67 Camaro Build

[rgunlock]

It's great to see you back Brett! Your place is looking great and glad you are getting settled in. May have to steal your she-shed design. Looking forward to more regular progress and posting.

[7dee2]

Hey Rick! Thanks, I’m going to try.


After reading back through the thread I realized I’m getting just a little ahead of myself. Back when we ordered the Real Deal Steel (RDS) body shell, we opted for the complete frontend option as well. To save on freight costs it was all shipped to a friend’s shop and arrived in good shape shortly before the body shell had shipped from Florida. Since we already have a new 67 SS hood, we subbed in a stinger hood (steel) like the old fiberglass ones that the Baldwin Motion, Yenko, etc. cars could have had if ordered.

My thinking is with a hood swap and a couple of quick changes (wheel/tire swap, trunk lid with & without rear spoiler) it could give the car a different look fairly easily. The hood is not everyone’s cup of tea, including mine when I was younger. I remember telling someone what’s a Corvette hood doing on a Camaro, stupid! After many years and learning that they (in fiberglass) were an option on the early supercars they’ve grown on me. Here is a pic of some 67’s with the hood, very Day 2 high-performance stuff.

[72 tigger]

Like the day 2 look, good choice. Keep us updated

[joesscamaro]

I'm a fan of that hood...especially when done in a good color combo. I think the wrong colors can make that hood look like it doesn't belong.

[72c20customcamper]

I bought the Stinger hood for my 66 Chevelle . Had it on for few months didnt grow on me so I'm back to the original SS hood .


Your Camaro is coming out great

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Like the day 2 look, good choice. Keep us updated

Thanks Kirk, me too.

Originally Posted by joesscamaro

I'm a fan of that hood...especially when done in a good color combo. I think the wrong colors can make that hood look like it doesn't belong.

Yes, I agree Joe. We’ve always planned on Ermine White (a Grumpy’s Toy III look with the SS Hood installed) and even have single-stage paint, bought extra when painting my K30. Trouble is if we need more paint (they don’t sell it in Utah anymore, the supplier says Utah made it illegal ) or finding someone to spray it. Collision shops can’t do it, again illegal here. I’ll say that if I’ve got to buy paint over again that color may change, maybe.

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

I bought the Stinger hood for my 66 Chevelle . Had it on for few months didnt grow on me so I'm back to the original SS hood .


Your Camaro is coming out great

Thanks Mark, I’m thinking the two hoods two trunk lid deal is a great idea for me, the stinger has grown on me but I really like the SS hood also. I really like the spoilers but also like the without look as well. When this extra stuff is not on the car it’s going on the wall, garage art, ho, ho double win!



Around the same time (prior to our move to the new place) and in addition to the frontend sheet metal, we sprung for a new and improved Auto Gear Muncie M23 from Paul Cangialosi at 5speeds.com, it’s one of his M22W/2632DS Drag Special transmissions. It's been boxed up until yesterday, looking forward to mocking up the shifter and backup switch soon, here are some pics.

More info about the M23
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/in...r-engineering/

Paul’s youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/GearBoxVideo

[7dee2]

More info on the transmission selection is the gear ratio 2.56, 1.91, 1.37, 1. That low first gear ratio should complement the 3.55 rear gear ratio we are planning to run. I’d like the car to pull hard from a standing start and still have freeway capability.

Using the Spicer transmission gear rpm calculator with the rear gear, tire height, etc. we should be just under 3K at 70 mph. https://spicerparts.com/calculators/...rpm-calculator

Here’s a chart and at 65 mph with our rear gear, tire height puts us at 2770 rpm smack in the middle of Balanced Power/Gas Mileage. Ha, gas mileage that isn’t this build!

Next up the standing start, here’s a free article that talks about Drag Racing Traction. https://www.cartechbooks.com/blogs/t...making-a-pass/ About 2/3rds of the way into that article it talks about the Starting-Line Ratio. According to this an ideal starting-line ratio is 8.5:1. Ours is 2.56 x 3.55 = 9.088, is that good? Well, some more info says 4.375 Stroke & 3500 lbs. = 9.0 via the chart below.

I’m thinking that’s pretty good for a fat street Camaro with a fat driver. Merry Christmas!

[Dieselwrencher]

I've always liked a 3.55 with no od. My Camaro has 3.08s and a Super T10. Not so fun starting out unless it's 3k on up. But it works. Haha

Your trans definitely sounds killer and I really like that stinger hood! I do like the SS hood but they are everywhere around here.

[7dee2]

Ha, I’m guessing burnouts for distance and freeway cruising are not a problem for you! My subframe mockup trans behind the old 72 402 posted above is a T10 with the 6-ring input shaft and the super low 3.42 first gear. That’d make your old Maro roll out from a stop sign a little easier.


