
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1974 CAMARO 
OWNER'S 
MANUAL 
This manual should be considered a permanent part of the vehicle, 
and must remain with the vehicle 
at time of resale. 
CHEVROLET MOTOR 
DIVISION 
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION DETROIT. MICHIGAN 48202 
All information. illustrations and specifications contained in this manual are  based  on the  latest product information  available at the time of publication. The right is reserved to make  changes at any time without notice. 
For  vehicles 
sold in Canada, substitute  the name 
General Motors of Canada  Limited,  wherever  the name 
Chevrolet Motor Division  appears in this manual. 
ST 309-74 
©GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION 1974 
Table of Contents 
Section 
Reprinted with Permission of 
General Motors Corporation 
1 Before  Driving  Your Camaro ................................ . 
Page 
3 
2 Starting  and Operating.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13 
Steering Column Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14 
Starting  Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15 
Floor Controls.. .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .. 21 
Instrument  Panel ......................................... , 23 
Other Controls and Features.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 35 
3 I n Case of Emergency..  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36 
4 Appearance Care ............................................. 41 
5 Service and Maintenance.  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .. 46 
6 Minor Trouble Shooting. . .. . . . . . . . . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . .. .. .. 66 
7 Specifications.  Owner Assistance. Service  Manuals.  Index. Gas 
Station Information. .  .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 70 
Applicable to CALIFORNIA Sales Only This vehicle as delivered by GM Chevrolet Division  is equipped with a bumper  energy 
absorption  system meeting California  S.B.42 (1971) as set forth  in Sec. 34715 Vehicle  Code. 
1   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine STARTING AND OPERATING 
Engine Exhaust  Gas Caution  (Carbon  Monoxide) 
AvoId Inhaling exhaust gases  because 
they contain  carbon monoxide,  which by 
itself is colorless  and odorless.  Carbon 
monoxide  is 
a dangerous gas that can 
cause unconsciousness and is potentially 
lethal. 
" at any time  you suspect that exhaust fumes  are entering  the passenger com
partment,  have the cause determined and 
corrected  as soon  as 
possible. If you 
must drive under these  conditions,  drive 
only  with aU windows  fully open. 
The best  protection against carbon 
monoxIde entry Into the car body Is a 
properly  maintained  engine exhaust sys
tem, car body and body ventilation  system. 
It is recommended that the exhaust sys
tem and body Is Inspected by a competent 
mechanic: 
• Each  time the vehicle  Is raised for 011 
change. 
• Whenever a change is noticed  in the 
sound 
of the  exhaust  system. 
• Whenever  the exhaust  system, under
body or rear  of the vehicle Is damaged. 
See your  Maintenance  Schedule folder 
for  inspection 
procedure. 
To aI/ow proper operation of the car's 
ventilation  system, keep front ventilation 
inlet 
grille clear of snow,  leaves or other 
obstruction at al/ tImes. 
SITTING  IN A PARKED CAR WITH 
ENGINE  RUNNING 
FOR AN EXTENDED 
PERIOD  IS NOT RECOMMENDED. 
Do not run  engIne In confined areas such as garages any more than needed 
to 
move  vehicle  in or out of area. When 
vehicle  is stopped  in 
an UNCONFINED 
area with the engine  running for any more 
than 
a short  period, adjust heating or 
cooling  system to force outside air into 
car  as follows: 
13 
1. On cars not equipped  with air condi
tioning, set fan to medium or high 
speed and upper control lever to any 
position 
except OFF. 
2. On cars equipped  with air condition-• ing, set fan to medium or high speed 
and upper control lever to any position 
except OFF or MAX • 
The trunk lid should  be closed while 
driving to help  prevent  inadvertently 
drawing 
exhaust  gases into the car. It is 
unwise 
to drive at high speeds  for long 
durations  with the trunk 
lid open. However, if for some  reason the trunk must 
remain  open for 
a perIod  while moving, 
or electrical  wiring or other cable con
nections to a trailer must pass through 
the  seal  between 
trunk lid and body,  the 
following  precautions  should 
be observed: 
• Close all windows. 
• Adjust heating or COOling system to 
force outside  air into car as described 
in items 1 and 2 above but with  fan set 
at high speed. 
• On cars equipped  with outside air vents 
in or under  instrument  panel, open 
vents  fully.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine REMINDER: Cars equipped  with 
front  disc brakes  have a built-in 
wear  indicator  that 
is designed to 
make  a  high  frequency,  squealing, 
or cricket-like  warning sound when 
the  linings  are worn  to where  re
placement 
is required.  The sound 
will  occur  intermittently  or con
tinuously  when wheels  are rolling, 
but  will  change  or cease  completely 
when  the brake  pedal 
is applied 
firmly. 
See also  the various  brake 
checks  listed in the  Chevrolet  main
tenance  schedule  folder. 
Automatic  Brake Adjusters 
• Brakes  on this  car (except  for 
the  parking  brake) are self
adjusting,  designed to eliminate 
periodic  brake adjustments . 
• Drum brake adjustment is made 
automatically 
as the  brakes  are 
applied  while car 
is moving 
backwards . 
• Disc brake  adjustment is made 
automatically  with each  brake 
application. 
• If excess  brake pedal travel  de
velops,  drive alternately  back
ward  and forward  several times 
and  apply  brakes  firmly in each 
direction. 
