So I walk into the shop and am greated by this sight! YEEEEAAAAHHH!!! FREAKIN' YEAH! The paint and repairs are completed. The car is all lined up for towing. And I have this earie feeling in my fingertips... like my hands are screaming to grab onto the wheel and drive! The paintjob is not perfect but better than basic. Maaco or 1 Day wanted about 1500 buck for a basic single stage paint in one color. This is what I got for a little over 1800! The base paint is called gunmetal gray metallic. It is a Saab paint that was available from 1999-2002. It contains black, white, silver metallic, violet, and blue. The stripes are a plain black. The clear was laid over everything so it feels seamless. The paint brand was called Matrix. Never heard of it... but they're giving me 3 years warranty on the paint and lifetime on workmanship. I'm quite happy for a last minute color change with limited time to choose.
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.
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