Pyroneus Dawnlight
08-24-2022, 08:14 PM
So this is the start of my build, and many, many questions. But first, a little history to the car: my grandmother bought me this car when I was 16 (now 26), after I basically begged to have one. I've been absolutely obsessed with the body style since I first saw one. I also knew I wanted something that didn't run yet, because for me the fun of the car is never going to be just driving it. It's the process of building it, knowing I had a hand in every aspect of where it ends up once it's finished. I know most of the end goals, and am just a little stuck with the details on certain things. The car started as a 1967 Camaro base model, inline, manual setup, and when it got to me it was rusty, had a 350/350 drivetrain in it (Turbo 350 trans), and was basically a bucket of bolts. At some point, it was mangled by some DIY racing enthusiast, who cut a hole in the trunk pan for a fuel cell, mangled the shifter area in the tranny tunnel, and just generally hacked some things up.
The very first thing I did was to rebuild the drivetrain, which still technically isn't finished. I built it as a 383 stroker kit, with double hump heads that were actually raced by a local on his car a long time ago. Now that I look back though, what I really want is some nice aluminum heads, and a multi-port fuel injection setup. The tranny is also built, but again I think I'm going to swap for a 4L60E and a controller for it. I don't know the gear ratio in the rear end, which I'm rebuilding anyways so it's not a major issue yet.
Before I get back into the drivetrain, I need this car setting on good body bushings, new sheet metal, glass, and paint. I'm working with a single car garage so the car needs to be able to sit outside so I can work inside. Which brings me to the first big question: What suspension setup do I go for? I want this car to handle the curvy roads I drive on every day, but it's not an autocross machine. The ride can't be too harsh because it's going to be my daily. I know I want subframe connectors and solid body bushings, and I want to do as little cutting and welding as possible. Modifications/ upgrades to the stock subframe are fine, but I'm willing to spend money on tubular control arms and such to correct any poor steering and handling. There's just so many options to choose from it's overwhelming.
The very first thing I did was to rebuild the drivetrain, which still technically isn't finished. I built it as a 383 stroker kit, with double hump heads that were actually raced by a local on his car a long time ago. Now that I look back though, what I really want is some nice aluminum heads, and a multi-port fuel injection setup. The tranny is also built, but again I think I'm going to swap for a 4L60E and a controller for it. I don't know the gear ratio in the rear end, which I'm rebuilding anyways so it's not a major issue yet.
Before I get back into the drivetrain, I need this car setting on good body bushings, new sheet metal, glass, and paint. I'm working with a single car garage so the car needs to be able to sit outside so I can work inside. Which brings me to the first big question: What suspension setup do I go for? I want this car to handle the curvy roads I drive on every day, but it's not an autocross machine. The ride can't be too harsh because it's going to be my daily. I know I want subframe connectors and solid body bushings, and I want to do as little cutting and welding as possible. Modifications/ upgrades to the stock subframe are fine, but I'm willing to spend money on tubular control arms and such to correct any poor steering and handling. There's just so many options to choose from it's overwhelming.