hey everyone. me and my dad bought this heap for $250 back in 2000 when i was 15. we drove it home with while pulling a Fred Flintstone because the holes in the floors were so big. since then we fixed it up OK once, got it running, put up with with hurricane Katrina's aftermath and then i tore it completely back down to nothing but a shell for a total restoration. this go around I'm doing alot of custom things that were never standard in these camaros. my goal: making a hybrid camaro that is unlike everyone elses and that i love to drive.

first, how we got it
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3386.jpg
rust in the usual places:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3398.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3401.jpg

:bowtie: ~mike~

pics after me and my dad fixed up were destroyed so ill just how after Katrina.
fast forward to when i started to play with it a little while going to college and working a better job to finance it. :bowtie: ~mike~

hurricane flooding the insides.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3404.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3392.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3418.jpg
cant find a outside car pic, but think blue paint covered in filthy muddy salt water that re-rusted the old rust even further.

:whine:

Man, You got yer hands full there!!

Is your tetnis shots current?

this is more recent tear down of the car which began last year. I'm combining a 1978 camaro body with a 1973 front and rear plus a whole bunch of mods to suspension, interior, engine, and tranny. ill post more pics when i get to that point. why not just buy a 1970-73 you say? this is my father and i first and only project together and i will never get rid of it. plus it is always fun to do something "out the box";)
:bowtie: ~mike~

gutted interior and started smoothing firewall, patching floor:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3407.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3406.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3408.jpg
removing 78 quarters and preping for new 70-73s.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3409.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3412.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3416.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3421.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3423.jpg

surprise i found behind both the quarters:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3429.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3431.jpg

you can see the new piece welded onto the bottom right. painted with rust preventative paint and ready for new full quarters:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3433.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3432.jpg
i will post some more with both new quarters on tomarrow. looks crazy already! i love it.
:bowtie: ~mike~

Alotta work there... Great progress.. Umm.. I hope you are wearing a mask while working on the car. All that toxic water that leached thruout N.O. and other areas is scary stuff!!! I have two friends that are now dealing with an "Unknown" respritory issue since being around all that stuff..:(

yeah i am. been very careful, respirator, throwing mold junk away and whatnot. luckily i live 30 miles north of new Orleans and didn't have to be in the sewage water. unluckily it still flooded enough to get water in the car half way up the door sucks but what u gonna do? ~mike~

cool

Woah..now there's a challenge!!
Good start there.

keep the pictures coming were is the hybrid part

Maybe the "hybrid" is putting the 70-73 panels on the later model???

Looks Great !!!!!!!!! How bout' posting some more pics once the quarters are on ???? Lots to do but every small step puts it that much closer to done.........:D

hey guys, sorry for the delay. Ive been studying for finals and working on the car when i could. i didn't make time to post up pics till now, but here some progress for you.

p.s. my hybrid is the collaboration of all kinds of 2nd gen parts not a fuel/electric car like todays new vehicles although that would be an interesting yet costly project.


so after i painted, i placed the new quarters on the car, marked it, measured, cut a little, marked, measured and re-cut. i didn't want to over cut the quarters cause they are not cheap!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2001.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2006.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2007.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2005.jpg



after just tacking them in with only a few welds so they could be adjusted i wanted to put this on next.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2011.jpg



little did i know that single part would take me the entire week to put on and I'm still not totally finished. tremendous amount of work involved, so much so that i considered the quarters easy!

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2005.jpg
hack it up!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2010.jpg
there is a 3 inch gap between old trunk pan and rear body panel. could of just bought a 70-73 trunk pan but were is the fun in that? :screwup: plus i already bought a 78 gas tank long ago and new trunk pan + new gas tank + truck frieght = $$$.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2022.jpg

after figuring ill just use my old quarter to fill in the gaps i made some templates
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2029.jpg


i cut the metal patches out, and hammered then welded them into place. kinda of look pitted and crappy in the pics but its just from paint differences and a little hammering. they came out pretty good and touch the rear body panel now. i welded all the holes shut including the old 78 rear bumper brackets while at the same time cutting the top portion of them completely off. i will later reuse them for added strength along with rear frame rail extensions that I'm adding to it now made out of thick square tubing.


http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2030.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2026.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2027.jpg


some teasers for you...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2017.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2018.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2031.jpg

enjoy!! more to come soon...
mike :bowtie:

why go through what seems like additional trouble to cut the quarters to the larger, later rear windshield?...

