Everyone always asks, "why do you call your car Dead Cat?" I have grown up with the saying, "you cannot swing a dead cat without hitting ______ ." Add whatever you are seeing a lot of in the blank. I have a group of friends that are into the car thing and we go to a number of shows a year. It seems there is always one make or type of car that you see over and over again. We started picking out which car was the "dead cat" of the show. When I started the build of my car for the second time, the pro-tour style was really heating up and it seemed that everyone was building a 69 Camaro. So now I own a Dead Cat.

I purchased this car 2 months after I got married and have owned it for 14 years. My new wife had no idea that I knew anything about cars until I showed up with 69 body on a roll back with parts hanging out the window. For a cool $1500 this cream puff was mine. As I started the restoration, Stielow's white Camaro was getting press from the Real Street competition and I liked what I saw. My first build was a Stielow want to be. It took me 1 1/2 years to do the car the first time on a very skinny newly wed budget. The car was my daily driver until my brother caught me at a weak moment and I agreed to sell him my car. I knew that I had made a mistake while I was driving the car from Charlotte, NC to North Little Rock, Ar. I left the car with him with the stipulation that if he ever sold the car I had first right of refusal. In reality I started calling him once a month for the next 2 years trying to get the car back. It finally worked and I purchased my car back from my Brother in July of 2001. A plane flight to Arkansas and a drive back to North Carolina and the car was again in my possession. The picture of the red 69 on this page is what the car looked like when I got it back from my Brother. It need the front end rebuilt and a valve job.

I had an aluminum headed big block 454 with a procharger that I planned on swapping in and that is where the problem started. Since I am here I might as well smooth the firewall and while I am at it I think I will put a 6 speed in it�and on and on. What was a motor swap turned into a 6 year project. All of the outside sheet metal was replaced with NOS GM stuff and I mean all of the metal. Quarters, tail pan, door skins, fenders, upper and lower valance. The floor, trunk pans and roof skin are all aftermarket. The deck lid and SS hood are used Gm pieces. Chris Reed is responsible for the fantastic job on the panel replacement and body prep. The 454 was traded for an LS1/T56 combo. The stock sub frame I had converted with DSE stuff was sold to a friend and a 21st Century piece was put in place. I have bought and sold 4 different sets of tires and rims for this car until I settled on the C6 package. The LS1 motor that I traded for was sold and I scratch built another LS1. You have all been there�where does it stop? You start in one direction and end up in another. The car just took on a life of its own.

Note to self, next project develop a plan and stick to the plan.

Highlights:

LS1 built with forged pistons, TEA heads, H beam rods, ARP studs on heads and main, FAST 90 with Nick Williams 90 TB

Custom headers and exhaust by Jim Pettigrew

21st Century sub frame with a 1 inch drop using C5 suspension and splined sway bar

Mini tub, 8 point cage and DSE sub frame connectors

Rick's Hot Rod stealth series stainless gas tank

Ford 9 inch with 3.80 gears and Detroit tru trac and DSE 2 inch drop springs

Ron Davis radiator

AAW highway 22 wiring kit

Vintage Air