69 Camaro Project "I Cost Money"

[KnightMare]

This week I start tearing down my 69 Camaro that I've had the last few years and the more I take off, the more I go like WTF? Short back story on the Camaro is that I bought the car off eBay and had it shipped to my parents house for the past 6 years while I traveling working. So it finally took me getting into a motorcycle accident last year to slow me down enough to get the ball rolling on one of my cars. So now in the present I enrolled at my local community college and brought the car for my project to work on this year.

So I don't know exactly what I want to put in the car but I got a general idea of what I want to do:
Drivetrain:
*LS engine/5 or 6 speed transmission
*ridetech suspension including 4 link rear to delete leaf springs
*Disk brake kit
*18/19's front and rear wheels
Body Mods:
*Tucked bumpers
*Shaved marker lights
*Shaved drip rails
*Custom front valance
*Subframe connectors
*Rear diffuser...maybe...
*Marquez lights
Interior:
*Racing seats
*Roll cage

[KnightMare]

Made a concept drawing and the is a general direction I'm going, just not 100% on color









Final Rendering:

[tubbed69]

Sure is the right name for a project,good luck with it.

[KnightMare]

This is what I start with



And a few years later, it looks like this under the top... I got some work ahead of me



And how it looks under the fenders

[KnightMare]

A few days ago at class I was trying to get the front end assembly off I seen what bad shape the front end of the car was in, so luckly for me Classic Muscle is only 5 minutes from the campus and came back with a new set of fenders, hood, and a radiator support. Got to love scratch and dent specials. Only one dent on a fender, scratched hood and driver fender.





I had to cut this fender to get it off from the bottom



Radiator support rusted out top and bottom. Got a new one and bushings

[KnightMare]

Last picture of progress.



Looks like only a few parts to salvage from the front end. the piece was surprising the driver fender, it was actually a repop fender with the sticker still on it. So anyone need a driver camaro fender around North Carolina let me know.
I'll have a few days off from the car since my next class to get to the car is on friday. On that night I'll gut the interior to prepare to start working on the shell. I think I'll just buy some new doors and just salvage the hardware in mine cause the way this car looks, I don't trust anything. If anyone got tips for me, please feel free to comment

[KnightMare]

Got some work done on the Camaro. Pic of it sitting outside the school with the new fenders, hood, and radiator support on it.




I didn't take alot of pics today but was able to strip the interior and was supprised to find out that the floor is solid except for some spots in the trunk. The previous owner also taped the taillights together and glued them to the rear panel with the same material he used for the windshield. Monday I'm going to pick some cowl side panels and I was trying to see if they made a replacement panel for that section beside it because the bottoms are bad

[birdsandbowties]

i have torn down and built so many 67-69 camaro's i just cant count that high, i always say " taking one
of these apart is like peeling an onion,,,the more layers you pull off the more you cry "

[LeighP]

I see the "structural foam" got a work out there.....
Good luck on the rebuild. I like your rendering.

[KnightMare]

I was stripping the doors down and found 3 inches of filler covering giant rust holes in the corners of the doors.
Before...



After...


The bondo and chicken wire repair


Other door just as bad. So I'll just salvage what I can out the doors and get some new ones soon. I'll be starting monday night repairing the side cowl section and working my way to rear. Does anyone know if they make the panel the door hinges attach to? The bottom section is gone.

[KnightMare]

i have torn down and built so many 67-69 camaro's i just cant count that high, i always say " taking one
of these apart is like peeling an onion,,,the more layers you pull off the more you cry "

Yeah I know. I have to replace every exterior panel so far it seems but I was very surprised the floor pans were solid

[formula350]

Damn I feel a lot better about the rust on my car lolll
Where did you get that 3d modeling program?

[KnightMare]

Damn I feel a lot better about the rust on my car lolll
Where did you get that 3d modeling program?

http://www.hokdigitalpaintbooth.com/

[BuzzKillian]

I looked for the hinge panels when I did my car... I ended up making a patch panel. sorry, no pics, I didn't think about that when I was doing it.
You might check Dynacorn's site... they weren't availible a coup[le years ago, but might be now.

[KnightMare]

I just checked and I see them. Some places has these lower panels from the door hinge down. Others got the entire jamb assembly all the way up to the pillar. But at 300 bucks a side for the entire piece plus oversized shipping, I might put my fabrication skills to the test. Saving $600 dollars can be put to use on new doors instead

[KnightMare]

A few days of updates:
Last week I bought the side cowl panels inner and outers. Some quick work with the plasma cutter revealed damage to the cowl panel as well. Also found some more of that "rust repairing expanding foam" in there as well. Took all the windows out as well and found damage under the front windshield repaired with pieces of metal that looked to be cut with metal shears and glued with what looks like JB Weld. So I'm going to replace the upper cowl panel now as well.


Starting tomorrow going to pull the subframe, strip it, weld it up, and get the engine/trans home while the shell is getting fixed. So on the front of the shell going to replace both sides of the cowl inner/outer, cowl panel, and replace the driver door jamb to a pillar panel. I took the trim of the A pillar and found it rusted out on the drivers side. Passenger side was fine and just need to patch the lower under the door hinge area.

Anyone got a easy way of removing spot welds? I bought some spot weld cutter bits that have the replaceable heads but they take way too long to get even one spot weld out.

[KnightMare]

Today at class I pulled the engine and transmission out of the car. And with them out of the way I can see that there is some rust damage to the firewall near the trans tunnel and a lot where the firewall meets the cowl area.


I'm going to get some sheet metal tomorrow and start fixing the firewall, deleting the old heater box, getting the spot welds out to replace the cowl assembly, and repair other areas on the front of the car such as under the door hinge area in front of the rocker panels.

[AJ_McPherson]

Wow, What a project. Good luck on it. Luckily nearly all of the camaro panels are available.

[AusMarty]

Good luck mate. haha!

[CodexGigas]

Jesus, I can't stand Body Men that do complete Hack Jobs