1967 Camaro PT project resurrection

[67BrewserSS]

Hi All,

Over the years I’ve gotten invaluable information and inspiration from this forum. It’s been a long time coming but I’m excited to finally start my own build page.

I grew up entrenched in the hobby and was lucky enough to enjoy a couple of restoration projects with my dad growing up. The journey with my Camaro started in 2003 as a 16 year old. My parents gave me a budget of 3k to buy my first car, luckily they gave me the autonomy to actually pick what I wanted regardless of practicality. Finally I found it...my dream car, a 67 camaro. It was essentially a roller that was “ready for paint”. I was sacrificing the short term need of any 16 year old (having a running and driving vehicle) for the long term goal of owning my dream car. In the meantime, I had to scrounge up enough money from mowing lawns and working as a bus boy at the local red lobster to purchase a respectable daily driver. I found a 1979 lifted bronco, it was obnoxious and exactly what I wanted.

For the next several years I invested nearly every cent of my income as a high schooler/ college student on the car. I spent hours in the garage with my buddies and my dad and was finally able to get it to the point of drivability. I’ll never forget the first (and only) time I was able to drive it around the block with open headers. It was exhilarating. Then it was off to college and the project started to stall out. I was still very interested in the build and continued acquiring parts but my time to work on it was much more limited. Through a college internship I was able to save enough to buy a new set of wheels and a built 383 stroker long block. The wheels were 20/18” Boyd Coddington Junkyard Dogs with cast aluminum centers and polished wide lips. At the time they were the coolest wheels I’d seen.

Shortly after, my parents moved from my childhood home into a new house. This unfortunately eliminated free storage and space to work on my project. The car was trailered to a barn in rural Ohio for the foreseeable future. For nearly 8 years she slept in a state of neglect in a barn with a gravel and dirt floor. The project was out of sight and slowly became less of an obsession. Fast forward several years, I’m now a home owner with enough garage space to store and wrench on the car. After years of dreaming I’m now lucky enough to have the resources to build the car right and finally trailered my sleeping beauty home last year.

Time in the barn wasn’t kind to the car. All of the time I spent repainting and rebuilding the front suspension was for naught. The car really slipped into a further state of deterioration. The “paint ready” panels started to rust from the inside underneath all of the bondo. Colonies of rodents took up residence. She’d seen better days. Over the last year I strongly considered the idea of selling and buying another 1967 camaro that was a bit further along and didn’t need any metal work. I knew doing the build correctly would get expensive quickly and thought it would be more of a wise investment to start over on someone else’s stalled out project. I went as far as driving an empty trailer to St. Louis with my dad and brother to buy what I thought was the one. It wasn’t meant to be and I drove home with an empty trailer. On the drive home I started thinking more about just biting the bullet and building mine right. It was my first car after all.

I started doing more research and networking with folks to find a reputable shop to complete the laundry list of metal work. I was able to connect with a guy in southern Kentucky who had previously built nearly 20 first gen camaros. After much discussion and deliberation I decided to pull the trigger and trailered the car down 2 weeks ago. The cars been torn apart and was just sandblasted yesterday. It will start receiving new metal and new life this week, more pics to come. My plans for the car have evolved quite a bit over the years with changing trends and technology. My goal is to have the car in mostly completed running/driving state (phase 1)within the next year. This could be aggressive but hey, you’ve gotta have something to work toward.

Phase 1 plans include:

-DSE mini tubs (currently being installed)

-Full Speedtech Pro-Touring track time package with subframe and 9 inch real with torque arm suspension

-383 NA with t56 6 speed (to me there is something nostalgic about a carbureted v8..but I’ll likely get on the LS train in phase 2 of the build)

-Wilwood 6p front 4p rear

-TMI sport xr interior kit with TMI logos removed

-Vinyl wrap, eventually paint black in phase 2

-Likely starting out with Boyd wheels, phase 2 includes forgeline.

I’ll try to keep this thread up to date over the next years. Below are some pictures from years ago to present state.

Thanks for reading!

-Nick

[67BrewserSS]

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[srode]

Hey Nick, following your build - sounds like you are going down the same path I am, but I have more work to do replacing panels. I'm working on floorboard replacement on my 69 now, also in the Cincinnati area. I've probably got a couple years worth of work before I'm ready for paint on mine. Mini tubbed coil over LS3 with 6 speed and Speedtech subframe is my current plan. Have you thought about where you might go for paint?

Steve

[ryeguy2006a]

Cool story. Yours started out similar to mine, but my project was a 1976 T/A. I'll be following along since my current ride is a 68 Camaro. I'd also highly recommend an LS motor. Once you get one and drive it, you'll forget all about the carb motors.

