Hello all, I just got back from checking out my camaro at the shop tonight, I had to run some parts out to him. I'm very happy to see some positive progress. Not a huge amount of progress, but enough to make me happy. He has uncovered a bunch more shoddy work from the previous body shop (to whom I paid a whole lot of money) but at least it will be fixed now. The goal right now is to get the car straight and all in one piece, everything lined up properly, gaps correct, and panels straight. Get the gas tank in, hood latch, headlight buckets, etc. - basically get the car to a point where I can take it home, finish collecting the parts I need to get it running, then get the engine going, the wiring done, brakes, rear end rebuilt, etc. Then I will drive it back there, and he'll paint it. Here's some pics of the progress:

Gas tank ready to go in
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Camaro_07_24_06a.jpg

Hangers/straps in place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Camaro_07_24_06d.jpg

Passenger side is lined up much better than it was. He had to pull the doorskin off and re-position it. There's still a big gap at the front of the doors, but it's an even gap all the way down. The entire front clip needs to be shifted. There's a bunch of shims still holding the fenders out too far. Once the front clip is on there straight, he should be able to close that gap up nicely. The gas cap is crooked - the repro filler tube doesn't seem to fit very well. It'll take some work to get it right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Camaro_07_24_06e.jpg

Here's a close up of the passenger door gap at the quarter. Miles better than it was before
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Camaro_07_24_06i.jpg

I took the Global West subframe connectors I just got out to him tonight along with the solid aluminum subframe bushings. The subframe appears to be misaligned to the body slightly, so I figured he might as well replace the bushings now if he's got to take it apart anyway. I know it's not much progress, but I'm excited about it all the same :D

Hey, any progress in the right direction is good progress.:beers:

How's it going Mike, I see you made it over here from camarosource or maybe you've been here a while? You might remember me as "xx68camarorsxx". This is the first post I have noticed from you but I have not regularly checked in a while since I've moved. Your car is lookin good and I am excited for you that you are making positive progress. I know how that feels and you definately need that to keep you moving. I look forward to seeing it in a nice coat paint. What color are you looking at?

Thanks HarleyD67, for a while there it seemed like I was going backwards quite severely. It's been so long since there was any actual forward progress with this car, I'd forgotten what it feels like - hence my excitement at seemingly minor things happening to it.

Hey Adrian! Good to hear from you - yeah, I made my way over here quite a while ago. I found camarosource to be mostly third and fourth gens, nothing against them, but not quite what I was looking for. I still check the forum periodically, but haven't posted in quite a while (not that I'm a prolific poster on any forum I'm on). I take it you're still overseas? Did you even get to drive your camaro before you got shipped out?

The positive progress is very encouraging, for a while there we were just finding more and more things that were wrong from the previous shop. I feel a lot better with this new guy working on it, and seeing the quality of work that he's doing. He's flying down to Reno for Hot August Nights with the owner of a Hudson Terraplane he built for a guy in Texas. He seems to do very good work.

Eventually the camaro will be painted it's original color of Lemans blue, although that won't be happening for a while. Still have a ton of work to do before paint. I had originally intended to put white Z/28 stripes on it, but now I've changed my mind to the SS stripe that runs across the header panel and tapers down the fenders and the doors. It will be an SS "Clone" or "Tribute", or "Clowne", or whatever you want to call it, although it will never have the possibility of passing for or being represented as a real one, as it's got a 6 cyl VIN.

Here's some more recent pics of more progress, I though I'd add them to this thread instead of starting a new one...

Here's a pile of brake and fuel lines and emergency brake cables about to be test fit to the car before undercoating the floor:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Sept_18_06a.jpg

Also test fit the exhaust prior to the undercoating. I wanted to have everything fit before spraying the bottom of the car so that we wouldn't have to scrape the coating off and re-apply it if we needed to add any clips or exhaust hangers, or anything that was missing
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Sept_18_06b.jpg

I took these pictures yesterday - the underside of the floor is done, all the minor stuff cleaned up, and it's been sprayed with a really nice undercoating / sound deadener product made by Lord automotive products called "Fusor 805". I like the name of that stuff, "Lord Fusor" :D... here's a pic:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06e.jpg

And here's a closeup of the wheelwell:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06f.jpg

