'67 Camaro build in Alabama/ Roadster shop chassis / crate LS3

[wareaglescott]

Hello, I'm Scott. Brand new to the Camaro world.
I bought a nice driver condition '67 that I plan to restomod.
I am a complete rookie when it comes to Camaro builds. This is the first one I have ever owned. Honestly I have always been a Ford guy that really liked the Camaro so I decided it was time to build one. I have so much to learn.

I do have some previous build experience. A couple of my current cars are a Factory Five Cobra with a coyote crate motor, tko-600, and IRS drivetrain. That was my first ever build. My only previous automotive experience experience was changing my oil in high school 25 years prior. Jumped in with both feet on that one and am really pleased how it turned out. Recently passed 10,000 miles on it and it has been a great experience. After that I did a full restoration on a 1979 Porsche 911. That was much more complex for me tearing down and restoring vs starting with all new parts on the Cobra. I have been enjoying driving the 911 since I completed it a year ago.

I really enjoy learning new stuff and trying to advance my skills as a car guy. I like to kind jump in over my head and learn as I go on these builds. The Camaro really appeals to me because it is very different from anything I have previously done. A great chance to learn new stuff. I am a big fan of the helpful people I have found on the forums to help educate me on the last two builds which brings me here.

The Camaro build!
Plan Is for a roadster shop chassis, mini tubs in the rear from detroit speed, LS3 495HP crate motor, T-56. Chassis, motor and transmission are ordered. Motor and Trans coming tomorrow. It will be about 4 months until the chassis shows up. (getting the motor now because I travel for a living and will be home for a couple weeks. Delivery is always an issue with my travel schedule so I figured I would save myself some hassle and get it here while I am home even though it will just sit in the corner for a while) I build these cars in my basement workshop garage and have a 2 post lift down there.

I have zero interest in doing my own body and paint. I really enjoy the mechanical aspects of the build and doing the interiors but do not want to touch the exterior. The last two builds I have spent a considerable amount on very nice paint jobs. That has been great but in both cases has taken a very long time because the shop I trust to use has a ton of work. They do spectacular work but there is generally a very long timeline and I am paying for the quality they are providing. I thought to myself if I buy a car that does not need paint and body I could save myself time and money in the long run. With that in mind I found a very nicely restored car with a very nice body. (Honestly I think I am somewhat crazy taking this nice car apart!) Certainly paid up front for that and now find myself in the disassembly phase taking a lot of barely used parts off. Hope to sell what I can.

Currently I have taken the interior out Floors looked good from underneath but you never know what is under the carpet. Was very pleased with what I found. Now I am basically working on stripping it all down and removing the front and rear suspension and then I will work on the mini tubs.



186214186215186216

[wareaglescott]

Motor and transmission just got delivered. Wont need it for a bit but nice to see it sitting there in the crate!

[egoman]

As a fellow ford guy it would have been sweet revenge to toss a stroker Windsor in this thing. The best thing about the GMs though is the opportunity for you to use the EASY button when it comes to engine choice. Good luck with your build, I will be following!

[wareaglescott]

As a fellow ford guy it would have been sweet revenge to toss a stroker Windsor in this thing. The best thing about the GMs though is the opportunity for you to use the EASY button when it comes to engine choice. Good luck with your build, I will be following!

Ha I am a Ford guy at heart that has always loved Camaros and wanted to build a fun one. You may like my plate!

186234

[egoman]

That will rile them up fer sure!

[Vimes]

Nah, a Ford guy in a Chevy just goes to show that Ford guys like to win races sometimes too. :razz:

[408maro]

curious to see the Roadster Shop chassis works out i am interested for my 67 aswell

[wareaglescott]

curious to see the Roadster Shop chassis works out i am interested for my 67 aswell

Me to! Probably going to be about 4 months before it shows up

- - - Updated - - -

186325


Pulled out the motor today. Slowly plugging away on deconstruction. Going to work on removing the fuel tank and rear suspension next I think.

Trying to sell the motor and trans as a complete package. I have no idea how to price that stuff. Any suggestions?

[wareaglescott]

Finished removing the front subframe and rear suspension and put the body on a cart so I can move it around as needed. I have a work obligation that will take me away for about a month starting next week. My goal was to get to this point prior to that so I am pleased where I am at. This is a good stopping point for the short build hiatus.

Front subframe came out very easily. The rear fought me a bit. The attachment bracket for the front of the leaf springs on both sides required some bolt cutting because 2 of 3 Jnuts on each side broke when I tried to remove them. It seems that is a common rusting problem from what I read here. Penetrating oil, heat and patience helped on the rear mounting points and those came out quite easily.

Hoping I can sell all my removed components in the near term as I need the space in the shop.
Coming up soon when I get back on it will be the mini tub install.
Have been making some good progress determining all the particulars on what I want to install so I can get it on order.


186518


186519

[wareaglescott]

Back on the build and should make more regular progress now. Had some out of town training for work that killed most of the last two months. Getting started on the Detroit speed mini tubs. I have never done anything like this so the progress will be very slow. I have decided to do one complete side before touching the other side with the hopes of learning the best way to go about it and hopefully the second side will be easier.

I am a novice welder and have done almost zero metal work. This looks to be a good entry level project for that. The welding required is pretty simple. At this point I am trying to clean up everything and find all the spot welds I will need to cut out. Removing old seam sealer and using my templates to mark for cutting.

I am sure a competent builder could knock this out in a couple days. I only work about 2 hours at a time. I suspect it will take me most of the summer to complete this. That is fine though. I have 3 other fun cars that need attention so I am in absolutely no hurry on this build. My hope was to have the body ready for the roadster shop chassis by the time it shows up. That isn't going to happen. I will have to break the news to my wife that her car will be moved outside when the chassis shows up! She wont mind though.