[67BrewserSS]

Cool story. Yours started out similar to mine, but my project was a 1976 T/A. I'll be following along since my current ride is a 68 Camaro. I'd also highly recommend an LS motor. Once you get one and drive it, you'll forget all about the carb motors.

thanks Ryan! I’ve enjoyed following the “penny pincher” build over the years. It was honestly one of the builds that helped motivate me to dive back into mine. You must be proud of what you’ve been able to accomplish on your own. I almost have a sense of guilt that I’m not trying to take on all of the metal work myself but I think I’ll be happy when it’s done. And in terms of the LS, I’m sure that will be in the cars future at some stage of the build. Just not the immediate iteration.

[67BrewserSS]

Hey Nick, following your build - sounds like you are going down the same path I am, but I have more work to do replacing panels. I'm working on floorboard replacement on my 69 now, also in the Cincinnati area. I've probably got a couple years worth of work before I'm ready for paint on mine. Mini tubbed coil over LS3 with 6 speed and Speedtech subframe is my current plan. Have you thought about where you might go for paint?

Steve

Hey Steve,
always cool to hear about locals with similar plans! Do you have a build thread started, I’ll definitely check it out if so. Paint is probably several years off for me so I haven’t done a lot of research into local shops, any recommendations? My plan is to do a vinyl wrap to cover/protect the new metal and will likely run with that for a few years before dishing out for body work and paint.
-Nick

[srode]

Hey Steve,
always cool to hear about locals with similar plans! Do you have a build thread started, I’ll definitely check it out if so. Paint is probably several years off for me so I haven’t done a lot of research into local shops, any recommendations? My plan is to do a vinyl wrap to cover/protect the new metal and will likely run with that for a few years before dishing out for body work and paint.
-NickI need to start a build thread, right now I keep finding more rust work to do. Boitnott's did a bit of work for me when I got started, that's the only place I've been. There's a number of other folks in the area that do paint, quite a few on the side. Once I get closer I'll start going to some of the local car shows and get some referals. The I need to get out to the Milford Kroger on Friday night with my other 69 Camaro for the cruise in before it shuts down and see who others have used too. I'd like to get the body dipped at some point- after I get all the panel welding complete.

[Vimes]

You made the right decision deciding to rebuild it. I gave my first car, a 72 Skylark, to my older brother when I joined the military as I'd blown the engine a few weeks before shipping out. Always felt bad about that, I should have had my parents put a nice engine in it with my pay from basic, and kept it. Unfortunately I have no way at all of tracking it down as it's been over 30 years since I last saw it. I don't know where my brother sold it, nor do I have the VIN from it. For all I know, it's been crushed and turned into tin cans by now.

You'll never have a second "first car," and you'll never enjoy another car in quite the same way.

[67BrewserSS]

You made the right decision deciding to rebuild it. I gave my first car, a 72 Skylark, to my older brother when I joined the military as I'd blown the engine a few weeks before shipping out. Always felt bad about that, I should have had my parents put a nice engine in it with my pay from basic, and kept it. Unfortunately I have no way at all of tracking it down as it's been over 30 years since I last saw it. I don't know where my brother sold it, nor do I have the VIN from it. For all I know, it's been crushed and turned into tin cans by now.

You'll never have a second "first car," and you'll never enjoy another car in quite the same way.

you’re right, Vimes. I’m sure I’ll look back down the road and know I made the right call. That’s too bad about your 72. Maybe you’ll get another shot to find one similar.

[TANKMASTERJ]

I couldn't agree more. I sold a 57 stepside Chevy I started and never finished . Did. A hot little 350 auto. Did interior paint and diamond tucked. Never painted outside and sold when you had kids and no time. Or money to work on . I had since 19 .
Still regret

[67BrewserSS]

The right inner/outer rocker went in today along with the door. Left side tomorrow then on to the floor, trunk, and frame rails.

The drip rails ended up being toast after blasting so will make sense to throw a new roof skin on since it has to cone off for drip rails anyway. Kevin Is the name of the guy doing all of the metal work. He’s making fast progress and has done tons of first gens. He’s anticipating having everything wrapped up before the end of the month. From there I’ll trailer her home and get cracking on the rest of the build. 179187179188179189179190179191179192

[67BrewserSS]

I need to start a build thread, right now I keep finding more rust work to do. Boitnott's did a bit of work for me when I got started, that's the only place I've been. There's a number of other folks in the area that do paint, quite a few on the side. Once I get closer I'll start going to some of the local car shows and get some referals. The I need to get out to the Milford Kroger on Friday night with my other 69 Camaro for the cruise in before it shuts down and see who others have used too. I'd like to get the body dipped at some point- after I get all the panel welding complete.

