JCG Restoration & Customs 68 Camaro Test Car
 

I finally got around to getting this car out of my garage so that we can get some work going on it… This car belongs to my buddy Enrique that we bought out of a body shop about 8 years ago.. We hardly drive it & the car just sits in my garage.. So with all the new prototype suspension I have going on here @ JCG.. We finally decided that we need a test car to proof the suspension design.. I have a bunch of parts lying around the shop that we can build a decent driver & test car.. Plus to proof that you can buy a decent running car & turn it into a fair completive Pro-Touring car just to have some fun… Plus will be my daily driver to

I will put the car on scales this week to get a base line weight to know we started off with & what the finished car will weight… I will be working with Anvil Auto on using their fiberglass line of products to keep the cost down to remove weight plus doing a few things along the line… BTW- Enrique is a prototype machinist.. So I am sure that we will have some cool billet !

Parts List
SBC 406 with fuel injection or carbureted
LT-1 6 speed rebuilt by Rockland
9 inch Ford rear-end
JCG Sub-Frame & suspension
JCG 3 link rear suspension
American Autowire kit
Be Cool Radiator
AFCO shocks
19x12 & 18x9.5 wheels with Nitto Tires
JCG 4 Point cage
JCG Battery Tray
Autometer gages
Sparco seats with steering wheel
WIlwood Brake System


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Another Great Build :thumbsup:

a shame to waste those TT2's. :lol:

sounds like a cool project Cris.
Curious why the old skool SBC 406 and not LS ?

More pics:hail: :hail:

Looks like you have a nice platform to start with Chris. Is this your chosen weapon for Buttonwillow?

Watching this build very closely as this is exactly what my plan is with my car - it's too nice to tear it apart, but it needs help desperately in its, shall we say, farfegnugen - lol.

Very interested to see the front and rear suspension setup you come up with. I've also been looking at the JRS setup as well but yours looks nice too.

Can't wait to see more.

Thanks Philip!

I already sold all the suspension with drivetrain outta the car! With the wheels... I think I have a spare set of new ones sitting around here.. :D

I am going with a SBC to keep cost down & to get the car done ASAP.. Plus I got a new motor with 500 HP that should keep me entertained.. This car will also be my car to learn how to drive..

Yes Sir! I will put NOS system to keep up with Todd.. :lol:

I have some pretty good people helping out with design & the tune of the suspension.. but far from making it a sellable item.. If I ever do go that route.. Right now it only supports in house builds..

Better make it a 300 shot and a trip to Bondurant. :lol:

Just imagine if I keep up with that bucket of bolts of yours that you have been working on & tuning for 3 years.. Wouldn't that be something! You just never know ... I have two driving instructors that are determined to make a driver of me yet... :lol: Yeah Right!

We will be testing & tuning @ Streets of Willow in 2 weeks during the week.. Wanna drag that bucket of bolts on over & let us tune it for you.. I don't want to hear anymore excuses.. Oh! you will probably show up in Kelli's Corvette! :rofl:

Bucket of bolts? What's that make yours, a Model T. :lol:

It would be fun to have you competitive. You are certainly surroundig yourself with the right folks. Maybe I'll just build me another one. :unibrow:

BTW- I used to play with one of these..

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Ha, play with one of those? Those things are like nannies. They just take care of you and and occasionally slap you on the wrist when you do something you're not supposed to! :lol:

Matt

We need more pics. :thumbsup:

Last week we got the only body modification done... We pulled the bottom section of the qtr panels to remove the taper for the wheel opening.. This will allow us to get the stance we are looking for.. Got a pic of a stock to modified comparision... We only had to cut the side bumper brackets to mount the rear bumper..

We also began the disassemble of the car.. This car sat in a body shop for about 15 years just doing nothing when we bought it.. I had forgotten how clean the floors were.. Got a good start... We will make our changes & then just do a scuff & paint..

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Very cool Chris. Looking forward to seeing how your suspension set up turns out :thumbsup:

So this is the car getting that prototype chassis.... :unibrow:

Yeah me too! It has been an up hill battle trying to get this front suspension done.. The thing is for the last 8 weeks I have gotten a crash course on tuning a suspension.. So all that information is being transfered into our susepension design.. All I can say is that it is adjustable in so many ways.. But this is only for the prototype.. Once we shake it out & proof function.. It will be alot easier to produce.. Tonight we spent doing a buch of imaginary lines for roll center & roll height.. Very pleased with the results but found out that we need to lower the rack n pinion about a 1/2 .. Re-design on the cross member :faint: .. but it all is good.. Have a few talented people helping out!

