Redemption 1st gen chop top (The Logo car)

[1stgenchop]

Hello everyone, I'm starting the reanimation of an old custom build. I found this 68 Camaro roller in a local salvage yard. All the body mods caught my eye (looks like the pro-touring G machine logo) and all the floors were solid. I needed this like a hole in the head but....Here we go. The plan is LS power w/auto trans,full digital dash, subtle wide body to fit 20's front and rear for a daily driver. I may need a gang of help because I'm new to LS stuff.
First order of buisness is to cut open doors that were welded shut. and add bracing to the previous targa top and only entrance.

[noob5,000,000]

Huh, interesting. I look forward to seeing more of this one!

[1stgenchop]

Don't know what these were for but they have to go.

That looks much better, less blind spots.

[1stgenchop]

Beginning door cut, testing firebird cowl cover

[RMMiller]

It would be interesting to know the back story on this car, who built it and why. Pretty cool that you grabbed it and will save it.

[raustinss]

id like to see it blasted ...without any bondo or paint

[Build-It-Break-It]

Please tell me your putting the entire car back to looking like a camaro......

[1stgenchop]

If anybody knows the original builder, I would love to know the history of the car. I have always wanted a chop top car. I chopped my first car, a 69 Chevelle when I was 16, it was a disaster, angles all wrong, glass issues galore, some would say this car isn't much better but there are plenty of stock 1st gen F body muscle cars out there, this will look close to the original artist's intention . As an artist myself I want to see it through. The roof may get put back w/bracing but it will remain chopped. As for the Bondo, cutting open the doors was hard,dirty days of work. I will be cutting through panels to do rust repair where needed but I will probably not get stripped completely because this will be my driver and I don't want to worry about it all the time on the street besides, winter's closing in and I want it running well before then so I can keep up morale...I get frustrated if a car sits...life happens and before you know it, it's in the classified section, unfinished and for sale.

[1stgenchop]

I was going for an 03 Chevy van motor but I found this WS6 w/4L60 that will go in instead.

[dhutton]

Looks like a 98 LS1 with perimeter bolt heads.

Don

[1stgenchop]

You are correct D. It came out of a Firebird. Thanks to everyone for the feedback and encouragement.
Finished cutting open the doors and tacked in a roof brace.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Interesting to follow.

[ryeguy2006a]

I would be very curious to know more about the vehicle history too. Cool build, I will be following along.

[digitalsolo]

That's an interesting car for sure. Following along on this one.

[Simbad68]

I found this pic on First Gen Firebird. The photo was taken in Annapolis.

[813Demon340]

Cool project, I'm excited to see it get saved and live on in its chopped form. Wish these cars could talk and explain their backstories.
If you want to add a second gen Camaro to the fleet, theres one on craigslist in Tehachapi CA... sister from another mister maybe??

[1stgenchop]

They could be related, this is reportedly a California car.

[813Demon340]

Heres the ad link. You could be right, not too many people chopping Camaro roofs/

https://reno.craigslist.org/cto/d/19...297462506.html

[1965gp]

Very cool save. Might want to pull the windshield and have it measured while you are working on it. Have a spare made or at least have info for future reference.

[1stgenchop]

1965gp Thanks, that is good advice, I only wish I had heard it a while ago before I cracked it. All may not be lost , one of the reasons I fell for this thing is I believe that the glass in this car is all stock, just laid back. They chopped it by shortening the roof.
Any way I got tired of grinding metal and cutting out rust (which will keep me busy for a while). I decided to work on mocking up the Impala plastic FI gas tank.
It hit the rear when I tried it out so I set it in front of the torpedo heater and softened it up, then used a stainless salad bowl (sorry honey) and some 2x6 boards for bracing behind it, wrapped the steel cable around it and cranked it all down with a come-along wench, once it cooled, it mounted up with the bowl dent in the front like it belonged there with plenty of clearance.[/ATTACH]Attachment 144022[ATTACH=CONFIG]144023