Messages

3976

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1966-1972 Trans-Am race memorabilia [dash plaques, patches, passes, etc]

« on: June 11, 2011, 05:57:48 AM »

Another item from Robert Barg. I believe it's from Le Circuit Mt. Tremblant (St. Jovite, Canada)

3977

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: June 10, 2011, 03:51:43 PM »

I don't know why they used those hoods, Joe. Later in the season they went back to flat hoods. Both '68 cars began life as bodies-in-white, not as complete "showroom" models.

3978

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Gauge Question

« on: June 10, 2011, 03:45:46 PM »

Joe, I think the best way to determine that is to check out the date codes which are usually ink stamped onto the case of the gauge after the part number. You can see the Stewart-Warner date codes here. You might find a gauge that would read 359M-L3. The first numbers would be the gauge part number and the L3 would translate to March 1967.

3979

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1966-1972 Trans-Am race memorabilia [dash plaques, patches, passes, etc]

« on: June 10, 2011, 03:33:01 PM »

Great items, Chad. Thanks for posting them. Can you enlighten me about the Monsanto "Durette" uniform vs the "Fypro"? Seems like Fypro quickly replaced the Durette as the top of the line suit.

3980

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Ideas to share concerning 1:18 '67-'69 GMP Penske Donohue Camaros.

« on: June 10, 2011, 02:55:44 PM »

Nice work on the new casting for ther cowl plenum assembly. Very impressive, especially for an unfinished piece. Regarding the dash, the factory delete plates were removed. The metal bezel/trim for that center area was kept but all black (no more chrome edge). In the upper area where the heater controls would be on a normal Camaro, there were 12 vertically mounted fuses. These were on a plate that was at the same angle as the dash but sunk in maybe 1/4". In the radio hole, there were at least two but probably three toggle switches mounted on a plate that did not follow the angle of the dash. The plate was vertical (perpendicular to the ground) so that the effect was the top appeared to be more sunken in than the bottom. Underneath that center dash area were two gauges. A small 2 1/16" gauge similar to the ones in the dash pad and to its right, a larger 2 5/8" gauge which I think is for fuel pressure. Both are angled slightly toward the driver and appear to be in separate mounting brackets. The stock shift boot is used and the metal ring to hold it down is black. As for the pad, it was not used earlier in the season. I know it appears to be in there for the race following Marlboro but when it was added, I don't know. The floor itself is blacked out. I hope this is useful.

3981

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Gauge Question

« on: June 09, 2011, 04:16:31 PM »

Chad, I've got a '66 Stewart Warner catalog and I don't recall any black bezel gauges being in there although I'll look again to make sure. I do recall some marine usage gauges where there ring was not chrome but I don't remember it being black.

3982

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Spark Plug Wires

« on: June 09, 2011, 04:11:33 PM »

Good stuff, Joe. I don't currently have knowledge of what spark plug wires people like Penske were using but maybe with some digging it can be found out. Is that wire in your photo dated? As shown, I can't pick out any dates.

3983

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: June 09, 2011, 03:37:46 PM »

Here is the Sebring Trans-Am class-winner showing the #15 on it, as it was during the race. While the '68 (heavier car) was the car that went through tech inspection twice, this lighter car is the one that qualified both cars for the race during the practice laps.

3984

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: June 09, 2011, 03:25:57 PM »

Photos from Sebring, March 1968. This was a 12-hour endurance race (also an official part of the Trans-Am schedule) where the Trans-Am cars were included in the same race as the Porsche 907 prototypes, GT40s, Lola T70s, etc. Mark Donohue and Craig Fisher finished an amazing 3rd overall and 1st in Trans-Am. A truly outstanding accomplishment. Many thanks to Pat Ryan for forwarding these Jerry Kroninger photos for us to enjoy.

Here Mark Donohue and Roger Penske check out the Camaro upon their arrival.


Notice the numbers for each car, 15 & 16. Each car in the photos below wears the opposite number than it did in the actual race.
The car with the vent window (wind wing) in the door is the '67 lightweight car from the previous season. It was under minimum
weight and did not get run through tech inspection. They ran the '68 through tech inspection twice by changing the car number
in a closed airplane hangar between each inspection. A risky proposition but they pulled it off successfully.











All 7 photos above by Jerry Kroninger

3985

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Engine photos

« on: June 09, 2011, 01:56:30 PM »

Yes, this would be the car in the trailering accident (near Fernley, NV). Craig Fisher tells me he personally stripped the car after the accident per Roger Penske's instructions but he was not involved in any reconstruction and Mark's autobiography details how he measured the body and still found it to be square and thus convinced Roger to keep and rebuild it. It became the back-up car for several of the West Coast '67 Trans-Am races. It did go to Europe as you say but the trail of the car and it whereabouts goes cold after approximately 1972.

3986

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1966-1972 Trans-Am race memorabilia [dash plaques, patches, passes, etc]

« on: June 09, 2011, 01:40:30 PM »

Chad, the Mark Donohue Performance Products items are neat. Do you happen to have a catalog and know what sort of things were offered?

3987

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: June 08, 2011, 11:05:52 PM »

Daytona, February 1968.
L-R: Roger Penske, Mark Donohue, Bob Johnson, Craig Fisher. Standing: Jerry Kroninger, from Sun Oil.
Thank you to Pat Ryan for forwarding this to me so I could post it.


Jerry Kroninger Collection

3988

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Ideas to share concerning 1:18 '67-'69 GMP Penske Donohue Camaros.

« on: June 07, 2011, 08:27:00 PM »

The dash in the car looks very similar in layout to the one seen below (from Pat Ryan's Penske Camaro). Some differences are...
1) yours should be painted black.
2) yours should not have the protruding light in the 10 o'clock position relative to the tach.
3) your tach should have single digits (read in thousands) rather than double-digits (read in hundreds).
4) the tach needle should be at rest around the 5 o'clock position rather than the 4 o'clock seen below.
5) there is just one switch on the left side, slightly lower than the top one seen below.
6) the stock switches should still be present in the dash
7) disregard the center dash area in the photo below. Your model is different than that.


Photo by Jon Mello

3989

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Ideas to share concerning 1:18 '67-'69 GMP Penske Donohue Camaros.

« on: June 07, 2011, 08:05:11 PM »

Regarding the notch in the air cleaner housing, these two photos should give you a fair idea of what it needs to look like. I thought I had something better in my files but can't locate them as of yet.

3990

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: June 07, 2011, 04:38:49 PM »

Ron Bucknum, driver of the #9 Penske Camaro for the 1969 season.


Frank Dihartce Collection


Frank Dihartce Collection


Frank Dihartce Collection