The Intervention

I bought the car for $1,800 from a friend in high school back in New York in 1985. As delivered it had cast-off '60s-vintage Torq-Thrusts (not cool in the '80s), a GM cowl hood, and black spray-bomb primer.

I bought the car for $1,800 from a friend in high school back in New York in 1985. As deli

As I pulled the last box off the hood of the '69, all hopes that it wasn't actually as bad as I recalled were dashed. It looked like hell. I'd been toting this Camaro around for more than 15 years, ever since it had ceased to provide transportation while I was still in college, and being dragged about the country and stored in dusty, damp quarters hadn't helped a car that already looked haggard in 1985. Most people scrap cars when they're no longer useful, but this just wasn't the sort of car that got junked.

But once the car didn't run anymore, its condition worsened despite my efforts to maintain it. The spray-bomb primer continued to fade into an ever more blotchy, chalky mess; the interior steadily became more musty; and its arch nemesis, oxidation, quickened its pace. Adding insult to injury, thieves made off with some of the Camaro's best remaining bits in several separate incidents, leaving it up on blocks the last time after absconding with the rally wheels. I hadn't had the means to get the car running again, nor to store it securely, but once stuff started disappearing, I scraped and scrounged and screwed it back together with junk parts so it would move under its own power. Finally, it returned to the security of my parents' garage--the first of many storage spaces it would occupy in the coming years.

I took the Camaro to college in Pennsylvania where I blew up the "new" used motor I'd installed. I pulled it at my part-time gas station job, and then the '69 sat derelict, as seen here circa 1988. At this point the front end is battered thanks to a run-in with a drunk driver two years prior, though the wheels had yet to be stolen. Moving the car for street cleaning was fun.

I took the Camaro to college in Pennsylvania where I blew up the "new" used motor I'd inst

Through it all, I was determined to someday return the Camaro to a level of glory it had not seen since sometime prior to my ownership, though I wasn't thinking that I'd have to wait for nearly as many years as I'd then been alive to get it there. Probably a good thing; I didn't have that kind of patience at 19.

Back then I had developed typical teenage pie-in-the-sky visions for my pride and joy, seeing past its many faults to envision what the car could look like with "just a little work." The trouble was, I wanted perfection. So even after I'd finished school and started earning a little money, I kept the car stashed rather than combating its immediate problems and getting it back in action. In my mind, the car deserved nothing less than a full-on rebuild.

This is what I was left with by 2003. Hard to believe I was ridiculed for hanging on to this car. Actually, if the value of '69 Camaros hadn't gone through the roof, I'm sure the criticism would still run thick. Regardless, I somehow managed to hold on to a vision of this gem's potential for nearly 20 years.

This is what I was left with by 2003. Hard to believe I was ridiculed for hanging on to th

In retrospect, I was being stupid, waiting for the perfect combination of time, money, and suitable work space to come together for a total rebuild when I should have been chipping away at it so that it would be on the road and in some way useful, even if it fell way short of my ideal. It took until I was over 30 and living in California for the foolishness of my ways to hit me; I realized that sitting on the car was a waste, both of time and of a Camaro.

Automotive artist and GM stylist Jeff Angeleri took our thoughts and penned the Camaro with a stylized version of the factory hockey-stick stripe incorporating the Car Craft logo. Stripe colors discussed included off-white and silver metallic to tie in with either the white interior or the argent grille and wheels. Since this would not be a forever paint job, we could get a bit loose.

Automotive artist and GM stylist Jeff Angeleri took our thoughts and penned the Camaro wit

At that point my thinking finally shifted to the here and now, and I formulated a new plan to make something happen soon. The revised philosophy was based on the notion that even with a limited budget and timeframe, it should be possible to return a car to some sort of useful state--not necessarily daily-driver useful, but at least cruise-night useful. I took some inspiration from the retro-rodders who bolt cars together in their most Spartan form, with functionality the main motivator, just like they did after WWII. If done right, the patina of old parts and primer is brutally cool, so why not take a similar approach with a muscle-era ride? Spend the money where it's most needed, reuse the decent parts, fog it with some kind of uniform finish, then worry about making it better later . . . or don't.