Good looking work though. Kudos.

pos71rs, to be honest i just wanted to do something different. i wanted a car that i loved and was one and a million. i have already restored a camaro, now i just wanted to do a custom one. in addition, if i made it look like a 70-73 totally i could of just bought one, but i didn't want to. ~mike~ :bowtie:

Looks really good ... perhaps when it comes time for me I'll do something like this ... :D

thanks retorq. its alot of work but i think it will turn out great. ~mike~ :bowtie:

So are you a bodyman by profession? or are you restoring cars to put yourself through school? I wished I could just whip up sheetmetal like you. Great job! jim

pos71rs, to be honest i just wanted to do something different. i wanted a car that i loved and was one and a million. i have already restored a camaro, now i just wanted to do a custom one. in addition, if i made it look like a 70-73 totally i could of just bought one, but i didn't want to. ~mike~ :bowtie:
Good looking work! I'll still have to wait and see how the total look comes out once everything is assembled to make final judgement!!! ;)

So far I like what your doing with the rear 75-81 window against the 70-74 rear tail. Although I think the people who put 70-73 dog houses on an otherwise stock 81' Style Camaro make them look retarded because anyone can throw a front end on a car. Plus the curvy circles of the early 2nd Gen's don't mesh with the sharp edged back ends of late 2nd Gen's! So from that standpoint PLEASE DONT PUT 78-81 Z28 FENDER VENTS ON YOUR 70-73 FRONT END FOR THE SAKE OF MAN KIND! <--- it just looks like crap; but never say never I suppose if you already have a plan to tie them in???:shy:

Anyhow... I am a tad disapointed since I expected to see a Camaro with a space ship fuel cell or a hydrogen super car based on the thread's title! But oh well! What type of drivetrain are you considering? Hopefully something modern, fast & efficient; such as any of the wonderful LSX series motors!?

Jim mac- if u want to know the truth i have never ever done this kind of stuff before. I'm 23, worked at a dealership for Chevy 10 months and only restored one other car with my father- thats my extent in metal work and body work. :happy: i would consider that a huge compliment. i just been picking up what people have said on these forums, TV, magazines and what the techs said at that dealership plus using my imagination and doing it slow. i would consider that a big compliment! so thanks.


1FstChevy- thanks for the compliment. i didn't plan on putting those vents on the front fenders. I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do with the front yet but i have a couple good ideas just got to tweak them a bit and decide which one i like and which one that flows well. but I'm excited to know that the response is pretty good from the people who have seen the rear so far. as far as drive train goes I'm looking into that. $$$ is always a headache, but hopefully ill have a 4 disc brake, 5 speed, modern 600+ hp 93 octane beast to drive around.

more to come so stay tuned. ill post up pics when i get to that point!! ~mike~

nice!

good for you on taking on such a big task. i'm surly envy of you and i will continue to look for the following updates. Keep those pics coming.

Ive been welding the rear body panel and new trunk floor extension piece on....going slow so i don't warp the metal. i had to modify it a little more but its pretty much welded up. I'm going to finish welding the quarters next and start on the body work on the rear. then i can start with the front. woot woot. ill take some more pics tonight or tomorrow.
~mike~:bowtie:

ATTABOY!!! Incredible work for a noob!!!

Keep at it!

Wow, impressive... nice job

I'm back from the dead!!! i know Ive been out of the scene for a while (my sister getting married, vacation, work, zero money, but I'm back muhahahha. i have good progress on the "hybrid camaro" that i will post up tomorrow. ~mike~ :bowtie:

stay tuned

At the first pic, I thought, man maybe find another project, but now WOW. I like it alot. Russ

Subscribed

I have a 79 camaro that I did a ton of body work to then thought of doing that same thing to the rear just to have a chrome bumper and the round tail lights. But decided not to because I got a good deal on a ls1/6-speed and of course all the work I already did when it was up in the air about what to do next. Unfortunately I've had the new goods for a while and not been able to do anything with it but thats the wonderful thing about money :rolleyes:

So needless to say, I love what your doing and hope you keep it up and finish it.

What color do you plan on painting it?

AWESOME!!! Good job. I have a 78 that needs body work, you inspire me to do it myself.

drivetrain ideas!!! your work is amazing! props!

Wondered what happened to you. I think there is a guy overseas doing a similiar project too, posted on here a while back, maybe in Turkey? Whole lot more work than one would think since the basic car is pretty much the same, except it's not. LOL.

Great job. !!! maybe not a 1 in a Million because there are others who blend years together to make what they would call there "perfect 2nd Gen"

Aweasome job ..! Oh wheres the Hybrid part of did I miss it.??

thanks for all the compliments!! as far as color I'm not sure. i want a dark color but I'm not totally sure yet. for drive train I'm thinking- 5 speed, 342 rear posi, Moser axles, with a mystery engine. i considered the hybrid part a blending of the 2nd gen years. but i guess the hybrid part of my thread was just really to get some attention. with everyone throwing that word around now-a-days it looses its original form from the pre-gas crisis days. but with so many other beautiful cars i need an attention getter.:D



p.s.-i know its been months but, pics tomorrow morning (or this morning i guess) i promise. i just got off work so I'm exhausted. :confused:

laters,
mike:bowtie:

sorry about that pics, they are a little foggy because i couldn't find my good camera. in between my sisters wedding, work and all that fuzz, i managed to grind all the goo off the sub frame, realign it, and re-weld the crappy factory welds. i bought some DSE sub frame connectors and installed those. in addition, i have both doors reskined, mounted and aligned. I'm pretty happy with the outcomes of the gaps. it was a pain but I'm glad its done. i had to get the front fenders down from the attic and put those on and make sure the doors would open and close with out rubbing. the brownish color in the pics is indeed rust, but only surface rust. i thank Louisiana's crappy super high humidity for that. the last pic are my c2 gauges just for fun. more to follow....


