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!