DWC's 1968 Camaro project

[DWC]

Although this project will not be close to the level of most of the very impressive builds here on Lat-G, I figured I'd share regardless. Mods- if this needs to be moved/deleted, just let me know.

Last summer I got the itch for a project that was different from what I've done in the past. I'd built/played with an FFR Cobra, '95 Mustang Cobra track day car, 2 '99 M3's, and 2 330i's. I wanted something different... The 99 M3 I currently had was in great condition and I couldn't bring myself to convert it into a track car. With the price of E36 M3's on the rise, I said what the hell...and listed it for sale. I wanted an older car with a V8 and had always loved the look of the first gen Camaros. Initially I was looking for 69's, but I found I now preferred the 68 body lines and interior and got more serious about my search.

I found a 68 for sale relatively local and pulled the trigger on it. Overall, the car was in good shape. The one thing I didn't want was a rusty mess. There were some small rust areas here and there and the driver floor pan needed to be replaced, but nothing too bad.

I've never owned a car this old or a car with a carb. I've scoured through the many excellent build threads here for knowledge/motivation. My plan with the car is a reliable nice-weather driver that can perform at an autocross. Part pro-touring, part resto-mod, part who the hell knows. I hope to gain some knowledge from those of you who know what the hell you're doing.

Updates to come as parts arrive.

Daniel

[DWC]

More photos:

[DWC]

Progress has been slow- out of town, family, house projects, blah, blah....

Finally got the factory spot welds removed. Trimmed the old and new floor pans to fit as tightly as I could.

Then started tacking the new pan in. Took a handful of tacks to get the welder settings where I needed them. Trying to take my time and not overheat/warp as I go.

Once I finish this floor pan, I'll remove the front body panels/hood/engine/trans. I'll pull the subframe to clean, seam weld, install Chicane front coilover mounts, and paint.

Interesting note- I was nosing around the engine bay...I haven't really touched that area because I was focused on the floor pan. The seller told me it had a SBC 350. Well.....according to the casting number at the driver's rear of the block, 330817, I have a '72-'80, 2 bolt main, SBC 400. I know _nothing_ about the SBC 400, so I have alot of research to do. So far, I don't think that's a bad thing. I just didn't want a BBC due to the weight.

The Edelbrock intake manifold model number tells me it is for Vortec heads. From the intake manifold bolt pattern/orientation, I believe Vortec's are what I have.

[DWC]

I got the driver's floor pan and seat brace/bracket welded in.

I spun the car around in the garage so the front's facing out to give me room to pull the engine/trans then the subframe. I've started to disassemble the front clip- bagging and tagging as I go.

Daniel

[DWC]

I got the front clip removed. The radiator support was in pretty good condition. There's a crack and a bit of rust in one of the lower corners that will need some attention. The driver's fender and fender extension look pretty good. The passenger fender has some rust at the lower body mount area along with a decent amount of bondo at the front inner corner. The top of the passenger fender extension where it meets the fender is full of bondo also.

The blower fan box and heater core came out easy. Also got some miscellaneous trim and other items removed.

[DWC]

Pulled the engine and trans.

I got the subframe pulled and pressure washed after soaking it in Simple Green. I wire brushed some of the seams on the underside and started welding them up. There's still too much crap in the creases and pores of the metal because the welds were coming out very porous. I'm going to have it media blasted. Once that's done, I'll heat the seams with a torch and try to burn the remaining crap out. I also trimmed the factory shock tower mounts in preparation for the Chicane coilover mounts.

The headers were covered in rust. I sanded, cleaned and painted them and they turned out pretty well.

Before and after header photos.

Daniel