LS7 1969 Camaro SS Convertible - Project "Overt"

[Nine Ball]

I restored the 1969 Camaro firewall cowl tag yesterday. It has been off the car for 2 years now, since starting the sheetmetal work. Here is a step by step process, to help others do the same restoration.

Remove cowl tag by drilling out old pop-rivets. Here is how mine looked.





Get some aircraft stripper, let the plate soak in the stuff for about 20 minutes. The old paint will lift right off. Use a plastic bristle brush to gently remove all the paint remaining.



Here is how it looked with all the old paint stripped away. It was a bit harder to read, due to the texture of the surface. My tag was also a bit warped, and had a couple edges lifted. I used a small 1" wood roller (used for installing wallpaper or dynamat) to smooth the tag out. Try to avoid rolling on the letters, just the bordering areas. Sort of like a small rolling-pin. Got the badge perfectly flat again.



I spray painted the tag with matte silver metallic. I wanted something close to the bright zinc color on the backside of the tag. Let the paint bake in the sun for 30 minutes. It came out perfect.



Painted, in same lighting as before. The paint really made it easier to read.



Before/After



I used some aluminum pop-rivets and put the tag back on the firewall. Pedigree is restored. For you cowl-tag decipher guys, X55 = SS 350, 72 = Hugger Orange, 711 = black standard interior, 01C = build 3rd week of Jan 1969.





Tony

[pro66tour]

It's in the details Tony. Thanks for sharing pal.
Looks awesome...

[Juicypop]

Great job brother!

[Nine Ball]

I had a productive weekend in the shop. Engine bay is almost complete, will be ready to install the engine soon.

Started with freshly restored original pedal assembly. Modified it by fabricating a clutch master cylinder (cut down length of rod, welded on rod, threaded, and added Heim joint. I'll admit this took me two attempts, the first time I snapped the weld off when threading it. Ground two flats into the side, so that I could grab it better when threading it. Drilled a 3/8" hole on the clutch arm, near the location that Speed Tech suggests, since I was using their firewall bracket.









Next up, installed some Lokar brushed pedals.







Installed the pedal assembly, tilt steering column, clutch master, and Wilwood 7/8" brake master. This was a bigger chore than I anticipated, since the two studs on the pedal assembly that hold the brake master weren't long enough. Had to pull the stuff back out, and take a cutting wheel to cut the heads off of those two studs to remove them. This is because they are welded into the frame of that pedal assembly. Replaced the studs with 2" long grade-8 bolts.

[Nine Ball]

Now for a product endorsement. I read some reviews on the S.U.R.&R. brake line system, and how easy it was to use. The tubing is some special alloy that is softer to bend, and has a thick enough wall that it won't kink. They also claimed that it would be easier to flare. They were right! I was able to fabricate my front brake lines by hand, without using a bender. You can even straighten the tube out by hand, if you get angles wrong. I literally measured the approx length I needed for each run, then sat in the engine bay and bent as I went along, following the route I wanted to use. My first test flare was perfect, and so were the rest of them. Zero re-dos, easiest stuff I've worked with. Info on the kit here: http://www.surrauto.com/brake.html I bought the complete 3/16 EZ kit from Summit, about $117.

Oh, and that fancy flaring tool? Worth every penny. It was easy to use, and makes perfect flares every single time. I used to get frustrated when it came time to run brake lines. Now it is actually enjoyable!















Up next, wiring the entire car...

[gofastwclass]

Nice job. I love that tubing, it is a big time saver. Between that and my MasterCool hydraulic flare tool I almost don't mind plumbing the car. Haha

[Musclerodz]

Brake lines are nicop. nice stuff.

[DOOM]

WOW I don't know how I missed this build ! Outstanding!! Please keep the updates coming.

[Nine Ball]

Time for some more updates, I've been cranking it out in the last couple weeks.

Having owned more than my fair share of LSX vehicles, I never liked how the bare aluminum blocks tend to oxidize and turn chalky/hazy over time. That, and the LS7 casting is blotchy with dark and light areas on the surface. So, I decided this would be my first painted LSX engine. I'm going for an industrial all-business theme under the hood, so decided to use a simple non-metallic gray color. I masked off all the machined areas and plugged all the threaded holes, then scrubbed the entire block and heads with acetone. I used VHT spray paints, first 2 coats of VHT gray engine primer, followed by 3 coats of VHT "Ford Gray" paint. Good quality paint, it laid down very well and had excellent coverage.







Primer applied:





Gray paint applied:







The same aluminum issues occur with the T56 casing, so I painted the T56 as well. This one was rebuilt about 7 years ago, and just sat on my shelf in the shop. It looked pretty awful at first:



After 3 hours of scrubbing with a wire brush, brillo pad, and acetone. Damn that waffle looking casing, so many corners! :



Found a new use for an old 15" wheel and tire. LOL



Primer coats:



Gray paint coats:







This is a good example of how some things don't have to cost a lot of money, to make an impact. Just some elbow grease and patience is really all that was required. It is much easier to do this stuff now, then it is to regret not doing it later once it is in the car. I'm sure people will notice the attention to detail, on the finished project.

Tony

[paulk68]

NICE, I am just about to paint my T-56 as well so this came at a perfect time. yours came out great. Also going to use your TAG restoration process. Thanks for all the pictures and descriptions