Nice, good luck with the build. I’ve actually heard boitnotts does good work. I’ll have to check out the Milford cruise in when I get mine up and running.

[TANKMASTERJ]

I just wonder is it better to do what your doing and what I did or just buy a body from real deal steel

[67BrewserSS]

I just wonder is it better to do what your doing and what I did or just buy a body from real deal steel

I absolutely considered going that route, too. All said and done I’ll actually have slightly less invested in the body rebuild than buying a new shell, though I’m sure that’s not usually the case. Plus, you can’t replicate the soul of a 53 year old car!

[srode]

Curious how you stripped the finish / rust off your body?

[TANKMASTERJ]

Striper and elbow grease for 99% of car. I sandblasted only around windows channels, jambs, and very hard to clean areas. If. I didn't again I would have sandblasted entire car with crushed glass.
Way cheaper. WAY cheaper

[67BrewserSS]

Curious how you stripped the finish / rust off your body?

After the panels that are being replaced were cut out it was sent to the blaster to clean up the remainder of the hull and identify any other problem areas. Then PPG DP90LF Primer to prevent any corrosion.

[srode]

After the panels that are being replaced were cut out it was sent to the blaster to clean up the remainder of the hull and identify any other problem areas. Then PPG DP90LF Primer to prevent any corrosion.who did the work?

[67BrewserSS]

who did the work?

the metal work is being done by Kevin Douglas Racing. He’s not a full service restoration shop but does a lot of work on the side.

[67BrewserSS]

Some new goodies compliments of Ringbrothers. The quality seems to be excellent. 179201

[67BrewserSS]

Left inner/outer rocker in place. Fitting floor/trunk pans, rear frame rails and prepping for DSE mini tubs. 179206179207179208

[67BrewserSS]

DSE tubs going in
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[srode]

Looking great

[67BrewserSS]

Metal work done! I’m still amazed with how quickly he was able to do everything. I’m beyond excited to get this thing home in 2 weeks.
Now I’ve got a lot parts to order [emoji51]
Speedtech track time package is the next big purchase. I have no idea how long from the time of order it will take to actually get. Anyone have experience ordering from speedtech? 179570179571179572179573179574

[67BrewserSS]

Looking great

Thanks!

[TANKMASTERJ]

Yeah if he replaced all in two weeks he's bad to the bone.
And your gonna love the Speedtech gear. It's fantastic.
Tankmasterj

[srode]

Metal work done! I’m still amazed with how quickly he was able to do everything. I’m beyond excited to get this thing home in 2 weeks.
Now I’ve got a lot parts to order [emoji51]
Speedtech track time package is the next big purchase. I have no idea how long from the time of order it will take to actually get. Anyone have experience ordering from speedtech? 179570179571179572179573179574Dang! that's fast - I might need his contact information! If you would, PM me what you spent to get this done for his labor.

[ryeguy2006a]

Wow, he was cooking! All these builds are making me want another project...

[67BrewserSS]

Dang! that's fast - I might need his contact information! If you would, PM me what you spent to get this done for his labor.

Here is some of Kevin’s labor pricing. He said he will be pretty booked through thanksgiving but may be able to take on some additional work in December. He’s a super nice guy and very punctual with communication. He’s seems straight forward and honest. I haven’t seen the finished product in person yet but from all of the detailed pictures he’s sent me I think I’m going to be pretty happy when I see it. He sources his metal from a shop called Huey’s in Tennessee which I would also recommend. The owner, Donovan, also seems to be a great guy and very easy to work with. Kevin picked up all the metal for me once I paid for it and saved me a ton on freight/made sure nothing was damaged. I’m sure there are plenty out there with horror stories of ordering sheet metal from jegs, summit, etc. and having it shipped only to receive damaged panels.

179582

[TANKMASTERJ]

Prices are very reasonable

[John McIntire]

Wow, you're moving quickly!

Looks great!

[67BrewserSS]

I just ordered the tucked rear bumper and notched spoiler from Anvil. It should be here by the end of November. Both items will be painted body color so I ordered the fiberglass variants. I hope the quality is as good as they look in pictures I’ve seen.

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[slimjim]

I hear good things about their carbon products, but my fiberglass spoiler required a lot of work to get it to look as nice as the carbon pieces, saying that, I still prefer it over stock.

