Blue Angel Growing up I was always around old muscle cars, Corvettes, racing, etc. So when I my wife and I started dating, I found out really quickly she enjoyed cars, racing, the sound of higher powered engine...you get the idea. So fast forward several years. I had my 69 Camaro and we would cruise around and enjoy it together. A few more years and a couple of son's later, my wife says "It would be cool if I had a car, where one son could ride with you and one could ride with me". Well, that was all it took for me to start thinking, I will find a 69 Camaro project for my wife's 40th birthday. What an excellent way to have a reason to get another 69.
So one day in February 2010, I was browsing a car forum and came across a 69 Camaro project that was for sale in Nebraska. So after a few emails, phone calls and many, many pictures, I gave a deposit on the new project. In March, 2010 a good friend of mine along with my late 1st cousin drove from NC to Nebraska. After 18 hours or so of driving through we arrived. The next day we loaded up the project and started back to NC.
I had been around cars my whole life and I knew by the pics, and knowing Camaros, it would need rear quarters minimum. We made it home and presented my wife with her birthday present and informed her this would be a 3 year project, as I would be doing the majority of the work. I had been in discussion with Dan Holohan of Holohan's Hotrod Shop of Mooresville, NC about mini-tubbing my car. After speaking with Dan about the new project and admiring his work at Rad Rides and DSE, I knew he was the guy to do the sheetmetal and fabrication work. A few weeks later we picked the car up and Dan had done an excellent job. We could have not been more pleased with the work and attention to detail. Dan is definitely gifted with forming and fabricating metal.
Blue Angel was back home and it was now up to me to finish the vision I had for it. I knew the look I was wanting...Clean, Simple but with an aggressive feel and it had to have the right lowered stance. Since I had a tight budget (still have 2 boys to put thru college) I could not let this build go crazy with the latest suspension or engine/trans combos. I had decoded the car and knew the car was originally an SS big block, 4 speed, Glacier blue with dark blue interior. Not ever seeing this color combo, I knew this was the color and it had to be a 427 big block even though it came with a 396 originally. One of the hardest parts of building a car is choosing the color and engine and that was easier than expected. Since I wanted a clean, simple look, it would only have minimum badging on the front grill, tail pan, and header panel. All other badging was deleted. Also, no wheel, rocker, or drip rail moldings. However, my wife insisted on the quarter gill molding and I'm glad I listened to her. I think it really helped the look we were after.
Having a tighter budget than many other frame off custom builds, but still wanting good reliable, engineered parts we decided on:
Chassis & Suspension
Stock subframe rewelded in areas for strength, powder coated and all new Moog components
DSE Delrin bushings in powder coated stock lower control arms
SPC upper control arms with Howe tall ball joints to help with camber/caster gain, and bumpsteer.
DSE 600 PS box with DSE PS lines
Hotchkis 2" lowered front springs
DSE multileaf mount plates
DSE rear tie down plates
Bilstein shocks
DSE 1-1/8" sway bar
DSE 2" lowered leaf springs
DSE frame connectors that bolt to subframe
DSE aluminum frame mounts
Rebuilt original 12 bolt Posi with new clutches and stronger Moser axles
Aluminum diff cover
Body & Paint
Complete body off restoration
PPG base coat/clear coat Glacier blue with Cortez Silver stripe that goes across header panel and runs up center of hood. (Painted by Ronnie Vasconcellos)
2nd Gen Camaro door mirrors
Stainless button-hex head bolts throughout complete body panels, doors, etc
Silver grill with SS427 emblem
Blacked out tail pan (had to since it was a big block car originally) with SS 427 emblem
Original stainless trim for windshield and rear glass polished to show condition
All new weather stripping, rubber/bumper stops.
Undercarriage sealed with 3M sealant, painted with PPG DP primer and top coated Raptor bed liner in black.
Dynamat throughout car including roof, doors, rear quarters, floor, firewall, rear seat brace, package tray area
DSE fender braces
DSE Hood Pin
DSE Heater Delete bolt-on panel
DSE Wiper motor
All new locks, GM door handles
Inner fender wells powered coated along with other misc parts
Engine/Transmission
GM ZZ427 crate engine that dyno'ed 526 HP and 518 TQ (custom distributor and Mildeon oil pan was changed for clearance of frame and firewall)
Holley 770 CFM Vacuum secondary carb that comes with engine
Calvin Elston Tri-Y stepped 1 7/8"-2" custom stainless headers
Magnaflow 3" stainless exhaust with X-pipe
Complete rebuilt Turbo 400 with TCI shift kit
Ron Davis radiator with dual 13" fans
Custom drive shaft
Vintage Air Front Runner system (black finish)
Custom made lines with AN hose/fittings (black)
Custom made 1/2" hard stainless fuel line
Interior
Complete Custom interior designed by JNG Creations (Pittsboro, NC)
Corbeau sport seats lowered and head rest modified
Custom door panels
Custom rebuilt dash
Daytona wave carpet
Suede headliner
Clayton Machine roof light, handles and cranks
DSE custom dash
Autometer Colbalt gauges
American Autowire classic update wiring harness
Lokar shifter (mounts thru manual trans hole in tunnel with LED shift indicator bezel)
Complete rebuild of original steering column
Billet Specialties brake and gas pedal
Billet Specialties Steering wheel
Alpine system with amp (6" front with 1" tweeter and 6x9 rear speakers)
Screamin' Performance kick panels
Vintage Air Gen 4 system with custom condenser and AC EZ Clip hoses
New original GM sill plates
Marquez Design door strikers
Wheels/Brakes
Jason Rushforth Super Spokes, brushed coated center with polished lips (18x8 front and 18x9 rear)
Nitto 555's 245/35/18 front; 275/35/18 rear
BAER T4 calipers front with SS calipers in rear
BAER 14" front and 13" rear, drilled, slotted and coated rotors
DSE brake booster and master cylinder with proportioning valve
Custom made brake lines using Cu/Ni tubing
