Newbie from Ohio, building a 68 Camaro

[SSinister68]

Hey everyone,

I've scrolled through these message boards for a little while now, I figured it time that I actually register. I'm in central Ohio, I have a basket case 1968 Camaro SS that I've owned since 2009. I know the previous owner, and as the pictures indicate, this car has had a ROUGH life, but at the time, the deal was too good to pass up. Just this past fall, I moved the car out of our barn to wash it down and get it ready to continue the progress I started back in 2010, when I removed the interior, the hood, front bumper, and the engine that was in the car was a Buick Skylark six cylinder and the front grille was made out of a box fan .

I'm still not totally sure of the direction I want to go with the car, but I would like to incorporate some pro touring aspects. I've gotten my feet wet working on cars with my 1987 Buick Regal turbo T, but I haven't done anything nearly as extensive as what this will require. I have an air compressor, some basic pneumatic tools, a mig welder, and space to work on this car, all I need now is the knowledge and experience! I'm kind of stuck as to where I need to go next with the car, I know I'll have to brace the body before I remove the glass and take it off of the subframe, and I think my first steps should be new floor, new trunk, and minitubs. Sorry for the long post, I look forward to making some progress and learning as much as I can.

Kelly

[wayneb]

wow, have your work cut out for you on floor and trunk work!

I'm really starting to appreciate the condition of my 68 compared to what others are starting with!

I look foward to seeing your progress.

Wayneb

[Gmachine1911]

Welcome! You’ll be fine...just make a plan and map it out so you don’t lose sight of the direction you wanna go. I’d start with making it a solid body again with new floors, trunk, etc. then working on the suspension. Breaking it down into sub-systems (wiring, brakes, fuel system, HVAC, driveline) works well so you don’t get overwhelmed. Keep the progress posts coming. Good luck!

[Twentyover]

Tough to go wrong with a first gen Camaro

[CamaroAJ]

Jeg's stocks a lot of panels for that. Resto-world in Dayton is where I picked up most of the metal for my car though. When I lived in Columbus I would shoot down there and pick up everything so I didn't have to pay shipping and they have every thing in stock that you can think of for that car.

[SSinister68]

wow, have your work cut out for you on floor and trunk work!

I'm really starting to appreciate the condition of my 68 compared to what others are starting with!

I look foward to seeing your progress.

Wayneb

Thanks! Yeah, this car had a really rough previous life. Hopefully I can restore it to its former glory. I wish I could have started out with something a little better off, but at least there can't be many hidden surprises this way!

[SSinister68]

Welcome! You’ll be fine...just make a plan and map it out so you don’t lose sight of the direction you wanna go. I’d start with making it a solid body again with new floors, trunk, etc. then working on the suspension. Breaking it down into sub-systems (wiring, brakes, fuel system, HVAC, driveline) works well so you don’t get overwhelmed. Keep the progress posts coming. Good luck!

Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement. That's what I'm thinking, too. I wanted to start with pulling the body off and putting it on a rotisserie and getting the new metal in, but even in that sub-system, it seems like there are so many different places to start. I'm going to spend some time on here and see if I can find some detailed build threads to help me stay on the right track.

- - - Updated - - -

Tough to go wrong with a first gen Camaro

Absolutely!

[SSinister68]

Jeg's stocks a lot of panels for that. Resto-world in Dayton is where I picked up most of the metal for my car though. When I lived in Columbus I would shoot down there and pick up everything so I didn't have to pay shipping and they have every thing in stock that you can think of for that car.

I haven't heard of Resto-world, thanks for the heads up. I'll check it out. How did you like the fit and finish from them?