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1968 DSTRYR Camaro
** Due to my thread being deleted during the server change I'm starting over - sorry if it's repetitive lol**
So in June of last year after coming off of building and working on two import cars I decided it was time for another muscle car. I finally got a decent job and had some income and seeing that I already had a 68 Fastback ten years ago I thought why not do a first gen camaro seeing it's on my bucket list of must own cars. Originally I thought I'll do some quick fixes and get it up and running... man was I wrong. A couple hours on here and seeing coil over set ups, built LS motors, 335 in the back.. ITS LIKE A FAT KID IN A CANDY STORE. *I would also like the thank the Vengeance Camaro as it haunted me wherever I went because of all the press* Out went the window of a basic build and on came the onslaught. So with a buddies trailer and some saved up cash I picked up a camaro shell that was relatively clean but was pretty much that - just a shell. This is still in the sane days before ProTouring/Lat-G filled my head with none sense and convinced me that this was a good idea lol: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psdd8f4f34.jpg http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9cf0b4f8.jpg |
Once we got the car home we cleaned it out and really got a good look at it.
To start someone had attempted a half assed smooth firewall which would need to be fixed and the trunk pan and trunk lid brackets had been cut out. Also a engine front mount had been welded to the subframe and it looks like some used square tube to notch the engine cross member. Well that's going to have to go. Just an idea of what were working with. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pscad6cdb6.jpg Here's my buddy helping me tear down the car. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2566afd6.jpg Once the car was stripped it was time to get the car blasted. While at the blaster I met a welder that was working on concourse cars and decided that out of everyone I spoke to he could do the best work, was passionate about muscle cars, and work with me on getting this done right. So instead of a factory firewall we decided on doing a road race firewall out of 18 gauge steel and really tie it to the body for better rigidity. Us dropping the car and parts off: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2a76c2e7.jpg Once blasted while we faced the issues listed about the car was pretty clean with a solid floor pan. The only additional issues were a stress crack near the passenger rear window and the fender lips were a little rusted out. Out of blasting: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps5179f90e.jpg http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps78315c6d.jpg http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps67663237.jpg http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps38eb09a5.jpg |
sure looks like a nic e car to start with:thumbsup:
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Thanks ^
From the sandblaster it went to the welder where a new road race firewall was to be installed. Seeing we were going full custom we mounted Wilwood drop pedals and braced the wall the handle the force of extreme braking during track runs. A special cove was built into the firewall to give us more accessibility when working on the trans and additional metal was added for down bars. Now for pictures: How it started: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psihqakfah.jpg A special buck was made to hand shape the metal: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psumw7rlkl.jpg Some fitting http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps3lrv9eac.jpg Mid progress bracing http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psnp4wxicx.jpg Getting it in place http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psix6vjfgg.jpg Notching the floor to allow better pedal movement http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pso16wfue0.jpg Pretty much on http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pstu304gtz.jpg Money shot http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psyfbjv0ph.jpg |
Very nice fab work on the firewall,looks great
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I love build photos...
Someone buys a car, and it has PROBLEMS. A roached firewall and a cut up subframe. So what is the answer?? Take what you got and make it automobile art. AWESOME!! Keep the pics coming!! |
Nice work! Keep the pics comin'
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Thanks guys - all the new metal in the car is 18 gauge cold rolled steel and some 16 for bracing.
So originally I bought the car with the following issues:
After sandblasting we discovered that the fenders had a good amount of bondo on them and that it would be better to buy new fenders. We also discovered that someone had rolled one of the fenders pretty badly to add a 1/2 inch of additional clearance on the passenger side so that would need to be squared away - plus the lips had started to rust all together. So the list turned into:
To get all this squared away we put a large order into AMD for fresh metal and it arrived like a christmas package to the welder! http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pslrl85ome.jpg While all this was getting taken car of I was on the hunt for drivetrain/suspension and came across a hybrid LS motor for sale that was used by Hot Rod Magazine to do a cam test then shelved and never put into an actual car... I had to pick it up. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps6988df84.jpg |
While the firewall was being worked on I knew I needed to get my suspension squared away. Original I thought of just doing a factory restore with some after market arms and brakes for the front and a new mono leaf set up. A neighbor of mine had done the same to his firebird but he had been working on the car for over 10 years so I thought it might have been a bit out dated even though he swore by it.
