Hi guys,
During the 10 years that I now have had my Camaro it has gone thru a lot of different shapes, not much has changed every time but something.
I've also tried to walk on the thin line between what was original to the car and adding some mild customizations...I want the car to behave well and still look as it could have done in the 60_ or 70:ies!
Here is a kind of resume and examples of what I´ve done with the car so far.
This is how it locked in the ad at eBay 10 years ago, taken from its origin in Waterloo, Illinois:
It was a descent restoration but much were loose due to a fast selling procedure. The wheels had wrong backspace and were made for a Corvette, therefore it was equipped with hi-jackers! First thing was to get rid of the ugly jackers, swap the wheels to 18" American Eagle and a lot of small corrections...
After that I mounted a Hotchkis sport leaf kit and adjusted the exhaust:
...the engine bay before and after minor adjustments:
I got tired of the bling-bling and the wheels set up went to original look:
Changed the grill color for correct argent silver:
Done some touch up for the interior as well....before:
...and after:
Then it was time for the larger bumper guards. I think this has been on the car as an option from the beginning...it seemed that way in the front at least. I also widened the rear rims so they now are 14x7" and the front is 14x6. Were lucky to find some NOS rear tires with the dimension H70-14!
The latest, so far, set of wheels are these almost period correct American Racing S200, though these are 17" and with custom built backspace for The Hugger. Its great to have another set of wheels to alternate with for the steel wheels, which I always will keep!
The next level in my life with a 69 Camaro - the engine swap!I've always loved the real deal COPO 9560 and it has certainly had an affect on me how I've putted the car together so far...I certainly don't have the money to buy a genuine 9560 so the second best for me is to build my own ZL-1 engine and put in The Hugger!
This project doesn't have a specific deadline so I'm going to update this thread whenever something new has happened and when I've the time, and money, necessary to continue the swap.
The background data on the car is rather interesting because The Hugger is a original X44 car and also the VIN is close to the VIN that the 69 original COPO 9560 had......so who knows?
It already has a 12 bolt Chevy rear with 4.10 gear, front disc brakes and the steel wheels with dog dish caps.
We will also try to keep the TH350, the cooler, front springs etc to keep the cost down but still get a functional car!?
Just to clarify, were
not going to build a perfect COPO clone here but as close as we can with the given conditions! Fell free to comment and help us during these project, I know you guys have tons of information of how this should be made as good as possible and I'm all ears!
....this will be continued. Welcome!
