell dated 882, a 69 Zintake, a 67 396 auto carb retored, and a two 69 350 auto carbs to sell as well as a NOS cowl indution hood that was mounted but not painted and the 68 NOS quarters and outer wheel houses, I can not post them on here for some reason. I need to sell them to help fund the car. Thanks again Dan

[PeteLeathersac]

Very cool car and story!
Great how you've hooked up w/ the original owner already, does he have any old pics to share?
They operate w/ a different # now but here's Berger's old dealer code info noted below.
Looking forward to more on this one, love to see a shot of the cowl tag if you can too.

[img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/beers.gif[/img]
~ Pete

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Zone # 45
Dealer Code # 28
Berger Chevrolet
2525 28th St. SE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49506
(Info @ 1970)

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[ds1]

Hear is the cowl tag. Those numbers do not match any of the numbers in my warranty book. Do any of the numbers listed above look familiar to you.

[TAR6569]

Does the protectoplate tape have any extra codes on it besides the owners name, address and date of sale. Sometimes the seller dealer put their dealer number on the GM dymo tape.

[ds1]

No nothing extra. His name, address and 5-22-68 in the tape. Dan

[68l30]

Nice shot of the T stamp under the cowl tag.. Love the car, great to see another 68!


BIG

[beachbud]

I have a By Berger emblem if you need it. I own a 1966 Chevelle that was sold by Bwerger Chevrolet and had an emblem on the back of it. I had a friend of mu=ine make copies of that emblem in stainless steel. They are exact copies and no one can tell the difference. I'm the only one that has them emblems.
I can be reached at 256-604-9970.
David Beach
Longbeach Customs
www.longbeachcustoms.com