Yeah! I just could not build this without proofing the prototype myself.. I like to confirm function & test on my personal car for a project this big..

In the end I think it was the right move, Cris. :thumbsup:

We got some progress going on the 68... I will be delivering BB sooon & will need another daily driver 68 Camaro.. :unibrow:

We got the firewall cut & fitting the new one fit.. plus we got the main hoop on the 4 pt cage built.. My guys are giving me a hard time about not running a LS motor in it.. So that is up in the air right now..

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So .. I let Primo.. my main fabricator come up with a game plan on doing a quick mini tub... I walk out later in the afteroon & he has all the tub cut out with the frame rail cut out.. he looks @ me & says .. "Trust Me".. now we need a custom gas tank & the tubs will look like Pro Street tubs.. We are raising the frame rail about 1.50 to run the car low & so that we don't bottom out on the frame rail.. plus we moved it in about 3 inches.. I have this idea about shock placement..

More to come later..


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All I know is that thing is going to be Bitching when done! Can't wait to see more.

Wow! This project is becoming a whole lot bigger than originally planned. Cool.

This is going to be fun to watch come together.

Just another case of scope creep. :D

Thanks for the props guys! But this project is now offically out of control.. I will try not to cut up anymore of it! :unibrow: I got this idea in my head that is just being transfered into this car.. It has to do with the weight distrubution & center of gravitiy..

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The jig saw puzzle has started...

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Nice metal work can't wait to see more.:thumbsup:

Excellent Job on the Subframe! :thumbsup:

how things get out of control.... it'll be sick when done!

Project is looking good nice work! :thumbsup:

Looking good guys.

Man, That is a clean car! Northerners and Back Easters must be drooling.

With so many choices of Subframes on the market already, What is your end result going to be with yours?

I vote for the SBC. The LS is an awesome powertrain but its still way out of the reach for the average joe.

Here are some updates for this week... I made the decision today to go LS on the test car.. It is the bulk of the work we do @ JCG...

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BOOOOOOOOO!!! Rich and I are not happy about that. :lol:

Chris, you guys do great work and come up with some trick pieces.

One observation was on your subframe and rear clip the seams on the steel are in random places, not all to the inside or outside. If someone were to buy one of your subframes and just wanted to paint and install the seams would be noticeable. Alot of grinding and bodywork would be needed to hide the seams. I would just put all of the seams to the inside, may cost you a little more tubing but in the end I think look better. Just my .02

Yeah! But guys need to get out of the stone ages! While your @ it .. bring Todd in from the dark side!



That was a detail that got by on me with a few others.. but this is not a car that will have alot of detail.. It is my test car.. The front sub has been a pain to fabricate... We are looking at ways to optimize for the others I need to build...

Well my first prototype sub-frame has been a challenge… This why we build prototypes so that we can catch the things that will work & need to be modified..
The first thing that was a issue was the steering column that did not have the clearance we needed.. then the frame rails were too narrow to build headers.. then we needed to build engine mounts… then have clearance for accessory drive system…

So plan B.. We redesigned the frame rails to clear all the problems that we were having… It will use 2010 Camaro accessory drive, more friendly for clearances on the steering shaft & headers, & plus it will be fabricated frame rails for optimization of building the frame rails… In the mean time we have modified the first chassis so it can still be used for test purposes & the we finally built the control arms.. We will have Rev 2 of the chassis in a few weeks..


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Your pictures look great. What size is that front tire?

Looking really nice Chris :thumbsup:

Nice updates. Looking really good.

305-30-19 :D .. I think I can make it work.. if not a 295-35-18 will just be fine..


Thank you!

We got around to mounting some front sheetmetal to confirm that all measuremnts were good.. plus check the ride height & center wheel well opening on center of fender... The front tire is a 295-35-18 on 18x10.. Just need to modify the inner well torwards the fender mount for clearance.. We automatically built -1 camber into the lower control arm.. Currently running -3 camber & 5 deg on caster..

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