Crate Engine Camaro build
The Crate Engine Camaro started out like most muscle cars we see: in the dreamy eyes of a young boy. His dad owned a Chevy dealer and our client got to see Camaro after Camaro come and go and dreamed one day he would have one. He did well to poise himself for the purchase, and when the timing was just right, the perfect color Camaro came up a consignment shop in town. And what do us gearheads do when we get a car? We make it our own. So the car was off to Campbell Auto Restoration for Detroit Speed upper controls arms and coil overs. That’s where we took over.
We were introduced to the car through my cousin, who knew the client and knew we worked on muscle cars. The Camaro had been given a warming over before it was sold, but there were some knicky-knacky issues associated with a hasty job, such as the hood scoops being installed reversed. The first visit to Cj’s Garage took care of the burnt spark plug wires and generic spark plugs, as well as installing new collector gaskets. I only have the one picture of the car at the time, since we were only doing a tune-up.
The second time the car came in was when the fun began. We put new collectors on it to correct the exhaust leak around the previously warped flanges and installed electric exhaust cutouts. The third time the car came in, something had changed again, it had a definite misfire. We found a pushrod that had been chewed up. What’s worse, the pushrods were starting to dig into the rockers. We saved what we could and put a new set of pushrods in the 383, but by now the owner was tired of the constant starting problems and otherwise unreliability of the Generation I small-block engines. So I joked that an LS conversion would solve all his problems. Instead of laughing, he pulled the trigger, and few weeks later, we had a crate with an engine in it at the shop.
Now it was time to build a real pro-touring car. (Now that’s what I’m talking about!! Whoo!!) We were going to clean up the ugly wiring, install a rear end with a good Positraction unit, give it fuel injection, and give it four wheel disc brakes. So we got on the phone and made boxes full of parts appear, from Hooker with exhaust in them, Holley with engine mounts, the transmission crossmember and oil pan, Wilwood with brakes and hubs and from Derale with electric fans. Once we got the engine out, it became clear the factory A/C wasn’t at the same caliber as the rest of the engine compartment, so we 86’d the 68 gear. The passenger fender came off to take out the heater box and blower motor. And a block off plate for the now gaping hole came from Detroit Speed. Off came the factory sealer to bare metal and a fresh sheet of American steel. (And if you know me, you know I’m generally against this kind of thing, but it’s a reversible modification. Besides, the only thing left of the A/C was the box and we saved the original equipment, so I let it slide.)
Of course, it was an easy decision to take the engine bay the whole way. My brother, Justin, removed the driver’s fender, valance, header, and front bumper. At this point we loaded it up on the trailer to give it to our good friends of many years at Seven Eleven Auto Body. They took over from there for the finish work, as we wouldn’t trust the car to anyone else. Before the car went out for paint, new holes were drilled in the crossmember for the Holley mounts, as well as further disassembly, body work and prepping before the specially mixed black was laid down.
With the car out of the booth and into the shop, it was displacement replacement time. The new engine came out of the crate. We ditched the factory headers and bolted up the Hookers; away with the factory oil pan and in with Holley’s brand new kit; modified the windage tray and installed a new flexplate; and installed the torque converter, then bolted up the new transmission.
Now that the subframe was painted, powercoated plates and polyurethane assembled engine mounts where set in. The Holley kit is such a tight fit, we had to remove the engine mounting plates off the block and reinstall the bolts when the engine was sitting on them. The steering box had to come out of the way to get the driver’s side header on and the body had to be gapped from the subframe to get the transmission crossmember installed. Now, the real fun began. We discarded the original GM crankshaft pulley and water pump and installed new Vintage Air accessories. The new water pump, power steering pump, alternator, and air conditioning compressor found their final resting places, and an ATI Super Damper will turn them all at engine speed. We had just enough header clearance, I could just fit a finger between the pipes and the floorpan. This kit really fits first generation Camaros well.
Combination of massage and oral Chinese medicine or Chinese medicine bath has better effects. viagra prescription free Who might need to lose fleshly fervor of life? However, imagine a scenario in viagra purchase canada http://cute-n-tiny.com/tag/snake/ which erection issues impacts you. Kamagra soft tabs are also for those cheap viagra without prescriptions who are planning a romantic weekend. Accordingly, cialis without to win the national popular vote, a candidate must appeal to the large majority of Americans who do not live in these urban centers. With a new power plant comes fuel injection. With fuel injection comes increased fuel delivery. Increased delivery demands a new tank and electric fuel pump. Out came the original rusty fuel tank, replaced by one shiny new stainless job. Drums brakes are a thing of the past, and so is the rear end they’re attached to. In with a Strange S60 wearing 3.73:1 gearset and Wilwood speed adjusters. A brand new brake line was fabricated and brand new stainless hard lines molded around the voluptuous curves of Positraction differential. Polyurethane spring seats were added and a brand new 4” diameter driveshaft with 1350 universal joints from South Bay Driveline connect the 500 horses to the ground.
If you’re going to put Wilwoods on the rear, you must treat the front to the same indulgence. We had to remove the original spindles because they came with built in backing plates/caliper mounts and they weren’t compatible with the design of the Wilwood caliper brackets or wheel hubs. The customer thought it would be time to round out the package with Detroit Speed lower control arms. We then installed the Wilwood brake master cylinder with a hydroboost to seal up the system.
Anyone who’s been around our shop can tell you my favorite part was next: Wiring. If I could just make harnesses all day and ship them out, I would. If all I ever did was wire up finished car or bare shells, I would do it. Sign me up. Anyway, one of the coolest things about this particular build was the act that GM warranties the drivetrain no matter who installs it (is that absolute coolest thing or what?). They told me it wouldn’t harm the warranty to cut the extra length out of their harness and make it our own. The owner definitely believed the harness had to fit better than the way it came from GM and the corrugated plastic was not up to spec on the build. After some grueling hours of research on the brand new GM Performance Parts ECM and a few long days, everything from the firewall bulkhead connector forward is now Cj’s approved.
With the big items out of the way, it was time for plumbing. We made new fuel lines and fittings for the car. We had to cut down and re-bend a transmission dipstick, made transmission cooler line fittings and fabricated conversion cooler lines to fit. We also cut down the intake snorkel to size. New brake lines where bent and installed as well as proportioning valve to the rear brakes. We made new power steering hoses to the steering rack and hydroboost unit. We had to hunt down radiator hoses with the correct bends and cut them to size. We did have to clean up some new parts. The transmission cooler lines we received didn’t have a good flare on the upper line and the Vintage Air water pump leaked from the upper radiator hose nipple. As of the writing of this post, we also still have to finish the A/C hoses in the engine bay.
After the car had fluids in it, we pulled an overnight haul to get the front clip reassembled as well as debugging the new equipment. Exhaust cutouts were shorting out from an uninsulated switch, the brand new mini starter was misaligned, the torque converter bolts were too long, one headlight door hit the grille and the brakes refused to be bled for hours. But persistence pays off and we finished assembling the car.
After this we installed the hood and put the side mouldings back on the car. The front bumper and pads were the last touch. A good wash shed the blood, sweat and tears from a long build and we admire a car well crafted.
Now to test it, set it up, and finish debugging it. Stay tuned for next time and we’ll get a real photographer in the house to show off her talent (and ours).