My not so Little 69 Project.

[NorCam]

Finally it's time to get serious and finish up a restoration project I bought and started back in 2015. This car is a low mile Z/28 converted from being a street car to a Super Stock car in the early 70's by the original owner Kym Miller. It had 22,000 miles at that time and never saw the street or weather elements again. After being owned by a handful of Canadian racers over the course of 45 years, I bought the car in 2015. I then stripped the car back in the fall of 2015 and then sent it out for body and paint which was completed back in the spring of 2016.

Since getting it back on all 4 as a roller, I'have done very little other than collect and restore parts while pushing it around from bay to bay and pondering different ideas of how to finish and restore the car. Now that I have finished playing with a couple other projects, I have cleared my plate where I can now dedicate time to this cars completion. With the body retaining it's original panels, it's been restored and painted in its original 79 Rally Green with white stripes. Early 2019 will now see the project coming full swing to its ultimate completion.

I have all of the parts to complete the car with most of its parts now restored and ready to install. A warranty coded CE302 was built last year and was completely balanced and blueprinted. A freshly restored M21 and 12 Bolt were also redone and the car will now go back together to stock original Z/28 trim.

My apologies on the picture hosting. I moved a batch of photo's around in my folders which killed a lot of the pictures from the first few pages of this thread. I will try and fix those at a future date. The pages deeper into this thread still retain all the correct links to photos.

[ScottG]

NICE !!

[NorCam]

The rims on the car are date matched April 18 YH Rally wheels with Wide Ovals. They include correct NOS caps with restored 4 clip beauty rings. Soon the car will be wearing it's Endura bumper, all of the correct Z/28 drive line will be installed, and its further receiving a nice survivor base 711 interior I have put together over the past year or two.

[Dave Rifkin]

Wow that paint is gorgeous! Looks like, at some point in it's racing career, the owner pulled the 302 and replaced it with the 350-255 small block. Photos also show it taking on some heavy hitters; 1968 Hemi Dart and what appears to be a 1970 Hemi 'Cuda. Can't wait to see the progress pictures.

[PeteLeathersac]

'

W<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/drool.gifW!!!
~ Pete

[NorCam]

Originally Posted By: Dave Rifkin - Wow that paint is gorgeous! Looks like, at some point in it's racing career, the owner pulled the 302 and replaced it with the 350-255 small block. Photos also show it taking on some heavy hitters; 1968 Hemi Dart and what appears to be a 1970 Hemi 'Cuda. Can't wait to see the progress pictures.

Thanks for that.

Kym pulled the 302 after it's first full season on the track and replaced it with the 350. It was campaigned heavily in the Pacific Northwest and ran up against some well known cars including Tuff-n-uff (Hemi Cuda), Buck McKinney's "Special" (LS6 Convertible), Suddenly (68 Camaro), Mad Trapper (Hemi Cuda), Cam Noseworthy's Hemi Dart and many other well known race cars from the west. He won a championship with the car in 1978 and it went on to race S/S with that paint scheme until the mid 80's when it then became a local bracket car. It hasn't seen the road since 71 but will be reunited with two lane blacktop in the year ahead.

[markinnaples]

Great car, great pictures, and a great history. Congrats.

[NorCam]

Updating the thread to note some parts that I've collected and restored over the past couple years. Just part of the larger stash that have been sitting and waiting for installations.

[earntaz]

Rotate the carb 180* -- I can assure you it will work better ... LoL I know what you're thinking -- another smart a$$! The pieces you have so far look excellent! TAZ

[NorCam]

lmao...was so busy moving things around this morning that I didn't notice the intake was backwards when I threw the carb on for a quick shot.

I fixed that image in the post above.

[NorCam]

Hard to believe it's been a couple years since I last updated this thread, but that's what happens when I put other cars and other priorities in the way. In any case, I am finally back onto the 69 Camaro and it's assembly with plans to having it running and driving for it's birthday which is a mere 2 months away. I've just started to pull out all the parts I have stashed around here and organize the shop with everything I need for the car. With the Nova now finished and shuffled aside, the Camaro assembly will start this week. As parts and assembly progresses, I'll also run the 302 on the stand one more time before it's installed with the transmission in a few short weeks. A large task, but one I'm finally ready to devote the time to while getting it done. Here's a few more of the dated parts I've been going about finding over the past couple years. Each date is perfectly matched to the cars 05A build code and May 9th shipping date.

