1967 Camaro RS - "Recycler"

[James OLC]

Well after almost 5 years it's time to get after my wife's car - a 1967 Camaro RS that we've decided to call "Recycler". I bought the car about midway through the OneLapCamaro build with the (silly) idea of maybe building it at the same time (didn't happen) and it's been sitting in the garage ever since. I've gone back and forth with what to do with the car since I got it and although it is a highly optioned (RS, deluxe interior, power windows, 8-track, fold down seat, remote mirror, tilt column, etc) number matching (327 4bbl glide) car in an unusual color (royal plum) stock just doesn't do anything for me (us) anymore.

Why "Recycler"? Three reasons actually... First reason goes back to when my wife and I were dating shortly after we graduated from high school - I had a '67 Camaro that I was bracket racing and she had a '68 that was her daily driver (turbothrift 250 with a glide and a bench seat). Well she would come to the track on the weekends and more often then not I found myself "borrowing" this or that to get through the weekend... plug wires, coils, brake drums, etc. Her car became my first sponsor Second reason... fast forward to the first year I had this car - which I got as a project for her. I bought the car out of Ketchikan, Alaska and when I got it it had a complete NOS front clip that was about 10 years old and still unpainted. Anyways, long story short, I couldn't find any decent reproduction sheetmetal for the OLC so I kind of "borrowed" the clip off this one too. Third (and most obvious) reason is that I have so many bits and pieces left over from the OLC that I can pretty much build another car anyways. The fact that we're both fans of ZZ Top might have had some influence as well.

Anyways, I finally got the car loaded up and on it's way to Heighton Restoration to get a start on the bodywork. The car itself is really solid but the drivers side door was folded on to itelf when the previous owner "backed out of the garage with the door open" and the passenger side quarter is a typical 80's fix - a full quarter welded on top of a rusty quarter. The drivers quarter has some rust that needs to be addressed and the rear tail light panel is "dented". The front sheet metal is some of the original pieces that came on the OLC as well as some test panels that we weren't happy with at the time.

Here are some shots of it getting loaded up yesterday: