Yesterday was the 396 break-in, for roughly 1/2 hour, with Bryson (one of the owners) at the wheel and his mechanic, Cliff assisting. What an awesome day! It's difficult to express how loud a 396 is with only headers and open collectors! This engine not only looks fine, it ran like there's no tomorrow, from first spark. I don't think the engine made a complete revolution before it was running! Instant start.

Cliff initially topped off the power steering pump, adjusted the carb idle, verified timing and locked down the HEI distributor, then spent some time searching for leaks. Once he found none, he manned the infrared thermometer, checking any surface that might be experiencing excessive friction. They were a perfect team, communicating with hand signals. The 396 ran perfectly smooth once it left idle. I will say, the cam manufacturer was correct when making the statement that it would not be happy at idle. Bryson ran varying RPM's on a schedule established by Britco, the engine builder, alternating between 1800 and 2200 revs, with a series of accelerator splashes to 2500 every 3 to 5 minutes.

After engine shut down, Cliff said "That was the coolest break-in that I've ever done!" Cliff is no kid and has been doing this all his life. His statement was doubly meaningful, given his main task of measuring temps for the duration. Bryson's first words were "That's probably the smoothest motor I've seen." Cliff then replied "yeah, it felt like glass on top. It sounded all rumbly, but it was smooth up here" as he tapped the intake manifold. I was maybe 20 feet away, recording the whole break-in at hi-def, and they were just talking together, all jazzed, not for my benefit. Tonight, when I got home, I replayed the video and saw what they meant. Once it came off idle, it was REALLY smooth sounding, but unbelievably loud. I had my Sony noise-cancelling headphones on most of the time, so smooth was there, but these headphones really work! After they finished discussing their observations of the experience, and making notes, Bryson invited me to have a seat behind the wheel. Ahhh, memories...

Bryson scribbled down some observed performance items from the run, and handed the sheet to me for my records. It was a relatively small list:
Sustained 40-55psi oil pressure
12.9 to 14.2 volts for duration of run time
Temperature never exceeded 189 degrees
No abnormal oscillations or vibrations
Idle is set for 780 for now. Might eventually go higher as cam is not happy at idle

He also mentioned that the floor boards at the accelerator stayed very comfortable, a testament for Lizard Skin, since we are still missing carpets and jute underlayment. He believes it will be even cooler in that location once the exhaust is complete.

So, a few pics for those of us who like visual more than words:


Ready to rock and roll!!!


The Driver's seat, and a nearly complete dash. All instruments worked!


The Plant, where POWER lives, and audio sound pressure overwhelms!



The Control Center, true to the original vision! The plan was to keep it clean, with no extra gauges or alterations. This is what a '68 Camaro looked like new...


Staged and Ready. Rolled part way out of the shop to help control fumes, and theoretically tame some of the roar. A perfect day, 78 degrees, blue sky, nice breeze, SW Washington at its best. One day from full moon, too. I want to drive Ricky Camaro really bad.


Man, Champion Radiator's robot really knows how to weld aluminum. Also note the receivers for the hood latches. Bryson was able to locate the identical round-key chrome hoodlocks I used years ago, so he didn't need to move or replace these. Plus, the hood is already drilled to keep honest people honest, with a locked hood and a battery disconnect.

 

Some additional progress to report, per Bryson. The new dash is installed, as is the new SS gas cap and SS insignia on the new grill. The new tail-light assemblies are installed and fully functional, including backup lights. Audio cables have been run from head-end radio to trunk, consisting of three separate left & right signal cables; one for front door speakers, one for rear deck speakers, and one for sub-woofer(s). These will eventually terminate in two separate power amps located in trunk, one a 6-channel unit and the other a single-channel sub-woofer amp.

Additionally, speaker wires are run from the trunk to the front door speakers and also to two separate tweeters that will be located either above the 6½” door speakers, or on the dash adjacent to the side pillars.

Finally, two #4AWG fine-wire power-cables are run from the engine compartment to the trunk to provide +12V and Battery Return leads to a trunk-based battery. That battery will power the two amplifiers, and also provide fused 12V DC via small-gauge wire back to the radio, to power its memory-power input. This power source needs to come from the trunk battery, as the main battery will be disconnected whenever parked, and the radio would lose programming. The main power to the head-end radio will still be supplied by ignition-based power from the front battery. Here is a crude diagram of this scheme (doesn’t include +12V lead to Radio Memory):




Crossover and equalizer functions are handled within the JL Audio amplifier, providing separate frequency-appropriate power to each speaker from the six separate channels of power, with two channels powering the two 6½” door speakers, two powering the two tweeters, and the final two powering the two 6X9 tri-axial speakers located in the rear deck.