•  See your  dealer  if normal  pedal 
travel 
is not  restored,  or if there 
is a rapid  increase  in pedal  travel, 
which  could be a sign  of other 
brake 
trOUble. 
Clutch Adjustment 
Clutch adjustment should be 
checked  and adjusted  periodically 
as  necessary  to compensate  for 
22 
clutch facing  wear. To check,  de
press  pedal  by hand  until resistance 
is felt. Free  travel  of pedal  should 
be  approximately  one inch;  if very 
little  or no  free  travel 
is evident, 
clutch  adjustment 
is required. 
Headlight Beam  Switch 
"High" and "low" headlight 
beams are controlled by the floor 
button  at your  left foot.  The indi
cator,  located  in the  speedometer 
dial,  will light  up when  the high 
beams  are in use.   

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine "HOT" MARK 
"COLD" MARK 
>-f.. __ "AOO" 
If at  operating  temperature  (ap
proximately 
150° F-hot to  the 
touch),  fluid should  be between 
"HOT" and "COLD" marks. If at 
room  temperature  (approximately 
70° F), fluid should  be between 
"ADD" and "COLD" marks.  Fluid 
does  not require  periodic  changing. 
Hood Latches 
Every 4 months  or 6,000 miles, 
. whichever  occurs first, lubricate 
hood  latch  assembly  and hood 
hinge  assembly 
as follows: 
1. Wipe off any accumulation  of 
dirt  or contamination  on latch 
parts. 
2. Apply  Lubriplate  or equivalent 
to  latch  pilot bolts  and latch 
locking  plate. 
3. Apply light engine  oil to all 
pivot  points  in release  mecha
nism, 
as well as primary  and 
secondary  latch mechanisms. 
4. Lubricate  hood hinges. 
5.  Make  hood hinge  and latch 
mechanism  functional check to 
assure  the assembly 
is working 
correctly. 
Air  Conditioning 
Have  your Chevrolet  Dealer 
check  your Air Conditioning 
sys
tem at some  time during  the winter 
months  to 
be sure there  has been 
no  loss  in cooling  output. During 
the  summer, 
see your  Chevrolet 
Dealer  immediately  if you  suspect 
the  system 
is not  performing as it 
should. 
53 
NOTE:  On vehicles equipped 
with  a Four  Season  Air Condi
tioning  System,  the system  will not 
operate  below ambient  tempera
tures  of 
30°F. regardless  of con
trol  position. 
Cooling  System Care 
Check the coolant  level at each 
engine · oil  change. 
Engine Cooling  System 
The recovery  type cooling sys
tem is standard  on all Chevrolet 
passenger  cars and 
is designed  to 
maintain  the engine  at proper  op
erating  temperatures. 
The recovery 
tank  collects  coolant  that expands 
with  rising  temperature  that would 
otherwise  overflow from the 
sys
tem. When · the  system  temperature 
drops,  the coolant 
is drawn  from 
the  recovery  tank back  into the 
radiator  by the  suction  created  by 
coolant  contraction.  The cooling 
system  has been  filled  at the  fac-  

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine temperatures are not  expected. 
• Add  ethylene  glycol base coolant 
that  meets  GM Specification 
1899-M  when coolant  additions 
are  required  because of coolant 
loss  or to provide  additional  pro
tection  against  freezing  at tem
peratures  lower than 
-20°F 
(-35°F in Canada). 
NOTE: Alcohol  or methanol  base 
coolants  or plain  water  are not 
recommended  for your  Camaro  at 
any  time. 
Radi~tor Pressure  Cap 
The radiator  cap, a 15 lb. pres
sure  type,  must be installed  tightly, 
9therwise coolant may be lost  and 
damage  to engine  may result  from 
overheating. 
Radiator pressure 
caps  should  be checked  periodi
cally  for proper  operation. 
If re
placement 
is required  specify AC. 
Thermostat 
The cooling  system is protected 
and  controlled  by a thermostat  in
stalled  in the  engine  coolant  outlet 
to  maintain  a satisfactory  operat
ing  temperature  of the  engine.  This 
Tires 
NOTE: The factory  installed  tires 
on  your  car are either  bias-belted  thermostat 
is designed 
for continu
ous 
. use  through  both winter  and 
summer  and need  not be changed 
seasonally.  When replacement 
is 
necessary,  Delco parts are recom
mended. 
or  optional  steel-belted  radial tires. 
Additional  owner information  about 
steel-belted  radial tires 
is contained 
in  the  special  steel-belted  radial tire 
guarantee  booklet. 
CAMARO TIRE USAGE 
ENGINE & BODY STANDARD OPTIONAL 
All (Except  E78 x 14 E78  x 14,  F78  x 14 Space  Saver Spare 
Type  LTand Z28) F70 x 14 White  Stripe or White  Letters 
F78  x 14 Whitewall or White  Letters 
Type 
LT FR78  x 14 F78 x 14 Space  Saver Spare F70 x 14 White Stripe or White  Letters 
FR78  x 14  Whitewall or White  Letters 
Z28  F60 x 15  White  Letters  F78 x 14  Space  Saver Spare 
All standard  tires are blackwall with whitewall  optional. All tires are bias-belted  load range B unless otherwise  specified.  ' 
56