189031

[wareaglescott]

Making slow progress on the wheel tub install. Got the hole cut, frame rails cut and test fitting the tub in position. Need to clean up some areas, box the frame in where it was cut out and then can get to the welding of the new tub. Progress feels very slow but I have never attempted anything like this so I am pleased how it is going so far. Here is a picture to compare what I took out vs the new tub size.


189373

189372

[Smooth67]

Looking great! I'd like to do this mod one day

[wareaglescott]

Well 6 weeks and 48 hours of labor later I got the first wheel tub mostly done. Still need to modify and weld in the trunk hinge support piece I cut out but that should be pretty simple. Then do the seam sealer and eventually clean up and coat the entire trunk after I do the other side. My welds are kinda ugly in spots. Looking forward to the seam sealer covering that up. That was one point of frustration with this in that my ideal of a perfect looking job doesn’t match my skill capability at this point. They make it look so easy on tv! Haha At the end of the day I’m confident the job is structurally sound and the ugly will be covered anyways so I guess only I will know.

I’m pleased with how the first tub came out particularly considering I had never attempted anything like this before. It was hard for me to watch the two dimensional instructional video and transpose those cuts to my three dimensional wheel well area. As a result I ended up cutting away a little to much by about a 1/4” with my initial cut and spent a considerable amount of time fabricating and welding new metal back in to close the gap. Definitely learned a lot and got a lot more proficient with the welder. I’m pretty pleased with my welds I have good access to. The hardest part was contorting myself inside the trunk to get some of the welds on the inside!

Now that I have an idea how it is supposed to go I am hopeful the drivers side will go a lot smoother and maybe only take me half the time!

190008

190009

[andrewb70]

Scott,

You're making great progress. you should start a build thread in the Project updates section:

https://www.pro-touring.com/forums/60-Project-Updates

Andrew

[wareaglescott]

Scott,

You're making great progress. you should start a build thread in the Project updates section:

https://www.pro-touring.com/forums/60-Project-Updates

Andrew


I thought this was the project update section??

[Ausssie Nick]

Well 6 weeks and 48 hours of labor later I got the first wheel tub mostly done. Still need to modify and weld in the trunk hinge support piece I cut out but that should be pretty simple. Then do the seam sealer and eventually clean up and coat the entire trunk after I do the other side. My welds are kinda ugly in spots. Looking forward to the seam sealer covering that up. That was one point of frustration with this in that my ideal of a perfect looking job doesn’t match my skill capability at this point. They make it look so easy on tv! Haha At the end of the day I’m confident the job is structurally sound and the ugly will be covered anyways so I guess only I will know.

I’m pleased with how the first tub came out particularly considering I had never attempted anything like this before. It was hard for me to watch the two dimensional instructional video and transpose those cuts to my three dimensional wheel well area. As a result I ended up cutting away a little to much by about a 1/4” with my initial cut and spent a considerable amount of time fabricating and welding new metal back in to close the gap. Definitely learned a lot and got a lot more proficient with the welder. I’m pretty pleased with my welds I have good access to. The hardest part was contorting myself inside the trunk to get some of the welds on the inside!

Now that I have an idea how it is supposed to go I am hopeful the drivers side will go a lot smoother and maybe only take me half the time!

190008

190009 You're doing a great job. I recently finished installing my DES tubs in my 67 too. Keep up the good work its a nice car!

[wareaglescott]

Finished the second wheel tub and sprayed the trunk with the black textured Raptor liner. Very pleased how it came out. First tub took me 50 hours of labor. 2nd one I did in 18.75. Love the learning curve on these projects. Definitely feeling a lot more comfortable with the metal work and welding.

The trunk finish was in pretty good shape to start with. I did some work on the areas that needed attention and then epoxy primed it, scuffed that up and then sprayed the liner.

I still need to coat the rear wheel wells. My plan next is to completely clean up the underside of the rear body and spray it with the same liner.


190371

190370

[ryeguy2006a]

Nice work! I can't wait to see that RS chassis.

[wareaglescott]

Thanks! me to. Hopefully will be here late August.

[Widetrax]

Starting with a really nice car to begin with really does save you years of time not fixing rust holes on a junk car! You are doing a better job than some in-discretionary shops wouldhave done!! Keep up the good work!

[wareaglescott]

Starting with a really nice car to begin with really does save you years of time not fixing rust holes on a junk car! You are doing a better job than some in-discretionary shops wouldhave done!! Keep up the good work!

Thanks!

The under coating was adequate but I wanted it to be better so I have undertaken scraping all the old off so I can clean everything up and reapply. I gotta say this part is not real fun. Using a combination of chemical paint remover, scraping and wire brushes on various air and power tools. Sure wish I had a rotisserie! Making very slow progress with this stage.

[TANKMASTERJ]

Your is looking good Scott
Jason

[wareaglescott]

Been working hard on the build.

Heard from Roadster Shop my chassis has entered final assembly. Should be in my garage workshop in another month or so.
In the meantime I have been ordering a ton of parts. Lots of backorders and supply chain issues currently. While it will be months before I need a lot of these items I am trying to stay ahead by ordering what I can now so hopefully I will have everything I need at the proper time.

Received the vintage air heat/ac kit and the front runner accessory drive.
Ordered the Dakota Digital gauges. (they have about a 10 week lead time)
Received my radiator and dual cooling fans. (cold case)
Ordered the needed parts for the 3 pedal conversion. (Mcleod)
Already have the engine (crate LS3), and transmission (t-56) along with bell housing, hydraulic slave cylinder, engine control pack etc.
Ordered the brake booster and master cylinder (master power brakes)
The chassis options include the brakes (Baer), steering rack, fuel tank, rear end and axles.
Received the cold air intake kit. (roto fab)
Ordered the sound system. (kicker)
Received new taillight housings and lens/gaskets.
Received the new wiring harness. (American auto wire)
Received the seat belts (morris classic)
Ordered the seats (Corbeau RRX - late September backorder)
Received the steering column (Ididit)
Received the steering wheel (Billet specialties)
Few other small things.