The radio will supply sub-bass signal directly to the sub-woofer amp. Technically, this could alternatively occur with a signal connection between the 6-channel amp signal output sending low-bass signal to the sub-woofer amp input, but we have chosen to allow the radio to provide this signal, as it can then be turned off for cases where you don’t want sub-bass (for instance, pod-casts or voice-based audio books).

This entire audio adventure, which will theoretically deliver audiophile-grade sound into the cabin once the system is professionally tuned and balanced, may turn out to be only useful when parked, with the noise-maker 396 turned off… TBD.

Later this week, Ricky will be driven around the lot to verify the smoothness and proper functionality of the clutch, proper shifting, and low speed brake operation. Once this is validated, and the clutch access hole in the bell housing is fitted with its grommet, the car will be driven over to the body shop for the remaining tasks. Once it appears fairly complete, he will go tire-shopping, receive front-end alignment and exhaust installation, and the final step before the 500-mile break-in will be a visit to the interior/upholstery shop to receive appropriate new paneling, restored seats, new carpets, etc.

Then, we trade a bit more money for the keys, and major grins begin.

Here's a couple more pics of latest and greatest, including new dash-pad and Astro-Vent driver-side cap, rear tail-lights and gas cap, and elegant wiring to the trunk:

 

You'll need all those amps and speakers to hear the stereo over that RAT.

 

Well, like I said, it may just prove to be an exercise in futility, but this boy does like his tunes, so fingers crossed that the cones move more air than the Lizard-Skin-dampened exhaust... TBD. Plus, like I said, I can always park a bit and rock on!

So, minor update: Ricky got stuck in Restoration Shop behind a huge truck that was blocking the doorway, on axle stands, with U-bolts unexpectedly back-ordered. Plus, body shop was working on this stretch limo that proved temperamental. So… only minor items accomplished since last update. Here’s a brief overview:

Front and rear windshields are installed, with trim:





Radio head-end is fully installed and patched to all cables heading to trunk. The Tik-Tok-Tach had a ‘filter’ installed that was supposed to provide correction for the HEI distributor. If it had been the original tach, this would have been needed, but the new Tik-Tok-Tach already came calibrated for the Accel unit, so Bryson had to remove the tach from the dash, remove the filter, and has now verified accurate display, during their drive around the parking lot. Here is the quote from his update on that small adventure: “throttle, brakes and clutch are all responsive and behaving as an All- American big block with a manual transmission should. Stops well and goes better.”

The body shop guys came over to the restoration shop to work on him yesterday and today, but I’m not sure what they worked on, until they provide update. Tomorrow morning, Ricky will be formally driven over to the Body Shop for remaining tasks. I should receive an update from them at EOB tomorrow, at which point I’ll post an updated Task List.

 

OK, I received an update from Jerry, the Body Shop Master, detailing next steps. They will first paint the trunk and inside of the doors. Once that is done, doors will be hung, as all body panels key off the doors. Back when the rear quarters were being welded to the cabin, the doors were first installed, in order to establish gaps and proper alignment of the rear quarter’s leading edges. Now, once the doors are re-installed, the front outer fenders will be installed and all fitment will be verified as the various sheet metal parts are added. The rear spoiler turned out to have been heavily involved in the original wreck that mashed the front sub-frame, and was held together with fiberglass and bondo, so is going to be replaced. In any event, once all fitment is acceptable, they will paint fenders, hoods, and remaining parts, as the next step. Finally, Ricky will start to look like a complete car, as they work on other unfinished tasks within the task list. Jerry said they will provide me with pictures as they progress.

I asked about when the frame connectors will be final welded, and was provided with an interesting answer. As a reminder, here is their present status, at their connection to new sub-frame:




Here is a quote of his answer: “I would like to wait until a full alignment is established and some miles are put onto the car before the sub frame connectors are welded in. Every car I’ve built had a settling in period where you could feel like things are almost fighting each other but all of a sudden things click together and the car comes to life and relaxes. We can put it on the hoist at that point and finish the install.”
The plan has been to have the shop put 100 miles on the car before I take possession, and that would be the period he refers to. I’ll go ahead and post the Task List, although you really have to go to page 5 to view the remaining tasks. Note that all accomplished tasks have double strike-throughs and blue-colored font. Plus notes in green where called for. Also note that all major tasks that were done before I started this Task List exercise have been noted at the start. This is clearly no casual restoration...

 

It sounds like you really found the right folks,looking forward to seeing the finished product.