[67BrewserSS]

I hear good things about their carbon products, but my fiberglass spoiler required a lot of work to get it to look as nice as the carbon pieces, saying that, I still prefer it over stock.

good to know. What did you have to do to get it to fit properly, if you don’t mind my asking?

[slimjim]

fit wasn't so bad, it wasn't symmetrical but that could just as much be my car as it is a spoiler, more likely the car. But I also did some filler work on it as it was a little warped/wavy, almost like it was exposed to heat, which is entirely possible as I bought it from another member rather than direct from anvil, So I want to assume yours will be much better.

If you have any issues just shoot me a message and I'll send over pics of my work

[67BrewserSS]

I appreciate that! It’s only $125 to upgrade to the carbon/fiberglass spoiler. I’m wondering if I should just save myself some trouble and do that?

[srode]

I just ordered the tucked rear bumper and notched spoiler from Anvil. It should be here by the end of November. Both items will be painted body color so I ordered the fiberglass variants. I hope the quality is as good as they look in pictures I’ve seen.

179609Looks like a big gas tank in that 69, deep. Wonder what capacity that is

[slimjim]

I appreciate that! It’s only $125 to upgrade to the carbon/fiberglass spoiler. I’m wondering if I should just save myself some trouble and do that?

I can't say, but perhaps call anvil and stress the concern, and they may endeavor to provide their straightest or at least shed light on the better option.

[67BrewserSS]

I trailered the car home over the weekend. I’m happy with the results and ready to start making progress. All of the sheet metal is new aftermarket so the panel alignment isn’t perfect. A few of the gaps are going to need some attention. Particular the door to rocker gaps and the left side of the trunk gap. Not sure if it’s going to require metal, filler, fiberglass, etc...I know one of these options might be cheaper than others but not sure it will produce the results I’m after or be considered the “right way”

I’m considering getting some of the body work knocked out now so I can get it vinyl wrapped. I considered trying to take some of it on myself like smoothing the transition from roof to quarter. Ultimately I think it’s beyond my skillset. I think it’s too deep for just filler. Curious if most folks use lead or fiberglass or what?? 179891179892

[srode]

Can you post some pictures of the panel alignment areas you mentioned?

[67BrewserSS]

Can you post some pictures of the panel alignment areas you mentioned?

179950179951

These two gaps are about the width of my index finger. If I lower the door the quarter to door gap will be way off. I also can’t move the deck lid as the gaps near the top are already good.

[srode]

I get 131.5 cm across my trunk rear edge lip and 132.2 across the same spot at the inside of the quarter panels, what do you get on yours?

[67BrewserSS]

I get 131.5 cm across my trunk rear edge lip and 132.2 across the same spot at the inside of the quarter panels, what do you get on yours?

I’m not sure, lol my cheap tape measure doesn’t have metric, only standard.

[67BrewserSS]

I finally got around to buying tires for the wheels I bought 13 years ago. I ordered these wheels when I intended to slam it on airbags with a stock subframe. 20x10 295 35 20 in rear and 18x7 225 45 18 front. I’d like to upgrade to 12 inch rears and 10 inch fronts at some point but these will do for now. I love the classic look but the cast centers are going to be a bear to keep clean. I would have powder coated or clear coated if I planned to run them permanently. I think I’m going to have some redlines done of these, they shouldn’t look too shabby once they’re tucked in with the new speedtech suspension. 180175180176180177

[SRD art]

Love to see this level of rebuild going on in a garage, good on ya! I'm looking forward to getting your vision on paper soon, a rendering is a great way to keep the fire burning and you motivated in the approaching long winter months! lol. ;) Keep the progress and pics coming!

[67BrewserSS]

Love to see this level of rebuild going on in a garage, good on ya! I'm looking forward to getting your vision on paper soon, a rendering is a great way to keep the fire burning and you motivated in the approaching long winter months! lol. ;) Keep the progress and pics coming!

Thanks Ben! Great talking to you today, can’t wait to see the rendering!
Cheers,
-Nick

[67BrewserSS]

I removed the stock 10 bolt and took some measurements for the new rear axle. I’ll be going with 54” which should tuck the wheels in nicely, I may still need some spacers to run the current wheels but I’m thinking ahead for when I upgrade to 12” rear wheels. I’m planning on ordering the suspension package tomorrow.
Tonight I mocked up the taillights and drilled holes for the ridetech fuel door. I’m having second thoughts on some of the billet pieces I’ve already ordered. I’m debating if I should have done black powder coated.
I also ordered rear license plate hardware and threw on some cool original 1967 Ohio plates I found at a swap meet over the summer. 180399180400180401180402