Have most the main components accounted for with the exception of the drive shaft (will need the chassis here to measure) and the wheels and tires (again will need the chassis here to measure).

Whelp at this point Im six figures deep in this one and have a decent body shell and a couple rooms full of parts to show for it! lol

After finishing the wheel tubs I have been working hard on the underside. Since I got a body that did not need paint I couldn't really send it off the the media blaster. The undercoating on the car was ok but not good enough to satisfy me so I got to work with chemical stripper, angle grinder and a wire wheel and spent hours in the hot shop under the car going to town getting it all off. What a big mess that was. Honestly pretty miserable work but all projects seem to have a little of that. Pleased to say I have finished the removal and primed the bottom in preparation for doing the Raptor liner application soon. Was very pleased with the condition of the metal once I stripped it all down. There was some patch work under the passenger seat area and although the weld seems are visible and not the prettiest it was all in really good condition. Probably will grind those down a little and reprime before applying the Raptor coating.

Arriving today is a cover piece for the transmission tunnel to accommodate the T-56. This should give me the room I need and it is made to supposedly fit under the console with minimal modifications required. I want to install this first before spraying the raptor liner on the underside of the tunnel so that will be my next task. Basically just mark and cut out a big portion of the trans tunnel and weld the new one in place. Feeling much more confident that will be quite easy after all I learned on the wheel tub project.

Once I get done with that I will turn my attention to the interior. I have the Lizard skin 2 step heat and sound insulation to spray in on the interior. Have a fair amount of prep work to do before I will be ready to spray that. Im feeling pretty good about having that work complete when the chassis shows up.
I need to modify the rear seat to accommodate the wheel tuns but dont know when I will get to that.

Really getting excited to get to the mechanical build portion of this project. That is the part I enjoy the most.

[wareaglescott]

Finished with the bottom of the body. Did not enjoy removing all the old undercoating! I am really pleased how it turned out. Applied the Raptor liner and think it is looking pretty good. I got the body off the 2 post lift and back onto the cart. Next on the list is cleaning up the interior floors and then I will apply the Lizard skin heat and sound insulation. That should be substantially easier than working on the underside.

Latest update from Roadster shop on the chassis delivery is end of the month or right near the beginning of September. My progress is on track to finish the interior lizard skin and having the cart ready to roll to the upstairs garage to get to work on the chassis when it arrives.

191236

191237

191238

[andrewb70]

Scott,

Since you're doing such a good job and you said you're going to use Holley EFI, I suggest that you think about variable speed fan control and integrating the AC compressor control logic through the Holley EFI.

VA now offers driers with an AC pressure sensor. I would use one of those and have that as an input to the ECU.

Email me to discuss further. projectgattago at gmail dot com

Andrew

[wareaglescott]

Scott,

Since you're doing such a good job and you said you're going to use Holley EFI, I suggest that you think about variable speed fan control and integrating the AC compressor control logic through the Holley EFI.

VA now offers driers with an AC pressure sensor. I would use one of those and have that as an input to the ECU.

Email me to discuss further. projectgattago at gmail dot com

Andrew

Thanks Andrew but I am not using the Holley EFI. I have the crate motor and the gm control pack.

[wareaglescott]

Got the Lizard skin sound insulation sprayed. 2 coats yesterday that now needs to cure 24-36 hours and then I can do 2 coats of the heat insulation. Really like the coverage and how easy this stuff sprays on. Spent way more time masking stuff off than actually spraying. Clean up is easy also since it is just takes water.

Found a shop somewhat local to recover my back seat. I ordered some matching material from the seat manufacturer. Next thing I need to do is modify the rear seat structure to fit around the wheel tubs and then I can take it to the upholstery shop.

Here is a pic of the sound insulation sprayed but still wet. These are the seats I went with. The plaid won’t be to everyone’s taste but I like it for something different and it seemed somewhat era correct for a 60s car.

[wareaglescott]

Work on the body is complete and ready for the chassis. I heard from Roadster Shop this morning that my chassis will be ready for shipping Monday so I should have it late next week or early the next. This build is about to get fun! Really pleased with the Lizard skin sound and heat products for the interior. That was my first time using it!


191388

191387

191389

[slimjim]

Those seats look fantastic and will match the car really well

[wareaglescott]

Those seats look fantastic and will match the car really well

Thanks. My next task is to modify my rear seat to fit around the tubs. My matching material is arriving Monday so I hope to get the rear seat frame to the upholstery shop next week.

[wareaglescott]

Modified the rear seat to fit around the detroit speed mini tubs. Pleased how that worked out. I stripped them all the way down to the shell because I was concerned about the fire potential with only partially removing the materials.
I ordered some of the matching material to go with the front seats from Corbaeu and dropped the rear seat and material off with the upholsterer today. He said it wold be a couple months. That is fine as I wont need them for a bit anyways. Front seats also on backorder until end of September (supposedly but I am not holding my breath)

My roadster shop chassis has shipped. Should be here in the next 6 business days. I travel for a living but luckily will be home during that timeframe. The chassis comes crated up and is heavy. I am responsible for getting it off the truck so I am hiring a flatbed tow truck to meet the big truck and winch it onto the flat bed and then we will get it down to the ground. Really excited for the chassis to arrive. When I ordered they told me 16-20 weeks we are right about 20 so great job by them.

191507

[andrewb70]

Exciting progress, Scott!

