RWHITE692's 69 Camaro Project

[rwhite692]

Ok Scott here goes:



https://home.comcast.net/~chevyrob/69camaro.jpg

My gold car is (was) an original LM1 car, 255HP 350 with a powerglide and the original open 12-bolt rearend. I purchased it in Southern Ca in August 2002, from a gentleman who had owned it for over 20 years and was using it all of that time as his daily driver. It had received one repaint sometime around 1980, in the original Olympic Gold. It still has it's CA black/yellow plates issued in 1968. (My other car has the 9TYN6T9 plates)


I removed the original 350 and set it aside, and built a roller cammed 383 stroker for it, with a stout bottom end and a set of TFS Aluminum heads, with a pretty tame carbureted induction setup with a 150HP N2O plate. It probably makes somewhere around 450HP (sans N2O). I converted the car to MT and installed an LT1 style T56, with guidance from Marlan Davis' CC article, farming out only the driveshaft cut and re-balance. The clutch is a centerforce dual friction setup with a McLeod actuator cylinder. I built the trans crossmember from a TH400 unit, and it looks like GM made it.




The brake system is C5 corvette front disc, LS1 rear disc, with hydroboost assist. Suspension mods are simple, Hotchkis 2" drop springs up front, upper arms relocated via the Guldstrand mod, Energy Suspension bushings, 1.125" hotchkis sway bar. Out back are DSE 3" drop leafs. Shocks are edelbrock up front and KYB out back (for now). Speedtech supplied the solid body mounts, and the front spindle brackets for the C5 calipers. I rebuilt the rearend with a powertrax unit and 3.89 R+P.



Wheels are Boyds, variation on "Dictator", FRONT: 18"x8" with 4.75" BS, REAR: 18"x9" with 5.5" BS. Tires are 245/40R18 Front, 275/40R18 rear.



The idea on this car was to keep it at very least semi-driveable, all of the way through the project mechanically, and then when basically satisfied with the mechanical modifications for the most part, blow it apart for paint. Currently I am in the middle of RS front conversion with original Endura bumper. Having done this before, everything will be fitted and then disassembled for paint. I drive the car occasionally to work (60 miles one way) and It's a blast. Gotta do something about the headliner soon though, before it comes off and wraps around my head at 80MPH...



Just want to thank you Scott for providing this place for us to hang out and exchange ideas, and for being a first-class guy supporting the hobby...



Rob

https://home.comcast.net/~chevyrob/69camarorear.jpg

[jonny51]

Looks good Rob,drive it up when you come get your parts for the other car :)

[slck6t9]

Rob your car looks great. Are you going to go back with the gold color?

Scott

[rwhite692]

Thanks guys- The plan (for now...could change) is to paint the car a custom mixed blue color, it is a very bright medium metallic blue that really "pops". Still playing around with it...I'm undecided as to wether the car will get stripes (Z/28 "band-aid" stripes, D90 hockeystick stripe, or none)...any inputs welcome!!

[rwhite692]

Hey Jonny I would, but we will be going up to Petaluma for Holiday visits etc and my wife (who is very tolerant) is unfortunately not tolerant enough to sit through and appreciate the wonderful sensory experience of riding in a first gen with a healthy small block and no interior in it whatsoever...for a ~2 hr. drive...:rolleyes: ...Some people just don't know how to have fun!

[XcYZ]

Awesome, Rob! Glad to see you posting your project here. You should post a pic of your master cylinder fittings. I think it's trick!

[mdprovee]

Very nice car Rob. I really like those wheels.

MIke

[67Sally]

Great car Rob.

[hotwheels]

beautiful car man..............hotwheels

[907rs]

Really nice car Rob!
I too like those rims, mine are Budnik Fontanas, very similar. :)

[Keith]

Very nice car!! I also like those wheels and there's just something really cool about the color of the car!!!

[rwhite692]

Thanks to all for the kind words...

Hey Keith...I was considering doing it over in the original color, but I'm still undecided...

[rwhite692]

Well guys I am thinking about paint colors, and I'm going crazy.:willy:

I am fixated (currently anyway) on various golds and copper/oranges..

Part of me wants to "honor" the car by painting it the original code 65 Olympic Gold, with a black hockey stick (D90) stripe, but, The color that the car currently is (~20 year old re-paint), is not Olympic gold; it is definately a bit more of an "orangey" gold than the original Olympic Gold, which is more of a greenish-gold. I like the current gold more than the Olympic Gold color.