~mike~
:bowtie:




re-welded front sub frame. getting ready to send it to be powder coated! woot
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020416.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020435.jpg

DSE sub frame connectors installed and ready to go.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020419.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020418.jpg
surface rust..eww. gonna sand blast the bottom next!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020423.jpg

re-skinned door.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020425.jpg
gaps are the same just has a weird shadow.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020427.jpg

c2 guages
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020434.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/S4020433.jpg


p.s.-when i find my camera i will updated the pics and this post with better ones.

can't wait to see the finished body work. You got a lot on your hands, but keep up the good work!! :)

Wow, fantastic work so far. I take it you're putting in a 78 style dash?

Awesome stuff - big thumbs up!

woot!! :cool: today is my birthday! September 30 that is. i feel like an old man...arg. anyways i decided to post up since i have been slacking majorly. all this hurricane business and then school and zero extra money really slows down progress, but i finally made some.

I'm trying to get a hold of Jeff at classic motorsports group cause i went to buy a trans today before the price went up and the lady told me they were open till 6:00 PM there time. i called and they closed at 5:00 pm!! :mad: i was pissed because i took off work so i could order in time. so hopefully i can get it fixed tomorrow and still get the before-price-increase price. enough of the rant.

i bought a oven over the summer to powder coat some of my own parts using Eastwood's hot coat kit (which i got on a huge sale) and built a sandblasting cabinet so i could get the 30 year old trash off. here is the blast cabinet that is being used to spray powder coating material on some valve covers.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2036.jpg

also bought a tubing bender from j2 a while back to make my own cage. i think its coming out good. ill be selling this tubing bender when I'm finished with it, but that will not be for a while. ignore the crap everywhere in the garage...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2035.jpg

the tubing is 1 3/4 .120 dom seamless.
main hoop
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2037.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2038.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2039.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2040.jpg

rear bars that go into trunk.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2041.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2043.jpg
welds look funky but are welded like 3 times. i need a miniature person to lay in the trunk and weld.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2050.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/camaro2045.jpg


still have a ton more to go but will try to post up as i go along.
enjoy for now!

~mike~
:bowtie:

I say go for a turbo 4.8l chevy with a 6 speed. should pull some damn good mpg and be up in performance.

ah turbo would be indeed sweet. i have something i bought off a friend brand new though that will be putting out a very decent amount of power. the manual transmission is a must.

Great work 70ish, glad to see someone using a 78-81 car instead of a 74.

Happy belated birthday!!!

That cage tucks VERY nice!!! I like it a lot.
How much was the bender?

Great job on the roll bar!
Looks like 6x9 speakers will still fit in the deck holes too! :cool:

Do you have plans you can post?

Cage looks good ,nice work on the rest of the car too.
Wayne

thanks everyone! its good to here everyones enthuastic comments. the bender was $295 then i had to buy a 180 degree die set for 1 3/4 tubing at $300 i think. the handle i made myself because i didnt feel like spending 40 bucks for one. then i had to pay shipping. but i figure i can use it and resell it for lower than i paid obviously, and hopefully get some of that back. the bender works great, but i only need it for a little bit. too bad i couldnt rent one :whine: but the cage will be tucked real close and exactly how i want it for cheaper than a shop would do it for.

as far as the plans...hmm... ill have to make some i suppose because i just made it up as i went along. i never played with this before so it took me a long time of meauring and whatnot to get it right. ill see what i can put together and get back to everyone on that.

until then....

~mike~
:bowtie:

ive been steady fabricating the cage, trying to tuck it so it can hardly be seen. then i can finally send the subframe to be sent out to be power coated hopefully by the 1st of november. we shall see.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3816.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3815.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3828.jpg
goes through the firewall, in the cowl and out the otherside connecting to the front subframe tube using grade 8 1/2" stainless bolts and two 1/4" hardened steel plates welded to the firewall and each end of the tube.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3826.jpg
i recessed the area where it hooks up to firewall for a cleaner look. not too hard but very time consuming :eek:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3817.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3819.jpg

i have one more side to go and the cage will be finished. whew! nice and hidden
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3829.jpg

also patched the firewall again. i didnt like how it came out the first time. the gauge of the metal was to thin. i went with a 16 gauge this time.

out with the old...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3820.jpg

in with the new...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3821.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3822.jpg

I love how you did the roll bar, you are doing awesome work. I will keep these photos for future referance for my pro street project when it gets started again.