 

Well, we're getting noticeably closer! The task list is getting whittled down! Latest status is all sheet metal is on, with possible exception of grill. All gaps are adjusted and prep is underway to paint. We had thought the damage from original wreck was confined to front end, but they found extensive damage to rear deck lid and spoiler, so both are replaced… cheaper to replace than repair, due to extensive internal rust and old body work in deck lid, and sanding revealed spoiler was held together with fiberglass and bondo. The things I didn’t know while driving my hot rod all those years…

So, here is a nice sequence of install. We start, as always, with the doors. As noted earlier, rear quarters were already gapped to doors when they were welded on last year.


The rear lid is now installed, along with restoration of hinges, and a template was taped on for drilling eight 13/32” mounting holes for the new spoiler.




The front fenders were then installed and gapped, the hood hinges were restored, and finally the hood was installed. I haven’t heard that there were issues with clearance between the hood and air cleaner so for now, I’m assuming all is well there.

Ricky Camaro is now finally looking like a complete car, even though we have a long way to go. They will now paint all primed panels, followed by wet sanding and buffing the entire car. The Task List marches on!!!

 

So, yesterday I learned that not all engineers are created equal. Apparently in 1968, the engineer who designed the front grille header failed to discuss its width with the engineer who designed our hood that Ricky sports. Because the width of the grill header is ‘substantially’ more than the width of the hood, it proved impossible to maintain a constant gap, front to back, while still working with alignment to the Cowl Vent Grille and the front fender’s alignment with the doors. Hmm. Since I bought Ricky in the days before there were companies manufacturing restoration parts for all of us enthusiasts, the existing hood and grille header are either original to the car, or replaced from some junk yard post-wreck. In any event, OEM. Again I say, hmm. So, I was presented with a choice to make: leave it the way it always was, OR, shorten the grille header, for additional labor charge. Ultimately, aesthetics won over my shrinking pocket book. Living on a fixed income in retirement sometimes sucks DD’s, but hey… So, here are some pics I was given of the problem:





And here are some pics of the solution in progress:




I say to myself, it’s only money, right? But this is the only acceptable choice for me. Again I say, beauty is in the eyes of the beer-holder! And I’m holding the beer. Well actually, Don Julio…

 

Well you can't take it with you,a lot of parts never fit perfect from the factory so you are making it better than new.

 

Well, he would make an amazing coffin!

I stopped by the Body Shop to drop off new hood locks and just make a generic inspection, but only stayed a few minutes as we were pulling our trailer, heading south on vacation, and my wonderful wife and our puppy were waiting in the truck. I found the shop to be full of cars, of which Ricky was one part, sitting under a cloth cover, along with various panels and fenders. In a shop manned by two people, Ricky’s rebirth is just creeping along, but what does get done is done very well. I’ve just learned to be patient. These guys need to stay in business!

The fenders, valence, cowl, rear deck lid, spoiler, and header panel are removed now that gaps are set, and being prepped to paint. This should hopefully occur next week. After that come painting the doors and engine hood and then the body will be bolted together. They will then apply a final coat of Matrix Clear Coat once he’s a complete car, before he gets wet sanded and buffed out. The result: a beautiful Cordovan Maroon with black vinyl roof. Just as it was here, in a picture taken around 1984 :



The real thrill of the day, besides just experiencing how close we are to completion, was Jerry’s invitation to get in the car, sit in the driver’s seat, and start the ‘animal’ engine. Wow! Very loud. Very loud!!! A thrill to work the throttle and watch the tach jump, and once again learn that this engine does NOT want to idle, but loves life above 1K RPM. I powered it down way too soon, but we were indoors with doors closed, and common sense over-ruled desire. Still, it was a grand gesture on Jerry’s part to invite me to fire the beast, and I thanked him a lot. It will be wonderful to sit in it once complete, with Magnaflow “Straight Through Performance” mufflers on 3” tubes making a tune that can only be described as ‘the best car stereo in the world’!

I’ve been researching applications for the paint, to protect and preserve the finish. Of course, when I was young, that was called Carnauba Wax and a buffer. Now, the standard seems to have become various brands of a ceramic base, which reportedly bonds to the Clear Coat at a molecular level, and results in water and dirt just shedding from the surface. I was ready to go that way, only to find that the latest and greatest uses a substance called “graphene” which is said to be the strongest substance known to man. Anyone familiar with carbon nanotubes will understand that graphene is just the tube unrolled into a flat plane. In any event, the latest formulations are apparently a ceramic/graphene solution, and some companies are even offering a 7-year life. It will coat everything: paint, windows, vinyl, tires. And it is said to provide a very hard protective coat over your paint.

I asked Jerry when he would consider the paint fully cured and ready to be coated, and he said “90 days, so be careful in the meantime”. Since it’s looking more and more like late fall/early winter before I finally attain turnover, that might not be too bad, with lots of garage time during foul weather.