i just joined up cause i've started working on my wife's '68 camaro. this was her first car when she started driving in '77. back in the '80, and this was way before she met me, she bought all the sheet metal for the car when you could still get it from GM. fenders, quarters, door skins, wheel houses, valence and cowl panels. i think the sheet metal is worth more than the car, LOL. she wants it back to the retro 70's look. jacked up, fat tires sticking out, bright yellow with black metal flake stripes.

it started life as a regular camaro, 327, PG. nothing fancy. she had a couple different 350's in it and changed the trans to a 350. but now's it's time to get completely done! i know she's been waiting patiently while i work on my cars, so now's the time for me to work on her's. BUT, it's not like she didn't have anything to go to the shows and cruises with. she does have a '70 Z28 and '94 6 speed Vette .

so, i figured i can post some pics of the progress for everyone and i can get some questions answered as i go. this isn't my first bout with a project like this. I restored my '72 340 4 speed Challenger. i can hear the boos and hisses now, LOLOL, but yes, i'm a mopar guy. but i've owned chevys even before i bought my first mopar. i just love (and hate, haha) to work on the cars.

here's some pics of me getting it out of the garage and getting it ready. i took a lot of reference pics, i think i'll need them.

 

We know now how you will be spending your winter--Disc brakes this time RIGHT??

 

oh, yea! everything is getting upgraded. disc brakes, 454, 4 speed

 

Good deal--wish i was closer i'd come over and help--for BEER of course ??

 

kool, are you doing a frame off restore? have you considered a ls6 with a 4l80e or 6 spd.

 

not sure if i'm going to that "frame off" level, but it's basically down to a shell on wheels. the front body mounts have already been replaced before it got put away 12 years ago. it's all gonna get cleaned up and painted on the underside.

my wife wants this retro 70's hot rod so a LS motor would look out of place. plus, we got a running '74 454 for $500. though i was thinking about the 6 speed, we're probably sticking with the 4 speed. unless.............i can get a TKO 5 speed reasonable. would like to find a 12 bolt for it but we're not going crazy looking for one. just gotta figure out something with the rear springs.

butcher story...........

right when i met my wife, when i didn't have a say in things yet, LOL. she had the mono leafs with air shocks. the shocks were old and leaked and the tires would always rub. she took it to a local spring shop and told them that she wanted the shocks off and new springs that would jack the car up in the back. well they took a set of big 'ol truck springs that wouldn't fit in the perches, ground them down to fit and gave it back to here like that. i was kind a pissed but it was her car. so i'm not sure what we're gonna do about the springs and rear yet.


thanks for the offers on the help

 

A "Happy wife is a happy Life"--do it her way--springs are out there 5 and 6 leaf --shakels were popular in the 70's--a 74 -454 will need pepping up they were low hp in the most part--smog regs got them at the time!!

 

here's some more pics. this is about how far i've gotten with it.

 

no new pics yet, but i have the windshield out, the trunk lid off, the whole interior out and i just removed the gas tank. the wiper motor and linkage is out. the back 1/4 windows would hardly move, so with a generous helping of white grease that i worked into the metal tracks, now they work great.

 

Joel was the Camaro Yellow from the factory?? Looks like it on the doors??