[wareaglescott]

Roadster Shop chassis in the shop!

Got the chassis delivered today. I have been kinda nervous about the logistics of getting this thing off the truck and into my shop as it comes in a very large and heavy crate! It shipped from Chicago Monday and was delivered to me today (Thursday) in Alabama. When the truck shows up the driver has no way to move the crate. That is your responsibility. I hired a flat bed tow truck to be here and we winched the crate out of the delivery truck and then worked it to the ground and got it on some wheeled carts to roll it into the garage. My shop is in my basement garage down the hill so we were fighting against gravity. I had a friend over but it was a quite a chore for the 3 of us to get it into position. Then I went about attacking the crate. They really protect it well. I have an expensive pile of scrap wood in the driveway for the trash now!

It was so hot here today and after wrestling with the crate and cutting it up I was pretty whooped so didnt even open the boxes with the brakes, fuel tanks, headers and other components or look the chassis over that thoroughly. From a quick look it is really nice. Very excited to have it. When I ordered Roadster Shop told me 16-20 weeks. It was right about 20 so great job by them. That even included the time for them to send it out to the powder coating shop.

Really excited to move into the mechanical phase of the build.

191545

191544

191546

191547

[andrewb70]

This will be sweet!

[TANKMASTERJ]

Awesome. I'm proud for you your build is rocking along. Keep it up
Jason

[ryeguy2006a]

That frame is a game changer for sure. The way that they design those frames there are no modifications to the body right?

[wareaglescott]

That frame is a game changer for sure. The way that they design those frames there are no modifications to the body right?

That is what they tell me. I have not checked the fit yet by lowering they body onto the frame but some initial measurements and it all looks good.
They frame is made to accommodate the DSE mini tubs. I also have a gas tank I ordered through Roadster shop that is made to fit around the tubs. Hopefully it is a a good fit!

[wareaglescott]

Got the car into rolling chassis. Installed the 13" Baer 4 piston brakes on all 4 corners and put the Guniwheel shop wheels on to get it on the ground. (well sort of, I have it on rolling carts to maneuver it around the shop easily). These Guniwheels are really slick. They sit outside the brakes so no clearance issues. Will work great until I can get my real wheels ordered up. Also checked the torque on all bolts on the chassis and greased the fittings where needed. Really enjoying the project.
I had to lower the body down just to see how everything is lining up. All looks great.
My only complaint is my shop is small and the lighting is crap so really difficult to get any good pics!

191708

191707

191709

191710

191711

[Jaden Young]

The progress looks so clean, I am excited to see how this build will turn out.

[TANKMASTERJ]

Got the car into rolling chassis. Installed the 13" Baer 4 piston brakes on all 4 corners and put the Guniwheel shop wheels on to get it on the ground. (well sort of, I have it on rolling carts to maneuver it around the shop easily). These Guniwheels are really slick. They sit outside the brakes so no clearance issues. Will work great until I can get my real wheels ordered up. Also checked the torque on all bolts on the chassis and greased the fittings where needed. Really enjoying the project.
I had to lower the body down just to see how everything is lining up. All looks great.
My only complaint is my shop is small and the lighting is crap so really difficult to get any good pics!

191708

191707

191709

191710

191711

I had same problem with lightning so I bought 6 300watt LEDs. What a difference.
Your car is looking awesome and your progress is coming to along rather quickly. Keep it up.
Jason

[wareaglescott]

I had same problem with lightning so I bought 6 300watt LEDs. What a difference.
Your car is looking awesome and your progress is coming to along rather quickly. Keep it up.
Jason

Thanks!
Spent all my money on car parts will have to save for upgraded lights in the future! haha

[ryeguy2006a]

Wow, that fit on there really nice. You work quickly! Would you mind taking some shots of the fitment around the rear frame rails? I'd love to go with that frame someday.

[wareaglescott]

Wow, that fit on there really nice. You work quickly! Would you mind taking some shots of the fitment around the rear frame rails? I'd love to go with that frame someday.

I will be sure to do that and post them when I get more into that stage.
I just put the frame down close for some pictures and to eyeball the fit. None of the frame mounting bushings or anything. I have lifted it back up again to work on other things.
I can tell you I sectioned out part of the rear frame rails and boxed them in to accommodate the wheel tubs. The chassis frame sits inside the body frame rails. Looks like it will be a very nice fit.

[wareaglescott]

Got the engine in the chassis this week. I expect it will come back out possibly a few times but my goal right now was too get it in place so I can get a driveshaft ordered and also figure out where I need to cut the hole for the shifter in my modified tunnel. I am going to have to modify the interior center console so I need to figure out where I stand on that positioning, Sure is easy to move the engine in and out at this stage with no front body work to maneuver around!

I lowered the body down towards the chassis looking to check fitment. I got it about 2" away and realized I need to remove one of the old brackets on each side from the frame rails so will be cutting those out and seeing how everything fits together. Looks like it should all fit very nicely!

I just quickly bolted up the transmission and bell housing. The flywheel, clutch and throw out bearing are not installed yet. Will go back and do that so. Waiting for a remote bleeder kit for the hydraulic throw out bearing to arrive but wanted to go ahead and get the motor in place so I could see how things are fitting.


191864

191863

191865

[StRacerDuke]

looking good!

[wareaglescott]

Been making some slow progress the last couple weeks.
Once I got the clutch and everything installed I was looking at how the transmission would line up with the console and where to cut the hole in the T56 trans tunnel extension piece I had welded in. Found the White lighting unit from American powertrain for the T56 which allowed me to move the handle forward the needed 1.75" for a good alignment. Got that mocked up and looks like it will work great.