Done . . . sort of. The made-over '69 made its public debut at a cruise night at Ricky & Ronnie's Cruise-In Diner in Torrance, California. Although our original intent was simply to make the car look presentable, the final product seemed to intrigue many in attendance; in fact, some were questioning our future plans to add color.

Done . . . sort of. The made-over '69 made its public debut at a cruise night at Ricky & R

The ball was set in motion by tackling the car's worst feature: the dented, rotted body. We covered the installation of Goodmark quarter-panels in the April '04 issue and soon after ordered more Goodmark sheetmetal for the front end. With that handled, the car began to garner more respect; it was now a solid foundation for a project. Shortly after, during a staff meeting, Freiburger suggested I take the '69 on Anti Tour, though it was implied that limping it there with its Sanford and Son vibe was not what he had in mind. The rest of the staff chimed in and the "intervention" was in full swing. So, with a mixture of peer pressure, a six-week deadline, and some extra hands for help, the Camaro was officially underway.

The accompanying photos tell the tale, though in the end, the car fell just short of making the Tour. I blame the California DMV. No biggie, as the Tour was merely the carrot that fueled this project and got the Camaro looking and running better than it ever has during my ownership. Now it's on the road for the first time in over 15 years and evoking a bit of lust from onlookers rather than contempt. Meanwhile, I feel like I've got a new toy, when actually I had it all along.

1. In the April '04 issue we detailed the installation of Goodmark's new full quarter-panels. Proprietor Sal Perez at American Musclecars (now located in Ontario, California) seems to be one of the few California-based bodymen who isn't scared of extensive rust, and he and his techs dove in and had the quarters, the inner and outer wheelhouses, the trunk-floor extensions, the rear filler panel, and the right shock tower swapped in about three days. Miraculously, the original trunk floor was in perfect shape, as was the taillight panel.
1. In the April '04 issue we detailed the installation of Goodmark's new full quarter-pan
2. The garbage 305 I was forced to install as a starving student was finally ditched in favor of a proper 350 that once lived in the Cheap Street Chevelle. With 355 cubes, iron World Products SR Torquer heads, and a Crane 230/236 hydraulic cam, it was good for 355 hp in '96. I topped it with a rebuilt Q-Jet and old Z/28 valve covers I bought at a swap meet 10 years ago.
2. The garbage 305 I was forced to install as a starving student was finally ditched in f
3. Just for a laugh, here's what the engine bay looked like before the swap. Clearly I never took the 305 seriously, as it still wears a half-a-Q-Jet two-barrel and all its original accumulated grime. Dig those universal gas-tank straps holding in the Nova six-cylinder radiator that was left in place of the stolen three-row Modine. Yes, that is a broom handle supporting them. There's your affordable street performance.
3. Just for a laugh, here's what the engine bay looked like before the swap. Clearly I ne

4. The best money you can spend when installing new body panels is for the replacement bolt kit. Goodmark offers a kit from AMK, known not simply for providing fasteners that get the job done, but ones that duplicate the originals exactly. They're even bagged and tagged for each individual task.
4. The best money you can spend when installing new body panels is for the replacement bo
5. Sal Perez at American Musclecars saw a glimpse of potential in the '69 when installing the new quarters, so he offered to help install new front sheetmetal if I could come up with the parts. Again, Goodmark came to the rescue with a pair of freshly tooled '69 fenders, produced with heavier-gauge steel than earlier replacements. One fender was original, while the other had been replaced in 1986 and was subsequently nailed by a drunk driver. The Goodmark fenders were complemented with new upper and lower valence panels, along with a reproduction steel cowl-induction hood to replace the GM piece that had once become airborne and still had the scars to prove it. The crew at American Musclecars took the time to get the new stuff to line up properly.
5. Sal Perez at American Musclecars saw a glimpse of potential in the '69 when installing
6. I hadn't been under the car for many years, and I was afraid. It was a mess under there, but at least the many leaking fluids slowed the rust. As a bonus there were broken brake lines, frozen drum-brake assemblies, rotten exhaust parts, and a set of coilover shocks--not the cool race car ones, but the trailer-towing kind. After hours of scraping and wire brushing, the crusty floorpan and framerails were metal-prepped and coated with POR-15, which looks much better and should ensure that the rust doesn't return. The axle was cleaned, drained, and filled with fresh lube and the drum brakes were rebuilt before the housing was sprayed with VHT epoxy paint in semi-flat black.
6. I hadn't been under the car for many years, and I was afraid. It was a mess under ther