[67BrewserSS]

It’s been a bit since I’ve updated, I’ve mostly been waiting for parts to arrive. I’ve been doing some shopping and pulled the trigger on:

-Speedtech Extreme front subframe and torque arm rear with 9” and 3.89 gears

-C6 Z06 grand sport brake kit from kore3

-Holley Sniper EFI kit with notched gas tank

In the meantime I’ve been working on restoring my seats. They started out as what appeared to be original gold seats. It was almost a shame to tear them apart, the original vinyl was in pretty good shape.
I went with the TMI Sport XR kit. I started by stripping the frames down and cleaning everything up with a wire wheel. Then POR15..then burlap, listing rods, cushions, upholstery. The process took a lot more grunt work than I was anticipating ...stretching, pushing, pulling the new vinyl. I used some ferrules to repair a few of the snapped springs. I had to do some research and guess work on the rear seat cushions as the kit I bought had no instructions. Ultimately I think they came out nicely. On the front seat bottom cushions I cut little notches on the bottom to help when attaching the rods to the listing wires on the frames. I used a clothing steamer to work out some of the wrinkles once done. The picture of the back seats is before steaming.
The TMI covers come with an obnoxious TMI logo stitched on the side of the front seat backs. I custom ordered mine without the stitching which cost an extra $200 (what a racket). After waiting 3 months for the kit to arrive I quickly realized they did not send me the custom seat back covers I ordered. Now I have to wait another 3 months for the correct seat backs to arrive ��

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[67BrewserSS]

I received the gas tank and coil so far from the sniper kit. The quality of the tank is great, the silver powder coating is very nice.

I’ve received the brakes as well. They are slightly used with about 1000 miles. I found them on FB marketplace from a guy who recently switched over to a Baer kit on his first gen Camaro. I like the red calipers but I think silver would really suit the aesthetic of the build better. I bought a kit on eBay to repaint them and I think I will. I was able to find some black decals as well. The picture below is the look I’m going for.

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[srode]

Nice progress! How will you set up your emergency brake?

I'm guessing your old rear end is single track 10 bolt? I know someone looking for a 12 bolt posi is why I ask.

[John McIntire]

Looking good! Nice job on the upholstery, I'm not a fan of the TMI logo either. I can't believe they charge an extra $200 to delete it! You'd think it be the same cost or less, it's less material and one less step for them!

[67BrewserSS]

Nice progress! How will you set up your emergency brake?

I'm guessing your old rear end is single track 10 bolt? I know someone looking for a 12 bolt posi is why I ask.

Thanks! The kit comes with a parking brake assembly. It seems pretty complete for my application with the new 9”. The old rear was a non posi 10 bolt and I actually already sold it locally. I’ll be listing the front subframe soon

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[67BrewserSS]

Looking good! Nice job on the upholstery, I'm not a fan of the TMI logo either. I can't believe they charge an extra $200 to delete it! You'd think it be the same cost or less, it's less material and one less step for them!

My thoughts exactly!

[67BrewserSS]

Anvil FG notched spoiler and shaved/ tucked rear bumper finally game today. The fit and finish seem pretty reasonable. Might need a bit of massaging to be perfect. 181845

[67BrewserSS]

I haven’t updated in a few months. Not a ton to report but I did finally get the rest of my seat covers (custom order sans logos). They went together nicely and the steamer did wonders to smooth out the wrinkles. By the way, I had NO idea the rear seats had to be modified to fit around dse mini tubs. I have no clue how I didn’t catch that ahead of time, kind of embarrassing but I’ll figure it out.
I’ve mostly been collecting parts over the past 3 months. My speedtech extreme subframe and torque arm rear with 9 inch came a couple weeks ago as well as a rotisserie. I should have the panhard bracket welded in within the next month then I can finish and raptor line the bottom. I also plan to get the new suspension powder coated in the near future. Engine will be going to the builder for final assembly and dyno tuning....making some progress but there’s a long road ahead!

I also may have gotten a bit sidetracked with a new toy. I got a great deal on a c6 Vette that I couldn’t pass up. So far I’ve installed new c7 style headlights, vinyl wrapped the center console, and fixed multiple common items that wear out on C6 corvettes. ZR1 style spoiler, side skirts, and front splitter are on the way along with smoked led side markers. New wheels/tires, taillights and potentially reupholstering the seats in torch red leather all to come. 185550185551185552185553185554185555185556185557

[TANKMASTERJ]

The vette looks great nick but you have sinned against the Camaro putting her second lol. But Camaro progress still looking good.
Jason