Also installed the vintage air frontrunner system, my brake booster and master cylinder. Looking for any space conflicts and everything is looking good. I have mocked up the steering column and ordered my steering shaft and joints. Looks like it will clear the headers by about 1/2" so I was pleased not to have a conflict.

Mocked up the fuel tank so I can figure out where I want to run the fuel lines.

I need to measure for the driveshaft. I live in small town Alabama and do not have any local shops I would trust to make me a driveshaft. If anyone has any online vendors for driveshafts they would recommend I would appreciate the recommendations.

Also I am really clueless about how to measure for the proper wheel size so will need to educate myself on that.

192125

192124

192123

192126

192127

[andrewb70]

Scott,

You're making quick work of this build!

Andrew

[ICrombie]

Been making some slow progress the last couple weeks.
Once I got the clutch and everything installed I was looking at how the transmission would line up with the console and where to cut the hole in the T56 trans tunnel extension piece I had welded in. Found the White lighting unit from American powertrain for the T56 which allowed me to move the handle forward the needed 1.75" for a good alignment. Got that mocked up and looks like it will work great.

Also installed the vintage air frontrunner system, my brake booster and master cylinder. Looking for any space conflicts and everything is looking good. I have mocked up the steering column and ordered my steering shaft and joints. Looks like it will clear the headers by about 1/2" so I was pleased not to have a conflict.

Mocked up the fuel tank so I can figure out where I want to run the fuel lines.

I need to measure for the driveshaft. I live in small town Alabama and do not have any local shops I would trust to make me a driveshaft. If anyone has any online vendors for driveshafts they would recommend I would appreciate the recommendations.

Also I am really clueless about how to measure for the proper wheel size so will need to educate myself on that.


Nice selection of parts you've got so far, and impressive to see how quickly you're moving along (I've had my project for like 6 years and am behind you haha). As for driveshafts it depends on what you want (carbon fiber, true CV, etc) but a plain 3.5" aluminum driveshaft should be just fine with what you have. Inland Empire, Mark Williams (really nice, but $$$) and DriveShaftShop would be the ones I'd go to if you don't have a local race shop you'd trust.

As for getting the wheels squared away, your best bet is to buy a mockup tire(s) and a backspacing tool and use that to actually measure what backspacing you need. With how expensive some wheels are I'd hate to guess and make a mistake there, plus the backspacing tool can be easily sold for close to what you got it for.

[wareaglescott]

Nice selection of parts you've got so far, and impressive to see how quickly you're moving along (I've had my project for like 6 years and am behind you haha). As for driveshafts it depends on what you want (carbon fiber, true CV, etc) but a plain 3.5" aluminum driveshaft should be just fine with what you have. Inland Empire, Mark Williams (really nice, but $$$) and DriveShaftShop would be the ones I'd go to if you don't have a local race shop you'd trust.

As for getting the wheels squared away, your best bet is to buy a mockup tire(s) and a backspacing tool and use that to actually measure what backspacing you need. With how expensive some wheels are I'd hate to guess and make a mistake there, plus the backspacing tool can be easily sold for close to what you got it for.


Great info thanks
Ya I dont need any CF driveshaft or anything. I have had a few recs for both driveshaft shop and inland empire. Will look into both.

For the backspacing tool I have seen only a couple options at around $400-500. Is that what you are talking about?

[ICrombie]

Great info thanks
Ya I dont need any CF driveshaft or anything. I have had a few recs for both driveshaft shop and inland empire. Will look into both.

For the backspacing tool I have seen only a couple options at around $400-500. Is that what you are talking about?

Yes, seems like any will do the job but from what I've heard the verifiedfab one is the easiest to work with.

[John McIntire]

Nice build and excellent choice of parts. I would have gone with the Roadster Shop chassis if I wasn't already so heavily invested in all DSE stuff.

I also wanted to throw Denny's Driveshaft in to the mix. I've ordered 2 from them and they were spot on. I'd use them again, but am leaning toward a CF one from QA1...

[wareaglescott]

Nice build and excellent choice of parts. I would have gone with the Roadster Shop chassis if I wasn't already so heavily invested in all DSE stuff.

I also wanted to throw Denny's Driveshaft in to the mix. I've ordered 2 from them and they were spot on. I'd use them again, but am leaning toward a CF one from QA1...

Thanks for the suggestion John. I also have a tab on my desktop open to their page for further investigation.

[wareaglescott]

Been a while since I have updated. Been slowly plugging away on the build. Seem to be spending more time planning than actually building so the progress has been slow.
I started working on the vintage air install in the cabin but that quickly led me on a few tangents because I realized before I mounted the firewall block off plate I needed to figure out where I was mounting stuff on the firewall.
Got the fuel line ran, mounted the hydraulic clutch, installed the pedals, modified the firewall to fit the American auto wire fuse box and mounted that. Figured out where to mount the components for the GMPP LS3 harness and figured out where I want to run my power wiring. I have elected to leave the battery in its stock front location.
I seem to be at the stage where I have about 10 things going at once and am moving slowly on all of them!

I did get my driveshaft delivered. Ordered it from Strange engineering. They built my reared on the Roadster Shop chassis which seemed like a nice unit so figured I would use them for the driveshaft as well. Pleased with how it looks anyways. Have not installed it yet.

Currently I have the body sitting on the chassis so I could lay some things out. I am getting to some roadblocks because I know I will need to lift the body again so I have a bunch of items that are complete as far as I can go until I do the final body to chassis mounting. I plan to lift it off one more time , do the exhaust as well as some other items that are easier to do when things are separated and then put it all back together when I can finish everything out.

Currently finishing the vintage air install and working at starting the wiring. Wiring will be a challenge for me. I expect more slow progress but that is fine as I am in no rush.

Here are a few pics.

