Great videos Damon! In the 2nd video you can actually see the car's rims flexing and moving under extreme side pressure! I know a local guy who does lots of autocross with his 2nd gen and also hill climb events, and he runs a panhard bar with his swaybar and leaf springs, just because of the shackles design allowing the rearend to shift slightly. It keeps the rear axle centered, and more positive contact with the road.
I still don't understand the reason for not using poly bushings on moving parts, as that's what they are designed for, and they all have metal inserts so no difference between the metal inside a rubber, delrin, or poly bushing. The only difference would be the material around the metal insert, and none of them should move on the outer edge where they contact the spring. They could easily be glued on the outer edge and it wouldn't change the pivot point on the sleeve. I know you're a fan of delrin, and I know it is less prone to squeaks, but the material itself is really very much the same as poly, except for it's lubricity to stop squeaks.

 

That is the point of the solid (delrin) bushings. I doubt I'll use a pan hard unless I switch to a four link or a truck arm set up. That is probably out though because I like leafs for some reason. I went 9's on leafs to prove to my buddies it could be done. No reaso I cant have them on a handling car too. Although coil overs would be so much easier. When I was at a QA1 tent during Power Tour they showed me their coil over, double adjustable shock set up that can be adjusted on the fly with a controler similiar to air bags. I liked that a lot! Imagine switching between drag race, road race, and highway cruiser from the driver seat.

I really dont have concrete reasons why every person seams to hate poly. Mostly its regurgitated on the internet. I personally dont use it because the guy who designed my suspension told me not to. It is his system and he did the R+D on it so I took his word for it. Honestly my car would have had sphereical bushings in it but at the time I bought my stuff he hadnt come up with a way to grease it and keep dirt/water out of it. Because my car will see mostly street use I figured it would be better to use something that would last a while.

 

Spherical bushings are more of a pure race thing in my way of thinking. Too much raod noise transferred to the body for my liking to run on a mostly street car.
I agree with your statement about poly bushings. It seems the internet has turned people against them, and even those who have never used them spew the anti poly myths. I don't understand the mob or band wagon mentality on the internet that drives some people to bad mouth things, just because they hear someone else do so.
As I've said many times before, I've never had issues with poly bushings that were properly installed with plenty of lube. The issues I've heard were always with people who either didn't use the proper lube, or tried to get by with the tiny packet of lube that comes with the bushings. I never install them without getting an extra 8 oz. container of bushing lube, and liberally using it. I've put them (or helped install them) in a half dozen cars, and nobody has ever had any squeaks, that the internet myth speaks of.

 

The Camaro did have them in the spring perches when I bought it. The springs I got came with rubber because the rear has a tenancy to slide around on the poly. That is the only true place I have heard that multiple people have reported the same issue. I will be fabbing up plates to replace mine anyhow. The new rubber ones look like crap already and its never been down the road.

 

We did the 2012 Power Tour and were amazed at the quantity and quality of cars there. On the Sunday morning there were 3,000 cars that left Livonia, MI and a total of 4,000 cars participated. Everywhere you went there were people out watching for the cars, even at little towns with hardly any population.

 

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal. Doing a restoration is more about quality than price that a lot of suppliers don't understand sometimes. I've been following your build as well as some others and enjoy seeing the progress y'all are making. Those days are behind me now but I'm still a "car guy". Just thought you might like to hear your posts are being seen and enjoyed.

Uncle BoB

 

Sincerely appreciate that Uncle Bob. I've had a bit of a setback of recent, but only temporary. I'm confident most every person building or restoring their Camaro has had similar situations. Hoping to be able to get some more progress pics posted shortly. The progress has to actually happen before I'll be able to do that of course! Thanks again sir!

 

Not the most exciting of pictorial updates, but it's done nonetheless! Now, if the Camaro only had a clean, painted surface to bolt this back up to. I'm gettin' there.

 

Dang! Is that POR on the steel? It looks like it laid perfect. I need to know what you did to clean up the plastic. I want mine that clean too.

Uncle Bob, if you left Livonia then you stopped here. They called us the best stop ever in Power Tour history in 2011. We were so honerd that they came back the next year. I missed that one because of work and the LS Ram got smashed the week before. Our plan is to get the truck out on PT. The first LS ram and a couple hair driers to make it really pop. LOL Come on over for Woodward Dreamcruise. Its not the same but close, probably more cars.

 

It's always those little towns with no population that are the most fun! LOL Please no one misinterpret my sarcasm there. Need to add another zero on the end of the 4,000 and then give or take another 10 or 20,000 for Woodward though. So bummed to have missed it twice in a row but I won't be missing it next year! I hear it's being overrun with vendors now but still ridiculous.

I didn't POR the bumper, didn't want to open the second can and have it petrify before getting to the bottom of the car. Just used the Hi Perf Rustoleum rattle can on it and it turned out pretty good. I might go back another time and POR it but I'm thinking it'll be good for several years at least this way. Cleaning the plastic wasn't very enjoyable but the detailer in me reared it's head on that one. I did manage to hold off on any silicone dressing on it though! I started off with a brush and Simple Green on some of the larger openings and ended with a dishrag and a skinless pointer finger on the smaller ones. Used the garden hose and waited for it to dry then went back and hit the spots I missed the first time. There was some white overspray left on it and I went back and took that off too as I didn't expect it to end up looking like it was new again. So, to answer your question, nothing special really. About 20 minutes total.