UPDATE! I'm done with the cage for now. ill probably add the door swing out ones later which is easy, but as of now I'm done bending tube!!

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3859.jpg
front tubes...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3860.jpg



rear seat brace bar is now removable in case of passengers.:)
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3862.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3861.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_3863.jpg

more to come,
~mike~
:bowtie:


p.s.-anyone want to buy a tubing bender?

I can hardly express how impressed I am!!! Great work!

thanks! i can hardly believe i did all that work by myself with little experience! :happy:


mike
:bowtie:

Impressive work. I like the removable bar for passengers. Clever.

nice work i hope all your passengers wear helmets lol

So what are you going to use to make this thing go? Small block, big small block, big block?

i dont think there will be rear passangers , but you never know.


atleast for now the "dart" block will have 570 hp and 550 lbs of torque on 93 pump gas. muhaha. ill post pics when its ready.

mike

^^nice http://img2.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/evilgrin/evilgrin.gif (http://www.mysmiley.net/free-animal-smileys.php)

im glad you posted this! i was considering doing the same thing but didnt know where to start.. do you need to replace the rear quarters or did you do it because yours were rotten? i have a really solid 81, so i would rather cut as little as possible.. thanks

you're up to some great work there feller! Kudos!

Just a heads up, rear cross bar must be welded in per NHRA rules, that likely won't pass tech.

Otherwise, its fantastic work!

alright I fell of the grid for a while, but I still been lurking. I had to fix up my house for a month so we can sell it. I have been watching everyone's progress and made me want to jump on the progress train. So with that I busted out my 10 gallon sand blaster and sandblasted my entrire cars underneath, firewall, rollcage and cowl. it was ALOT of work and took me many hours to do it, but im done. I then epoxy primed the underside after a thorough cleaning and im going to 1k prime it tonight. wheeee! then hopefully next thusday ill be ready to undercoat. it should never rust again. hopefully:cool:

BEFORE
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4390.jpg

DURING
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4392.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4394.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4395.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4396.jpg

AFTER
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4397.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4398.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4399.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4401.jpg

~Mike

Looks good Mike, nice work.
Glad your back on the car.

thanks guy. your work ethic along with other members on this site, is what drives me to get my car done.

thanks guy. your work ethic along with other members on this site, is what drives me to get my car done.
Glad I could help lol

very nice!! i like the way you did the quarters:bowtie:

That underside will pass the lick test.... ;) Very nice work

thanks fellas.

i finally got my 10 bolt welded up with some nickle wire. wheee!!!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4403.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4404.jpg

i also put 2 coats of 1k primer everywhere so my car would stop rusting. came out pretty good. now its time to smooth out the firewall with some dolphin glaze.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4405.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4408.jpg

some time before valentines day i hope to have the rearend por 15 along with the subframe and have the underside of the car coated with this!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4407.jpg

then i can start to put the car back on its feet. i cant wait!
-mike

really nice work what are you plans for the drivetrain?

I plan on a 5-speed, posi 3.42 gears, motor with 570hp 550lbs tq. I'll take pics when get to that point.

I tried a new product called fibral to smooth out the firewall and the stupid crap never got hard. I added the harder and put it on the spots that needed filling and it never got hard. It pissed me off because now I have to re-sandblast the stupid welds and re-epoxy it and re-primer it. Dangit. So that's what I'll be doing all day tomorrow. Always soMething.

I plan on a 5-speed, posi 3.42 gears, motor with 570hp 550lbs tq. I'll take pics when get to that point.

I tried a new product called fibral to smooth out the firewall and the stupid crap never got hard. I added the harder and put it on the spots that needed filling and it never got hard. It pissed me off because now I have to re-sandblast the stupid welds and re-epoxy it and re-primer it. Dangit. So that's what I'll be doing all day tomorrow. Always soMething.


Cool but, your posted that you are hybird?
What are you going to use for the hybird system and where are you going to put the battery pack etc) or am I miss reading your post?

ah you miss read. the hybrid part is like a compliation of the 2nd gen years. so many people think hybrid as in fuel economy rather than hybrid of 2 different things brought into one. sorry to let u down. :cool:

I tried a new product called fibral to smooth out the firewall and the stupid crap never got hard. I added the harder and put it on the spots that needed filling and it never got hard. It pissed me off because now I have to re-sandblast the stupid welds and re-epoxy it and re-primer it. Dangit. So that's what I'll be doing all day tomorrow. Always soMething.
Well that stinks :(
Maybe use some Rage gold?

ah you miss read. the hybrid part is like a compliation of the 2nd gen years. so many people think hybrid as in fuel economy rather than hybrid of 2 different things brought into one. sorry to let u down. :cool:


lol ok i feel like a dummy .... anyway nice work :confused:

Maldo- thanks!