I was thinking perhaps a color close to what it is now... I know there were a few Oldsmobile golds from the late 60s (Cutlass/442, I remember, had a pretty cool gold available).

Another part of me wants to paint it in a more loud color, like perhaps the copper-orange metallics some examples of which can be seen on the Honda Element, Chevy Avalanche, and Nissan Muranos of late... But, I wonder if I get a loud color, if I'll get tired of the color really quickly...

Any ideas welcome! - Rob

[almcbri]

I love those wheels. that gold is a great color I think.

[spaztikatik]

Seeing no snow on the ground there gives me hope :)


sooooon.

[Pro T Mustang]

YES you must go with gold!!! :thumbsup:

[rwhite692]

There is so far only one problem with gold...my wife HATES the idea.:mad: She wanted it black, but I've already had black cars and want to do something different this time. (I am wearing her down:) ) ...Anyone have any recommendations on specific golds that they have found to be particularly cool?

[DRJDVM's '69]

Hey Rob
I saw a decent gold metallic on a PT cruiser on the way home tonight....kind of a mustard gold... hard to describe...

How about Sunset orange metallic on the 4th gen Firebird ???? Its kind of a root beer orange ??

Not a big fan of most of the golds out there....

One tip.... if you want to keep spending $$ on the car, let the wife have a say on the color. If you dont, and she hates the color you pick you will never hear the end of it :)

She can hate the engine... the trans... the wheels.... the brakes.... the seats.... the stereo...... but not the color !!!! If she hates the color, she will not be happy when you keep spending $$ on it....

Its about the only input I really listened to from my wife.... the rest of the car, I did however I wanted....

My feelings on black...... absolutely gorgeous when done right...... its hard to beat a jet black, mean looking car.....an absolute PITA nightmare to keep clean and free from swirl marks etc....10 seconds after you wash it, you can see the dust settle on it.....too much work....

[rwhite692]

Ned, I'm tellin' ya..we must have a neuro-link going or something.

I was looking at the same gold color that you are talking about. It's a 2002 PT cruiser color called Aztec gold, and Michelle certainly hates it enough. It is pretty wild, but it might be a little too funky, a little too "60s street rod / George Barris"?

Yep Sunset Orange metallic is one I'm considering too. Also there is a similar color on the current Nissan 350Z.

Won't do black, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. It's just way to dusty where we live, too!

I have a little time to decide. It will be a while before the bodywork is done.

I was thinking about joining "the red club" again, I love the look but, want to do something different this time. And something that will keep
Michelle relatively happy...

[tndude]

Here is a totally different direction on your color idea. Sounds like you want something a little hot when you see it.

Perhaps the wife might like something in the blue family. Check the like below.

http://www.baer.com/Media/ContentDetails.aspx?ContentID=162

Anyway, just an idea on something different. Cool car and good luck. I change my mind on what color to paint mine every time I see a nice 69 camaro. :)

[tndude]

Or perhaps this type of orange. Found it on ebay. Enjoy :thumbsup:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6164&item=4537989224&rd=1

[rwhite692]

Hey TN, Thanks for the links, I really like both of those colors, The blue car is really nice, hard to tell if that blue is a candy job or not (?). I like the look of candys in general (I have painted a few bikes with) but I'm a little hesitant to do my car in a candy (nearly impossible to fix, in the event that's ever needed)...and then there's part of me that doesn't want the full-on kandy look because of the "70's indoor car show-lowrider" funkyness that sometimes comes along with it...The indecision continues...:willy:

[tndude]

Hey TN, Thanks for the links, I really like both of those colors, The blue car is really nice, hard to tell if that blue is a candy job or not (?). I like the look of candys in general (I have painted a few bikes with) but I'm a little hesitant to do my car in a candy (nearly impossible to fix, in the event that's ever needed)...and then there's part of me that doesn't want the full-on kandy look because of the "70's indoor car show-lowrider" funkyness that sometimes comes along with it...The indecision continues...:willy:


Yea, it is wise to consider repairs and the problems paint may cause you. Just for kicks here is another link of the blue car. Always fun to look at nice '69s. May give you ideas with other things. Good luck. :)

http://www.pro-touring.com/cars_main.htm

can't link you to it directly so here is what you need to do:
click - "69 camaros" on left
scroll down to Brent Jackson
You'll know what to do after that.

