1969 Camaro Build Thread
 

So I have been lurking around these forums for years and last year finally pulled the trigger on purchasing a 1969 Camaro. This will be a very slow build so hope you guys are patient!

I took delivery of the car two weeks ago from Mike over at Mikes Custom Car's.

Everyone loves pictures so on to the pictures!

I will start with several photos of the car that Mike sent me along the way. I went ahead and had him perform the following work prior to shipping out:

Mini Tubs
Completely smoothed firewall
Shaved Drip Rails
Detroit Speed Subframe Connectors

Firewall progress photos:

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A few photos of the Drip Rail work, DSE Minitubs and the DSE subframe connectors getting ready to go in.

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https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7586/...d957d977_z.jpgIMG_0192 by derekpeterson867, on Flickr

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Nice! And welcome. :popcorn2: Keep 'em coming!

Like the shaved drip rails. Not saying, I really "regret" not shaving mine, but I kind of wish I did before mine went to paint.

So fast forward several months and it was finally delivery day. Luckily the delivery went off without a hitch. Mike really took his time when packing all the parts and pieces to make sure things would arrives safely.

This is just one photo and doesn't show all the boxed up parts that came with the car(Doors, hood, fenders, etc.)

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So I already had several ideas from here on Lat-g and jumped right onto spraying the inside of the car with Upol Raptor Liner. Sprayed really easy and I think that it came it great. This is just the first application and and I intend to also use the same coating in trunk as well.

I taped everything up well, set it at 60 PSI and sprayed.

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I had also already ordered up a Year One smooth rear bumper. I mocked it up for first fit and naturally it didn't fit to my liking so out with the Metabo...

I didn't take great photos here but i probably removed around 3/4" on both sides. In the middle of this my welder decided to take a crap so I wasn't able to get the section welded back in. Good thing I bought a Miller and their warranty is easy to deal with!

Scared the crap out of me and reminded me why I keep fire extinguishers on hand in the shop. I already had my hood down when I smelled something strange. Raised my hood and my whole shop was full of smoke. Luckily no harm done.

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So after all that I decided to call it a night. They say Camaro's don't like to stay alone...

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Prior to taking delivery I had already ordered up an entire Speedtech setup including a whole new subframe, torque arm suspension and ford 9" rear end.

Also pictured are the Baer front brakes. I haven't had a chance to weld up the brackets (broken machine) for the torque arm but that is on the short list. Once the rear end is mocked up and brackets are welded in I will be spraying the entire underside with Raptor liner as well.

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And I guess now is as good a time as any to share the rending I had Shawn work up for me.

Looking for some feedback on the wheel selection as I would like to get them ordered in the coming weeks and get ready to put the car on the ground.

Color is Ferrari Grigio Silverstone (same as RS Cuda) but this may change...

Wheels are Forgeline with their Transparent Smoke Centers and Polished Lips.

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Thanks! I was on the fence but figured better to do it now and get it over with. He did a really good job on them. He already had the top of the car removed so it made sense to spend the money now as opposed to later.

Nice work, I like it

I was a lurker for a while as well. Great starting point. Those MCC bodies are really well put together and you won't have to mess rust, poorly done previous repairs, door/trunk gaps and all the other fitment problems. I used to love going to the MCC website and looking at all the photos of body shells brought back from the dead, and I learned so much from watching. I was really bummed when the photo section no longer worked. Must be exciting to have a whole garage of brand new "candy store" items? Good luck with the project and post often - subscribed!

Very nice build so far,I like it:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Subscribed! Congratulation's on getting the car home. Like SlowProgress said no worries about rust now. You have some sweet parts for it.
I love the garage and what's in it ! What size is it?

Thanks guys!

Wayne - shop is 20x24. It's going to be a tight squeeze with two cars but I will make it work. You run out of room quick when a car is in pieces lol.

That's why the wife's car and my Tahoe are outside right now.

Awesome project! The smoke clear wheels will go perfect with the car color. :thumbsup:

At the fun part.
 

Assembling new parts on a clean body....enjoy!

Gonna be nice. I may run into you sometime at a show. I live in the New Orleans area, and my car is almost finished.

- Sammy

Hey guys have a few more updates to post.