Olstyle- I'm just going to stick to my dolphin glaze. I sandblasted, and epoxyed the areas yesterday. Today I'm going to prime and then do some body work. Pics later. Getting there a month or two I'm hoping to paint

Maldo- thanks!

Olstyle- I'm just going to stick to my dolphin glaze. I sandblasted, and epoxyed the areas yesterday. Today I'm going to prime and then do some body work. Pics later. Getting there a month or two I'm hoping to paint
Very cool.

primed the spots i had to re-do, and put some glaze on it. it actually got hard this time which made me happy. sandblasted the rear end... man do i hate sandblasting. only the sub frame is left(i decided to por 15 it rather than powdercoat so it will match the rear end), well that and the door jambs.
no pics cause they dont really look different from last Thursday. more to come on sunday....


-mike

Where has this thread been all my life!? Your pictures have covered pretty much all my unanswered questions. You've also inspired me. I'm 21 and when i break out the welder or silver soder people automatically assume it will look like crap. I'm gonna start collecting parts. I'll be refering to you when i start to really scratch my head.

in those pics it looks like you have a 8.2" ten bolt. not nearly as strong as the stock 8.5"... im no expert but the diff cover looks exactly like an 8.2" 10 bolt, as far as i know 8.5" 10 boltt never looked like that.

if running sticky tires and 500+ hp you may want to upgrade.

awsome build! cant wait to see what else your doing to it.

in those pics it looks like you have a 8.2" ten bolt. not nearly as strong as the stock 8.5"... im no expert but the diff cover looks exactly like an 8.2" 10 bolt, as far as i know 8.5" 10 boltt never looked like that.

ah you made me go double check. its a 8.5 whew. i read that if your 10 bolts got these square ears its a 8.5.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4440.jpg


anyways, i sandblasted both front subframe and rear axle so i didnt have to throw away a set of brushes twice when i por 15 them. also bought some paint for the cowl area and firewall and borrowed a undercoating gun yesterday. so hopefully i get a chance to do some undercoating in a week or so. i bought some 30 spline axles and posi off a member here so hopefully they come in soon so i can re-assemble my rear.


after sandblasting rear and sub and marine cleaned and metal preped...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4432.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4433.jpg

after por15...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4442.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4444.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4443.jpg


smoothing the weld lines on firewall and underside...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4430.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4431.jpg

more to come soon hopefully.
-mike

Looking Good Man!!!:bowtie:

i really love the recessed area where the cage hooks up to firewall. thats a great feature. ur very skilled. :)

Thanks kind sir. I wish I could take the credit for the idea but I copied it from a dse car. I am though doing all this for the first time. Never fabricated with metal before. It's been a good experience plus I can say I did it ALL by myself! Except for getting the axle tubes welded. Couldn't find nickle wire for a mig in a 1lb spool

wow. its been a while. ive been doing a million things and havent been on top of the updates.

anyways, im done with all the body work under the car. its ready for undercoat. the firewall is totally sanded needs a touch up of primer and small sanding and then it will ready for paint. i have to sand blast the two inner fenders, epoxy, then primer them so i can paint them when i paint the firewall.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4455.jpg

i re sanded the front sub frame because it had a million runs in the paint when i por 15 it with a brush. i was not satisfied so i sanded off the runs and sprayed it with a hlvp gun this time. (don't worry i sprayed it outside with a very good respirator.) the tubes are also ready for paint.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4452.jpg

And heres my engine ready to put in!!! im very excited on how it came out!!!

ok. whew. so this engine was exactly how i visioned in my head. i powder coated the valve covers and air cleaner, then i painted the Chevrolet letters white with enamel paint by hand and the bowtie i painted by hand red enamel. it took a loooooooong time and a patient steady hand, but i love how they came out. i also sandblasted the a/c compressor, water pump, alternator, and power steering pump. then i powder coated the alternator and painted the the accessories. i think it looks awesome.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4447.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4448.jpg

before i did anything they looked like this...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/12480127.jpg

this is my valve cover after i powder coated them and hand painted the Chevrolet and bowtie. i also painted the "oil" on the cap.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4449.jpg

this is a representation of my old air cleaner before i did anything to it. it looked exactly like this....
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/oldaircleaner.jpg
after powder coat, enamel hand painting, and decal.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4451.jpg


more to come....im hoping to have the firewall, inner fenders and the front tubes painted, the underside undercoated with body schultz, and the front sub frame and rear end put back on the car by the end of April. but, we will see. enjoy!

wow. its been a while. ive been doing a million things and havent been on top of the updates.

anyways, im done with all the body work under the car. its ready for undercoat. the firewall is totally sanded needs a touch up of primer and small sanding and then it will ready for paint. i have to sand blast the two inner fenders, epoxy, then primer them so i can paint them when i paint the firewall.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4455.jpg

i re sanded the front sub frame because it had a million runs in the paint when i por 15 it with a brush. i was not satisfied so i sanded off the runs and sprayed it with a hlvp gun this time. (don't worry i sprayed it outside with a very good respirator.) the tubes are also ready for paint.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4452.jpg