193906

193905

193904

[TANKMASTERJ]

Been a while since I have updated. Been slowly plugging away on the build. Seem to be spending more time planning than actually building so the progress has been slow.
I started working on the vintage air install in the cabin but that quickly led me on a few tangents because I realized before I mounted the firewall block off plate I needed to figure out where I was mounting stuff on the firewall.
Got the fuel line ran, mounted the hydraulic clutch, installed the pedals, modified the firewall to fit the American auto wire fuse box and mounted that. Figured out where to mount the components for the GMPP LS3 harness and figured out where I want to run my power wiring. I have elected to leave the battery in its stock front location.
I seem to be at the stage where I have about 10 things going at once and am moving slowly on all of them!

I did get my driveshaft delivered. Ordered it from Strange engineering. They built my reared on the Roadster Shop chassis which seemed like a nice unit so figured I would use them for the driveshaft as well. Pleased with how it looks anyways. Have not installed it yet.

Currently I have the body sitting on the chassis so I could lay some things out. I am getting to some roadblocks because I know I will need to lift the body again so I have a bunch of items that are complete as far as I can go until I do the final body to chassis mounting. I plan to lift it off one more time , do the exhaust as well as some other items that are easier to do when things are separated and then put it all back together when I can finish everything out.

Currently finishing the vintage air install and working at starting the wiring. Wiring will be a challenge for me. I expect more slow progress but that is fine as I am in no rush.

Here are a few pics.

193906

193905

193904
I'm I like where your ECM went. I put mine up on the back side of the cowl above my vintage air right through the glove box hole. It's super tight but it's in there. I ordered my harness to the passenger side like that but wish I'd ordered it to poke through right in the middle of the firewall because I got lots more room towards the drivers side from the vintage air.
Looks like you are making great progress to me.

Jason

[wareaglescott]

I'm I like where your ECM went. I put mine up on the back side of the cowl above my vintage air right through the glove box hole. It's super tight but it's in there. I ordered my harness to the passenger side like that but wish I'd ordered it to poke through right in the middle of the firewall because I got lots more room towards the drivers side from the vintage air.
Looks like you are making great progress to me.

Jason

Thanks! I think it will work well over there.
Still working away on wiring. Feel like making very little progress but am making some progress. Need to add some recent pictures soon.

[Dave Pratt]

Great work you're hauling on this build. I like the choice of sets you went with.How's your opinion of them?

[wareaglescott]

Great work you're hauling on this build. I like the choice of sets you went with.How's your opinion of them?

Have just mounted them in the car temporarily and probably only sat in them for 30 minutes but so far am quite pleased. I broke my back when I was younger so really rely on a good seat. I opted for the built in seat heaters (obviously haven't tried these but have the same units in my Cobra and they work great) I also have the inflatable lumbar support which is activated by a small hand pump (similar to the pump type on a blood pressure cuff at the doctor). Seems like they will be comfortable and supportive. I am 6'3" and about 200. Bolsters seem to hug me nicely.

- - - Updated - - -

I have been slowly plugging away. Spending a lot of time working out details and slowly progressing on the wiring.
It seems like every time I go down to work on it I have something in mind I hope to accomplish. However when I get started on that task I realize I need to do something else before I can progress on what I thought I was working on and end up going off on a tangent.

Basically at this point I have the body sitting on the chassis temporarily still. I plan to separate it one more time and am trying to develop a master plan of what and when things need to be done.
I did finish the vintage air install for the portion that is in the cabin. Have ran most of the wiring harness in the car. I am using the Dakota digital guages with the BIM module that hooks up to the OBD plug on the GM harness so am trying to sort through what I do and do not need to use from the American Autowire harness. My console originally never had the gauge pod so I have spent a lot of time modifying my console to accept those. I installed the sound system and ran those wires under the console and also installed the seat heater wiring harnesses and placed the on/off switches for those in the console.

I have test fit the seat. I am 6'3". The seat on the sliders sits just a little higher than I would like. Maybe 1/2-3/4". I have looked that over and dont see a great way to lower it and retain the fore/aft slider mechanism. In my '79 911 I built with custom seats I ended up mounting it in a fixed position because the sliders added to much height. For this I want to retain the adjustability so believe I will just live with it as it is. This also gave me a chance to mount up the steering wheel and shift lever. Realized the lever that came with the transmission was to far forward so I ordered a hurst lever that angles back at me. Narrowing in on a nice driving position so I am glad I got that layed out.

Also ordered an engine cover for the LS3. They came in bare aluminum. I had them powder coated black and my friend with a print shop made me some vinyl Camaro/ LS3/ Roadster Shop decals I applied. Really pleased how those came out.

I do keep up with my hours and am at 310 hours of labor since starting in March 2021. No idea how many more it will take but I sure intend to be driving this thing this year! There isn't a lot to see with my slow progress on wiring but here are a few pics.

195198

195197

[TANKMASTERJ]

Yeah Scott the wiring is a ton of work and little shows.
After running out of plumbing fittings to finish brake lines, and then finishing fuel lines, I jumped back on wiring. Goty Raingear wired in, tested and working great. Started on gauge bezel.
Keep it up man Slow and Steady.
Jason

[SinisterSpeed]

Great looking project, you're making a ton of progress.

That's interesting that chassis didn't need any body modifications. When I've seen a RS chassis get installed on TV it looked like they almost hacked out half the floor to get it in there.
After seeing that I wrote off the idea at that point. Now that I've seen it can actually be done without building an entirely new floor I will have to revisit the idea again.

Thanks for posting!