So after months and months of research reviewing stuff from Speedtech and Chassisworks and DSE I settled on the DSE Quadralink. Why? Well I liked Speedtech's set up but the idea of a torque arm running down the center of the car bugged me. Chassisworks stuff is nice but I couldn't find more than 2 cars running the set up and I'm big on hearing what customers say about a product and not ones that are on the sellers website. Then DSE.. more expensive then the rest but multiple people have used the set up. Its customizable and upgradable when it comes to the shocks which are made by JRi which are the same people from Penske. And I found plenty of real world reviews and test video... even Jay Leno's reviewed it lol At the same time the Quadralink would be installed my welder made a very valid point. My trunk is cut, the car is sandblasted... there is absolute no better time to mini tub the car. So after some careful consideration and weighing the cost (even throwing up a forum thread to discuss it) the car will get mini tubbed with a DSE Quadralink set up. After 2 months of waiting it was like christmas in the shop again http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psaz8smkd7.jpg |
Now that we had a good portion of the parts in house it was time to move to the back of the car.
Modification list for the rear: Road race package tray and close out panel DSE Mini tubs and Quadralink Custom trunk pan and Fuel Cell Speedway Engineering Full Floater Rear End New trunk hinges and mounting brackets To start a custom package tray was made and and re-enforced with a dimple die back brace: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps55c8b160.jpg The factory tubs were also cut out and the mini tubs fitted for clearance and fit against the tray http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2hsjvqdb.jpg Once installed this is the view of the dimple die brace from the trunk side. I think it looks pretty nice and a perfect detail piece. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqwvp3awf.jpg With the package tray made next up was mini tubs and the DSE Quadralink mounts. Nice clean fitment of the tubs and getting the center cross member in place. These are still in progress shots, everything has been re-enforced and closed out to make a really solid rear structure. Once the car is done with welding I'll take some detailed shots of the bracing. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psfaojsulk.jpg http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...pswofq4xrx.jpg Seeing that the floor was cut out the welder went ahead and made a solid piece forward of the cross member to weld to the factory sheet metal and add further bracing in the rear. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps3ql3gezn.jpg Nice shot of it almost complete: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psdxqvb3nl.jpg |
That's some seriously nice fab work,great job:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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real nice work, what shop are you working with?
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impressive! keep up the good work! :thumbsup:
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Vince, I'm working with a guy named Rick O'Dell and his shop is called O'Dell Kustoms and Fabrication out in Santa Clarita Ca. When I met him he was working on a Fiat and a Alfa Romeo for a concourse restorations and he pretty much had to make all the parts. I really loved the work he did and seeing at heart, he was a muscle car guy I knew the car would be in good hands. So far I'm really impressed with the detail work on the car. |
we are too! :thumbsup:
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With the package tray in place the tubs done and the cross member brace done next was a close out panel. Not sure about most autocross event rules but having a close out panel between the gas tank and the passenger cabin is always a good precaution. So a square panel was made and mocked up to fit between the package tray and cross member: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psye4xk10u.jpg Once in place the final fit was really nice but we still had space between the tubs and panel: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psfh0s5kp1.jpg So custom fill in plates were made to complete the look and the whole thing was welded in place - came out great! http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psy8hep0yh.jpg |
Guys.. now that you've seen the rear seat area I need advice on how I should finish it off. I do want to add a rear seat but I'm not a big fan of the bench and with so much modification and custom work just covering it up seems like an atrocity.
If I do add seats I was thinking of a bucket set up - nothing super comfy just enough to take more than 1 person to lunch or a car show. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated and maybe some examples of what people have done in the past. Also I love the look of it raw and don't even want to paint it... but I know I will have to. In regards to the front I do want to run a sport seat that will allow a 4/5 point harness. And there will be a roll bar with a removable harness bar. |
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I think a fabricated bomber style seat with wrapped inserts in strategic locations would be different...for Camaro's at least. But then it may f-up all your front seat choices.
