A lot of folks on here may remember me. I built a camaro out of a field find firebird in 2009. I turned this
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/Picture004.jpg Into this.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/camaro.jpg
Well I got the itch again and started on my second one. This is a plane jane 6 cylinder car that was going to the scrap yard. I decided to save it and build a car for myself, my way.

This is what I started with.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/car2.jpg
I have been gathering parts for about a year as money allows and this weekend I started putting panels back on the carcass. I think I will have replaced about 95 percent of the car when I am done.

I took off most of the rust and ended up with very little original car.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/156.jpg
I started by using the fisher body measurements and welded up my trunk floor with my new frame rails and rear valance.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/150.jpg

Okay now-- you have 376 days left to go!;) :D Looks like you got a nice jumpstart again Jim. Pretty cool project. (again) Already added it to my subscription list. This should be a good one...:yes: :popcorn:

Todd, I really started on it on the 10th of October. That was when I came back from the Hershey auto show with lots of goodies. I bought a set of tubular a arms from Classic along with disc brake conversion and new Moog 5536 springs. So I started out sand blasting a frame a friend that converted to an aftermarket frame gave me.

I welded up all the seams and painted it with Bill Hirsh chassis black.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/003.jpg

Then I installed new bolts and put on both upper and lower control arms.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/005.jpg
I also bought a power rack from Unisteer and installed it.
I still have to cut my springs and put on spindles but its getting close.

This weekend I spent about 20 hours in the shop. I think I got alot done, what do you guys think.;)
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/016.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/017.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/031-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/033.jpg

Thats right! Both inner and outer rockers, firewall, one piece floor and trunk/frame rail assembly is in place and ready for final welding.:hurray:

You are a dedicated restorer for sure.

Good lord. You have done more since Oct 10 than I have seen some projects done in a year.
Stay at that pace and your going to be looking for another project in a few months.

Wow.

Wow.
X2 I have nothing to say... Im speechless

Explains why you haven't been answering your cell phone....heh heh

Jim,

You still need to stop by and rid me of all my surplus camaro stuffs....:thumbsup:

Hey Jim. Both projects are impressive so far. Love your dedication. What is the plan for the new project? I also have a 6 banger project on the go. I am building a Z 28 clone. One thing for sure is you are killing it pace wise. I am sure many of us wish we could work that fast. Nothing better than good progress to keep a fella motivated. Keep up the good work.

I Love how the firebird turned out. 50/50 nice color. Just curious how the car is registered. Is it technically still a Firebird or a Camaro now?

WV will assign a Vin according to the model the vehicle most resembles. The same thing applies to a Dynacorn Body in my state. So, it is registered as a camaro.

:thumbsup: I bet you were in to jig saw puzzles as a kid!

It takes a dedicated builder for a project this major. Hats off to you man! :bow:

I didn't get any pics, but I clock cut and removed one coil from my 5536 springs tuesday night and installed them. Thanks to pdq67, David Ponzi and others on the forum for the neat instructions. I am out of town but the wife called to tell me there are some BOXES on the porch:hurray:. Todd is fabbing me a set of his inner rocker braces and Belaire Bob sent out the last piece ( upper cowl) this week. Look for more progress soon. As soon as I get the bones of the car done I will be sandblasting and epoxy priming and painting, then on to the outer skin. See you all soon.

OK, can someone give me a tip on removing the seam sealer and roof from the drip rail? Two hours and only a few inches of progress. I used a small chisel to peck out the hard seam sealer and then tried to find the factory spot welds on the roof panel. Not much luck. On the other car I replaced the entire rail, but this one can be saved.

Here are some progress pics. Some of the springs and spindles installed and my lower cowl came in Friday from Bellaire Bob, so I went ahead and test fitted and installed that, along with my inner tulip panels. Todd sent out my inner rocker braces so I can put those and my inner and outer wheel houses in next.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/004-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/014-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/012.jpg

"Slow down you overachiever". Looking great!