And heres my engine ready to put in!!! im very excited on how it came out!!!

ok. whew. so this engine was exactly how i visioned in my head. i powder coated the valve covers and air cleaner, then i painted the Chevrolet letters white with enamel paint by hand and the bowtie i painted by hand red enamel. it took a loooooooong time and a patient steady hand, but i love how they came out. i also sandblasted the a/c compressor, water pump, alternator, and power steering pump. then i powder coated the alternator and painted the the accessories. i think it looks awesome.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4447.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4448.jpg

before i did anything they looked like this...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/12480127.jpg

this is my valve cover after i powder coated them and hand painted the Chevrolet and bowtie. i also painted the "oil" on the cap.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4449.jpg

this is a representation of my old air cleaner before i did anything to it. it looked exactly like this....
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/oldaircleaner.jpg
after powder coat, enamel hand painting, and decal.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4451.jpg


more to come....im hoping to have the firewall, inner fenders and the front tubes painted, the underside undercoated with body schultz, and the front sub frame and rear end put back on the car by the end of April. but, we will see. enjoy!
Looks great! Nice work.

the engine looks great, good work.

Originally Posted by speedfreak1000
the engine looks great, good work.

Originally Posted by olstyle
Looks great! Nice work

thanks fellas.

damn dude, you got skills. you should show this project to a hot rod shop and get a gig.

Excellent details on the engine!!

Dave
:bowtie:

Nice work, your car is sweet

The engine turned out beautiful. Looks great.

nice looking project.

how come you bolted the cage to the firewall? are you planning on the subframe being remove-able? aren't you welding in subframe connectors to stiffen the chassis?

The valve covers look fantastic, I've always liked that style a lot. Very nice detail work all over, can't wait to see it all together.

okay. alot has happened in the past couple months. i helped my parents move to texas, moved myself, lost a garage to work in, put car in a mini storage, i ahd some personal issues, i started college again, and have no extra money right now. so that's it in a nut shell. but i have my car back on all fours in mini storage, just getting around to updating this, mainly cause i have had zero drive to do anything... blah. heres some pics for fun and to show some sort of progress....

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4459.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4468.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4471.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4472.jpg

painted the firewall and cage and mounted to the car
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4485.jpg
engine in...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4486.jpg

put rear axle together and put under car with hotchkis lowering springs and big brakes...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4491.jpg
here the traction bar attached...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4492.jpg

had to make these rear sway bar end links, nothing on this car is bolt in. had to modify everything...:(
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4494.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4495.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4496.jpg

rear end in!!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4500.jpg

front spindles modified...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4456.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4458.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4462.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4463.jpg

powder coated...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4465.jpg

mounted...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4501.jpg

here it sits in my mini storage waiting for money to be sunk into it...

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4502.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4507.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4504.jpg

5 speed in...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4508.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4488.jpg

new seat belts for front seats...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4511.jpg

the next thing ill probably end up doing is final body work on shell, doors, front clip, then get it all painted, then order some rims and tires and assemble everything. hopefully ill have it done for 2010 crusin the coast. ill update as i start to do something on it.

Very impressive. I haven't done much work on my Camaro lately, but yours sure does inspire those of us who have slcked. Just goes to show what one can accomplish when they put their head and heart into it!

Sorry to hear of all the bumps in the road of life... but it helps us grow older... right?....

yay updates! It's good to see your pressing on even with some bad spunk that happened to you. :) looks great!!

Car is looking awesome! Hang in there man - if there is one thing I've learned over the years, it is that women come and go... but your car, a good dog, and your family are always there for you ;) Keep your chin up!

yea man... girls come and go, but CARS ARE VERY !@#$@! LOYAL ! asspecially camaros they will treat you good, give you the fix u need any time.. wanna bump? *sniff*

thanks guys and gals. its been rough, but im finally starting to feel better and wanting to start tackling my car again. been figuring stuff up all day what i need to buy in order to finish the fuel system, brakes and hydraboost. then i can work on the wiring and possible start this pig up!!

looks great

Wow man....great job! I appreciate your attention to detail - I can tell you are working you azz off.

BTW, that motor looks like a traditional smallblock....not a hybrid! lol

thanks guys. yah its a traditional sb. the "hybrid" is coming from the fact that the non drive train parts are from all years of the second gen. i ALMOST bought a ls3 and put it in... (kicking self now) but thats how it goes. im happy with the motor now though.

Wow! I just recently found and read this thread. Awesome work! Keep it up! I am subscribed now.

Everything is looking real good!!

I love the look of the engine! Dressy, but not over the top. I like the braces you added to the sub frame to the firewall also, I plan to do that on my build as well.

Work is looking real good! hard to stay motivated when your lose a relationship like that, it happened to me too. It almost motivated me to do more work to my car though! Good luck, keep it up!