The trunk has been coated with Fusor 804, also a sound deadener, the description on the website was different, but the tech support guy I called to ask advice about spraying it said it was exactly the same stuff, just grey instead of black...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06h.jpg

The rear end has been stripped (again - last paint job on it was terrible) and primed and is awaiting paint and the installation of the Hotchkis springs. Should be back under the car next week
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06a.jpg

The hood/cowl/fender gap is getting MUCH better. Still a bit of tweaking to do, but from the way it looked before I never expected the cowl and hood to line up this well. At the start of the transition to the cowl on each side, the hood was about an inch higher than the cowl panel if the corners were flush with the cowl and fenders. At one point I was even considering getting rid of this goodmark hood and finding an original GM one. The cowl panel has been replaced by a much uglier one that's in a bit better shape. There were a couple of pinholes and some filler I didn't like in the one that was on the car previously. This one still needs to be stripped and primed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06g.jpg

And finally a shot of the back of the car, I got the tail light bezels cleaned up and the lenses installed. If you look closely the bezels don't match, I think one is a Moroso and one is a Classic Headquarters. I'll need to address that, but that can wait for a bit. The gas cap is finally straight.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Oct_22_06d.jpg

The car should be assembled and ready to come home in a few weeks. I'm getting really excited to finally see it as a complete car, grill, headlights, etc. It's been 7 years and it's never really looked like a complete camaro yet.

Looking real good now! :thumbsup: And now your even making REAL progress.:hurray: Keep us posted. Just think know you'll be motivating others that having been sitting untouched or with very little progress to get there's back underway.;)

Minor Progress? Compared to my 68 RS yours looks like a show car!
Your car looks great. Whenever you think progress is slow, I can send you some pics of mine. That should cheer you up. (I've only had mine for about 3 weeks, but it should still cheer you up to see how far you have come).

Keep up the great work.

Thanks guys! It is REALLY nice to finally have some parts of it actually DONE. That undercoating is really neat stuff. This board has been very motivating for me, I'd be very happy to think I could return the favour to someone else. It'll still be a LONG time before it's done, but it's a lot further along than it was a year ago.

FFRicco, thanks for the compliment! It's a heck of a long way from a show car, but in another year or two (hopefully) it should be close - or at least something I can take to a cruise night and be proud of. You've had your car for three weeks? Mine's been dragging along for 7 years! Good luck with yours, I hope you get it done a lot quicker than me! I'd love to see some pics.

Lookin' great Mike! I know when that car is done, it will be done RIGHT. No matter how long it takes, its worth it. And look at the bright side, at least you have access to your car to make the progress. I am thousands of miles away from mine and I have to wait to 3 more long years to finish it. <sigh> Talk about agony. But anyway, great job! Keep us posted with any updates and pics.

Thanks Adrian, it is taking a lot longer than I'd originally anticipated, but I think I'll be pretty happy with it when it's finally done. I can't imagine the agony you must be in, talk about a cruel time to ship you out, I'm sure a good week or two on the final details of your camaro and it would be completely finished. At least you've got it to look forward to when you get home!

Here's another bit of an update - it's all back together and on the ground. I've got the tires for the front ralleys and am waiting for the back ones to arrive next week. Seems to be difficult to locate 245/60/15 BFG Radial T/A's right now, I finally found a pair in Ohio. All the places locally had them backordered until next year. I'm looking forward to seeing it with the ralleys and nice tires on it. I like the stance from the Hotchkis springs. I'm very excited to see it actually looking like a camaro finally. Anyhow, here are the pics:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_10_06e.jpg

I love the front spoiler on these things - finally on the car! It's been sitting in a closet for at least 4 or 5 years.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_10_06f.jpg

Really hard to get back far enough to get a good shot of it in the shop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_10_06g.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_10_06h.jpg

It looks very nice. Glad to see your making some progress.

Thanks:)

One pic I forgot - looks like those turndowns are a bit low, eh? Better than I was expecting, thought, that's the only problem, and there's lots of ground clearance under the full length Hooker headers. I was a bit worried they'd be too low with the Hotchkis suspension. I can shorten those turndowns a bit, and it should sit up a little bit higher with the 15" ralleys and taller tires, instead of those 14" centerlines.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_10_06d.jpg

Looking Good:thumbsup:
Yea you definitely need to Bologna cut those turn downs. Pretty much the same as mine though.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c87/HarleyD67/DSC03834-1.jpg

Thanks Harley, that looks pretty good, you've got a lot of clearance under there. Looks like your mufflers are tucked up a bit further than mine, too. I think I might be able to snug them up a bit closer to the floor.