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Here are the evo x seats: http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...ront-seats.jpg Ahh... I need to get this locked down so I can make sure I have room for the roll bar and make sure the welder adds to proper re-enforcement brackets. Everything interconnected with these cars... |
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Thats an interesting head rest shape. Maybe a fabricated version on the fronts. Be a nice bead roll design in some aluminum. |
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In the mean time while all this welding work was being done I picked up a square set of Forgelines 18x10's that I'm going to re- lip once the sub frame lands. http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psd2lhwzpg.jpg |
Fricken awesome work
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So with the rear tubs done and the wheels purchased we measure the wheels against the tubs and that gave us a 55.5 axle length when measuring from one WMS to the other. I called DSE and they said that there should be at minimum 1 inch between the rim and tub so we add 2 inches to the axle length for either side making it 57.5 - this gives us a 4 inch lip in the back when widening the wheels to 12 inches (currently 10 inches with a 2 inch lip).
We also measured the distance from the fender lip to the rim and 1 side gave us 3.5 inches and the other gave us 4.0 inches due to one of the lips being rolled. Once the trunk is done we'll move to stage three of the car which is tunnel modification (if needed) once the sub frame arrives, widening/fixing/evening the rear fenders, and any type or roll bar. So at the minimum we had 3.5 inches of clearance - 1 for inner tub the wheel clearance - 2 for going to a 12 inch wheel leaving a half inch of clearance from the outer edge of the wheel to the factory fender lip. We'll be reviewing later if we want to go wider and if there are any obstacles we may hit. With the axle size and math figured out I got in contact with Ken Sapper at Speedway Engineering and we went thru the process of building a custom floater 9 inch rear end with the DSE brackets welded on. Starting with choosing the style of the center section so it keeps the fluid where it needs to be, custom bracing and baffling from the center section to the axle tubes, 31 spline axles, and mod light hubs in 5x4.75 - I already have a braced iron center section and Eaton True Trac. This thing is built tough and light... The housing: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psvaepftw4.jpg The hubs: http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/x...psaboqyagx.jpg |
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impressed that is, |
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Guys I'm coming across a dilemma.. in an effort try and get this car done as quickly as possible i'm buying parts and for each phase of the project instead of consecutive order. Next up is brakes.. now I wanted to get the car on the ground and get a total weight and corner weight so I could choose the appropriate brakes but seeing that everything is coming together at once I could really use some advice on what brakes work best for these cars and there characteristics. Some info on the car: Suspension is full detroit speed with quadralink, subframe, single adjustable shocks and front and rear sway bars sub frame connectors + plus reinforced body stiffening from all the weld work. Wheels are Forgeline GA3R 18x10 front 18x12 rear - Going for 335 (maybe 345) rear tire and 305 or 315 front. (open to input) Motor is currently 500+ but there's still room to grow. The block is iron so that's an extra hundred up front. (6.0 LQ9 block, LS3 heads, arp studs, hot cam) With that suspension, that grip and that power how much braking is needed and from your experience what's the average weight of a LS 1st gen Camaro. |
Just a quick update since it's been a bit quiet...
My Detroit Speed subframe should be shipping today and be here around next week!!!!! It was a hard decision but I think the right one... I had to break it up into payments with Mike at Musclerodz and really thank him for working on this with me. Also yesterday I ran over to JCG and picked up a 22 gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell that he had for sale. It originally came with the Blu Ballz camaro but was never used or had gas in it. When I showed up he was working on a deep purple Challenger with a Mast motor in it. He was incredibly nice and took me and my GF plus the welder for a quick tour. We got to check out Blu Ballz and I was just in awe trying my best not to act like a fan boy. There are some really talented people working on these cars and you can just appreciate the work they put into them. Pictures to come... |
man you hit the parts mother load....Im sending you a PM but your inbox is full.
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Subframe showed up and it looks awesome! No issues with shipping and definitely a profession job. The subframe will sit in the crate until we can get the rear fenders finalized and move to the front... stay tuned.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/...ab89d64c_c.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/...09ab9575_c.jpg https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2896/...536652b4_c.jpg |
You will be very satisfied with that subframe,they are nice:thumbsup:
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Oh, that's preeeeeety. Congrats! Good luck moving forward with everything.
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So it's been awhile since I updated but things have been moving... slowly.