For the drip rail (among other places) I use a screwdriver I have sharpened into a "chisel". Just find one that will fit into the drip rail itself. I actually sharpen them on one side only, and into a "crescent" shape. You can almost sharpen them sharp enough to shave with. It will easily trim out the seam sealer then.

Good progress, and good luck!

Thanks John, I will try that tomorrow. I am considering using a cut off wheel and instead of removing the spot welds, I may just grind the remains of the roof out of the drip rail that way. Anything would be faster than what I did this evening!

Jim-- Looking great! The inner rocker braces pair should be there w/in 2-3 days max.

As for the roof along each drip rail... For speed and ease you can use a shear or cut off wheel to remove the bulk of the roof up to about 1" away from the seam and then use a wire wheel to reveal each factory spot weld so you can grind them down using a 3" cut off wheel (ever so gingerly) --It works great and the spot weld pops loose. Hold the cut off wheel at a 90 degree angle to the spot weld and slide it back and forth until the welds pop. You'll be cutting a large rectangle off first (the bulk of the roof panel) then work at the rest with your cut-off wheel.

These may help show you where the spot welds are located... HAVE FUN!:beers: (but be prepared for some ugliness underneath!:yes:)

OK, my inner rocker braces came today, so I test fit them and removed them for primer and sealer. Tomorrow I should be able to weld them in and start on the inner and outer wheelhouses. If all goes well I will sand blast the rest of the car and start test fitting quarter panels and rear panel this weekend. I also installed my rotors and calipers onto my frame. Still pecking away at the roof rail.

Awesome build! I love it. Reminds me of a chevelle i built. I had a pic of it on top of two other cars in a junk yard and before i sold it i had replaced 70% of the car. But this one is worse. With what you started with it you didnt get much meat left on the bone. lol. I am going to enjoy seeing your new posts. Great job.

Good job Jim - your build progress is impressive!

Alright, I did some more on the car today and yesterday. I cut out and installed both sides of the inner and outer wheelhouses, sandblasted what I am going to save and started test fitting quarter panels. Here are some progress pics.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/011-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-2.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/012-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/004-2.jpg

If all goes ok tomorrow I should be able to finalize the test fitting of the quarter panels and seam seal and por 15 everything that will be covered up. Still waiting on my package tray braces to show up.

The subframe assembly looks sweet! Great progress again!:yes: :beers: Just curious as to how your quarters fit around your tail light panel (especially on the pass side). What brand quarters and tail light panel are you using?

I have only tried the drivers quarter as of tonight, but should have more info about fitment tommorrow on the other side.

Amazing. Both your skill and speed! I look forward to following this project. You talk about an epic before and after picture in the end. You saved that car when probably nobody else would have. for that you deserve a hand :hurray:

Chris, thanks for the positive comments and words of encouragement. I hope to get this thing in paint before Christmas.

I worked some more on the car today, but not as much as I wanted to. I had to install a window in my mom and dads house so I lost about 2 hours. I did get the other quarter panel test fitted along with checking my trunk gaps. It will need some more massaging. The rear valance panel was the worst piece so far that I have bought. I am definitaley going to have to cut all four corners and make them square. They are very poorly stamped. Here are some progress pics.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/003-3.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/002-3.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-3.jpg

Looking good, keep up the good work.

My package tray braces are still not here, so I rebuilt all four door hinges and worked on the drivers door tonight. I mounted both doors back on and like the fit so far. More progress tomorrow, hopefully my parts will be in as I am kind of stuck without them.

Well my package tray braces showed up, so I installed them along with the package tray. I also bolted my trunk lid to the hinges so I could locate and mount the hinges correctly. I put the car up on the lift so I could final weld the frame rails to the floor, now that everything is fitting well. I had the quarters off and on about 6 times, but they fit great now. Everthing is tore back down to the bones for paint and seam sealer in all of the hidden areas. Here are some Pics.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-4.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/002-4.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/008-2.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/007-3.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/005-4.jpg

Today I worked on all the little plug welding. I welded frame rails to trunk floor, trunk extensions to trunk floor and rear valance to trunk floor. Tomorrow I will prime and paint the entire floor and trunk, along with behind the quarter panels. Then I hope to hang the quarter panels for the last time and test fit the roof. Here are a few shots of the progress.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-5.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/004-5.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/IMG00030-20091201-1605.jpg

JUST KIDDING about that last one, but it will not be long now.