We’ve been collecting parts for years for this build and one of those old-school cool parts is a Mr. Gasket V-Gate shifter. I had a Hurst Ramrod inline shifter many, many years ago in a 67 Chevelle. Such a great car with a high winding 327, Offy crossram, Super T10, and a 12 bolt posi with 4.88’s. Just loved banging gears with that shifter so much that I needed another one. Truth be told it’s a big gawd awful thing that scares some folks, I dig it!

To run this shifter is a bit of a commitment, it can be a little tough (on your Nancy hand) pulling up on the lever for 1st & 2nd, it also takes a large hole in the floor and you can forget a factory console. No console means no console gauges (especially the fuel gauge), factory tach, etc. I’m ok running period correct style aftermarket gauges with the standard idiot light dash setup.

Talk about a commitment just had to take a grinder to my new M23 tail housing to make clearance for the reverse rod to function correctly. That gusset was not on the old Muncie housings and wouldn’t let it acuate reverse. Still need to figure a way to connect the reverse lever to a 67 Camaro backup light switch, but I’ve got some ideas.

[7dee2]

Here are some pics of the parts gathered for our big-block/trans mockup, we also grabbed almost everything to rebuild the subframe including, control arms, steering linkage, etc., and a fast manual steering box. The original clutch linkage was present with our parts car but really worn and my research showed that the car came with a 250ci/155HP L22 L6 and a Saginaw Manual 3-speed. Worn out and fitment in question we’re replacing that stuff also.

With a manual trans, v-gate, and now manual steering, I’m thinking Arnold would be proud. This isn’t going to be a girly man car!

[Dieselwrencher]

Brett, I absolutely love those shifters! My friends 70 Cuda 383 4 speed car had one and I loved it! I actually bought one for my camaro but haven't put it in yet because of the mods you just mentioned needed to install it. Boots are really hard to find for them. I have an 83 or so small output super T10 I might put all this in my son's 70 Camaro but idk yet.

[7dee2]

You know it Ryan, parts can be difficult for these shifters. We’ve got 2 Mr. Gasket v-gates one was purchased just for parts and better linkage to support the one I’ve mocked up. We have acquired 3 boots in varied conditions from very worn to new. Wanting to make sure that we can maintain this shifter choice for a long time. Your boy is one lucky kid if the old man helps set him up with such a great car.



If for some reason I find I don’t like the v-gate as well as I did a Hurst Ram Rod 4 (that's the exact shifter that was in the Chevelle mentioned earlier), we sourced one of those as well. It’s not currently as pretty as my v-gate and finding a boot for that shifter has proven even more difficult than the v-gate. We’ve watched eBay for years and when they show up, wow (money money)! One “NOS 1960s RAM ROD HURST VERTAGATE 4SP SHIFTER BOOT & RETAINER CHEVY FORD MOPAR” has been on there for years, $1,000 for a shifter boot, a shifter boot, unreal. Funny thing is, I did just find one of these boots and pulled the trigger. Not perfect but it’s not a grand either. https://www.ebay.com/itm/30424938070...0AAOSwAzBhqS7Q

I can report the backup switch is working with a pretty simple fabricated piece. The Hurst Ram Rod 4 linkage has a reverse lever designed to work with these switches. Using it as a pattern, made a thin 18 gauge arm to actuate the switch as it doesn’t take hardly any force to accomplish this. Thinking a little paint and this will work perfecto, we can move on to servicing the shifter (clean, lube, and reassemble with the best pieces).

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice! I've been trying to get the guy that used to reproduce the Hurst Ram Rod shift pattern sticker to make some more but he hasn't yet. I so badly want to put this shifter in my current car but I don't want to have to chop up my console.

[KevinK7]

How did I just stuble upon this thread, ...Definitely going to follow along

[7dee2]

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Very nice! I've been trying to get the guy that used to reproduce the Hurst Ram Rod shift pattern sticker to make some more but he hasn't yet. I so badly want to put this shifter in my current car but I don't want to have to chop up my console.

Thanks Ryan, you sound like me, I’ve been on the fence but finally got to the point of “Just Do It!” on my build. After seeing some pics of 1st gen Camaro’s online with the console cut up for the shifter quickly came to the conclusion, no console was the cleanest install. Besides then there’s nothing to block the view of that antitheft device!

Originally Posted by KevinK7

How did I just stuble upon this thread, ...Definitely going to follow along

Hey KevinK7 hope you enjoy the build, gotta say I’m liking your avatar!


Back to catching up on the build thread. We opted for a big block treasure hunt next, found a pretty good deal on some Mark IV 454 cores on our local online classifieds. Both have a 14015445-casting number which is 78-90 454, 2 or 4-bolt, Mark IV, short deck. Both are out of heavy-duty applications with remote oil cooling provisions. Could they be 4-bolt main cores, I decided we needed to find out.