I took the front ralleys out tonight and got them on, looks perfect, to me at least. I can't wait to get the back tires and get them on. I was afraid it might be too low with the hotchkis springs, but I'm very pleased with the way it looks. There will still be a bit of weight added to the front and it will likely settle a bit, but as long as it stays within an inch or so of the current ride height I'll be very happy. I also got the bill for all the work he's done recently - I'm still reeling. I knew he was getting ahead of me, but we were both surprised at how many hours he's put in above what I've already paid him for when he added them all up. I owe him about $4300. I was expecting more in the neighborhood of $1000. Ouch. Considering how far the car has come, and the quality of work that he's done, it's definitely worth it, but man, I wasn't expecting that. I'm still reeling, feeling lightheaded, and kind of in shock. Thinking about how much he's done since I last paid him, I guess I should have been expecting it, but really it took me by surprise. Not quite sure how I'm going to pay him, but I'll figure something out. I've got a ton of vacation time I can cash in and a side job coming up that should pay quite a bit, I was planning on using that money to get it running, but that will have to wait a bit, I guess. Looking at the car, though, it's definitely worth it. I can't wait to get it home in my garage and start showing it off. Anyhow, enough of my rambling, here's the pics:

Here's a couple of better shots of the underside:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_11_06b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_11_06d.jpg

And here's the front with the ralley wheels:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_11_06f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_11_06g.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_11_06i.jpg

Ouch :( and here I'm not crazy about the money I put into my car, and that's just parts fortunately I don't have to pay anyone. As far as the mufflers go. Where using the same parts store hangers:clonk:, and the same Hole. The only difference is I enlarged the hole on the hanger and used the seat belt bolt with a nut. And personally I think your front end would look better if the front dropped about an 1", but that's just me. Keep us posted.

Mike M, those are some nice pictures you put on here, its the type of real world pictures that makes a guy like myself want to get out and work on my project more.

It looks like you're going to have a really nice solid ride, it all looks good, the body work, the ralleys and spoiler, all good stuff to see.

You should be proud of all of it, keep up the good work.:thumbsup:

Rob

Thanks Harley, yeah, the parts are bad enough, I think I spent about $7000 in parts alone on it in the past year. All the little stuff adds up very, very quickly, and I still don't have most of it. I think the front end will probably come down close to an inch or so, we bounced it a few times after it came off the jack, but that pic is without it rolling at all. I'm sure once the suspension settles a bit and the rest of the weight is added under the hood (rad, battery, water pump, all brackets, pulleys, pretty much everything but the engine itself) it will likely end up a bit lower. It's got a bit of room to come down and still look good, I don't really like the tucked look with ralley wheels, and I was hoping to avoid that. From the looks of it, I think the ride height will end up pretty much exactly where I wanted it.

Thanks for the nice comments Rob, I'm glad you like the pics. I'm finding myself getting very excited about it again, it's finally turning into something I can be proud of. I have no idea how I'll be able to contain myself once I finally get it running, let alone once it's painted. Even with this progress I already can't sleep - I keep coming to the computer to look at the pics, I'll have to get them printed so I can carry them around with me, either that or get a laptop! Getting the ralley wheels on there finally has made a huge difference to the appearance. It's really come a long way since I got it in '99:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Camaro_Sept_99.jpg

Mike, hey thanks for the PM i didn't see this thread with all your restoration pics...looks very nice. I know excactly what you mean about the cost of parts, I don't show ANYONE the receipts I have piled up in my garage...
Keep us 'posted' on your front end/interior work, it's inspiring!

Terry

Thanks Terry!

Nice job Mike_M! :thumbsup:

Who makes those subframe connectors? How do you like them?They appear to have a bend in them to clear the part of the floor pan where the comp.eng. type usually hit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Sept_18_06b.jpg

Thanks Rayzor, those are Global West subframe connectors, I also used their solid body mounts. The subframe connectors fit pretty well, they seem like very high quality pieces.

