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Camaro build from Texas, BRNAGN has started the transformation...
It started out in 1982 at the age of fourteen I got the bug for hotrods... My father’s job required him to transfer the family to Huntington Beach California from a small town in Texas. I was fortunate enough to get a job working for a neighbor down the street doing various mechanic type jobs. It might have been a complete automatic transmission rebuild one week, the next might be an engine rebuild and the next might be a complete paint job on a car. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see a lot of different types of cars and work while working with him. I saved enough money to buy two wrecked 1969 Camaros for $500.00. I was able to coble the two together and build a sbc 350 and turbo 350 auto transmission for the car. We ended up painting it 1977 Corvette yellow. It was not quite running when we painted it but I figured it would not take too much to finish it up. Several weeks before we were due to paint it, I got the news that the family was moving back to Texas, so the rush was on to get the car painted. The moving truck literally arrived the day after we pulled the car out of the booth. We pushed it inside and it was strapped down for the ride back to Texas.
I completed the car just after getting my drivers license and drove it all thru high school. I ended up parking it a few years later after I started doing paint and body work, thinking I’d get started on a real restoration soon… Well life happened and the next thing you know, a wife and two kids and all the rest of the stuff that happens 18 years later I got the bug to work on it. I loaded it on the trailer and brought it home from my parent’s house. That was in 2006, flash forward to the present, my son turns fourteen this year, same age as when I bought the car. Winter of 2010, we got that old engine fired up and running after 21 years. We tore the car down and realized the car was worse off than expected. We decided to go for a professional opinion on the replacement of the metal of the car, after much thought we decided to rebuild it as a pro street type car to be driven often and put thru the ringer that I could only dream of years earlier. :D http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...htMid19831.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...htMid19832.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...htMid19833.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...htMid19834.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...nherprime4.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...ailerload3.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...thetrailer.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/.../Enginebay.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...oretheshop.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...FrontendCC.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...homefromCC.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...RearviewCC.jpg :flag2: |
Cool story. Those were the days when you could buy 2 69s for 500.00. I loved the 80s for that reason. Im glad you kept your car all this time. I wish i could have done the same. Now im starting over. Keep the updates coming.:thumbsup:
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latest fun...
I am currently working on getting the new sheet metal lined up on the front end, hanging the fenders and and then working on the header and valance panel. :thumbsup: I got the engine fitted up with at least 3/4" clearance around the LS1 and T-56 and the tunnel. It felt strange tuning the new metal with a large hammer and blocks and then coming back and cutting out for the shifter... As I've told many people, it's just a really big 3D jigsaw puzzle...:woot:
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I believe I saw ur car at Camaro Concepts, with Roy..
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Many thanks to Roy, Dennis, Daniel and James over at Camaro Concepts, those guys did a great job in a matter of thirteen weeks. I am very satisfied with the work that they did. I would not have a problem recommending the shop in the future.:thumbsup: :D :bow:
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Have you got any more build pictures?
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Here are a few, more to come...
My current parts list consists of: • All new metal. • Black reclining Corbeau sport seats with the double slides. • Five point red Corbeau harnesses with camlock releases. • Rebuilt factory tilt column. • Red carbon face VHX series Dakota Digital gauges. • Vintage air Gen IV SureFit AC system. • LS1 w/ T56 manual transmission. • TCI Engineering’s front suspension package. With adjustable coilovers and driveshaft loop. • TCI Engineering’s rear 4 link with mini tubs, sub-frame connectors, sway bar, and adjustable coilovers. • Narrowed 12 bolt rear end with strange axles and true trac unit. • Nitto Invo. Front tires 245/40/18, Rear tires 315/25/19 mounted on Corvette grand sport wheels. • Ricks stainless tank with upgraded pump. • New windshield, and smoked glass all around. • New weather stripping and seals thru out. • Complete Stainless steel bolt kit. Wilwood slotted and drilled power disks front and rear. http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...inetestfit.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...xesofmetal.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...idetesting.jpg :flag2: |
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How are the AMD fenders lining up? |
I just got the fenders and inner fenders together and hanging on the car, the drivers side is being a little more trouble but it's going in the right direction. I did have to do some minor trimming of the inner fender to clear the "TCI" subframe. The next few days I am planning on getting the valance and header panel in and see how things look. :yes: :dance:
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I have been busy the last few days getting some metal hung and aligned... :yes: :thumbsup:
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...ndtogether.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...weroutside.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...ideoutside.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...ideoutside.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...e/Leftrear.jpg :flag2: |
:faint: Wow what a ride it has been the last three weeks... Eight days in the hospital, emergency surgery, now back at home recovering. No lifting for awhile, it will slow down the rebuild, but I will be be back. I still enjoy going out in the shop and sitting in a chair and just looking and planning for the next part. :wow: :yes:
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I hope everything is okay. I take it you live in the houston area?
