1968 Camaro project journal for March 2023
3-1-23: I discovered a ½" diameter rust hole in the passenger door. The only way you can see it is to open the door and look just below the lower hinge. I cleaned the rust off with an angle grinder. The hole was about 2" diameter by the time I got done. I sprayed Rust Reformer into the hole. I had put the door panel back on on the driver side but had forgot the felt strip (dew wipe). I removed the door panel again and installed the dew wipe. It took a long time to adjust the hinges, door glass, and door latch. I finally got the door to close all the way. It'll be better when the rubber seals compress a bit more.
3-5-23: I made a door corner patch from an extra piece of sheet metal and some fiberglass. Next, I installed the lower passenger door weatherstripping, which was a lot of tedious work.
3-6-23: I finished up the weatherstripping and got the interior back together (once again).
3-7-23: I reinstalled the header mufflers to get a bit more ground clearance. They were hanging a little low and I was afraid they might drag. I did some door and window adjustments on the passenger side.
3-9-23: The last couple of days I had to wear my insulated coveralls to stay warm while working on the Camaro. It should be back up to near 60 in a couple of days. I've been working on mostly little stuff. I was able scratch off a couple items off the "to do" list and then find something else to add back to the list. Next up (when the weather improves), install the new stereo. I bought an AM/FM Retro-Sound brand radio that looks OEM, but also has Bluetooth, aux plug for a mp3 player, and an USB port to play music from a flash drive. A pair of Polk Audio 4" speakers will be mounted in the front lower kick panels and a pair of Polk Audio 6.5" speakers mounted on the rear shelf.
3-10-23: I took the back seat out and removed the rear shelf cover. I was able to use a couple of the existing mounting bolt holes on each speaker. I drilled a couple new holes which required me to climb into the trunk and lay on my back to drill. You can't go from the top because the rear window slope interferes with a drill. I'll probably be messing around installing this stereo for the next few days.
3-12-23: I worked on the Camaro sound system today. I cut holes in the kick panels for the 4" round speakers, but I'm still waiting on those speakers to be delivered. I have a pair of 6.5" round speakers installed on the rear shelf. However, I still need to run the speaker wires.
3-13-23: I got the old stereo head unit out of the dash and the new retro radio installed. Sounds simple when I say it like that. But laying up-side-down removing the back strap bolt one handed by feel wasn't easy. Out with the old and in with the new. I haven't started the wiring yet.
3-15-23: Yesterday and today, I worked on the Camaro's stereo system. The head unit is in the dash and looks good. Four speakers are fully installed, finally. It took longer than expected. The speakers are wired up. I ran all the wires out of sight (hidden) for a clean looking install. A lot of zip ties were used. I need to run another +12v power wire to the fuse box and one more ground wire.
3-16-23: I finished wiring the stereo. When I tested it, the unit lights up and everything seems to work okay except there is no sound. After googling and rereading the manual, I figured out the radio's amp probably went into protection mode. This probably means I have the speakers wired wrong or they are grounding out somewhere. That means I have to take it apart again.
3-17-23: The amp had indeed gone into protection mode. One of the front speaker connectors was touching a metal support brace which caused it to ground out. I fixed the problem and put it back together. It works like a charm now. I listened to a couple songs with the volume set at the halfway mark. The sound quality is good, although the bass is a bit weak with those little 4" front speakers, but that was expected. I have an extra sub and amp that might eventually get installed.
3-19-23: I installed a new “shorty” antenna a while back. Today, I ran the antenna coaxial under the dash along the bottom of the glove box. It's now plugged into the new radio. I sanded some more on the rear fender and then noticed a couple wet drips on the floor. It was brake fluid. I tightened the brake fitting and the leak stopped. I plan to check all the brake fittings again before I try driving it.
3-20-23: I made a trip to Autozone for sound deadening mats (reduces rattles and road noise). I have it on the ceiling, floor, and trunk already, but I needed a little more for the rear shelf. I worked on putting the Camaro interior back together, again. I also went crazy with zip ties to tame the wiring. I tried the stereo again to make sure I hadn't messed up the wires. Sounds pretty good.
