I found the original Popular Hot Rodding '71 Camaro in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago. The car showed 41,000 miles, had all of the Bonneville safety stuff, roll bar, etc. The car was built to run a Ardun headed Ford flathead with supercharger and injection. It also had a fiberglass one piece front end from a 74 and newer Camaro, but this was long gone.


I toyed with the idea of returning it back to the way it was built, but, hey? A flathead Ford in a Camaro. I couldn't do it. So I opted to build it as a 1971 Camaro. It has been a longterm project and I am still a long way out. I replaced both quarters with AMD sheetmetal. They were repairable but I wanted to replace the outer wheelhouses. The biggest project was removing and replacing the lower cowl under the windshield. That job really sucked.


The car has a 12 bolt rearend and was equipped with a Richmond 5-speed at one time. Since that piece was also long gone, I'm going to run a Muncie. I haven't decided on an engine yet, I have an LS engine with custom intake and injection pieces, but a nice LT1 from an early Camaro sounds nice too.


The car was in amazing condition, considering it sat in a backyard in Portland from 1981, uncovered, The floors, with the exception of the toe boards were very solid, as was the trunk floor. The car had had a buildup of moss on the upper cowl, which kept that area wet and it took out both the upper and lower cowl.


But the car was nice enough to bring back to life. I have been picking up original sheetmetal for the front end as I find it. I picked up an original 4 speed console for it. I still need a lot of parts, but I work on it almost every day.

 

Interesting story, looks like she spent a lot of years out in the crappy Portland weather.
Looks like a lot of work but cool that you saved it.

 

I started out as a Mopar guy, actually owned 4 different 426 Hemi cars. I transitioned into muscle cars of all makes, even owned aa 1969 Ford Talladega. I like working on Chevys because of the parts interchangeability. I always loved the Gen ll Camaros, so this one has been fun. Because the car had a large aluminum water tank, with metal safety guard underneath it, the trunk floor was saved. Everything else is available, even though I am still trying to figure out what it is missing.


For the meantime, I am going ProMod, with 18" Coye 5 spoke wheels, 10s in the rear and 8"s in the front to accept upgraded brakes. I want to keep it driveable and stock appearing. Thinking Tuxido black with white stripes, and not the factory tan color.

 

Well keep us posted on your progress,should be fun to see it come together.
Are you in or near Portland? I'm about an hour out of P-town in the hills of SW WA. Just wondern' since you got the car there.

 

I am in Wilbur, Oregon, population 46. But I just bought a house in Kelso, WA and will be moving the cat up there in a few weeks. Lots to do, not much time before I move. I was going to install the new tail light panel and support panel, but I ran out of time. Trying to make it look like a real car now. I stripped all of the ugly yellow equipment paint off, tough crap. I'll post some new photos with my new wheels and 295/35/18 rear tires.


If anyone has a collection of old magazines, I would appreciate someone going thru Popular Hot Rodding from mid 1980 until 1982. I have been buying issues but some don't give an exact listing of the cars in each issue. I think they called it "Project Bent Camaro". I have most of the build issues but I would like to see the finished car article. Thanks.

 

I know Wilbur, born and raised in Oregon and ridden my Harley about everywhere you can think of here in the Western half of the US.
Looks like we'll be neighbors damn near, Yacolt town a couple miles from my place is about an hour from Kelso/Longview.
I'm a local truck driver out of Battle Ground, WA (End dumps flat beds and dump trucks) so I go through Kelso/LV all the time.
Also drove chip truck (wood chips) for 4 years out of Kalama and most of my loads went to LV.
I'll probably see ya out there some day,this is my car but she will have bigger tires on it and soon black stripes.

 

Nice Camaro, almost bought one for my wife when they first came out, one of the pace car replicas.


My Dad owned trucks, drove for him after I got out of the Army, hauled fuel for a while, hauled glass out of Medford, drove for a beer company out of San Francisco. Now, retired due to a mosquito bite in California and a continued fight with West Nile Virus.


My Camaro project got me out of the house and moving around, helping my symptoms. I will be moving up the end of the month and it would be nice to get together and talk muscle cars. I'll dig out my photos of a real 1969 Z28/RS I owned. Normally a big block guy, but I loved the little 302 and now, the LS engines.

 

Y2K-- my other project in the works, a 1965 Chevy C10. Sports a custom built 9" Ford rearend, 15" Corvette front rotors and 13" rear with Brembo calipers, 454 big block with Turbo 400 trans, custom front tubular A-arms. Wheels are 2014 ZR1 Corvette,(real made-in-Italy ones) with Michelin run flats, 335/25/20 rear and 285/30/19 fronts. Rear wheels are 20x12, fronts are 19x10.

 

Sounds good man,I'm no spring chicken either, turning 61 1st of the month.
I had a roommate with a '69 Z28 back in the 1970's which I drove a lot because he liked to party more than drive. lol I too prefer a Rat though, had a plane Jane '69 when I was a youngster in my early 20's which I stuffed a solid lifter cammed Vette 427 into with a 4 speed, great fun!

 

Nice! Love those old trucks,had quite a few over the years but none were hot rodded like that. Several were 4X4's,love my wheelers!
I've had this '78 for over 15 years, got nearly everything for a full resto on it including NOS GM fenders not that china crap. Hope to get it done soon.
454/turbo 400 and 4:56 gears.