How come your brake rotors look painted?

thanks fellas! :bowtie: the cage i measured 10 times or more before i bent it. i had 10 extra feet of tubing only enough to mess up once or twice. anyways, the rotors have some sort of paint on them to prevent them from rusting, but where my brake pads ride, it will come off as soon as i apply the brakes one time. i guess its wilwoods new way of doing things. i like it though.

Love this!! 70ish,,I'm doing the same quarters on my 81.

got a brown package in the mail. yay! used the 10% off discount code and bought alot of stuff from summit ive been putting off. got all my fittings i need to complete my fuel line, some brake line adaptors, fuel filter, some relays, and percys aluminum headers gaskets, and locking bolts. i have work from now till tuesday, so on tuesday ill try to finish the sump on the tank and get that ready to be painted. so much to order, so little money to do it with. :confused:

yeah i am. been very careful, respirator, throwing mold junk away and whatnot. luckily i live 30 miles north of new Orleans and didn't have to be in the sewage water. unluckily it still flooded enough to get water in the car half way up the door sucks but what u gonna do? ~mike~

Good progress! Hope to see her on the road someday in the near future!!!!

Just finished the entire thread and posts, and I'm very impressed to say the least! Looks like you've developed skills that many don't have twice your age!
Are you staying with the early 2nd gen theme for the front sheetmetal too, or something custom between early and late?
Enjoyed your project so far!

what alot of work. wow, looks fantastic

thanks fellas. :bowtie:

as far as the front sheet metal, im not sure. i have both the late second gen and the early gen front end parts. i want to do something different, but im not exactly sure what yet. ill have to draw it on paper, and play with it to see what looks good. for now just want to get it running. then i can play with the front clip.

im taking my front seats to a freind's house tomorrow to be "altered" so i can use those seatbelts i bought. i cant wait.... its going to look killer.

ok so yesterday i decided to dive into my front seats instead. i took them apart and pulled the vinyl and foam off the metal backing. then i cut two 4 inch by 1 inch and a half slices in them so the seatbelts will slide through. then i renforced the surrounding areas so it is just as strong if not stronger than before i cut on it. once both seats are ready, im going to bring them to this freind at work and she will redo the head rest area so seatbelts can pass through and not look like crap. will edit this with pics tomorrow. have to go to work soon.

well i havent done much since my last update. im broke as can be paying for school....just wanted to update this cause its been a few months. everyones projects look great!

Car Looks Sweet So Far!

so its been years since this has been updated..wow.sad.hope you get back to it.

Wholly molie... That is huge project but you sound very motivated. Good luck toy and can't wait to see the finished project.

well its been a long time since i even looked at the car. Ive been super busy with college full time and working full time and when i do have time its soaked up spending time with my girlfriend. ;) but these past months upon months Ive slowly been saving up money, buying parts, and storing them where my camaro is sitting. there are a few more things i don't need but would like to get like: billet door strikers, door jab vents, aluminum radiator, etc. that ill probably save up for this year. i recently bought some 18" rushforth super spokes! (i took me almost 2 years to save up) they have gloss black centers with a polished hoop. the sizes are 18 x 8" in the front and 18 x 10" in the back. here are some pics of them mounted on the car just for fun and see what they look like!

before

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4664.jpg

after...

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4665.jpg

looks like i need to lower the rear another inch or so. and probably the front too. but ill wait and add more weight to the car first.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4655.jpg

the blue stuff by the rims and engine is tape. i dont want to scratch the fresh rims before the car is even on the road.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4654.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4660.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4668.jpg

also, a couple of weeks ago i organized my storage so i can work on my car. i suppose the next step for me is fooling with the front end in order to get all the sheet metal adjusted and gaped right so that i can begin body work, block sanding and hopefully get it all ready for paint. at least that's the plan for this year.

just a small update...

I've been doing some body work and starting to assemble the front end. OER front fenders are horrible, BUT we all know that. No such thing as bolt on, but i feel like I'm used to it by now. drivers fender was good just needed some slight tweaking. The passenger fender on the the other hand will have to have some major surgery in order to fit correctly. Move a bracket here, grind a lip down and re-weld it there....anyways, it feels good to start putting parts on the car again that have been sitting for 6+ years. Also, I been messing with my gas tank so i can be one step closer to firing up that bad boy. I had to modify the gas tank sump to be more ascetically pleasing to the eye because the angle just was not right to me. i will post some pics up soon and thanks for stopping by.:bowtie:

Glad to see your able to get back on it. This has been a project I have been keeping my eye on. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Great Work!!! I'm gonna have to bring you and your pipe bender to TX to help with my cage.;)

Car is awesome looking, it will be so cool when it is done. Keep going.