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I am starting to feel much better, it takes time to recover and rebuild just like the car. I live in Crosby, east of Houston.
Dennis:thumbsup: |
WOW! What a great story! Not sure how I missed it until today....
Get better soon! Life happens to you while you're busy making other plans! LOL :cheers: |
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I like your rear bars on your cage!!! Finally someone that has understood that you have to clear the heads of the rr passengers for them to be worth bending.... Lol!!! Seriously, i really dig em, did you do them yourself? If not, did you buy em bent that way? I always see them bent but not enough so that they really clear people or, they are installed too inside like too much in the center of the main hoop, in the center of car if you will.
Glad to see your moving ahead, nice project....and talk about a lesson in perseverance!!!!!!! And i tough my 5 years to do mine we're long!!!! I'll stop wyning now.... Keep the pics flowin' Lead |
Looking good sir. Keep the pics coming!!
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Yea there are so many different things that have to be thought thru when you start taking a car to this level. We had many discussions about the cage and the actual need versus functionality. We finally settled on the final design. The bars extend all the way to the top of the rear frame rails. The cage was all custom built and bent with a hand powered bender mounted on the floor. The guys over at Camaro Concepts in Houston did the work on the cage and metal replacement. :bow:
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Time to post some updates on the progress...
:thumbsup: Work schedule has been pretty hectic, but I needed to post some updated pictures.
http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_4513.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_4519.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_4517.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_5840.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_5825.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_5824.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_5822.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6324.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_4516.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6347.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6314.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6254.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6320.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...g/IMG_6658.jpg |
Looking good .:ups:
Rick k |
Congrats
Love the postings. I find this project to be the typical Hot Rodders story. Passion at an early age. A lot of hard work with little money. Then kids and and family enters the picture. Everything is put on hold. The car sits in a garage or at Mom and Dads. Then after the kids start to get older, the passion starts to rear it's head again and the next thing you know you are towing the car home for a total makeover. Congrats and I think builds like this are a great example of what most gear heads go through.
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nice work so far,you have alot of good parts:thumbsup:
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Some powder coating stuff
:) http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6738-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6736-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6735-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6732-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6729-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6642-1.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_6622-1.jpg
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LOVE to see old projects get new life!! I need to train my two dogs to guard the Camaro!!
At least you kept your car when the kids came. I sold mine for the down payment on our first house. Now I have my oldest working with me on the car. I like the roll bar and work inside to stiffen up the car. Custom bars and cages are the only way to go. Most of the kits that I've seen aren't tight, and gobble up a lot of room inside the car. |
Looking great
Looks great. Always good to see more Texans on board. Glad to hear you're recovering well. 7 surgeries in the last year myself. Stay healthy and keep the pics coming.
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coming along great keep up the good work
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wow those wheels are perfect for the car. did you build the dimensions of the car around the wheel? didnt look like you had spacersin there, and corvettes have a ton of backspacing.
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Once the suspension was picked out we picked out the wheels. I did end up with 1/2" spacers on the front. I figured that somewhere in the future I would step up to some custom made wheels, but for now I hope they will work out. :idea:
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Great story. Looks like you're moving along.
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Looking great and awesome story. Keep the pics coming.
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Love the story and the car. I have had my 69 Barracuda since 1997. My family has owned the 70 Corvette since 1980. It was my dads, He died in Feb and now I am intrusted with it.
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Starting up the old engine after 18 years asleep...
After 18 years of it being asleep we had decided to try and get the old engine running one last time. After pulling the plugs we gave a little dose of marvel mystery oil to each cylinder and let it sit overnight, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to gently turn the motor over by hand. I then disconnected the line from the tank at the pump, primed the engine with out fuel and then ran a new line into a small fuel container, made a short jumper wire to the coil and a tool to jump across the starter solenoid. Put the plugs back in and decided to give it a try... It sounded just like I remembered... Nothing like memories coming back to life.... :D
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I'm glad to see you're making progress on your dream car. It's awesome that you held on to all those years. I know so many guys that say, If I just hadn't sold mine back in the day...
Great story, good luck with it |
Project is looking really nice. I love the history behind this with the old pictures. Keep em comin!
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Great project. Your doing a great job.
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Cool story on the cars past. Looks like its coming along well.
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High build primer over the epoxy base
I have been spending a lot of time working the different sections of the body spraying and blocking high build primer, very time consuming but it's going to be worth it. :gitrdun: http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...siderocker.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...siderocker.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...idequarter.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...idequarter.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...trearlower.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...htreartail.jpg http://i1087.photobucket.com/albums/...Rightupper.jpg :thumbsup:
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Yes your right making one really straight takes alot of time blocking over and over but it will payoff for you,looks like you are doing a great job so far,body looks very good.:gitrdun:
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Dude! This is an awesome thread. I love your choice on the front suspension. The roll bar is outstanding. Looking forward to you next updates.
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