Here it is loosely translated to English. WOW, that was a lot of work!!
"Rome was not built in a day! "This phrase applies perfectly to project Kiki D. Wood. Before exposing his Camaro on Nitro stand Automédon lounge, Kik has worked hard to achieve such a project. To him the word! (text and pictures Kiki D. Wood supplement to Article Seven Year Itch, appeared in Nitro 268 February-March 2014). It's fun to see people's reactions that flash on my car! Once two people ask me if it is an import, or the address of the studio responsible for the restoration. To think back, it's pretty flattering, because it proves that I reached my goal was to get closer to the U.S. restorations. The most important and the most fun is to be revived Camaro, giving it a slightly different look kit chrome rims Summit with American Racing Torq Thrust and Cooper Cobra tires. The heart of this hobby is with this passion that you put into working all weekend. On one side, you often wonder what a pain you are stuffed. On the other hand, you persevere because you think the magic moment when you turn the ignition key and can finally hear the sound of the big block! Place images "backstage"! It is in an Auto Trader number purchased at 7-Eleven I noticed the announcement of a 1969 Camaro posted 12,000 dollars. The same evening, I go to the seller and I concluded the sale having scraped 500 dollars. Since the beginning, I intend to build a replica of COPO Camaro. This coupled with its 350 its auto TH350 box, my base is not ideal. But my big mistake is to take an air-conditioned car, which will generate a lot of sheet metal work, small mods, or research specific to non air-conditioned rooms as heating box totally different models. Last photo of the Camaro with the seller, handshake before my first ride on California roads. Branch Whittier, at John Canales, a friend. On the road that night, before impromptu stop at Boyds on Lambert Boulevard, Whittier. Today, with the decline and disappearance of Boyd Coddington, it takes me to another matter. N’ayant plus de place dans son garage, John contacte son ami Richard Uribe pour qu’il stocke l’auto jusqu’à mon retour plusieurs mois plus tard. Le lendemain soir, la Camaro tient compagnie à la VW resto-cal de Richard, membre des German Folks, un célèbre club VW du bassin de Los Angeles. In June, I returned to California to do a report on the LA Roadster Show. I wish to do my shopping at Classic Industries and delivered the Camaro at DEI in Gardena. In autumn 2006, the Camaro landed in France. She traveled in the company of Mustang Christian Mazure for his establishment Pacific Garage. That looks like your car that travels in a container! It sounds basic, but it's very well designed!. The arrival of the Camaro goes smoothly. Some pictures to immortalize the database before processing. This is Romain, a friend, who is responsible to finish the rear tires with her two offspring, Hugo and Leo. Is do they remember one day to the point of making a street machine, thinking at that time that will be scored? Time will tell! Note the reg plate in black marker! After the cloud of smoke from burn out, it's time to tackle the serious things. The front end is the first step of disassembly. To save space, it is deposited at once. No time to lose during disassembly, remains the easiest phase. With the help of my friends and Gérard Yann, mechanical cradle and do not stay long on the car. They find their place six years later. Once the major organs removed, I start scratching the white paint, perceiving that she flakes easily. Note the green painting'' Green'' Frost in the middle of the wing and a white paint flakes. With the manufacture of the pan, see the hull perched so high is unusual. 170 euros steel tube will be amortized very quickly by the quality of work permitted by this tool. Once finished scraping paint, sanding sander is performed followed by a blue phosphating primers. Desiring a perfect job, I said that the blasting was the best solution to remove those little black oxidation points. The only concern is the cleaning sandblasting sand rushing into every corner of the car. The first piece to be replaced is the rear skirt shabby with a thickness of mastic bordering centimeters in some places. With rotisserie, this step is going very well. Very corroded, the heating box is soldered. Meanwhile the new part, I focus on the firewall. Along job is to blow one at a spot welds. The view of the hull without the firewall remains one of the highlights of this project. The new SDU is primed to ensure optimum protection before welding.
camaro-zl1-kiki of wood-build-25A receipt of new housing into two parts, its installation is a formality with a professional welder by points.
camaro-zl1-kiki of wood-build-26camaro-zl1-kiki of wood-build-27camaro-zl1-kiki of wood-build-28camaro-zl1-kiki of wood-build-29The Work continues with the replacement of damaged parts floors. Despite having the whole piece, I recovered that I need to repair. The first step is cutting the diseased part and the report on the new part. After tracing and cutting, mig welded to it (the four pictures below). The last spot welds made, they must be ground inside and outside before proceeding to the preparation phase. This is the time to ask sealants on both sides, even if inside, carpet and insulation hide all (the first photo and cons below). When you are involved in a big project like this, the installation of a primer and a layer of protection is a result! The next day I applied a layer of gray satin polyurethane to duplicate a primer before spraying Fathom Green to reproduce the fog factory paint. One of the most important moments is the rest of the body on its wheels. At that moment, I said a big page is turned.
When Fred, home Amplitude Bike, back to our local Buick GS 400 Gege, I asked him to give me a quote. 5 minutes later, he returned with my Camaro on his tray. The half-frame masking was done using thick trash bags for enclosing at maximum. No piece of tiro will stuck on the frame outside the areas under the body. Fred was responsible in Amplitude Bike Mustang projects TF1 Car. Change my wings Camaro is for him a formality. Setting primer completes the purely sheetmetal part of the project. After months of effort, the day of the painting is the highlight of any project which respects. The vision of the Camaro in the paint booth gives me chills! Two hours later, the Fathom Green is not yet dry when I take this shot. At this point I began to dream, but the hard part! After a good drying period, I load sanding nail polish for phase-polishing. First of all, the 1200 and 1500 I use, before finishing with 3000 Trisak moistened. Left the door was sanded with 1500. On the right, the rear wing has been sanded with 3000 Trisak water. Note the "brilliant" is already back on the wing. The polishing is performed with a polishing machine set on low speed using the buffer liquid and the polishing 3M. Three kinds of products are needed with their respective buffers to boost the glossy. Before after! Here's the full report after the polishing of the body. The painting has lost its grain spray, ensuring incomparable brilliance. The first big phase winding for the engine, which will be installed with the Muncie M22 gearbox in place. To do this, we must protect at-risk areas in the path of the box. Above, the all-aluminum ZL1 bench at JPL in Laval (Quebec)! Although the power of 510 hp is not calculated to the wheels, there is still enough horses to scare with a 3.73 Posi and Goodyear Wide Tread period! Above, the same once unpacked from its crate from Canada. The whole engine / gearbox is secured to a hydraulic goat using anchors Chevy original . It was at this moment that I realize the low weight of ZL1 .
camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 52Encore few inches to adjust the anchor points of the engine mounts , and the Canadian portion of the project ( the engine ) is finally connected to the car.
camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 53Mon project begins to take shape and volume with this large block in the bowels of the chassis . At this stage , it becomes a large scale model 1.
camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 54The final winding lasts more than a year in Amplitude Bike. Once mounted and finally settled wings, the Camaro takes more space.
camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 55The pass scrutineering is almost a formality. The outputs are further, and after the period of useful debugging , just have to enjoy it ... simply !
camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 56camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 57camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 58camaro - zl1 - kiki of wood -build- 59The Camaro is on its thirty -one with tires waxed to be immortalized in Nitro . I wanted the look of another photographer myself on my car. So Daniel Denis who is stuck to the task with gusto. It was a long session, but the result is here : discover the Nitro 268 !
Below: Hear the crack on the Nitro stand Automédon 2013 ( thank you Celia Huart ) .