7. My old brake lines were in bad shape, with broken hard lines on the axletubes, a cracked flex hose, and rusty feed lines coming from the master cylinder. We ordered a complete set of replacement stainless hard lines from Classic Tube and upgraded to braided flex hoses from Classic's Stop Flex line. The new hard lines are an impressively good match for the originals, as illustrated here.
7. My old brake lines were in bad shape, with broken hard lines on the axletubes, a crack
8. The front suspension and brakes were seriously neglected. The original-style two-piece rotors of the factory disc brakes were real thin, but since they aren't actually required with the new-for-'69 single-piston calipers, one-piece units can be substituted. We used Baer's DecelaRotors, a new line of drilled-and-slotted stock-dimension rotors that cost just a bit more than straight replacements and look a lot better. They should be available at Autozone by the time you read this. The stock calipers were simply cleaned, painted, and rebuilt then complemented with Classic Tube's Stop Flex braided lines.
8. The front suspension and brakes were seriously neglected. The original-style two-piece
9. The rest of the suspension was in moderate shape, but rather than skimp we opted to rebuild. Performance Suspension Components offers stock stuff as well as upgrades. The company even assembles G-Machine Packages with improved items in four levels of intensity. We went for the Level II, using polygraphite bushings, powdercoated front and rear sway bars, and KYB shocks in addition to the replacement ball-joints, tie-rods, and idler arm. We upgraded another notch to Edelbrock shocks.
9. The rest of the suspension was in moderate shape, but rather than skimp we opted to re

10. Once the Camaro was starting to look semirespectable, the decision was made to prep it for Anti Tour. Jeff Smith has a few pet peeves: one is crappy wiring, another is crappy plug wires. The Camaro had plenty of both, but after Jeff made a few choice wiring improvements, the mammoth voltage drops between the battery and starter and the alternator and battery were all but gone. Smith then whipped up a set of Moroso Blue Max plug wires and demanded we observe the drop in resistance.
10. Once the Camaro was starting to look semirespectable, the decision was made to prep i
11. With the undercarriage sorted, we put the junk wheels and tires back on and headed to Johns Customz and Performance to get a suede paint job. Johns is a full-service shop that specializes in custom paint and bodywork but handles complete restorations and mechanical work as well. John Morrow is in charge of body and paint, and though we wanted the quick and dirty spray job, he refused to proceed without aligning our panels properly. Johns' crew descended on the Camaro in an attempt to get it done in time for the Anti Tour. Here, Morrow is block-sanding the passenger door while the other John (Barbera) fights with the remnants of the vinyl top glue. Paul Morrow, John's dad, helps out by straightening our should-have-been-replaced trunk lid with assistance from Denny Choi. Again, we were looking for quick, but the guys wouldn't butcher it, straightening out the door dings, decklid pitting, and even masking off the jambs.
11. With the undercarriage sorted, we put the junk wheels and tires back on and headed to
12. In the booth, John Morrow put down three coats of DuPont Epoxy Sealer/Primer. This stuff isn't porous like standard primer, so rust shouldn't be an issue, and it acts as a high-build scratch filler, which really helped to smooth out the little imperfections in the Camaro's flanks. The primer comes in gray, but it can be tinted, so John added about 10 to 15 percent black toner to the topcoat to darken it to our liking. The finish has that perfect eggshell sheen.
12. In the booth, John Morrow put down three coats of DuPont Epoxy Sealer/Primer. This st

