This was the first car that I�ve built anywhere near to this magnitude, so my learning curve was very steep. My original intention was to build a nice �driver�. Basically a nice restoration with some moderate engine upgrades, disk brakes and some nice wheels etc, but nothing too elaborate. Boy did that plan go to hell in a hurry!!!!  It didn�t take long for the Pro-touring bug to bite. With the combination of seeing the caliber of 1st generation Camaros out there and the help of all the guys at Lateral-g.net, the wave of �why not do this too?� hit me hard. My plans quickly turned to building a car I had always dreamed about.

Just like any project, there were highs and lows along the way. With the industry growing and expanding so quickly, the selection of parts was overwhelming. Within months of selecting one set-up, another more �state of the art� product would be released. The �bar� just keeps getting set higher and higher. With a limited budget, I had to make some tough decisions on where and how to spend the $$. Because of cost, I knew I wouldn�t be able to do all the things I wanted to do during the initial build and still be able to build the car in what I felt was a reasonable time frame. I wanted to avoid the mistake of dragging the project out too far and risk losing interest or reaching a financial limit before completion. Instead I looked at the project as a whole, and postponed some of the things I wanted, in an effort to keep the project on track. I knew that I could always revisit some of those aspects later.

The only major setbacks and regrets I have are in regard to the paint. Despite a lot of effort, frustration and hassle with the painter, the paint never reached my expectations. It has taken a lot of effort on my part to get the paint to look this good. It�s getting increasingly hard to find any shops that want to do custom paintwork and when they do, it�s often at a very high price. My only advice for someone building a project like this is to do a lot of research into the ones you do find. Do your homework and pick one that you can really trust to do the job correctly, right from the beginning.

Despite the setbacks, frustrations and periods of saying to myself � this is supposed to be fun, right ??�, the car never fails to put a smile on my face every time I fire her up and drive it. I spent way more than I had ever intended, but the looks I get driving it and the comments and stares I get at car shows is priceless. The car has been a great source of spending time with my wife and young son too. My wife and I like to joke that the car really belongs to our son, and he just lets us drive it and pay the bills. He gets so excited and his eyes light up when he gets to ride in �dadda�s loud car�. Hopefully we can build a car together when he gets older.
 

1969 Camaro, Pro-Touring style
2002 Dodge �Flame Red� (code PR4)

MOTOR and DRIVETRAIN
355 Small block chevy- by Paul Widger at Cylinder Head Dynamics, Tracy, CA
Dart Iron Eagle heads, 180 cc intake, fully polished and ported
Approx compression ratio of 10:1
Edelbrock Air Gap intake manifold
Holley 4150 fully customized carb- by John Kriner at Kriner Perf. and Tuning
Comp Cams XE284H-10: Gross valve lift: 0.50/0.510, Duration @0.50 240 int/246 exh,110 LSA
MSD Distributor #85551
MSD 6AL box and Blaster Coil
Concept One billet serpentine pulley system
Hooker 1 � inch Super Comp headers Jet Hot coated
Flowmaster American Thunder exhaust system
Holley 110gph, 6-8 PSI mech fuel pump
Spal Dual electric fans
PRC Aluminum radiator
Vintage Air AC system
American AutoWire electrical- Ray Borges at Borges Wire Works, Tracy, CA
TKO 600

SUSPENSION
12 Bolt Posi rearend with 3.73 gears
Global West Tubular upper A-arms
Hotchkis 2 inch drop springs and sway bar
Hotchkis 3 leaf rear springs- 2 inch drop plus 1 inch block
Koni shocks
Chris Alston 6 point roll cage with custom subframe connectors- Fuller Fabrication, Tracy, CA
Bonspeed Delta wheels: 18x8 front (5 inch BS), 18x9 rear (5.25 inch BS) Kuhmo Ecsta MX tires- 245-40-18 front, 275-40-18 rear
BAER 4 wheel disc Track Brake System
AGR quick ratio steering box

INTERIOR
Covan dash with Autometer Ultra-lite gauges
Fully custom interior: door panels, rear seat, carpet, rear deck, trunk- Color Glo Upholstery, Manteca, CA
Corbeau CR1 seats
Simpson 5 point racing harness seat belts
Alpine and JL Audio stereo system
Grant Corsa GT steering wheel

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Before pictures: