Can you truly build a ‘69 Chevelle that drives smooth/tight/new???

[cobrakillerta]

Is it possible to truely make one of these cars drive smooth/tight/new???

I currently have an ‘18 Camaro SS 1LE which has only 1400 miles on it which is 100% stock and unmolested. I love the car, but I rarely get to drive it and don’t truely ‘enjoy’ it because the damn this is so damn nice, I don’t want to mess with it at all. I miss tinkering with a car and would love to ‘build’ something or atleast update it along the way. My 1LE is pretty much ‘too much’ car for what I’m doing…which is basically cruising.

With the way the car market is, I’m thinking of unloading my 1LE for a hefty profit and finally getting a restomod/pro-touring car like I’ve always dreamed of doing.

I’d love a black ‘69 Chevelle (or maybe Camaro) with an LS3 (or LS7) and a T56, that can drive smooth, tight, rattle and knock free! Stockish style suspension wether it be global west, hotckis, umi, bmr or whoever to achieve this is fine. I’m not looking to build a track car, but rather a GOOD cruiser that drives damn well and won’t make me regret selling my current like new 1LE.

Buying a roller that has the body work done, a turn-key car with stock suspension (that I can then update myself) or anything in between is fine with me. I could care less about it being an SS or whatnot, but I just want a GOOD restoration to ‘new’ with a current drivetrain and whatever off the shelf parts are needed to achieve my goal.

I’m asking this because any older muscle car I’ve driven has been half assed and drove like a damn tractor. I want something that is proper, if that’s even possible.

So, is what I’m seeking honestly possible?

[XLexusTech]

Is it possible to truely make one of these cars drive smooth/tight/new???

I currently have an ‘18 Camaro SS 1LE which has only 1400 miles on it which is 100% stock and unmolested. I love the car, but I rarely get to drive it and don’t truely ‘enjoy’ it because the damn this is so damn nice, I don’t want to mess with it at all. I miss tinkering with a car and would love to ‘build’ something or atleast update it along the way. My 1LE is pretty much ‘too much’ car for what I’m doing…which is basically cruising.

With the way the car market is, I’m thinking of unloading my 1LE for a hefty profit and finally getting a restomod/pro-touring car like I’ve always dreamed of doing.

I’d love a black ‘69 Chevelle (or maybe Camaro) with an LS3 (or LS7) and a T56, that can drive smooth, tight, rattle and knock free! Stockish style suspension wether it be global west, hotckis, umi, bmr or whoever to achieve this is fine. I’m not looking to build a track car, but rather a GOOD cruiser that drives damn well and won’t make me regret selling my current like new 1LE.

Buying a roller that has the body work done, a turn-key car with stock suspension (that I can then update myself) or anything in between is fine with me. I could care less about it being an SS or whatnot, but I just want a GOOD restoration to ‘new’ with a current drivetrain and whatever off the shelf parts are needed to achieve my goal.

I’m asking this because any older muscle car I’ve driven has been half assed and drove like a damn tractor. I want something that is proper, if that’s even possible.

So, is what I’m seeking honestly possible?

Yes you can.. you can make a old GM muscle car as tight and as smooth as deep as your pockets will allow. You can also get them really good with good road feel and fairly good NVH within a reasonable budget ... what you are not going to do is get CTSV performance and NVH out of a 50 YO car.. for cheap..

[cobrakillerta]

Yes you can.. you can make a old GM muscle car as tight and as smooth as deep as your pockets will allow. You can also get them really good with good road feel and fairly good NVH within a reasonable budget ... what you are not going to do is get CTSV performance and NVH out of a 50 YO car.. for cheap..

I understand that it will cost me. Good NVH is what I want.

Anything that sticks out to you or advice on getting to proper NVH out of one of these cars?

[79 Camaro]

Interior wise Dyna Mat for the first layer. Then two sided foil with jute 1/2" for the second layer. Then carpet. Floor, door panels and inside roof less the 1/2" foil. Seal the fire wall and trunk with above. Under the car where the the headers run the self stick heat reflecting foil.
Don't get crazy with solid control arm bushings. Adjustable shocks. Same goes for mufflers. Exhaust all the way to the back. Tires and wheels. Runs some size with some side wall. Buy some really good seats at least for the front.

[stab6902]

There is a ton of "behind the scenes" technology that goes into making new cars as refined as they are, including
- Super stiff unibodies
- Multi-link suspensions with application tuned bushings, sometimes hydraulic
- Acoustically laminated glass
- Triple door seals
- Wind tunnel optimized everything, top and bottom
- etc....

Adding any one of those things to an old Chevelle or Camaro would be cost prohibitive and/or mess up the identity of the car. NVH/refinement/feel is also important to me, and based on my experience, with careful parts selection and some trial and error, you can get a Chevelle close to a 1994-1996 Impala SS and a 1st gen Camaro close-ish to a 4th gen.