I went ahead and sprayed Raptor in the trunk as well. Everything back here will likely be covered up but I already had the materials so figured I might as well spray it.

Everything taped up and ready to go.

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Sprayed and done!

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I also went ahead and installed all of my dynamat. I had most of this from a previous project so I went ahead and put it to use. I usually stick with the 25% coverage rule for CLD but again, already had the materials. Plus, the extra weight may give my Ford buddies a shot :lol:

I also left part of the transmission tunnel without dynamat. I purchased a tunnel modification from Speedtech so I want to get that installed before covering up the entire tunnel.

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A couple months back I reached out to Clint over at The Shop and had him send me a set of his kick panels and also a package tray. I don't have all of the photos but impressed with the quality. I think they will look great once finished. These photos are just of them mocked up.

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And probably the most important thing accomplished was the installation of my Speedtech Torque Arm rear suspension. I don't have a lot of progress photos along the way but here is the almost finished product. I was able to get the housing centered up so that I could pull hard measurements for wheels. I didn't installed the third member yet but will do that and set the pinion angle once I am closer to getting the car on the ground.

I still need to clean up the welds with a flapper wheel and get some primer on them.

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Ignore the "L" sticker. I was just using the rotor to pull the correct measurements for wheels

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And last but not least I got my wheels ordered up this week. I changed them up a bit from my original plan. I went with a stepped lip and eliminated the exposed hardware. The wheels are Forgeline GZ3 with transparent smoke centers and polished outer.

I ordered 18x9 for the front and 19x12 for the rear.

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Good call on going with the hidden hardware on the wheels. I like the clean look and went that way with my Rushforth Night Trains. Looks like you have a good foundation and list of parts to start with.

Love how clean your shop is and your attention to detail on all of the items you've shown so far. Looking forward to seeing this one come together.

Doug

The Raptor liner came out great. The torque arm looks ready for action. I like the hidden hardware on the wheels too.

You are doing a great job. Work looks great. Really like the wheels without the hardware.

I agree,great job:thumbsup:

This looks like the left front kick panel area along with what looks like insulation stuff in the hole. That may not be the best idea as that is where the water runs from the wiper cowl.

very clean work!!!

Any more info or pics of how you did your drip rails. It looks really good.

Very nice work on this build! Great idea with the shaved drip rails...looks real clean. I bought the kick panels from Clint and wondered what the insulation is/was for? The speaker pods are sealed, so no worries about it getting wet...... is this for sound deadening? I hooked my system up and gave it a "test" run and thought that the front speakers sounded a bit odd. (echoish/boxy) Not sure if I need some adjustment, or should I have used the insulation??

I think that is a box so enclosed to the weather.

Thanks, you have a great build going as well!

Thanks. It's a small shop so I have to keep things organized.

Thanks Wayne!

Glad everyone agrees. Always tough to decide on wheels. I think they are going to look great though.

Thanks!

Thanks for the heads up. The area where you see the insulation is actually closed on the backside so no worries on that getting wet or causing issues.

Thanks Vince!

I can't take credit for the body/metal work. All of this was done by Mike over at MCC prior to me taking delivery of the car. I am very happy with the results though.

Car audio guys have been using polyfill in enclosure for a long time. I don't know the exact science behind it but it certainly will not hurt.

nice work!

My wheels showed up yesterday. It will be a while before I can get the tires mounted and balanced but I think I am in love...

Wheels are Forgeline GZ3 18x9 and 19x12 with in their transparent smoke finish. I also ordered up my tires and decided on Michelin Pilot Super Sport 275s / 325s.

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Those are very nice,will look great on your car:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

The wheels are just stunning! These are going to look great.... The wheels will be the first "upgrade" on my ride when it's done.

Thanks guys. I ordered up a Max Jax two post lift today to make my life a little easier. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will have the car on the ground under it's own feet....

1969 build
 

Very nice wheels
Mine just shipped and are the GZ3R- same but
no caps as I always leave them off since I race a lot

Went with gun metal centers and polished outers and exposed
hardware as I just like to see the reflection of the bolts
on the wheel... just my thing

I went round and round but kept coming back to
the Forgelines

Good choice.. now finish that car up and
start using them:)

Bob

Updates coming soon......


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Very cool car.