Family Heirloom: September 2007

Thursday, September 20, 2007

My Helping Hand

Here's my son Daniel. It's nice to have a pit crew that gets paid in Oreo's and chocalate milk.

Just a Little Rust

Luckily, from what I can tell it's just surface corrosion.

A Little Rough

This thing looks so rough under the hood it was hard to believe it ran like a top.

No Makeup

It's like seeing a woman with her

makeup off for the very first time.

A little rough huh? Like the saying goes...

Love covers a multitude of sins

Monday, September 10, 2007

First step

This is probably the first time the Rally package

has come off since installation in '66

Peekaboo!

Turns out the left headlight motor is burned out...

there goes another hundred or so bucks!

A dream project car!

40 years young and only minor surface corrosion to show for it.

My wife's Grandad sure took care of this thing.

Exhausting work

It took 6 hours to get to this point...

even with the Camaro restoration guide book!

Hey!... You try doing this by yourself!

Space, the final frontier

It's amazing how much space removed components, like fenders, can take up.

I think it's time to kick the wife's new car out of

the garage to make room for the 40 year old jalopy

Mean... Mean... Mean

Even without it's nose on, this ride STILL looks wicked.

The Car

The car is a 1967 Camaro RS coupe. 327 V8 small block with AC & power steering. 2 Speed automatic Powerglide transmission. Originally Granada Gold (soon to change). Full Rally package with a few specialty add ons like the interior layout and leather design. All original parts.

The Goal

My goal is not a show quality car. I wish it could be but being the head of a family of four and being the only money maker makes that an impossibility. I want it to be what it's always been... a daily driver. I want to enjoy the crap out of this car and I want to get started with that ASAP. I can't begin to imagine spending tons of money on something like a paint job only to break down into tears the first time a pidgeon craps on it or someone runs a shopping cart into it.

I intend on doing as much of the resto work on this car myself. Am I a super car guy? No. I've never done much more than simple little tune-ups. Hell, I've never worked on a carbureted car. I have already learned sooooo very much (most of the times the hard way), but I hope to learn a heck of a lot more. I intend on seeing if an everyday average shmoe like me with little knowledge of cars but some mechanical know-how can do a basic restomod. And I intend on seeing how much it really costs to do this well without falling into the "I might as well since I'm at it" trap. By the completion of this restoration, I'll try and post a spreadsheet I've been maintaining that lists every last penny I've spent on this car.

The Story

The car was purchased new in October 1966 from the Van Nuys GM factory by my wife’s Grandfather. He watched it being built then drove it to a dealership in Tujunga, CA to complete the purchase. Don’t find that kind of trust in a dealership nowadays. My wife’s grandparents drove off in it when they were married in July 1967 and relatives had placed rocks in the hubcaps instead of cans on the bumpers. Must have been one hell of a racket!

Her Grandfather used it as his daily transportation until his death in May 1997. My brother-in-law purchased the Camaro from his grandmother and stored it on his driveway in Costa Mesa, CA hoping to keep it in the family, but about 10 years of sitting by the beach took its toll. Being the only person in both families with a bit of mechanical know how (small bit mind you) he gifted the car to my wife and I in hopes that the family car would not fall apart completely. So now here we are with the money pit from HELL!!!... but loving every minute of it.

Wish me luck