The previous owner told me one of them had come out of his motorhome, it had gotten hot climbing a hill and failed. The other he’d purchased as a rebuilt replacement and was told it was good to go? Either way, he wanted them both gone and for $300, I was game.

The one on the engine stand is out of the motorhome, it’ll be the first to be torn down. The other is supposed to be rebuilt from a 1-ton truck. They’ve both got pudding on the dipstick.

[KevinK7]

Originally Posted by 7dee2

Hey KevinK7 hope you enjoy the build, gotta say I’m liking your avatar!

Huge Camaro fan, we do have some common interests
That avatar is of my '67 Pace Car (now in the Heritage Museum in Michigan, I sold it back to Chevrolet)

I am almost done building a 'twin' ; )
https://imageevent.com/hvclassics/au...aro/67pacetwin


As for the Big BLock, here's a '68 I did... https://imageevent.com/hvclassics/au...0&m=24&w=0&p=0




Anyway, ...BACK to your Camaro, ...that is going to be one COOL car

[7dee2]

I think you're right on common interests, wow very nice work Kevin most impressive builds! I can really appreciate a Concours-style restoration. We spent almost a decade enjoying and judging this 66 Corvette. Here it is at a 2005 NCRS National Meet in Park City, Utah where the car did earn a Top Flight award.

Then later that same year when we dropped it off at its new owner’s place. Always preferred a Hurst shifter and mag wheels over the steelies but for originality judging, it had to have a correct shifter and the hub caps with bias gold lines. This car also had a set of knock-off wheels and was the first car of mine to be able to be changed up in an afternoon for a different look.

[Dieselwrencher]

The last 2 BBC's I've gotten were this way. Luckily I was able to get the LS3 402 torn apart. It wasn't as bad as it looked. I also got a 72? LS5 454 that had been setting for a while under the tarp with the heads off. I need to see if it can be honed or needs bored. It's pretty sad to think that 454's are getting tough to find a good buildable one.

[7dee2]

I hear you, I’ve really got my fingers crossed for this “Good to go!” block.


Ha, the moca locka choca pudding is everywhere and yes, this one is a 4-bolt core. Next up was cleaning the cylinders a little before trying to rotate and drive pistons out.

[7dee2]

I’m thinking this motor was an ATK or Jasper rebuild possibly, they stamped the pan rail, the crankshaft, etc. Cast crank and rods are scrap, main & rod bearings are both stamped .040 (wow, turned .040/.040), stock rods have already been reconditioned at least once or more? Keep pile on this one is the block, pistons, balancer, flex plate, tins, and the serpentine belt system, it's a score if the block is good! Build date stamp on this block is T1222ASC T=Tonawanda, December 22nd, ASC= 1988 Truck 454 MT L-19 TBI Vin N, 30

[7dee2]

It’s off to the machine shop with these cores for a hot tank & mag, hoping they're both buildable cores. I do prefer the 4-bolt main blocks but would build a 2-bolt in a pinch.

Now’s a good time to mention that there is a third block in the mix. Snagged another 4-bolt main block that's been slated for this Camaro build back when we built our 489 for my 72 K30. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...&postcount=602 Don’t know much about this 3rd block other than it was available from the machine shop at the time. It's been bored just under .030 thou so the final bore and hone would take place when we’re ready to build. It's a 10069286-casting number (same as my K30 btw) which is a 90-91 454 4-bolt, Mark IV, Short deck, build date stamping is T1025FCJ T=Tonawanda, October 25th, FCJ= 1990 Truck 454 MT L-19 TBI These blocks were only cast as a 4-bolt main and are some of the very last factory Mark IV’s produced.

What’s the point of all this, my goal is a 496 or bigger (perhaps a 4.375 stroke 509-511?) for the Camaro, and another 489 for our C10 shorty project. I’ve had some great small blocks, super LS’s (including turbocharged) but I just love my big blocks!

[rgunlock]

Here's to a good outcome for you!

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice! I didn't realize you ordered a new shell. That definitely would be appealing if you have the budget for it. If I ever build my 68, it'll get a 33x16-18 wide tire. Just because race car.

[7dee2]

Thanks Ryan. The new body shell was expensive, so glad we bought ours years ago. Your comment piqued my interest and made me look into what that would cost today, ouch! Oh, and a budget, in this crapper economy!


After eyeballing the heck out of this it was time to order some new wheels and tires. Here are some 325/50-15 M&H Racemaster Drag Radials, 28” diameter, 11” tread width, and a 12.4” section width that we’ll be mounting on a 10” rim. These should fit pretty well with an off the shelf rim if we can get the differential width right. Front runners are also M&H’s, 185/75-15 which is a 26” diameter, 5.3” tread width going on a pizza cutter 4.5” rim.

[72 tigger]

Good call on the tire/wheel choice! That rearend assembly is nice