73 Camaro - Better Grow a Mullet!
 

So, as my truck build winds down (it's a 68 GMC C1500 with a bunch of goodies) I needed something else to play with. I've always wanted a 2nd gen Camaro. Something about the 72 vintage that I love, considering that I am a 72 vintage.

Long story short, I got the itch to get rid of a Chopper I built/bought... a 2012 Bourget Fat Daddy with a 131 Cubic inch R&R motor in it. Was offered a trade, plus some cash and took it.

It's a 73 Camaro, pretty base model, but someone spent some time with it. It has the original 350 LT, 4 speed manual and floors that came with it. Fenders are a little tender and it's not the best paint, but very workable. Someone also added a Weiand 177 blower to it.

After reading around a bunch of different vendors, picking up some guidance and talking with my friend Darren at Ride Tech, we've decided on the following mods: Scott Mock C6 mandrel bent frame, Scott Mock installed 5th Gen Camaro IRS, de-tuned LS3 (reducing stroke, increasing bore) to mimic an old school DZ302 (more like DZ329), DSE mini tubs, Ride Tech shocks, ZR1 TR6060 trans and a bunch of stainless exhaust. Will get Pro Car Rally seats in black leather, vintage air and a heck of an audio system.

Already have most of the parts in the garage. Just waiting to strip the Camaro, load the parts in the enclosed trailer and take a drive for a burrito.

Oh and this is not my first rodeo. My dad started a restoration business in 1972 that I inherited when he passed on. Performance cars are fun, but wanted to send this out to someone who's built a bunch of them. We do things like 60's Ferrari's, Porsches and other stock exotics that don't handle, accelerate or brake like this one will.

The intent is a cruiser that when thrown into a corner will cause you to vomit.

To that end, I hope to lighten it up quite a bit. The entire Anvil carbon fiber catalog will be thrown at it.

To slow it down, I worked with Jay at Budnik and picked up some Baer 14" brakes... we're also doing wheels while he's at it.

I did an intro a while back with my truck. I've promised a few folks a build thread. Figured I'd start with something we're actually building vs one that's mostly finished. WaynieZ made me do it :hello:

As I said, first thing I did was read about 60 or 70 build threads, from end to end.

Darren talked me into a Ride Tech Tiger Cage (love stainless and aluminum). Also have to run their shocks, since he's helped me with so many projects. I am going to lift his daughter's power wheels for him, since he won't do it himself.

I spoke to a few frame and sub frame manufacturers and really wanted IRS. Have you looked at the cost?

Enter in my penchant for factory engineering and trying to retrofit what I can... if they spend hours and millions developing something, it has to be good.

Enter in the 2013 Camaro SS rear suspension pull out. It's out of a 6 mile car that got dropped off the car carrier. It's nice to have friends in low places, as most of you would cry at what I paid for this and 4 other complete cars. I dropped out the center diff, intending to add a 9" or Strange 60 center chunk. Seems the aftermarket support is amazing for this config, as I found adjustable rear links, stronger center sections and different axle shafts out the wazoo. I also have a ZL1 differential with the LSD and larger gear sets. Will be fun breaking it.

Since my 8 year old said: "I love small cars with big horsepower" I had to change up some things while we were cruising to her soccer games. The 70's called, they wanted their 14" unilugs... and I had a set of Boyd (the real ones, not the Chinese ones) in 17" and 18" that would fit this car and provide no traction for great burn outs... so they went on. This car also has a 70's vintage Cherry Bomb exhaust, you know, what everyone had in the 70's, hated ever since, but got a revival in the late 2000's?

I am so NOT wearing plaid pants, ever again.

This is going to be an awesome build.

I mentioned a DZ302 like build.

I had one in a 1st gen Camaro. Loved that I could rev the piss out of it. Pretended that I raced Trans-Am back in the day.

I also found a Callies Magnum XL crank for dirt cheap on eBay. Again, people would cry. It's a 3.185" stroke. Add 6.350" Callies Ultra H beam rods and a .30 over bore with some other fun stuff in the motor and you end up with a high revving light weight power plant that looks like it should live in a 73 Mullet Mobile.

I did a dual quad intake on it... not sure if that will stay, as I may do a cross ram intake with dual throttle bodies. Still playing with the "look" of the motor, but it's light weight (100lbs or more lighter than the SBC with blower) with more HP/TQ than the SBC.

This motor should go well with the TR6060 that's being built for this. Carbon Fiber synchros, bronze pads on every fork, center shift conversion that started off in a ZL1 and is now being worked over to live at high rpm, including external oil ports for a cooler, reservoir and oil pump.

Hi Scott!

My oldest daughter loves the red... and we've decided the car needs to be pull me over red. I talked her into a gold base with candy apple red over the top. Since we're doing carbon fiber, she's also letting me do RS/SS stripes in carbon fiber that will be clear coated with the rest of it.