I know what you mean Mike. I'm not a huge fan of the hidden tire either, but I don't like allot of air either.:clonk:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c87/HarleyD67/DSC04259-1.jpg

Yeah, that looks perfect Harley:thumbsup: - what kind of springs are you using, and what size wheels and tires?

Springs-Hotchkis 500# 2" drop 1906F
Wheels-AR 17"x7" 4" BS Ansen Slots
Tires- 225/45 R17 BFG G-Force T/A KDWS

Hmm... those are basically the same springs as I've got, except mine are the big block version. I'm eventually planning to go to 17's (after everything else is done), hopefully mine settles to the same ride height as yours, that looks really good.

Mike, I want to say how much I enjoyed your pictures. Great work too. As far as paying your shop a bunch of cash, just smile and throw in a TIP! That guy has one coming! Good people are so hard to find that I've rarely let anyone else touch my car. Even when an old friend (that I've known for nearly 50 years) does some touch-up paint, I fret over the work. In fact, I'll just do it my self next time.

I was going to caution you about those pipes. They have several disadvantages and only one advantage. Well maybe two; they're cheap and easy to install. But they're loud from in the car, they kick up dust and the bottom of your car will get dirty quicker and they're less safe from fumes. I think you'll like the sound of tailpipes better too. But you can always make changes if need be.

I like the front stance. It should come down a little and be even better. 68's sit different than 69's like mine. When I bought my car new it sat about two inches lower than is does now. And it had an aluminum intake too. Over the last 37 years I've done my best to lighten the front. I'm still running the original iron master cylinder too. The springs are original so I hate to cut them. Hell, 95% of the car is original but who cares? It's never been for sale and never will be. My son gets it when I'm dead.

I've always been against factory or dealer undercoating. Mainly because they don't do a good job like your guy did! Pay him double! But then I haven't driven my Camaro in the rain, on purpose, since '74. Here's a picture of the new rear sway-bar I installed this weekend. It replaces the one I installed 36 years ago.:p And great, quality work on your ride! (I haven't touched up the paint yet)
http://epitomesrebuild.com/images/145.JPG

Thanks Fred! Nice job on the rear bar, what brand is it? Is it a Hotchkis one? I'm still not sure if I'll run a rear bar or not, I'm definitely going with a hotchkis front bar, though. Very impressive how clean your car is underneath, too. As far as the cash I owe the body guy, I know he deserves every cent. It is definitely hard to find someone good enough to trust with the car, this guy has fixed all the screw ups of the last shop and taken the car to a stage so much closer to completion. I'm very, very pleased with his work. I built some adirondack chairs recently and am planning to build him a couple as a gift to show my appreciation (and to suck up a bit;) - he's still got to take it apart again and paint it once I get it running). Here's a link: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/Muskoka%20Chairs/

Yeah, I agree with you about those pipes, I'll likely put some tailpipes on in the future, as well as an H pipe. That exhaust I bought off of another forum, lateral-g.net, for a steal, I think it was $200 or $220 or so, around here just one flowmaster muffler costs about that much, and that included the mandrel bent pipes, all the clamps, everything from the collectors back. It'll be enough to get the car running and then modify it as required. I expect it will be quite loud.

That undercoating turned out quite well, I was originally planning on using the truck bed liner, but I was really afraid of the fact I'd never be able to get it off once it was on. This stuff I'm sure will be very difficult to remove if necessary in the future, but not impossible. It's a high tech product from Lord automotive, Fusor 805. Lord makes a bunch of really neat stuff, structural foam, metal adhesives that the major automotive manufacturers are using instead of welding. I learned about it on pro-touring.com. I wanted something that would look nice and act as a sound deadener, and protect the undercarriage. This stuff should do the trick.

I got the back tires tonight, 245/60/15 BFG's, from the number of tire stores I called, these may very well be the last pair available in North America, I had to import them from Ohio. I find it very odd that they were so hard to find. I would've gone with 255's, but my wheels are only 15x7's, I think a 255 needs a 15x8 to look right. I should get them mounted tomorrow, and on the car on the weekend. I'm anxious to see the stance with the proper sized tires on the back.

I checked out your homepage, your car is gorgeous. The sailboat is too, I'd love to have something like that someday. Looks like it was an incredible amount of work to repair it after the hurricane damage, but you did a beautiful job. One hobby at a time for me, though - this car is coming close enough to bankrupting me as it is!

