Project Intro: 68 Camaro "Cha Ching"

[Gmachine1911]

I've learned lots on my journey thru this. Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons was that despite agonizing over certain parts and combinations and then pulling the trigger on said parts, it's funny how you seem to be unsatisfied with certain aspects of things and waste money along the way, all in the name of form or function or just minor direction changes. Case in point was with the hydraulic clutch that came in my American Powertrain T56 Kit...great kit and great people to work with but didn't use hardly anything from their hydraulic clutch kit except the braided line and a fitting. It's those seemingly small details that you don't know what you don't know at the time you're buying it! If anyone needs one, let me know, I've got a 95% complete Hydramax kit I'd sell...

[Gmachine1911]

This was another one of those "minor direction changes" I was talking about. Since my original plan was to keep the 427 BBC engine until I could swing an LS, I opted for the Baer Remaster 15/16" with plans for manual brakes (the motor doesn't make enough vacuum to properly supply power brakes and I didn't want the extra clutter of a hydra boost). When I ordered the master, I inadvertently got the wrong prop valve from Baer so i had to order the Remaster valve. Maybe I should call this project "Nickel & Dime!"

[Gmachine1911]

So, as I mentioned before, one of the goals of this build was to fix some of the issues I could never seem to get lined out on the car and ultimately have a reliable, fun driver that would stop, go fast, corner like a beast, have the perfect stance, etc...overall, I wanted to challenge myself as much as I could, not overstep my abilities and turn out the closest thing to my dreams that my budget would allow.
One of the biggest problems I've fought over the years was simply getting the car to stop. Sounds simple but way back when, I put factory style manual front discs on the car and they worked perfectly. Then, after a time, I wanted to put rear disc brakes (still manual) on the car for both the cool factor and function. That was my biggest mistake ever! Not just the brakes, but the supplier I chose. I won't name names but for ease of reference, I'll just refer to them as a "Small ****ty Brake Company" or SSBC for short. It was hard to determine which was worse, the brake kit or the customer service. Anyway, for years, I battled trying to get the brakes to stop, stop dragging, and everything else...too stubborn to just put the drums back on and eventually it just made it so miserable and frustrating to drive that the car sat almost year around for several years.
With that said, one area I was not going to compromise on was my brake system. I determined that among many great mfg's out there, I would go with Baer and I'd make every effort to use only one supplier's parts to hopefully get the best outcome.
After I ordered the brakes and the Quadralink, the more I thought about it, the more I knew I'd never be completely satisfied with my original subframe and if I was gonna spend money upgrading my subframe, then I might as well just spend the difference and buy what I felt would be a subframe I could grow into that would also check the "handling" and "steering" boxes while simultaneously lending a hand in the "braking" area! That's where this thing of beauty comes in...

[Gmachine1911]

While waiting what seemed like an eternity for parts to start showing up, I had the body shop start cutting and replacing what few panels were still original to the car...I never thought I could enjoy seeing my car cut up that much but knowing I had a plan, parts on the way and people I trusted doing the work made all the difference!

[Gmachine1911]

Trunk pan installed...mini tubs are next...

[Gmachine1911]

Driver and passenger toe panels installed...

[Gmachine1911]

Trunk area complete...ready to install the DSE Quadralink parts...will have to have the rear tail panel murdered out to cover up where the paint lifted from welding the trunk pan to the rear tail panel. Always liked that look anyway but had to bring the paint line down lower than what it would've been from the factory...at least it's still hidden by the bumper.