Lol. The last one almost got me. But actually i wasnt that shocked at the speed you are working! It is coming together very nicely. :yes:

I have made some more progress this week. I will only have a couple more days before the trip to the Turkey rod run in Florida, so I have to get cracking. Some shots of the primer and seam sealer in place, and the quarter panels installed. I also cleaned and primed a lot of little brackets and panels. The weather has been great so I have been taking advantage of it.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/007-4.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/005-5.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/011-2.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/002-6.jpg

A few of you may be interested in my other passion, Flathead fords. These are some pics of the last two projects that are at the shop being worked on and the reason I did not start on the camaro project earlier. The blue one is a 36 ford and the one in primer is a 47 business coupe.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/128.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/127.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/047.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/064.jpg

Beautiful cars and work there!:yes: But-- did you post these pics because you're slacking on your '69 Camaro now? l:):p C'mon! Finish that Camaro! :D

No seriously Jim... the Fords look sweet too. Nice work.:beers:

Todd, I am trying to get a good day in at the shop but my JOB just keeps getting in the way. Plus I am leaving in a couple days to head down you way for the turkey rod run and a week of family time, so progress will be cut off.

I may be there too. I am trying to convince my father to go with. Believe it or not, I have never been there and I've lived here since 1990! Nutty, I know... The good thing is.... the prices of used car parts have dropped considerably given the state of our wonderful economy. :(

If you happen to end up with some free time give me a shout. I'm just under 3 hrs away (directly across the state). You're welcome to swing by and hang out if you wanted.:beers: Maybe you can "speed" things up over here for me.:D

Well I made it back from the Turkey Run. It was pretty cool. A lot of sweet first gens. I met several people from team camaro ( Hi Bob, and Dave! ). I am ready to get back on my project with lots of motivation from the show. Look for some progress this week.

That pic of the car in the grass/weeds, gives me motivation!! Very cool.

Wow! You weren't kidding about the title. Your doing great work. Keep it up.

Hey guys, update time. I can not find my camera cable so no pictures tonight, but I have been working on the camaro. I replaced the passenger side drip rail. After removing the remains of the roof from rail it was just to far gone to save. I also welded in seat pans and tonight I primed the entire underneath of the car. Tomorrow I plan on painting the underside black and then I can install subframe and rear end. There just seems to be no end to welding. I have wore out 4 or 5 drill bits making plug weld holes! I will post some pics soon.

Jeremy and Jerry, thanks for the positive comments.:beers:

Jim,

All I can say is WOW!

Wifey thinks my ragtop project is too much. She could not believe what you started out with and how you have progressed...you're the man!

Ok, I do have some pics. This is where I had to cut out more rust.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/006-4.jpg
A couple of the new drip rail in place.
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/011-3.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/011-3.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/013-3.jpg

I also painted the underside black and have the roof on for the final time ready for welding. This puts me on schedule for body work and primer by next weekend. I test fit my back glass and have hung both doors to check for rocker and edge gaps. Everything lines up well. My trunk may need a little more work in the upper corners but its not bad. The plan is to prime then put suspension in. We will see if that changes.

What brand roof and quarters are you using again? Looks like a nice tight gap across the sail panel area-- Less to fill and blend in. :beers:

Todd, the roof and quarters came from two different suppliers, but are both dynacorn parts. I think they fit well. Oh and Christmas came and went with no primer yet on the body shell.:( Work has been crazy with lots of travel, so I am not around much to make any progress. I worked on the roof to quarter seams some more tonight and started filling the dings left in the trunk floor from plug welding. This weekend is shot with a ski trip so maybe Monday will see it all one color.

SLACKER!
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:thumbsup:

SLACKER!
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:thumbsup:




LOL! I can always count on my buddies to point out my failures. THANKS JOHN!