[EVO]

The spec chassis is designed to bolt right on with minimal cutting. The Fast Track chassis requires a floor, rear area rework to fit. I have installed the fast track on a C10 and had to do alot of bed mods to fit it. I have a spec chassis for my 74 TA and it looks like it should bolt right on. Roadster shop makes an incredible frame. Scott, great work on the camaro so far. Great attention to detail. Lovin this build.
Evo.

my 74 TA chassis

[wareaglescott]

The spec chassis is designed to bolt right on with minimal cutting. The Fast Track chassis requires a floor, rear area rework to fit. I have installed the fast track on a C10 and had to do alot of bed mods to fit it. I have a spec chassis for my 74 TA and it looks like it should bolt right on. Roadster shop makes an incredible frame. Scott, great work on the camaro so far. Great attention to detail. Lovin this build.
Evo.

my 74 TA chassis

My apologies for the slow response!
Yes the chassis bolts right to the body with zero modification. I did the DSE mini tubs and they fit perfect as well. It is amazing to me just how well everything fits!! Roadster shop did a great job with the design.

[wareaglescott]

Been slowly working away but didnt have any visual progress for a while.

Car is 99% wired. The body is currently sitting on the chassis but will be lifting off again one more time as I still have to build the exhaust and have not got to that yet. With that in mind I have a list of things that are ready to hook up but cant really be hooked up until the body and chassis are permanently together.

The interior is mostly done. Rear seat is off being covered to match the front seats. That is the only part of the car someone else is doing other than me! Hope he does a good job. Literally a guy named Bubba in Alabama has my seat in his hands! haha I have not installed the Dakota digital dash gauges yet because I have a few more wires to go back there. Because of that the drivers seat is still out. I also need to come up with a shift boot for the console.

I have put the front fenders back on so I can start working on the inner fenders. I have my old ones bolted in place. I ordered my tires and used the wheel fit tool to measure for wheels. Got those specs all dialed in and will be placing the wheel order tomorrow. The wheels are a 12 week lead time (supposedly). I am outside optimistic in 3 months I may be close to driving it. Probably not but at least want to get the wheels here.
Fronts - 18 x9 6.375BS 255/35/18
Rears 19 x 11 5.75BS 315/30/19

I am going to need to modify the inner fenders a bit to work best with the Roadster shop chassis. Currently the old ones are in there as guinea pigs and I have new ones standing by to replicate my mods on once I figure out exactly what I am doing.

I have partially installed the Estopp parking brake in the trunk. Cant hook up the cables until I join the body and chassis but I have the unit mounted and the wiring done.

That is mainly what I have been working on. Here are a few pics.

197874

197875

197876

197877

[TANKMASTERJ]

Dang your coming along fast. Wish I would have used a wheel tool toeasure but I bought some new old stock ZX3R forgelines for a beamer. Having them re barrelled for my specs and just re-drilled my hubs and axles for the metric 5X120 pattern

[Just 1 More]

I would love to see some detailed pics of the E-Stopp installation

[wareaglescott]

I would love to see some detailed pics of the E-Stopp installation


197927

197928

197929

There isn't much to show at this point because I cant attach the cables until I permanently mate the body to the chassis.

I have the unit itself in the trunk going side to side on the flat floor part near the back of the rear seat. Will eventually build a panel to hide it. When looking for a place to run the cables I was looking right at the holes in each side of the rear seat pan where the bolts would have gone for the rear seat belts. Not going to have rear seat belts so figured out I could just add one bracket to the frame on each side in the vicinity of the rear wheel and then route the cables straight into those holes. The make a radius under the back seat and loop them around to come into the unit. Ran the wires up to the dash and made a hole in the dash below the ignition switch and mounted the button there.

Here are a few pics. I will sorta draw in where the cables will go. It wont seem right with my finger drawn line but you can get the idea. Tested it out and it works good

[wareaglescott]

Been a while since an update. I am plugging away at it.
I got the front half of the exhaust completed prior to putting the body and the chassis together permanently now. I was waiting to see what space the body left me to mount the mufflers. There is an x-pipe in the center under the driveshaft. In the picture below everything aft of the X pipe is just sitting there. Now that I have the body on I am working on the back half of the exhaust.

Got my wheels delivered from Schott and set the car on its own feet for the first time yesterday. Very pleased that my custom specs I measured for worked out perfectly. 18" on the front and 19" on the rear. I will need some steering rack limiters for the front to restrict the turn angle slightly. I have the Detroit speed mini tubs and have a 315 on the rear. Could have prob squeezed a 325 in there but I am very happy with how it sits.

Everything in the engine bay is wired up and connected expect for the brake booster. (there were a few things still needing wired when I took the pic) I have that out to bench bleed the master cylinder. Have some final connections to make in the interior behind the dash as well as put the rear seat, drivers seat and steering wheel. I left the battery up front in the stock position. The passenger inner fender is quite crowded with the GMPP fuse box, vintage air lines and some other electrical. This isnt a build with a super clean engine compartment. It could certainly look better but I am pleased with the layout and functionality.

Potentially only 2-4 weeks from attempting first start depending on my work schedule and how much time I find for the build. Getting pretty exciting. Everything is working out as I hoped. Really pleased with the Roadster shop chassis. Been a lot of custom solutions along the way but I am getting there.

Do hope to roll it out of the garage soon for some decent pics. Really hard with the space and lighting to get anything good.

I do heavily document my build sessions in my instagram story @scottsrides if anyone cars to see more.


200007


200008


200009


200010

[TANKMASTERJ]

Looks like your build is rocking along scott
Looks killer
Jason

[wareaglescott]

Pushed the car out into the sun for the first time in 16 months. Getting close to first start. Still need to power it up and test all the electronics, add some fluids and finish a few more items.
Put the hood on yesterday. Need some serious work on the gaps and need to read up on how to adjust the hinges and latch to make it look right. Here are a few pics. I hope to be driving in July!

