TireSmoke.org

First Entry. A 1967 Camaro has been in progress since 1994. The restoration pace has accellerated recently.


Progress since 1994: Purchased 1967 Camaro with no engine or tranny. Body seemed OK, (upon first inspection).

Completely dissassembled, hoisted sideways in the garage, and sandblasted all surfaces, except the waxable. Ended up replacing both floor panels, and the trunk bottom panel. Learned to Mig weld in the process. Lots and lots of hours.

Back upright around 2001. Sandblasted and painted the front frame. Disassembled, cleaned and painted the front frame and suspension. I took the lower control arms to a mechanic to press out the ball joints. Special tools were required. I bought a front suspension rebuild kit from Classic Camaro. Also got new springs for a big block. the rear suspension and axle were cleaned, wire wheeled, rust treated, painted and installed.

Purchased a Camaro Assembly manual from Classic. I contantly refer to it. The installation of the frame to the chassis requires some special alignment. Per the manual, I had to get from a machine shop some steel rods about 3 inches long and about .600 in diameter that aligned holes in the frame with holes in the chassis. I got new bolts, washers and bushings from Classic.

Moved in 2002, about 15 miles away. Now I have a 40 by 60 foot Morton building with a concrete floor and lots of shelves.

2006-2007 Removed all paint from quarterpanels, back valence panel, rocker panels, door jambs and roof top. I found too many surprises on the quarterpanels, so I ordered two new ones from Classic Camaro. Over the winter, I removed and replaced the old quarterpanels. A special drill bit tool for removing spot welds came in real handly. I temporarily reinstalled the doors and deck lid to insure proper alignment. Lots of hours spent on that.

Found out while sandblasting that the Vin is stamped into the chassis in two alternate locations to deter theft. If the tag inside the door jamb gets swapped, this can be detected by inspecting the other two locations. Both are covered up when the car gets fully assembled. I think that pretty much all vehicles since the 60's have this feature.

Remembering my training from the Fred32v and Mostmint's school of body work, from 1985, I completed the body filler work where the sail panels meet the roof, primed and painted the chassis, as seen in the picture. I still need to do the deck lid, doors, and front clip.

During the spring and summer of 2007, I installed a new heater assembly box, (the half in the engine compartment), and new heater core. This mated with the old inner heater box that I spent a weekend cleaning up. The dash panel had already been cleaned and painted as part of the chassis restoration. I also installed a rebuild master cylinder and new brakelines. Also this summer, I cleaned and repainted the big block chevy that was formerly in good running condition when I last removed it from the 1978 Olds that I stuffed it into way back when. This engine is now installed in the Camaro. It is actually a 402 big block out of a 1970 Chevelle. I learned how to decode the engine tags. It was originally in front of a Turbo 400 tranny and produced 350 horse power. More on the engine fun later.

A lot of work summed up in a few paragraphs! This is going to be a great car when its done. I can see the potential

The engine is in already? Requesting new pics.

Do you have a cover to keep the dust off while you are not working on it?

Hey Steve, long time no see. Great to see your still into cars. We'll be looking for more progress and pictures.
Super fun! How about Corvettes @ Carlisle with us? We'll pick you up at the airport. See Swap meets "Carlisle 07".

Wow, I'll bet is was nice to get her in the bigger garage!
Need more pics !!!

Hi Steve, instead of adding a project for each seperate item of the Camaro,
simply post another REPLY to this "Camaro67" project. That way it will be
easier for us to follow along. Love the work so far.

Like the pics - keep us posted on progress.

Close up of master cylinder. Also seen is a new ground strap that is part of the radio install option.
Close up of starter ground strap and mount.

Big Block chevy cleaned up, painted and nestled in its place. Also previously installed is the new heater assembly,
(big block option has heater core hoses shifted left). Installed on the motor is the HEI distributor, fuel pump,
water pump, balancer, and pulleys. On the right is the new manual brake master cylinder, new brake lines,
water/washer pump, and the emergency brake cable emerging out of the fire wall. Underneath are the new tie rod ends,
center links, and steering linkages. Steering box was removed: Steering box has to be installed simultaneously
with the headers. A two person job. More on that later.

Next added to the rat is the Holley 650 double pumper, alternator, bracket and belt. Heater control panel.
The conversion to an automatic required a new brake pedal. New pads were also installed for the gas and emergency pedals.
All assemblies were cleaned and painted prior to reinstallation. Also in the background is a new firewall pad.

Great Job Steve, keep the postings coming.

I heard this car is now moving under its own power. We want new pics and an update.

Also, regarding your four piston calipers, here is what they look like on my Vette - you can see both bleeders

These calipers must be a slightly different version. Mine do not have 2 bleeders. I took the calipers off to double check. Also, I found several pictures and diagrams showing only one bleeder. I also found some websites that described some bleeding procedures that I have not yet tried. I think my problem was in opening the bleeder screw too far.

Looks like progress, how about more pictures.

Attached is a photo of the engine compartment. Since the last series of pictures, significant progress has been made. On Labor Day weekend 2007, enough was put together to start the engine. Since that event many items have been installed. All wiring for this car was inspected, cleaned, re-wrapped and installed. (Only 8 fuses in a 1967 Camaro! There are over 100 in my 2003 Expedition.) As previously indicated the steering box and headers were installed simultaneously. Headers are wrapped in heat shielding material. New front core support and radiator installed. As part of the brake system debug, a new master cylinder and proportioning block was installed. Still having brake trouble. Using the old spark plug wires and distributor cap. New wires and cap planned for just before street ready. New radiator hoses. Also completely disassembled the steering column, cleaned and re-installed. More descriptions and pictures on the way.

More pictures of the engine compartment.

This car did not come with a drive shaft. Because of that, I opted to have one fabricated at a local company that does this kind of work for trucks and school buses. It cost about $160. After installing the drive shaft, and a floor shift unit, the car did not go in reverse. The long storage of the tranny resulted in a need for a rebuild. Out came the tranny for rebuild and reinstallation. Following this, brake bleeding got the rear drum brakes to work, but not the front calipers. Also installed is a new gas tank. Accordingly, I was able to slooowly drive the car under its own power in the garage and driveway. The winter of 2008 was spent on learning how to do upholstery work on the seats and interior...Lots of "hog Rings"....See pics. Installed in the interior are new speakers, radio, cleaned up guage cluster, light switches, dash lights, ignition switch, carpet, headliner, interior moldings, weather stripping, kick panels, dome light, shifter, new steering wheel, dash pad, wind shield and back light.

During the summer of 2008, significant time was spent preparing the doors, deck lid, and front fenders for installation. The doors and deck lid made it on, but the front clip installation is pending perfect brake function. Door glass, lock mechanisms and handles were also installed. Following this, the car was able to get washed in the driveway without any water getting into the interior! Door hinges were repinned and installed.

Nice pics.

What kinda brake trouble are you having?

Real progress! Nice pictures. Drum brakes work, front discs don't?