3-21-23: I had the rear speakers bottom-mounted on the rear shelf. But I took another look at the setup and decided top-mounted speakers would be better in this situation. So, I reinstalled the speakers and cut holes into the rear shelf cover. The new Polk Audio speakers were topped with cool looking grilles.
3-22-23: I vacuumed up some loose debris and put the rear seat back in. I replaced the old chrome plated plastic “Astro Ventilation” outlets, which were full of mud dauber nests. Good thing the shop vac was still handy. The bucket seat felt like it was too low in the back, so I shimmed up the rear bolts on the driver seat. I re-glued some weatherstripping that had come loose. I did a few other odds and ends while I was still inside the car. The interior should now be (stick a fork in it) done.
3-23-23: I put the front end up on jack stands and inspected the brake and fuel line fittings. I also checked for loose bolts and nuts. I noticed a tiny bit of engine oil had oozed out of the oil pan gasket along the length of four pan bolts. The natural thing to do is grab a wrench and tighten them back up. I built this engine 36 years ago with Fel-Pro gaskets, but even so, the pan gasket is probably a little brittle. I used a heat gun to warm up the gasket in hopes to make it more pliable. I gently tightened each oil pan bolts until they just got snug. I’ll keep an eye on this to see if it gets better or worse.
3-24-23: I did more quarter panel sanding. I had watched a couple of videos on how to use Bondo filler on large area such as quarter panels. One thing I learned was to start sanding the Bondo before it cures (1-2 hours after application). I had previously waited until the next day to sand it and the filler was always super hard. I mixed up a batch of Bondo and spread a thin layer over the area where it still wavy (slightly warped from welding). I must say that sanding Bondo before it completely cures works great. Okay, enough making it look pretty. Right now I should concentrate on getting it road worthy.
3-25-23: I discovered the corner of the passenger side upper control arm and one of the bolts were touching an exhaust header tube. I loosened the shaft bolts partway and then used an angle grinder to add some clearance. After that I did a bunch more sanding on the quarter panel.
3-26-23: It was cold today, so I removed the side marker lights and brought them into the warm house to clean and polish. I knew the plastic lenses rattled around, which bugged me, so I made several failed attempts to shim up the old gasket. I made a new gasket, but it was too thick. Then, I tried a rubber washer on each side and that worked. I reinstalled the side marker lights. No more rattling lenses.
3-27-23: Still a little bit cold, so I did a bunch of hand sanding to keep warm.
3-28-23: I began installing the parking brake cables today. First thing I did was spray some Liquid Wrench onto the foot pedal assembly and I got it freed up. The main cable was still attached and in working order. I saw no reason to mess with it. I tried installing the smaller cables onto the calipers. But I had a bit of trouble at this point and rewatched a couple of YouTube’s “how to” videos. I figured out what I was doing wrong and finally got the new caliper cables installed.
3-29-23: The intermediate cables were going together okay until I came up missing a clip and also, despite using Liquid Wrench, I twisted off the long threaded adjuster on the end of the main cable. I have a new main cable that I’ll be using after all (assuming I can remove and install that part).
3-30-23: The old main parking brake cable fought me pretty good, but once it was off, the new one went on as smooth as butter. I just need to finish up some adjustments and it’ll be done.
3-31-23: Parking brakes were adjusted and works fine. The car was still up on jack stands, so I painted the driveshaft charcoal gray since I had an extra can. The new front wheels were delivered today. They’ve been on back order from Summit Racing for about 4 months. These wheels are the new US Mag “Indy” version of aluminum slotted wheels. I love the old school retro/vintage look.
View attachment 304518
Photo of the new retro radio in the dash plus 4" speakers in the kick panel. This photo also shows that I need to do some cleaning and restoration. Several of the black plastic panels look chalky which means there is UV (sun) damage.
