Curt's 1969 Camaro Project

[cjingle]

I bought this car in 1989. I didn't know anything about restoring a car, let alone what I was buying back then.

It was a complete junk. The floor was totally rusted out. In one of these pictures, you can see the cement floor through the floor of the Camaro (behind the driver's seat).

Later, I found a welder who cut out the old pans and wire welded the new pans in for $800. I called around to several body shops and they all wanted around $2500 and they were only going to spot weld them in. Remember, this was 1989. Amazing.

You can also see that the guy who owned it last was planning on tubbing it out. The rear fenders where cut to make room for the fat tires. Again, I found an old body guy at the Air Force base I was stationed at to replace them for me. He did a pretty good job. The rest of the body work I did which I learned from him. Old school, but good.

I'm proud to say, very little major body work (with the exception of the roof) had to be done in this recent renovation.

[cjingle]

Here are some shots of the car during my first restoration. It took me over a year to do this. At most Air Force bases, there are Auto Hobby Shops. Luckily, this base had a paint booth. I spent a lot of time over there.

I took four paint jobs off of the car, getting it down to metal. The original color was a Rally Green.

You can see the floor replacement. The guy did a great job. I was able to clean up the rust pretty well. Both doors had major bondo work on them which I had to straighten and rework. The hood had a fake cowl on it at one point. I had to fill in all of the pop rivet holes.

As you can see, the fenders turned out nice as well.

[cjingle]

The finished job turned out pretty good. Here are a few shots of the car up in Montana. I drove it from LA to Kalispell, MT area and back. On the way up, I had blown the head gaskets. I went through a lot of water on my way up. But, I made it. While there, my brother and I replace all of the gaskets on top of the motor. I had no issues going back to LA.

The other Camaro is a 1979 Z28. While I was there, I helped my brother sand down and prep the car for a paint job. In the end, it turned out pretty nice.

[cjingle]

Here are a few shots of the car just before this last restoration. It was beautiful even then.

But, I hated the way it rode. You know how these old cars are. They follow every crack or ridge on the pavement, they make all kinds of wind noise, and they can't corner with a damn. Plus, the fact, I had no air conditioning or power steering. It was no fun to drive. But, it looked awesome.

That isn't a problem now. I love driving this car around today. Hugs the road, extremely responsive, nicely comfortable, and very fast!

You can also see my 2010. I was one of very few to first get the 2010 Camaro in NM when they came out (I got it in early June 2009). This is an early VIN car and I love it. For about 6 months, It was a blast driving it around as it turned a lot of heads. Now, they are a "dime a dozen". I knew they would be. The 5th Gens are beautiful!

I haven't done much in modifications. I put on the full GM ground effects, the Heritage grille, a set of NoWeeds cut-outs, Phadt sway bars, and an AirFlow system. The main reason is that all of my money went into the 1969 Camaro.

[cjingle]

Went to the Burrito Bandits Meet and Greet at the ol' Dos Hermandos hang out. Decent turn out. Met a lot of new folks with different cars. Had a pretty good time. It was even good to see Vincent there.

[cjingle]

On the way home, we swung by the American Furniture on Menaul and Carlisle to check out the Bataan Military Academy car show. We saw Katie and Kevin there so we pulled in.

They easily talked us into staying for the show. I felt bad for the folks putting on the show as there were only about 10 cars there. So, we stayed.

The weather was nice, company was great, the cars were awesome, and had fun talking with folks looking at the cars.

In the end, we won a few awards.

[cjingle]

Hey gang!

I finally surpassed Las Vegas in the number of visitations on this thread.

Thanks everyone for stopping by for a visit. It's been a fun ride. And, there's more to come. I have a lot of plans for this car.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Originally Posted by cjingle

Hey gang!

I finally surpassed Las Vegas in the number of visitations on this thread.

Thanks everyone for stopping by for a visit. It's been a fun ride. And, there's more to come. I have a lot of plans for this car.

That's whats up!!! Weee! Congrats brotha!!

Ivan

[cjingle]

Here I am zooming around the oval at Napa Speedway in Albuquerque, NM.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Sweet!! They use a rig or old fashion hang out the window???!!

Looks killer man!

[cjingle]

Originally Posted by Ivan @ Southwest Speed

Sweet!! They use a rig or old fashion hang out the window???!!

Looks killer man!

Nope. Just car to car with Scott hanging out the back of his SUV.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Awesome!! Love the shot man. !!!

[cjingle]

Nice shot at the Napa Speedway in Albuquerque.

[Ocikat]

Great photos Curt !!