http://geocities.com/hrayhouston/

Ray's pic of his 68 ragtop exploded is one of the greatest pics I have seen in a long time!

Ray, If you are on the board, my hat's off to you. I could never have waited until every peice was done before assembling the car.

Kevin

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69' SS-350 Convert, M20, 3.55 posi. Totally Disassembled & in boxes (I'm working on it!) (http://www.fototime.com/0A0DC8E11C07E95/standard.jpg)
69'(Hugger Orange -originally, Burgundy now) Z-21 Convert 327/PG, Driver (http://www.fototime.com/BD198A2E7BF669A/standard.jpg)

Oh my gawd! Great picture.

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-Randy
Cars:
68 RS/SS BB ragtop (http://www.camaroclubkc.com/rpaxton.htm)
63 Nova II ragtop (http://home.swbell.net/paxtonr/nova.htm)
Club:
Camaro Club of Kansas City (http://camaroclubkc.com)

Unbelievable! http://www.camaros.net/forum/eek.gif One of the best pictures I've ever seen. And the car turned out great. http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif

See I told you NEVER hit the N2O below 3000 rpm !! KABOOM !

Just playing Im impressed, and thats not easy to do. That is one of those few pictures that should be sent into a mag ( CAR CRAFT is my choice)If they didnt print it ............well their idiots. GOOD WORK !!!!!!!!!

All I can say is ssssswwwweeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttt that is a pic do ya mined if I print it and frame it what color is that yellow

[This message has been edited by c4boom (edited 11-21-2001).]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW

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The pike.net (http://www.stanek.com/neforum/)

01 MR2 Spyder<~~~~~~~~~~~~~>68 RS/SS 396

http://myeclipse00.20m.com/jon.jpg

[This message has been edited by jvolk81 (edited 11-20-2001).]

Hey that looks just like ky 68 with one big exception. Mines all in boxes and in spots around the garage. Comparing your exploded pic to my parts, Yours seems to be able to be driven as it lays. Great pic and Mahalo for giving us a peak.
Jeff 67/68 & 69 RS's
65 442

Really sharp picture! I've just found my background for the month! http://www.camaros.net/forum/wink.gif

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Steve - Central Ohio Camaro Club (http://www.ohiocamaros.com)
'69 Camaro RS/SS-350 - Daytona Yellow
'95 Camaro Z-28 - Sebring Silver
click here to see my webpage ---> My Camaros (http://www.mindspring.com/~mccorry) (updated 11/5/01)

Wow I can't even see the plastic tabs that held the pieces together!! http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif Great display!!!

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...Dennis
"The '69 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_03.jpg), the '96 (http://chevelles.com/showroom/fine69_02.jpg) & the club (http://camaroslimited.com/)"

THANKS GUYS!!!

I don't know what to say. I'm glad you like the photo. I took that photo in 1997 during my complete restification. It took half a day to setup, pulling all the parts out of spare bedrooms. (Single at the time.) But I knew the photo would be worth the effort. I had to stand on top of two milk crates stacked up on my roof to get high enough to get it all in frame.

I display the photo anytime I go to car shows, and it is always a major topic of conversation.

DJD, yeah that's what most people think it looks like too, a model car kit.

I'd like to thank everyone on the site for all the help I've received in the past. I've done various things to the car since this restification, many with input from members of this site. I wish I'd been a member during the resto.

Thanks again,

Ray www.geocities.com/hrayhouston/ (http://www.geocities.com/hrayhouston/)

Great job Ray!! http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif
David

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Check my web page for First Gen Camaro suspension info:
David's Motorsports page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/)
First Gen Suspension Page (http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/David_Pozzi/first_gen_suspension.htm)
67 RS 327
69 Camaro Vintage Racer
65 Lola T-70 Chev 350 Can-Am Vintage Racer

You've got waaaayyy too much time on your hands??
Just kidding.
That picture is incredible!

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my 68SS & 69 Vette (http://www.corvetteforum.net/c3/dwaynes69bb/)
"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you"

That is too cool....

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camarodave
'69Z 23,000 orig. miles

What a great shot!!Congrtulations on a terrific car,it's beautiful.What are the two long rails alongside the subframe?Are they subframe connectors of some sort?The back end looks like it would fit into the spring front hanger but the rest of the piece looks much longer that any subframe connector I've seen.Again,great car!

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HDZ/28

Yes Peter, those are my homemade subframe connectors. They are long because they attach at two front subframe mounting points instead of just one.

They mount just the way they are sitting. If you look at the photo and just imagine sliding them in a little, the plates in the middle and front line up exactly with the two subframe mounts. The plates sandwich between the aluminum subframe bushings and the body. If you look you'll see that the front end is made to rise up to the firewall area subframe mount.

And yes, the rear part replaces the stock spring pocket. It fits up where the stock pocket normally sits, and attaches with the same three bolts per side. I thought this was stonger and it also let me mount the front of the leaf spring slightly higher in the pocket because there is more room without the top of the stock pocket in the way. I've read that mounting the front higher is better for the rear suspension for various reasons.

Once mounted, the 1.75 inch heavy wall tube runs from just in front of the leaf, to the firewall, just inboard of the rocker seam and with the center line just below the bottom of this seam. There is about a 3/8 inch gap between the tube and the seam. Very clean look from the side. (I need to add a photo of this to the site.) They are higher than the bottom of the subframe, so they don't bottom out. No one ever notices them on the car unless I point them out.