Bottom line is you might be able to make a 60's car feel 30 years newer from an NVH and refinement standpoint, but not truly modern by any objective measure. It's much easier to match the performance of modern car than it is to match the refinement, safety, or comfort.

[joeko23]

In my build, I’m truly making every effort to make my car to look, feel, handle, and quiet as a brand new car. I followed the advice of soundeadenershowdown.com, but it seems as though it no longer exists. Luckily, I created a post on what materials are needed, how much and where it goes here:

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/135842-Camaro-Sound-And-Heat-Deadening-Instructions?highlight=

Additionally, you can check out my build below to see how I used the materials, where I sourced them and where I put them. My build is nearing completion, so I have driven the car without windows and with just headers and cats installed and the car is pretty quiet. I think once the windows and seals are installed, it will be new car quiet. Also, there are zero shakes and rattles and the chassisworks front clip and the Heidts IRS contribute significantly to the comfortable yet sporty feel. Adjusting the shocks makes for more sport or more comfortable ride and obviously the NVH plays a huge factor.

Anyone who has closed the door or tapped on a body panel is shocked how dense it all feels. In fact they think the whole car is made from plastic when I have zero body filler on it. Anyway, the NVH cost was insignificant (less than $500) and took me 4 days or so to do myself. As far as weight, the rubber is by far the heaviest at 1lb per sq ft I believe, the closed cell foam weighs nothing and the dynamat style butyl sheets arnt heavy either. All in, maybe I added 200lbs to the vehicle.

[BMR Sales]

It's much easier to match the performance of modern car than it is to match the refinement, safety, or comfort.

Very Good Point, Ryan!

[parsonsj]

... you might be able to make a 60's car feel 30 years newer from an NVH and refinement standpoint, but not truly modern by any objective measure. It's much easier to match the performance of modern car than it is to match the refinement, safety, or comfort. That's the winner right there. I tell my customers that these 50 yr old cars have personality, and that modern NVH is not achievable. I typically do dynamat, and hours of window adjustment, stay reasonable with the exhaust and cam and rear gear ratio, but in the end, it's a 50 year old car with engineering to match.

[dontlifttoshift]

You can put a 1,000 pounds of dynamat in a car and still have a rattle trap.

It takes ridiculously meticulous assembly to build a very tight car. From top to bottom and inside out.

[67-LS1]

I’ve been concentrating on NVH in my 66 Chevelle from the inception of my project. I knew I was going to drive this car everyday. I went with a high horsepower DI V6, a 6 speed auto and a high rearend ratio. I’m running quiet mufflers, Dynamat, sound insulation foam everywhere. I’ve got Hotchkis suspension front and rear, 4 wheel disc brakes and a 12:1 steering box.
It handles like a slot car, is almost as quiet as my BMW 3 series (still chasing a little wind noise around
the windows) and gets 30+ mpg more often than not.
It can be done. It will be a lot harder/impossible if you also want a lumpy cam and Blowmaster 40’s.

[67-LS1]

Interior wise Dyna Mat for the first layer. Then two sided foil with jute 1/2" for the second layer. Then carpet. Floor, door panels and inside roof less the 1/2" foil. Seal the fire wall and trunk with above. Under the car where the the headers run the self stick heat reflecting foil.
Don't get crazy with solid control arm bushings. Adjustable shocks. Same goes for mufflers. Exhaust all the way to the back. Tires and wheels. Runs some size with some side wall. Buy some really good seats at least for the front.

3M Thinsulate is WAY better at absorbing sound then jute. But it’s more expensive too. I agree with everything else you said except I wish I hadn’t covered the entire floor/trunk/doors with Dynamat. Strategic pieces laid out to stop the vibration of the metal and Thinsulate is more effective and lighter weight.
i would love to figure out how to change all my Hotchkis bushings out to rubber. I like the better geometry but the bushing are unnecessarily stiff for street use.

[dhutton]

Solid bushings and heims will generate a lot of NVH imho. Exhaust hangers are also a big factor in my experience.

Sound deadener the entire trunk. It makes a big difference.

Shave the drip rails.

Don

[79 Camaro]

The only other thing I can think of is engine wise. Build a big cube small cam (LS?) so you have tons of torque. That's in lieu of a small cube (LS?) big cammed engine. Don't have to rev the big cube engine to the sky to make good power.

[mikedc]

Wear earplugs on long drives.

Seriously. It helps. You won't miss any important sounds if your natural hearing ability isn't compromised. They just turn the world's volume down a little.

[Zachalanche]

Wear earplugs on long drives.

Seriously. It helps. You won't miss any important sounds if your natural hearing ability isn't compromised. They just turn the world's volume down a little.

Rugged Radios also makes some nice head sets that will allow you to hear your music and talk to your passengers. ;)