Hey Mike!!
I'll take a set of those chairs:)Car looks good!! When you get that thing running I'll take you over my friends place for the exhaust system.Nick

Hey Mike!!
I'll take a set of those chairs:)Car looks good!! When you get that thing running I'll take you over my friends place for the exhaust system.Nick

Thanks Nick! I'll put you on the list for the chairs:) You should come over and see the car once I get it home.

Mike! Thank you for the nice words! :p And those chairs look great. My wife's out of town on a business convention but maybe she'll go for them. (She's, what sailors call, the Admiral)

The sway bars are both from Addco. Always check with the manufacturer when installing a REAR bar. It MUST be matched to the front bar or it'll likely put you on your top!:clonk:

And I know the situation your going through with your tires. I searched for months before I found the front tires on my Camaro. They're Gatorbacks. I have a matched set, (looks, not size) so after I burned up my front Gatorbacks at an Auto-cross, (my bad, changed the ball joints and forgot to re-align) I had to buy a pair of Bridgestones to get by. But I located the correct Gatorbacks in Seattle. My Bridgestone dealer is a buddy so he took them back. At a reduced price of course. He's not that good of a buddy. The rears are getting low on thread now. I've been playing with the engine too much. The front tires still have the molding 'nubs' on them. Guess I'm bound for a set of four new tires. Life's tough.:sad:
P.S. Mike, I added some pictures on my web site of Camaro Memorabilia.

Nice pics, Fred. All that original stuff is amazing, you certainly have taken amazing care of that car. My back tires were on my porch when I got home last night, I got them mounted during lunch, they should be going on the car this weekend. If it's not raining/snowing when we get them on, we're planning to push the car outside so we can stand back and get a good look at it. Hopefully I'll get some good pics.

Cool, looking forward to it. And it is abso-@#$%ing-lutely POURING here. My dogs won't go outside!

Well, got the back tires on today, it actually does look a bit higher than I expected, pretty close to stock, but all in all I like the stance. I'm sure it'll go down some more as it settles and the rest of the weight is added. We got the rest of the grille, headlights, marker lights, etc. on as well. It actually really looks like a camaro now. If you look closely the lower grille molding isn't sitting down properly on the grille, giving it a bit of a pinched look. The grille itself is a bit big for the molding, needs to be trimmed a bit. That's supposed to be an NOS grille, it came in a GM box, bit if it is infact GM it's new GM, not real NOS. Those are real NOS grille moldings. I suppose it probably fits a lot better than if it were all repro, but still not perfect. Anyhow, I'm REALLY anxious to get it running and start driving it... and get it painted, interior, etc... gotta go get some lottery tickets, I guess!

Yeah, needs a rad:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_18_06a.jpg

Not really level ground it's sitting on...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_18_06i.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_18_06d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_18_06j.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Nov_18_06f.jpg

It almost looks like something you could drive, eh? :hurray:
If the cruise nights weren't finished for the season around here I'd probably be pushing it down the road to one.

Dig the stance with those rally's. I hope it does drop a little for you to, and think it will, but it's looking pretty badA$$ right now.:thumbsup:

Thanks Harley, the back especially needs to come down a bit. I was always planning to go to 17" wheels, but looking at it with the ralleys I'm thinking it may be fine just the way it is. If I do decide to go to the 17's, at least I won't be in a rush.

Well, I got it home, finally. I was trying to get an enclosed trailer because of the weather, but everyone I know with one seems to have something stored in it for the winter. Finally had a nice day and just got a flatbed, brought it home yesterday. For some reason I seem to be spending almost all my spare time in the garage....:wacko: mostly looking and inspecting, and a bit of daydreaming about when it'll be done, but also a bit of tinkering. I've gone over it very closely, it's come a long way in the past year, but there's still an incredible amount of work to be done. Fortunately, with what I've learned so far from this forum, I have a lot more confidence I'll be able to tackle a good deal of the remaining work myself. My next project is to tackle the wiring, I picked up an American Autowire classic update kit a while back, and I'll start installing it over the Christmas break. My garage is VERY small, but I should have just enough room. Now the fun part begins!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/mmorrison/68%20Camaro/Dec_13_06.jpg