[awr68]

Here ya go, Brent built Stan owned, (http://www.pro-touring.com/featured_cars/Camaro/Brent_Jackson_Built/brent_jackson_built_cars.htm) I just went to a small, invite only viewing of Stan's quite impressive collection last night! Yes that camaro is quite a car...I even got to hear it run for a while...what a nasty BBC!!! He also has a Chevy II that is WAY custom sporting a Procharged, twin intercooled LS1...and yes that was music to my ears...I don't think my car will be able to leave the garage now naturally asperated!! :D

[jonny51]

The blue car is really nice, hard to tell if that blue is a candy job or not (?). I like the look of candys in general (I have painted a few bikes with) but I'm a little hesitant to do my car in a candy (nearly impossible to fix, in the event that's ever needed)...and then there's part of me that doesn't want the full-on kandy look because of the "70's indoor car show-lowrider" funkyness that sometimes comes along with it...The indecision continues...:willy:

Rob,it looks like it is a candy and beautiful candy it is.I think it would be worth going for :thumbsup:

[69MyWay]

I agree about working with what the wife really wants to see on the outer skin. You can always strip it down and repaint it again in the future. Black...is, well, the absolute most bad to the bone color ever invented. That car in black up against those rims with the tires all slicked up and the chrome polished will just eat the road alive.

Almost all my cars are black (my wife's, my truck, my vette, etc). This is interesting though because I wanted to paint my 69 Camaro black. However, my wife really put her foot down on this one. She told me that since I was fortunate enough to get the car back after 17 years it had to be painted the same as it was when I was a kid. Having her support often makes all the difference in a project going smooth, or being a constant point of household friction (especially on the bank account).

Now, maybe you can put your heads together here. How about jet black,then put some phantom mist gold Z28 stripes on the hood and trunk? Maybe you could do the calipers and some key engine parts in gold, and or do the dash and interior gold with the body black.

She will feel like a huge part of your project, the look will grow on you more and more, and well...black will NEVER go out of style unlike some of these starburst trendy orange colors out there now. Hey, remember when everybody in the aftermarket was racing to paint their cars teal and aqua back in the early '90s? Don't see much of that anymore do you?

No matter what color you paint it, she is going to be one hot ride! :thumbsup: Thanks for sharing!

[rwhite692]

Chris, Jonny, Anthony, TN...thanks much for the links and the input, and the compliments. Chris you are right about various "trendy" colors, something to definately keep in mind (my brother in law is having me paint his bike with the blue-green chameleon stuff, and I've been telling him the same thing!):D .

I guess it will come down to wether the car is straight enough for black, or not. I think it will be when I'm done with it. It WOULD make the missus happy...but on the other hand, I like the way the 69 body style looks in metallics because of how all of the creases/ridges/contours of the body really "light up" as opposed to solids, where they kinda disappear, and they tend to disappear a lot on Black.

Black and Gold...I dunno...too much of a shelby GT350H mental block I have going on with that, I guess..

Maybe Jonny is right, I should do a kandy. Arrrgh.

[jonny51]

I like that candy blue alot!I think color is the hardest choice of any build.I have noticed and i am guilty of it to,we spend to much time thinking of a reason why not to paint a car a certain color.Instead of Just going for what we lke the most.Just go for it :unibrow:

[907rs]

Rob, at the moment I'm about 99% sure I'm going with this color. It's 1996 Corvette GS blue, and really pops like a candy in the right light.

[rwhite692]

Hey Jonny, you are absolutely right, I just can't decide what it is that I want!

Bill, that blue is really nice!! it especially looks good with the white stripes...

[spaztikatik]

correct me if i'm wrong, but it used to be that you couldn't order grand sport blue without the proper VIN off a grand sport you own? i mean obviously that's not the case here, but didn't it used to be like that?

[907rs]

correct me if i'm wrong, but it used to be that you couldn't order grand sport blue without the proper VIN off a grand sport you own? i mean obviously that's not the case here, but didn't it used to be like that?

I wouldn't know, but I do have a couple of friends that are in the business and have their own mixing banks. :) It makes the possibilities endless and relatively inexpensive.

[tndude]

Just for kicks, take a look at how he painted his stripes. Different but cool. :thumbsup:

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/featuredvehicles/99218/

[rwhite692]

Yes, I have seen this car in person, the checkerboard effect is pretty neat.