Jay at Budnik is doing G5's for me, with brushed centers in what ever size Scott tells me will clear the biggest square meats we can fit.

We decided that the cowl hood's gone... and since we're doing carbon fiber that the interior needed to be black. It was also a bit destroyed by the previous owner(s) so we also added Dakota Digital gauges to the mix. BTW, the car was originally baby poop brown, so I feel like I can do anything I want to this very un-original car. Although metallic root beer is a color that I want to do on a vehicle, maybe a Jeep, as I do those too.

Scott also wanted the motor, trans, interior and gas tank out. Said something about not welding near fumes,afraid to blow himself up ...

Oh, we also added JW Speaker LED headlights, as we had them kicking around. Somehow, the interior fell out. It's also fairly tall... but had some REALLY thick sway bars. Redid the steering at this point to make it less floaty, but WOW is the suspension shot.

Sweet project.

This is going to be a fun build. Good luck with it!

Nice Build!
 

That IRS is gonna be sweet .... nice score on the assembly fer sure!

Keep us informed w pixs of course!

Of course, Chief.

Odd saying that here, been saying it most of my life. I am retired Navy :) thus part of the build thread's title.

Scott should also post pics here.

I'm really looking forward to this build! It's going to turn out incredible.

Awesome start. Can't wait to see some sparks flyin.

Sad thing is that I am in wait mode, as Scott will be taking the next steps. I can take a bunch of pics of parts, but no fab happens beyond the engine and transmission. I am trailering it out to Scott at the end of the month.

What oil pan do you use to put the Ls motor in the Camaro ? That sounds like a nice trip going to Scotts shop. I love his sub frames.

We use the 4th Gen Camaro LS1 pan. Could use an LSA pan.

Ok this is going to be cool, looking forward to see what Scott does when he gets it!! :D

Me too. Right now, I have a pile of boxes that's taking up an entire bay. All his toys to play with. Then I get to order interior.

Yesterday was one of those, when I feel like this project's going backwards (It is). Taking more parts off than are going on.

Then you get a text from your trans provider and you can see oil ports in the beautifully powder coated trans case:

Thanks for your service, you were saying "Of course Chief" but what you really meant is ........! lol

Michael

Back atcha. Many Chiefs made my job easier, especially when I thought I knew what I was doing :lostmarbles:

And I sit in my office today, making vroom, vroom noises playing with the Core shifter I got in. Got a short shift rod, so I can weld, bend and re-anodize it the way I want it.

Just got off the phone with Scott, love the communication. Going to get the best job he's ever done. Love hearing that commitment.

This project start's at 8:00am Tuesday morning. I'm so pumped about this job, I am going to treat it as if it was my personal project. :thankyou: John.

Sub-frame is getting some dimply goodness.

Love seeing the mandrel bent rails.

After the IRS audit notification, this was nice to see.

That's some sweet iron right there, and a work of art when its done.

Nice parts!! Get it done!!!

Got to love dimples... easy to blast the powder coat gun into and ensure that everything is coated well. Although this car will not intentionally see bad weather, I do live in New England. Corrosion protection is critical.

Houston, we have a crossmember
 

With some TIG welded goodness.

Nice project
 

This is a very cool project. Subscribed. I haven't read enough threads on Gen 2 Camaros, so I hadn't heard about fitting a 5th gen IRS into one. This will be a very interesting project to follow. Love the description you gave about throwing it in a corner and vomit. At times I wish all roads had great corners to throw cars into.

Keep up the progress reports with pics.

Rod in HB

Beautiful welds.

Upper A-arm mounts are done. We also talked about a brace strut, as the Tiger Cage won't connect to the firewall, so we have a bung on the top of the A-arm mount. Should add quite a bit of rigidity for both the suspension and frame. The frame will triangulate the firewall and each side in a H configuration. I do this on my high speed 4wd builds that take 15' whoops at 70+ mph.

The welds continue to be amazing and metal prep looks like it will be beautiful with either powder coat or electrostatic charged paint. You can also see that the coil over mount will have multiple adjustment points, same as I do with the Class 4 trucks we've built.

I have not read many using 5th Gen factory parts on a 2nd Gen. Just kits by other manufacturers. We'll see what this takes to get it done, Scott may turn it into a kit as well.

I bet it would be a popular one.

Pieces parts dancing a jig.
 

Really getting excited to see this in black powder coat, sporting a LS-DZ... also got the trans lined up.

Is the black 6 speed you posted going in here?

Yes, mid shift TR6060. Need to make a shifter for it. Using a 4th gen Fbody center console on top of the trans tunnel that Scott Mock will modify to fit.

Lookin Good

Thanks Jay - Can't wait to see Budniks on it.

Well I met John, his son & Friend Tarell today. Very nice folk's. It's so cool to meet good customer's.:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Subscribed.

Ps bringing my Scott Mock subframe home next weekend to start working on it. Can't wait to put it together.


Marty-MJ
www.garagescene.net