Monday night I did put the camaro in first prime:hurray:. I am going to try to block that down and put another coat on tomorrow. I took a few days off from work to get this thing back on schedule. Here are some crappy cell phone pics of it still wet from the gun.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/007-6.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/003-6.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/008-5.jpg

I just wanted to share a trick I learned from working on cars over the years. First, buy a roll of shrink wrap ( I bought mine from ACE ).
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0032.jpg

Then take your nicely painted and detailed frame or rear end ,
http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0052.jpg

and wrap the entire item in shrink wrap. This will keep most of the dirt and overspray off of the pieces, yet still allow you to bolt on components. When you are done you just tear it all off and the parts still look new.:hurray:

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0062.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0072.jpg

I hope this helps others, I know it has saved me a lot of clean up work.

Jim, great tip. I wish you would have posted it sooner. Keep up the good work

More progress today, I blocked the entire body down and should be able to get it in second prime tomorrow. The plan after that is to leave it unsanded and bring it to my basement for suspension and alignment of fenders and hood. Once I am happy with all gaps I will paint all loose parts and then the main shell. We shall see. I have three more days off from work and should get a lot of work done.

nice car you have done an awesome job on that 69 camaro,keep up the good work,all i have to say is you have lots of dedication and it shows.looking sweet.

Thanks Kevin and Terry for the comments. I really enjoy doing this.

The camaro has been moved out of the shop and into my basement for some more assembly. It is one step closer now to being done. Here are some pics of it next to the subframe.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/001-7.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/002-7.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/006-8.jpg

Here are some pics of the trunk gaps, I am really happy with them. It took a lot of welding and grinding but the are a perfect 3/16 inch all around.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/007-9.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/008-8.jpg

The next thing to do is bolt on subframe and rear suspension.:beers: I still have to put in my dash frame but that should be easy compared to what I already have done.

Those gaps do look nice! Just curious... do you have an elevator system or something to lower the car into the basement? Mysterious...:) Great work!:beers:

Unlike flat Florida Todd, there are houses in West Virginia that you can walk into the top floor, go downstairs, walk out the main floor, go into the basement and walk out of it. My yard is not that bad but you can drive into the basement and walk into the main level.

Cool...:cool: Yep-- after living here for over 21 years now, I forgot about hills like we had up north. :D I built my son a go-cart a few years ago and had to push him around to use it. :D (or let him roll down our driveway):o see video....

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/th_trashcanracervideo.jpg (http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/?action=view&current=trashcanracervideo.mp4)

http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/?action=view&current=trashcanracervideo.mp4

nice camaro project u got there,yeah thats some beautiful country in wv,drove semi thru there all the time some of the steepest mount i ever climbed.

Todd, pretty cool cart! Does your boy still use it? Kevin, I just came back from a ski trip. On one road the sign said 10% grade next 3.5 miles. I did some quick math and told my kids that we were going to drop almost 1900 feet in less than 5 minutes. I would not want to be driving a big rig on that road.:noway:

Thanks... No--we actually just dismantled it a few weeks ago. The wood rotted in some spots and he grew about 1 foot since we built it so it was too small now....

Well I removed the shell from my cart and installed my finished subframe on to the car. This weekend I am going to test fit all front end sheet metal. My rear end mounting kit never showed so that will have to wait untill the delivery guys bring it some time next week. It will be cool to have a roller again, and not on a cart.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0012.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0032-1.jpg

Looking great there! I can't wait to get to that point too... Your subframe turned out excellent and I just may "borrow" that shrink wrap idea too! Nice...

Some progress shots.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0092.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0062-1.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0072-1.jpg

I got distracted over the weekend. My dad had me rebuild a flathead over two years ago for one of his Fords. He finally asked me to put it in. Lots of upgrades in this unit, stainless valves, zephrey springs, 4 inch crank, snyder cam. It should be making almost 140 HORSPOWER! LOL. Three grand just in parts. You would think it would do alot better given all the upgrades but in order to keep the stock appearance that is about all it will do.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0102.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/012-3.jpg

You fricken amaze me! Why do you even have a day job?

I still have hockey stick templates........