13. One of the tricks we wanted to experiment with was the addition of a factory-style stripe over the primer. We thought about Z/28 stripes but then selected the original-style hockey-stick stripe, believing it would be simpler to lay out. Stencils & Stripes provided the stencil kit, patterned after the factory stuff, and the Morrows took their time placing it.
13. One of the tricks we wanted to experiment with was the addition of a factory-style st
14. John sprayed GM Ivory paint for the stripe using a DuPont base/clear system. We worried that the multilayered approach would leave heavy tape lines when the stencil was pulled, but John assured us that the buildup would be kept low, and the DuPont paint would roll at the edges if we pulled the stencil at the right time. He was right; the trick is to pull the stencil just as the paint has flash-dried, before it starts to fully cure.
14. John sprayed GM Ivory paint for the stripe using a DuPont base/clear system. We worri
15. The stripe was usually applied at the factory with a break adjacent to the marker lamp for the engine-size badge, but we weren't going to install those this time around. Instead, Freddy Chicon of Afterdark Signworks, located at Johns Customz, saw Angeleri's illustration and made these decals to fill the void. Using computer-generated graphics, he was able to size them just right.
15. The stripe was usually applied at the factory with a break adjacent to the marker lam

16. Once the paint was dry, we hauled back to the shop to get the car back together since there were only a few days before the Tour. Like we'd done with other aspects of the project, we elected to reuse parts that were in decent shape and replace only the stuff that really needed it. To that end, we rubbed on the original taillights with Meguiar's plastic polish and bolted them in before framing the rear with a new bumper from Goodmark to replace our semi-mangled original.
16. Once the paint was dry, we hauled back to the shop to get the car back together since
17, Up front it was more of the same, though less of the original stuff was salvageable. Goodmark provided the grille so the Camaro would have one for the first time in nearly 20 years, and we installed it using the original stiffening brace and headlight bezels. Another new bumper, also from Goodmark, was installed, while the original parking lamps were polished up and reused. For a few extra bucks we also ordered a factory-style chin spoiler from Goodmark.
17, Up front it was more of the same, though less of the original stuff was salvageable.
18. We hadn't really thought much about the interior, figuring if the car would run and drive we'd sit on whatever to go to Phoenix. But as the body was getting better, the interior started looking worse. We cleaned up the original white seats, but the door panels were still at the folks' place in New York, and not worth shipping costs. A call to Year One and we had a fresh set of assembled white door panels and installation hardware. We also picked up a set of window felts while we were at it.
18. We hadn't really thought much about the interior, figuring if the car would run and d

19. Freiburger wasn't digging the slick '80s-vintage aftermarket steering wheel, nor was anyone else for that matter. I took the hint and the opportunity to order a repro version of the factory sport steering wheel I'd lusted after for years.
19. Freiburger wasn't digging the slick '80s-vintage aftermarket steering wheel, nor was
Year One offers the wheel in kit form, including the mounting hub, hardware, horn contact, and horn cap. I'm still clinging to the Sun tach, though.
Year One offers the wheel in kit form, including the mounting hub, hardware, horn contact,
20. The crowning jewels of the project were the new wheels, one of the areas we felt shouldn't be compromised. Vintage Wheel Works produces classically styled wheels in traditional and contemporary sizes; we selected a set of Vintage 45s in 17x8 and 17x9.5. To wrap the rims we went to Toyo to try out its new Proxes T1S high-performance street rubber (P255/45R17 and P275/40R17). The guys at Flip's Tire took their usual care while mounting our gems.
20. The crowning jewels of the project were the new wheels, one of the areas we felt shou

FIN: The end result is far better than the goals we'd set of being merely presentable. There are still plenty of improvements that need to happen (like lowering), but now getting to the "real" paint job doesn't seem like such a priority, and even Camaro-haters are taking notice. Best of all, we're driving it instead of just hoarding it
FIN: The end result is far better than the goals we'd set of being merely presentable. The