427Swedes new Project?

[427Swede]

Hi again!

The summer is over here in Sweden and the temperatures are dropping...
It´s been a great summer, the weather has been fantastic and I have really enjoyed my Corvette:drink:
Since the Vette is almost done (seats will be fixed this winter together with a cardan shaft balancing and a fix of the rear diff that is failing...) I was feeling an itch to start looking for a new project.
An early Camaro of the second gen has always been on my wish list. I used to have a 76 Camaro but, it was not ideal in any way...

In the early 80:s I was very interested in Camaros and there was a guy in a town not far from where I live that had several camaros. I was around 15 years old and I thougt Camaros was really cool cars, I used to hang in his garage from time to time looking at his cars.

As I turned 18 and got my drivers licence and my 76 Camaro, I noticed a new car under a tarp at this guys house. It turned out to be a 1971 Z28, a genuine Z28!
The years went by and the Z28 sat on the lawn under a tarp for 20 years until a friend of mine managed to buy the Z28.
Now it was a total wreck in pieces:crap:
My friend put the car in a barn for 6 years, then started to build a house and transported the Camaro to his new house and put it on wooden blocks outside.It sat there for another two years until he finally realized he would never restore it.
That was last week and i bought the car this sunday:drink:

This is the poor Camaro in its sad condition...

 

[427Swede]

The Car is a real 1971 Z28, blue metallic with white stripes and blue interior.
It has the 330hp 350cui engine and was sold as a 4-speed manual. The gearbox is lost but the numbers matching engine, crank, pistons and rods are still with the car. It is complete to around 85% but needs alot of work...
I only paid 1000$ for the car and i just could not say no to this deal!

My son joined to help me load the car. he is extremely interested and we will hopefully restore the car together!

 

[427Swede]

A few more photos of the wreck:huh:





The interior was filled with wood chips...

 

[427Swede]

The workshop filled with car parts again:thumbs:



There is actually stuff growing on the steering wheel:shocking:



And the desirable 8000rpm Z28 tach!!

 

[denpo]

Please proceed

 

[BBShark]

Very cool! Are you going to restore it as original?

 

[bobs77vet]

nice project.....does it have the front sub frame assembly. there are so many parts available for that car you have lots of options

 

[427Swede]

Please proceed

That is hilarious Denpo:lol:

 

[427Swede]

nice project.....does it have the front sub frame assembly. there are so many parts available for that car you have lots of options

Very cool! Are you going to restore it as original?

Thank's!

Well, I really haven't decided yet what to do with the car. It has the subframe and most of the parts but it will never be a "numbers matching" car.
It will probably be a restomod where I try to manufacture some parts myself to keep the cost down. I really like the look of a Camaro with wide large wheels and a lowered suspension. I will have to think about this project for a while.
The car is extremely rusty in the rear...
One of my friends said "I might be a bit tired but I realy think you need hospital care":rofl:

 

[Kid Vette]

Wow! I would call most people crazy for tackling a project like that but I know you are capable of gittin' 'er done. This will be fun to watch and a great way to pass your skills on to your son!

 

[427Swede]

I have started to organize all the parts for the car to get an overwiev. There are alot of things missing or in extremely bad shape. I knew this and thats why I paid a very low prize...

I will just leave it in my workshop for the winter and then perhaps start on it next autumn.
My wife is already asking when I am going to start working on it, almost as if she wants me to spend the nights out in the garage, hmmm:suspicious:

Nice trunk...

 

[Kid Vette]

nice project.....does it have the front sub frame assembly. there are so many parts available for that car you have lots of options

Very cool! Are you going to restore it as original?

Thank's!

Well, I really haven't decided yet what to do with the car. It has the subframe and most of the parts but it will never be a "numbers matching" car.
It will probably be a restomod where I try to manufacture some parts myself to keep the cost down. I really like the look of a Camaro with wide large wheels and a lowered suspension. I will have to think about this project for a while.
The car is extremely rusty in the rear...
One of my friends said "I might be a bit tired but I realy think you need hospital care":rofl:

Make it look like Mary Pozzi's.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I like it a lot - though, might I suggest you get a larger vehicle to haul your cars, I hate to mention this, but I suspect your Volvo will tell you to ****-off when you haul that Camaro as a complete car.

 

[bobs77vet]

I drank a lot of beers in a 70 or 71 Camaro z28 back in the day.....I am surprised sometimes I survived the 70s

 

[427Swede]

I like it a lot - though, might I suggest you get a larger vehicle to haul your cars, I hate to mention this, but I suspect your Volvo will tell you to ****-off when you haul that Camaro as a complete car.

So you noticed the abused suspension on my old Volvo I was lucky the police was not out checking cars...

 

[427Swede]

D

I drank a lot of beers in a 70 or 71 Camaro z28 back in the day.....I am surprised sometimes I survived the 70s

:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

[427Swede]

As usual, I just could not keep my hands off my new project... I really had the intention not to do anything on the Z28 until next autumn but the urge to start was just too strong to resist.
So, I have sorted all the parts, sandblasted and painted most of the parts that are of the type "assemble and forget" such as brackets, small interior parts and other stuff.

After that I decided to build a body jig. I am too old to lay on my back hammering on a rusty under carrige. Therefore, a tilting body jig was a must have.
I looked at different arrangements on different Camaro forums and many people put the rear connection for the body jig at the bumper connections in the rear.

At least on this Camaro, you can flex the whole rear body by simply pulling it upwards... No good to put a jig connection there. Instead I put it at the top bend above the rear axle. A lot of meat there and the leverage will be short, avoiding body flex.



A few parts for the tilt mechanism of the jig.


The stands with the tilt shafts

 

[427Swede]

The front frame connection


The rear connection


Stand and rear connection assembled


A stop screw in the shaft will hold the assembly together

 

[427Swede]

You just have to use whatever you can find:crap:


The front assembled to the Z28


And the rear

 

[427Swede]

I then welded a simple bottom frame that the stands connect to.


The complete tilt jig works fine. I probably need to brace the two stands during transportation to the sand blasting company but it is ok in the workshop.


I also added a boat winch and a few pully blocks so I can position the body in any position I need. The balance of the body actually is very good. i can rotate it with one arm if I want to.
The winch can be seen in the front of the car. i will make it double acting with two wires connected to each corner of the front frame beam.