To start we had a cut out panel on the driver rear window lucky enough Vince saved the day and was able to provide an OEM piece of just the cut out so I didn't have to buy the entire sail panel. Here's the installed piece all lined up and pretty. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5592/...9718dbd9_z.jpg We also picked up a 22 gallon Fuel Safe fuel cell from Chris Gonzales over in Oxnard and are fitting the tank in the trunk. The goal is to have it not show from the lower valence for a clean look and to allow as much ground clearance when the car is staged for track use. Also the tank support will run from one rail to the other for added rigidity and bracing. Starting with measurement of the tank and trunk we got our main box support https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3873/...2863e185_z.jpg Clean tig welds: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3864/...7a0ed6d2_z.jpg threaded locks are added to attach the tank to the brace using the 20 + tank cover screws. This thing isn't going anywhere and is legal across all racing sanctions. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/...9d3081b9_z.jpg Setting the trunk fitment - it's going to be tight. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5566/...359eb685_z.jpg I'll update once we've got a final install. AD |
looking good AD!!!!!
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Update time!
With the trunk pieces made it was time weld in the new hinges we received from AMD but to do this a new trunk lid was needed because one never came with the car. Weighing my options I considered the follow: Oem used trunk lid - I've searched for 6 months already and could not find one that was in good enough condition to deserve going on the car. 37-40lbs of sheet metal plus metal work plus bondo, I might as well use a man hole cover. AMD aluminum trunk lid - $400 - drops the weight to 13 lbs but shipping is going to be killer and to be honest I've had some issues with them (parts are out of stock, no shipping timeline, and first set of hinges were defective). Last... Anvil Auto trunk lid - 9lbs - This is the most expensive lid out of the list but it's lighter than the rest and comes from a company with a good rep. Also there local so no shipping cost and great to work with. And the winner is: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/...ae3bcd5e0d.jpg Anvil Auto! After weighing my options and talking with the people at Anvil I felt that this was the best option for the car. I was able to go down to there warehouse last Wednesday, review there inventory, and talk to the staff. I picked up a satin trunk lid that i will be painted down and the fit on the car is great. While at the shop we had to determine the final fitment of the wheels so we mounted the hubs to the Speedway Engineering floater rear and got some final numbers. https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/...c9a0ee71_c.jpg If you look closely you can see the Fuel Safe fuel cell where the license plate would be. We opted for a 22 gallon fuel cell so the car could make the distance on long drives. I previously had called DSE and they said with a 16- 18 gallon tank (approx) they were making about 200 miles per fill up (LS7) and that just doesn't cut it for me. Once mounted up we got our final inside measurements and after mulling over the math when choosing a rear end size we ended up with 1 1/8 clearance from inner fender well (with mini tubs) to the wheel - pretty tight tolerances but just enough room. The tank plus DSE suspension, plus the wheels and rear end come together nicely. (please excuse the cell phones pics) https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3871/...2b5343ee_c.jpg better look at the tank set up (still not finalized) https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5552/...50bcd604_c.jpg The wheels are currently at 10 inches wide and I'm planning on widening them. After discussing with my welder we feel that massaging the fender like Tim Allen's car or Blu Ballz would be needed to handle track conditions with a 335/30/18. Doing this is still up in the air... any thoughts guys? https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/...36a62a72_c.jpg |
very nice,
can't go wrong with anvil and a 22gal. I like the way you guys pushed it back to close up the space. Reduces fab work and creates a natural belly pan. On the flare, are you guys replacing the quarter panels? |
Nice welds. Its looking good.
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Looking great!! What wheels are throws?? I really like them.
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We purchased some AMD quarter panels just in case but the quarters are pretty clean except some rot around the fender line. I will note that someone baseball bat rolled the fender on the driver side which gave 4 inches of clearance on the left and 3.5 on the right. The flare would mostly be to allow a 335 to fit and freely move during a track run without hitting. Also fix the bad roll job. |
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Final install
So first up we had to get the trunk hinges welded in so a riser was made to position them correctly. I thought they came out pretty cool and the dimple die is a nice detail touch. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3911/...130b8ddb_c.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3905/...d9653398_c.jpg After risers it was time to finish off the fuel cell cage. Each end is tied to the frame rail for added reinforcement. A filler panel was made for all four sides of the box to close out the trunk floor. Final out come... https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/...796868cc_c.jpg https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5582/...1ee16054_c.jpg https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/...500b7db9_c.jpg I'm really happy with the end result! |
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