I made them this long because I thought this would make them more resistant to flexing. Kind of a lever. Imagine if a bolt in connector wants to flex where it is attached to the subframe, what's stopping it but the pressure from the bolt, which it has a lot of leverage over? Well, this way it has to also move the lever arm that goes to the firewall subframe mount. (Plus, I just like to be different http://www.camaros.net/forum/smile.gif )

They cost about $20 in scap metal and a day's work to make.

Thanks again for all the comments,

Ray

Ray,

I really like your subframe connectors. They are more than that - they really complete the chassis. I think you should market them.

Peter

Ray, thanks for putting the effort into making such a great picture. Great pic. The car looks good.

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Steve
67 SS 396,4-sp
67 RS 327,4-sp
72 RS 350/350
69 4X4 suburban 350,4-sp
73 3/4 ton 454/400
Stevo Camaro's Toy (http://www.geocities.com/stevocamaro)
Our Muscle Cars (http://community.webshots.com/user/steve_lynell)

Ditto is all I can say. WOW!

Any way to get a copy of the drawings of the subframe connectors...

or would you sell a set??

please email me if you can

John

DUDE!! SWEEET!!

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Kevin

68 Camaro SS - In Resto

I just had to chime in! What an awesome pic and a great looking car. Wht size tires did you end up going with? I also really like the rear spoiler. Take care ~ John

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1968 RS, 355/4spd/12 blt w/3.55's.www.camarogenerations.com (http://www.camarogenerations.com)

I don't have any drawings of them. I made them piece by piece on the car. First I made the leaf spring perch and bolted it in. Then I made the plates to sandwich between the body and subframe and bolted them in. Then I used a couple of jack stands to hold the tube in place and made the rest of the brackets to attach it to the plates and spring perch. I used cardboard templates extensively.

Then I gathered up the templates and did the same thing on the other side.

I did think about selling them, but was more concerned with finishing my car at the time. Never thought about it much later. I bought a mig welder just for this project and it has since been stolen. So I can't make any more easily.

I've added a photo to the exhaust page which shows one on the car. Its not a great photo of the connector, but does show it in position. I'll try to add a close up from the side of the car. I can't believe I didn't take a better close up with them off of the car.

I also took the time to add the interior page that I never got around to before.

They weren't that hard to make if someone with a business wants to get together on making these to sell. Of course I guess they wouldn't really need me.

John68rs, the rears are 245/50-16, and fronts are 225/55-16. I'd like to make some changes to get the 245's to fit the front, then maybe go to 255's in the rear.

Thanks again,

Ray www.geocities.com/hrayhouston/ (http://www.geocities.com/hrayhouston/)

[This message has been edited by 68SSConvt (edited 11-21-2001).]

Fantastic job Ray,

Photos and detail are excellent, you are to be commended for your outstanding efforts!!
Ken

Wow, terrific, every aspect. Do your connectors run under the cross bracing? It seems so difficult to find ones that do. Mine ar nestled into the floor, requiring the cutting of the brace, which was then welded to the connector for added rigidity.

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4.10's and I don't worry about stone chips.

Excellent picture. http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif http://www.camaros.net/forum/biggrin.gif

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Jim
67 Camaro SS Conv.
70 Challenger R/T Conv.

RickD, yes they run under the crossbrace. But they sit out towards the edge of the car more than most connectors. So they sit in the area right next to the rocker to floor seam, where the crossbrace acually tapers down.

I think I can get away with moving them out like this because they don't attach mainly at the one subframe mounting point. Of course who knows, maybe they don't work at all and just look good. But I think they work well.

Thanks for the comments Rick. I like your signature. I don't worry about stone chips either. I drive this car a lot. It was my daily driver for 13 years before this resto (200,000+ original miles), and has over 20,000 miles on it since.

Ray

Congrats Ray the pic is on page17 of the Oct 03 issue of Hot Rod graemlins/beers.gif graemlins/thumbsup.gif graemlins/beers.gif

grrrrr wont let me see, you other guys burned up his geocities bandwidth for an hour. Is that the photo of the yellow camaro on the lawn? I have that I show people alot. If thats it?
Cool beans
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Same pic click. the one laid out on his driveway

Thanks for the congrats,

It took long enough, but I finally got a picture of my car in a magazine. Well, at least a picture of pieces of my car. smile.gif I sent them that photo along with others several years ago, with no luck. But this year on the Power Tour I asked Steve Magnante if he might be interested in seeing some of the things I had done to my car. He was very interested in my one of a kind rims, and did some photos of them. He said he would put a small article in the magazine on them. I asked if he would be interested in a copy of the exploded photo and he said sure to send him one, so I did.

Thanks again,

Ray

That was nice to see. The caption said you might/would consider making some of your famous connectors for those interested. Was that true?

RickD,

I told Steve that I would consider making some up to sell if there was enough interests. So far there has been some interest, but not enough for me to dive into that project yet. I made those on the car back in 1997 and didn't make any type of jig to reproduce them. So I'd have to remove them and start over from there. But the emails are trickling in, so I may decide to do this.

Ray

PS: Speaking of finally getting a picture in a magazine, my wife just called and told me the new Popular Hot Rodding magazine just came in and that my car is in it. Not a feature or anything, but in one of the photos from the Power Tour. Actually, it's the first photo in the story, and my car is the second one in a line of cars going down the road. She said the first car is a nice looking black 68 with white stripes.

Ray

Congrats Ray on both mag articles. I read the PM article and reminded me of the Car Craft picture.

Good work and thanks for thinking ahead for the "pose."