Topics

1

Restoration / Parchment/Black question

« on: August 03, 2006, 09:18:31 PM »

Hey there

I am restoring my car's parchment and black deluxe interior; actually, replacing would be a better word, because I got it with no interior at all. 

My question is whether or not the center console sides were painted off-white?  I have seen that on other console cars that the sides of the console match the interior color - was the same true of P/B cars?  Does anyone have some nice shots of a P/B interior?

2

Restoration / '67 Console freshening

« on: July 14, 2006, 09:04:30 PM »

Hey all,

I just purchased a '67 console with gauges, and it arrived in really nice shape, with no pitting in the chrome at all.  I would like to freshen up the black paint - what would be the correct color and procedure for doing this?  I have already purchased a new door, ashtray cover, and light cover; what I'm looking to do is the main body and the gauge housing.

Thanks!

Robert

3

Restoration / Paint first, or mechanicals?

« on: June 23, 2006, 01:03:30 PM »

Hey all,

My '67 is in the shop right now getting a lot of new sheetmetal: floors, quarters, trunk, drops, inner/outer fenderwells, filler panel, and rear.  At this point, I have stripped the car to the unit body with the exception of the diff and rear suspension.  I have already replaced the lower cowl, upper dash, and driver's cowl extension. 

With the car being so bare, I figured it would be a good time to get the body straight and paint it, since everything's out of it and I could have a very thorough job done.  Then, once painted, I could disassemble the front end again and do the mechanicals (it has no engine atm.)  My alternative is to ge the car running and mechanically the way I want it, then paint it. 

I realize that there's a risk of scratching something up when painting it first, but I figured with the front end off this could be minimized.  I have restored two Datsun 240Zs previously, and each time the car was more or less complete when painted, so this is the first time I have had the opportunity to paint a shell.

What do y'all think?

RCP

4

Mild Modifications / Proportioning valve and 4-wheel discs

« on: June 07, 2006, 01:03:58 PM »

My '67 was a drag car at one time, and someone along the ownership chain saw fit to equip it with a nice set of Wilwood rear discs and a manual proportioning valve (at least I am assuming that's what this is - red "Wilwood" knob in the floorboard - I don't think it's a clumsy line lock).  I am going to keep the discs on the rear and I am converting the front to discs as well.  The proportioning valves I have seen in the front disc conversion kits mention "disc/drum" setup f/r - would this type of valve be suitable for a 4-disc setup as well?

Thanks,

RCP

5

Restoration / Removing control arm bushings

« on: May 08, 2006, 06:12:33 PM »

I did a search for this topic, but did not find anything.

I am currently in the process of working on the front end of my 67.  I have pulled all of the suspension pieces and am looking to remove the control arm busings before I send the pieces out for powder coat.  My chassis service manual describes a bunch of specialized tools for removing these bushings - any thoughts on how to do so without factory tools?  On the datsuns I have restored, you burned out the rubber with a torch, then chiseled the metal casing until the seal broke.  However, on those cars the metal sleeve was on the outside of the bushing, on the Camaro, it's on the inside (complete with nut).  I have an air chisel I have been thinking of using...

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Robert

6

Decoding/Numbers / Mystery '67 Camaro Update - Title in hand!

« on: April 21, 2006, 04:19:04 PM »

For those that lent advice and were interested in my ongoing tale...

Up to now:  My '67 Camaro is missing both the title and the VIN, and I am trying to get both taken care of...

Former owner located a box of parts with the correct cowl tag, so that's good news.

I have been on the phone with countless state agency people in Texas trying to get the title issue resolved.  I researched everything I would have to do to get a "bonded" title, have the state issue a new VIN, etc.  So I had a cop friend of mine run the VIN against their databases, and the car came back clean with the VIN I suspected it was, so I tried the state, and they claim there are no records in their current database, but that they could be held on microfiche in Beaumont.  I call Beaumont, get the runaround about being authorized to obtain said information without filling out all the required forms.  Download forms, start to fill them all out, when I figure that I should call Beaumont DOT back to see if there are any records on fiche at all before I go requesting them. 

I get a very nice lady on the phone who verifies that the VIN is indeed correct (124 versus 123) and gives me the information of the last registered owner.  Hot damn. 

I finally track down the last registered owner of the car, and get her on the phone.  Yes, she owned a Camaro, yes, this color combination, options, etc.  She gave the car to her ex-husband (now dead), who traded it to the guy I bought it from.  I tell her that she can save me a world of hassle if she would request a new title and sign it over to me; I'll get the previous owner to verify my story, show her the BOS, etc. etc. - I'll even pay the fee.

She says, "I don't know if I want to get involved."

Argh.  I leave her my phone number, she says she'll discuss with her current husband and call me back.  So far, nothing.  So I figure I'll give it one more shot.  She seemed like a nice lady, so I won't bother her by phone - I am thinking of sending her pictures of the car, the day we brought it home, my family, me, the progress we've made on it (new side cowl, lower cowl, upper dash panel), fill out all the required forms for her, enclose a SASE for me, and throw in $10 to cover the fees.  Maybe she'll change her mind and help me out.

Thoughts?

7

Restoration / Dash removal

« on: March 20, 2006, 12:29:04 AM »

Forgive me if this has been asked before - My '67 has a '68 dash, including both the main dash panel and the upper panel (complete with a 68 VIN).  How involved is the dash removal?   My primary concerns are the retainer-clip holes for the longer dash pad down at the bottom of the panel, which would be visible if I installed the '67 dash pad.  Is it even worth doing, or should I just live with the incorrect dash, and maybe fill and paint over these holes?

Thanks,

Robert

8

Decoding/Numbers / My Mystery '67 Camaro

« on: March 06, 2006, 12:36:34 AM »

Greetings, All

My wife and I just picked up our first Camaro project car, a '67. I have restored a couple of Datsun 240Z's in the past, and this is my first American project. I've wanted a muscle car since I was a teenager, and now I finally have her!

My '67 spent some time as a drag car, although it's relatively unmolested. Decoding the trim tag reveals that it was born as a medium emerald turquoise car with a matching deluxe turqouise interior, no AC, 3 speed on the floor, Z21 and Z23 packages. As I disassemble the car, though, I am finding a lot of gold paint, in places that I don't think a repaint would have touched, like underneath the rain gutter brightwork. I figure if, at one point, someone loved the car enough to repaint it extremely well, that it may not have wound up in its current state of project-ness.

Which do I believe - the trim tag or the paint? I guess the car could be a mismatch of parts (as it currently has a black AC dash with no tach) - perhaps it has a firewall from another car, including the trim tag?

Any light you guys can shed on my Mystery Camaro would be appreciated!

Robert