New Member With Pics!

[3504speed]

Hello everyone my name is Doug and I reside in Eastern Washington State where sadly it is snowing as I am typing this.

My story starts back in the summer of '82 (age 14) when I went to my dad and asked him if it would be OK to look for an early Camaro for my first car. He agreed to match me 50/50 until the car was finished and ya, he said an early Camaro sounded good to him. Well, it didn't take long and we found a '67 that we thought we could work with and for $950 we drove, yep drove it home. Those days are gone!! We had the car completed by the spring of '84. I drove it to highschool on the nicer days and occasionally on a date or something but was fortunate to have a daily driver back then. Since then it has logged only 19k miles, attended many car shows and been kept in a climate controled building.

Anywho, fast foward 25 years and this is the problem I am having now. I think I am ready for something different. No, not a different car but a different version of the same car, if that makes any sense. It's getting to the point that some years I don't even take the cover off of it anymore. It looks like it came right out of the 80's and to me it never has driven or handled very good. When we built it we upgraded to front discs and power steering, but with the original mono-leafs and a front anti-sway bar the size of a tooth pick it's no surprise.

So, if it's OK with you guys and gals I would like to hang out here and gather ideas for my future Camaro. I am also open to suggestions.

A little side note; The inspiration that prompted me to wake up from this Camaro-hybernation state that I have been in was the opportunity to get a up-close look at an awesome '68 Camaro recently. The '68 that I am speaking of is owned and built by a guy by the name of Chris Holstrom. I believe he is a member here and I do want to thank him.

Here are some pics of my Camaro and soon I will post some pics of my 16 year old daughters '71 Nova which is our current project slated for completion early summer.

[XcYZ]

Originally Posted by 3504speed

So, if it's OK with you guys and gals I would like to hang out here and gather ideas for my future Camaro. I am also open to suggestions.

A little side note; The inspiration that prompted me to wake up from this Camaro-hybernation state that I have been in was the opportunity to get an up-close look at an awesome '68 Camaro recently. The '68 that I am speaking of is owned and built by a guy by the name of Chris Holstrom. I believe he is a member here and I do want to thank him.

Of course, welcome aboard, Doug.

I got to check out Chris's 68 at SEMA, great car!

[awr68]

Welcome Doug!
It looks like you and your Father did a great job! Yes, Chris is a member here, his sign on is youthpastor and he does have an awesome car! From the looks of it you have a very solid foundation to work off...that's what we all dream of! This will save you a lot of time! We are here to answer questions you may have and help guide you to make that car fun to drive again! What kind of a budget are you thinking and are you mostly concerned of updating the suspension/brakes or is a motor/tranny swap in the cards?

Again Welcome and thanks for the pics!!

[3504speed]

Originally Posted by awr68

What kind of a budget are you thinking and are you mostly concerned of updating the suspension/brakes or is a motor/tranny swap in the cards?

Again Welcome and thanks for the pics!!

Thanks guys...When we get the Nova finished I will get serious on the Camaro.

I will most likely try and do this in phases, but I also realize that these upgrades are all intertwined.

I was thinking about trying to upgrade the front suspension, front brakes and steering first. but if I do that, I should upgrade to discs on the rear at that time because of the master cylinder and p-valve.

So if I go with discs on the rear it would be smart to upgrade to the 9" or 12 bolt at that time. But if I have a rear built probably should get it tubbed so I can have the rear narrowed before I install it. Don't want to upgrade the rear end until I know what rear suspension to go with. Then, it would be stupid to install a new rear with gears for an overdrive and still run the 4 speed. That means I probably should upgrade tranny at the same time.

Jeez, maybe I should just save my money for a little longer and do it all at the same time.

[Josh69]

Originally Posted by 3504speed

Thanks guys...When we get the Nova finished I will get serious on the Camaro.

I will most likely try and do this in phases, but I also realize that these upgrades are all intertwined.

I was thinking about trying to upgrade the front suspension, front brakes and steering first. but if I do that, I should upgrade to discs on the rear at that time because of the master cylinder and p-valve.

So if I go with discs on the rear it would be smart to upgrade to the 9" or 12 bolt at that time. But if I have a rear built probably should get it tubbed so I can have the rear narrowed before I install it. Don't want to upgrade the rear end until I know what rear suspension to go with. Then, it would be stupid to install a new rear with gears for an overdrive and still run the 4 speed. That means I probably should upgrade tranny at the same time.

Jeez, maybe I should just save my money for a little longer and do it all at the same time.

That's pretty much exactly the train of thought that got me where I am today! I will say, it was WORTH IT! Do it once, do it right. With that said, you can do it on a budget...of sorts. Talk to Frank at Prodigy, and/or Jeff at Keisler, they'll steer you right with the suspension, tranny, rear-end and brakes. You can do all that for around $10-12K with some top shelf parts, if you don't go hog wild with air bags and subframes.

PS, you're car looks amazing...you have alot to be proud of if that was done 25 years ago....wow....I can only hope mine lasts that long. I'd pull that cover off any chance I got!

[3504speed]

Originally Posted by Josh69

PS, you're car looks amazing...you have alot to be proud of if that was done 25 years ago....wow....I can only hope mine lasts that long. I'd pull that cover off any chance I got!

Thanks, I probably will just wait 'til I can do it all at the same time.

We need to finish the daughters Nova first then I will be ready to move forward.

I was thinking the other day that when dad and I restored the Camaro we were able to get all the parts from the chevy dealer. The only repro parts are the front and rear bumper guards that I just installed recently. The front and rear door panels, headliner and rear seat are original survivors.

Here's a couple pics of her Nova, it's going to a friends body shop hopefully this week. This car has only 22k miles on it, the underside in the below photo is the original paint, all we did is clean it up under there!

[awr68]

Wow what a clean car...that's awesome!!

[KeislerJeff]

Hmm, I like the Camaro as it sits myself but theres always room for improvement right? Feel free to contact me with any questions no matter how small, I can run through rpm scenarios with you both cruising and what speeds you will see shifting at xxxx rpms. Welcome aboard!

[70rs]

I used to live in E. WA. In Wenatchee to be specific. By my math you are about two years older than me. In looking at the pictures of your Camaro I'd almost swear I had seen that car cruising the strip during the summer there. I was 14 at the time and got my first Camaro (68rs) the next summer. Could that have been your car that I had seen? And yes, I wish those prices and deals were still around too!
Eric

[3504speed]

Originally Posted by 70rs

I used to live in E. WA. Could that have been your car that I had seen?
Eric

I can't recall ever being in Wenatchee with this car.

However, I do remember an almost indentical Camaro cruising Riverside in Spokane during the 80's. We would always try to get next to each other if we could. I never did really ever talk to the guy but it was a nice car.

Then, in the early 90's they banned cruising on Riverside Ave. and I never saw that car again.