200722

200721

200723

200724

[TANKMASTERJ]

Scott
That's about where I'm at. I'm running and driving but I lack stereo, kick panels, e brake and few other little details.
Looks killer
Jason

[wareaglescott]

Finished to the point I am ready to put some shakedown miles on it. Drove it 17 miles this morning. Everything is working as I hoped. First task will be to work on the alignment. Then get the ac working. My buddy has the equipment and know how to accomplish that. Extremely pleased with the ride quality with the out of the crate settings on the chassis. Going easy on the motor of course. This is going to be fun!

I have a lot of videos I need to put together into a YouTube link. Plenty of video/sound clips on my instagram @scottsrides

Pleased how this one turned out. Had a buddy help me with the finish welding on the exhaust after I fabricated it and tac'd it together and another guy recovered the rear seat. Did a horrible job which I basically took apart and redid. Other than that did it all myself which I enjoy. I'm sure a pro could do it better but I am proud of how the DIY project I turned out.

200964

200965

200962

200963

[andrewb70]

Fast build. Looks great.

Andrew

[TANKMASTERJ]

So happy for you it looks great. I'm doing shakedown runs on mine also. I'm at 200 Miles.
Awesome job man
Jason

[NCSU68]

You should be proud! Great job. Now savor drive time! Good luck and be safe!

[cam1968327]

Finished to the point I am ready to put some shakedown miles on it. Drove it 17 miles this morning. Everything is working as I hoped. First task will be to work on the alignment. Then get the ac working. My buddy has the equipment and know how to accomplish that. Extremely pleased with the ride quality with the out of the crate settings on the chassis. Going easy on the motor of course. This is going to be fun!

I have a lot of videos I need to put together into a YouTube link. Plenty of video/sound clips on my instagram @scottsrides

Pleased how this one turned out. Had a buddy help me with the finish welding on the exhaust after I fabricated it and tac'd it together and another guy recovered the rear seat. Did a horrible job which I basically took apart and redid. Other than that did it all myself which I enjoy. I'm sure a pro could do it better but I am proud of how the DIY project I turned out.

200964

200965

200962

200963

Nice job! I really like the stance, and the dash etc. in red.

[wareaglescott]

So happy for you it looks great. I'm doing shakedown runs on mine also. I'm at 200 Miles.
Awesome job man
Jason

Thank you! Sure is a blast to drive. Im up to 75 miles. My only issue so far is a seat heater that is heating all the time. Don't really need that in July in Alabama!

[NCSU68]

A great build. I hope driving your masterpiece brings you as much happiness as the pictures bring to those viewing. The detail work is excellent. I particularly like what you did with the interior. Good Luck !!!

[72srcool]

It seams that the last 5% of the work takes 90% of the time. Looks great

[Steve68]

Great looking car

Rather quick build, lots of planning and no changing half way through!

[ryeguy2006a]

Great work Scott!! I LOVE those seats. The whole build came together really nicely and definitely something to be proud of.

[wareaglescott]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the positive feedback. 200 miles now and everything is working great. Only thing I have left to do is get the AC going. My buddy that helps me service it is swamped at work and we have not had a chance yet

[armourmark]

Very nice!

[wareaglescott]

Had a photo shoot with the car.

[andrewb70]

Beautiful pictures!

Andrew

[65C6Vette]

Thanks for sharing your build. How is the performance with the LT4? I am wondering if it is it too much for the car as I have not finalized on an engine selection yet for my build but have pretty much an identical build except mine is an RS convertible.

[wareaglescott]

I have an LS3 in there. The 495hp "hot cam" crate version.
Seems just right to me on power. I am not looking for huge HP numbers. Car drives very nice and is plenty fast for a street driver.

[65C6Vette]

I have an LS3 in there. The 495hp "hot cam" crate version.
Seems just right to me on power. I am not looking for huge HP numbers. Car drives very nice and is plenty fast for a street driver.


I still have my original 327 engine from my camaro that I rebuilt, but have thoughts that it may be too tame given the roadstershop chassis. I have also been building a pro-touring 65 corvette coupe that has had a ton of customization and fab work. That car has a 550 HP LS3 crate engine with a texas speed dual throttle body intake that I have been thinking of installing in the camaro as the camaro is now nearing completion, but I was concerned it may be too much power. Thanks for the confirmation.

[TANKMASTERJ]

I have 700hp at the crank and 575 rwhp. With my 67, and Speedtech full front and rear chassis. I was concerned it would be too squirrelly but It's very manageable. I have 295-40-18 drag radial rears. It will blow through the tires into 4th if you want but if you just go a little way in first into second, you can get traction and then 2nd on hooks like hell.
I built the car around nitro 315-40-18 in the 555g2 street tire which they haven't been making for whatever reason.

- - - Updated - - -


Had a photo shoot with the car.

Looks absolutely beautiful Scott
Jason

[65C6Vette]

[QUOTE=TANKMASTERJ;1382570]I have 700hp at the crank and 575 rwhp. With my 67, and Speedtech full front and rear chassis. I was concerned it would be too squirrelly but It's very manageable. I have 295-40-18 drag radial rears. It will blow through the tires into 4th if you want but if you just go a little way in first into second, you can get traction and then 2nd on hooks like hell.
I built the car around nitro 315-40-18 in the 555g2 street tire which they haven't been making for whatever reason.


On wheel and tire sizing, I was able to fit 345/30/19s on the rear and 275/35/18 on the front. I found 2013 corvette grand sport wheel offsets and detroit speed rear tubs and speedtech front wheel tubs work well together.

[TANKMASTERJ]

I could do 335-30 or 335-35-18 but I wanted the 40 profile for a little more sidewall. 315-40-18 was perfect but nitto screwed us guys that use them in a street tread

[ryeguy2006a]

You nailed the stance! Love the pictures too. Amazing backdrops.