WOW! let me say that again.... WOW! very nice work. so glad i found this link. after my 71 got totaled, i've been looking at the rear of my 81 and thinking.... hmmmm. being a HUGE fan of the round taillight camaros you just may have given me some inspiration! keep up the great work. can't wait to see some paint.

kickass project

So lets see! You have never done sheet metal work so you just dove right in and did!! Never done body work so you just dove right in!! you've never done...... so you just doit!!!

Just read threw this hole thread WHAT AN AMASING JOB YOU'VE DONE!!!!!!

I really like how you did the cage at the fire wall the most. And the removeable cross bar. Most likely not race legal but who cares. Lost the girl parents move,Lost the garage and you still keep going!!!

Your frist ride in this car is going to put a smile on your face a mile wide!!

And going to school full time and working full time WOW!! And a new G/F also! Hope she is into your camaro also!!!!

Hate to have to put off working on her to work on the G/F!!!!!!

I would very much like info on your front seat mod for your seat belts. I want to do that to both our car and truck high back seats!!
Just amasing!!!!

thanks fellas, i really appreciate the comments! life is crazy sometimes. one minute your going one way and another, your headed in a totally unforeseen direction. im working on getting the body panels aligned. repop stuff is hard to work with sometimes. i put both fenders on and the hood, but the gaps on the doors need some major readjusting. i cant open them without hitting the fenders. i have pics of the gap-age just need to find time to upload them. thanks for looking!:cool:

Update time! I have been working on my car off and on over the past several months. I decided to put up some pics, because everyone loves pics! Now since my gas tank is from a 78-81 camaro and my rear tail is a 70-73 camaro, the gas tank had to be modified to accommodate two things:
1.) the sump i was going to put in and
2.) the fill neck needed to be shortened in order to fit behind the license plate.

first i measured and cut out the sump
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4479.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4478.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4481.jpg

then i welded that joker on there and cut out a section of the fill neck and welded that together.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4826.jpg


After I mocked it up to the car I didn't like the angle the sump was at so I decided to cut a full inch out of it to make it more subtle.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4825.jpg

then i welded all the seems solid, ground them down flat and put lead on the seems in order to seal it even more, fill the imperfections and add strength.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4824.jpg

im currently waiting on a few parts from summit so i can finish fabrication of the fuel pump/filter bracket and then paint it.

Another project I undertook was dealing with these repop panels. What a headache!! I had to grind metal, add metal, pull metal, push metal, and overall redo everything. Nothing was working well for me when it came to these doors or fenders. Some of the mounting holes were stamped in the wrong place on both fenders and metal had to be added in places. After a full week of working 12 hour days I made good headway in getting the panels to line up. Not perfect, but getting there.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4829.jpg

The blue tape is where I had to add metal to the mounting hole and re drill them so they would fit on the fender. This is a before that week of panel realignment....
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4828.jpg

Everything just sitting in place to see how much work Im going to have to do...
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4827.jpg

This is after that week long adjusting of repop panels.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/photo14.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/photo13.jpg

Still need to finish brakes, fuel lines, wiring and hydra-boost just to name a few in here:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/photo15.jpg

just pretending to drive it. haha
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/100_4832.jpg


Hope fully I can start the engine and finish the bodywork by the end of this year, but this is my last semester in college so that takes priority. Anyways, thanks for viewing my thread and Ill update when I have any real updates to well....update. :cool:

This looks interesting...

Great choice for body... I have a 71 RS/Z28 tribute that I started working on in 1981. I've just started messing with it again. So I read through your whole post and I'm impressed. Only a couple of things I've wondered about. Did you consider any sanctioning bodies when building your roll cage - there may be bends/welds that don't meet requirements... nicely fit to the body in any case. And a second question is about the endura bumper. Mine is original and was a poor condition from GM when purchased in 81. Did you use the urethane replacement available from repop shops? And, how would you describe the quality of the piece you used? Hope you get back to it before you are side-tracked by marriage or babies.

Oh, may I suggest some kind of cross-bar or triangulation on the front roll bar section... you may find your welds will crack under the stress of driving and the front sub-frame shifting because of pot-holes, etc.

that's alot of blue tape !!! lol, nice progress.

This is after that week long adjusting of repop panels.

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm222/70ishcamaro/photo14.jpg

Hey, I may have missed it, but just wondered whose nose panel you used, the fit looks pretty good. Was it a fibreglass one?

Mines trash and I'll need to replace it! Oh yeah this build is AWESOME!

Love it!

Great Job on your car..

Of course i love the wheels...

Once you saw those, I bet nothing else would do.....

Jason knows we love his Wheels...

Two things #1 I like your car and your doing an exelent job. #2 Not to sound like a douch but why are ppl always turning 74-81s into 70-73s is it cheaper? i guess i paid $2500 for my 73 and $50 for my 79s what is your reason? anyways nice job;)

Excellent work! You basically did what GM wanted to do from 1970 on with that back window. From what I read years ago they wanted to use that rear window from the start but couldn't get the design right or something like that.