Hey John! Good to hear from you. I will try to catch up with you later this week or early next week. ( I still have not unpacked the last load of parts:beers:) My multi leaf mounting kit showed up so I started on the rear end install tonight. I found a BR coded 12 bolt and will bolt that in as a roller for now. Later I will pull it and do a rebuild before driving. Still test fitting and adjusting front end parts. No pics but wanted to post an update on the progress. This site keeps me motivated to want to do more.

Work has been crazy! Lots of traveling. I just realized I had not posted for almost 3 weeks. I do have the rear end installed and the car is sitting on four tires now.:hurray: Maybe this weekend I can get back at it.

:beers::cool: Looking forward to doing the same here....:beers:

keep up the good work here~

Talk about talent! Amazing stuff. Very impressive. :beers:

George, I just caught up on your build, you also are doing impressive work. It is cool that so many people on this site do their own work. I have been messing with cars for over 30 years and learn something everytime I work with or watch someone do things.:beers: Todd you had asked about quarter panel to tail pan fit earlier, so I posted a few pics of the rear of the car. These are with no seam sealer , I did not have to cut anything in this area.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0083.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu351/draddog68/0073.jpg

I am pretty happy with the fit.

That's an incredbile-looking fit for not cutting anything. Very nice! Mine was a mess on the pass side... I'm sure people remember those posts/pics in my thread.

Looking awesome Jim! Keep it up!

Just Curious, what part of WV are you from? Camaro is looking great also.

Jeremiah, I am from the upper Ohio valley, you can see Ohio from my house. You have a killer car!

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j223/3dkustoms/prostreet1.jpg

I hope I can get mine to this stage before spring arrives.

Thanks for the complement on the camaro. I didnt know I usually go threw hunnington often didnt know if you were close by. You do are doing great on the camaro, wish I could work as quick as you do.

Cool...:cool: Yep-- after living here for over 21 years now, I forgot about hills like we had up north. :D I built my son a go-cart a few years ago and had to push him around to use it. :D (or let him roll down our driveway):o see video....

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/th_trashcanracervideo.jpg (http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/?action=view&current=trashcanracervideo.mp4)

http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm298/6781camaro/?action=view&current=trashcanracervideo.mp4

are those garbage cans? haha

Jim,

Just took a look at this thread and i'm thoroughly impressed...very nice work and in a short amount of time. We ended up putting on rear wheel wells, full rear quarters and driver and passenger side full floor pans...oh and the trunk pan and i thought that was alot! But man you take the cake on replacement sheet metal well done!

Two months have went by and today I finally took the camaro back to the shop where we do body work and paint. Work,life and family just keeps taking priority over the car. I have not been totally slacking though, I did finish lining up front clip and after the Charlotte auto show I will start on paint. I will post up some pics of it before I blow it apart for paint.

are those garbage cans? haha

Yep! lol...

I found the build plans in a children's craft magazine and thought it would be a perfect father/son project for us. It was alot of fun to build.


(sorry to hi-jack Jim!... looking forward to your pics.!):yes:

Great work - you are the body master!

I just noticed that someone visited my build. I think I will just write off 2012 as a non camaro progress year. I do have big plans (don't we all) for this spring, so when that starts I will update and keep you guys posted.....

Hey Jim! :beers: I was making an attempt at beating your record for shortest build time on my '68, but it looks like I am a bust. 377 days passed a few days ago and I have alot to go still...

What's in the plans for ya? I'm in the middle of hunting down a 5.3 or 6.0 liter Chevy engine for a drive by wire conversion on my '69, and trying to get the '68 done for this summer's cruising.

Keep up the good work JIM. All things in time

Todd, plans are still evolving,but it looks like the stars will align next month for me to finish this car. Same old story that everyone has, work,family and other priorites have left my project stalled. I pop on here as often as i can to keep up with other projects that have been going on. Team camaro still rocks!
George, thanks for the words of encouragment. I have restored a 68 gmc halfton, and am trying to finish a 36 ford for the Charlotte show in April. The truck is finished and gone and the 36 is running and moving on its own. I really am looking forward to working on my car.