[NorCam]

Got the two most important parts to help the car get up and boogie! Freshly done and ready for fluids real soon...

[DW31S]

Gonna follow this build, too!

[luv2sixty9]

Glad to see that you decided to keep and finish the car.
It looks amazing and I love Rally Green for I basically own the same car (twin).
Here is a picture of mine, the older brother 03D build. No spoiler and flat hood

[454_Malibu]

SIR/Pacific Race Ways, Been there many times,,, Maybe I Saw this car back in the Day, Nice vintage Pics,,

[RichSchmidt]

Awesome build. How much work did the underside need to bring it back to stock? I noticed the 350-255 label and wondered if the cowl hood was available with that engine or if NHRA even cared about that.

[NorCam]

Guys in his class quickly learned that they picked up a 10th by adding the cowl hood. NHRA allowed the hood but quickly enforced that it had to be functional if added to a car. This ones been on the car since about 73 and will stay on now. As for the floors, they were spotless and clean, but were replaced with a new 2-piece kit due to the cage being installed with ladder bars and frame connectors tied in. Tough decision but painstaking work was performed to ensure the new floor looked and fit like factory. All spot welds along the rockers were replicated to factory style. Inner/outer wheels houses were also done at the same time while all top side metal stayed intact. It was a clean car and a great candidate to retire with some provenance and restore back to stock.

[NorCam]

Cleaned the shop the last couple days to rid it of anything that's not going onto this Camaro. Engine is back on the stand for another run session and all parts are now laid out for the assembly to start in the next couple days. Going to be spending a lot of time in the shop to have this one finished up for it's birthday.

[NorCam]

Since getting the Nova running and putting it aside, I am now focused on the 69 and its assembly. Took it back to the painter for a couple small issues that needed addressing before putting the glass in and now that it's back I'm making good progress. Fuel lines are run, tank is mounted, 4-leaf springs are installed and stock lower mounting plate are installed with spiral shocks mounted. On the top side, I cleaned up all the regulators and door hardware and got it all installed last week complete with tinted glass. I then got most of the exterior trim back onto the car and today I'm going to finish the rear brakes and start hanging the e-brake cables under the car. Won't be long before I work my way up to the front of the car and start under the hood. Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as the car inches towards it's birthday in May.

Plans are to have it running for then! :3gears:

https://i.ibb.co/Q8H7YP9/IMG-3376.jpg
Dropped off for some minor paint work last week.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Have you got a Pistol Grip for this bad boy?

Love it!!

Ryan W31

[rlw68]

The mounting plate appears to be the LH one installed on the RH side? The notch for the parking brake cable hanger should face the front.

https://i.ibb.co/L0dvNyL/IMG-3441.jpg
Rear leaf springs with stock mounting plates and spiral shocks installed.

[NorCam]

Good eye Rob. I didn't notice they were backwards until I did the brakes earlier tonight and went to go put the brackets on. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow. :hmmm:

[NorCam]

Couldn't leave those plates until tomorrow as I already have a full plan for the day, so I went back out to the shop and reversed them tonight. Also need to order some new drums which will finish off the brakes before I start plumbing hard lines through the front. Getting there (even with the odd two step) :)

And sorry Ryan. This one will be more or less stock...so no Pistola :scholar:

https://i.ibb.co/nMYG3sz/IMG-3457.jpg

[rlw68]

Good eye Rob. I didn't notice they were backwards until I did the brakes earlier tonight and went to go put the brackets on. Guess what I'm doing tomorrow. :hmmm:

I've just looked at mine for way too many hours, going thru all the same but on a creeper. I really like your lift!

On the axle I used t-bolts on the inner and u-bolts on the outer, without washers. My 69 is an 02D build. Do you know which is correct?

[NorCam]

I've seen them staggered the way you mentioned, and I've seen them using both u-bolts on the inner and outer. I'm sure there is a factory correct method and would think it is as you mentioned, but I am OK with using 2 sets of full u-bolts. My thinking is perhaps it's stronger?

Lift is an inexpensive 4 post model, but saves me from crawling around under cars. It's awkward for doing things like dropping suspension and diff swaps but it has a H/D sliding steel jack tray that helps support the car when hanging suspension or doing brakes. It works but one of these days I'll bend to get a nice 2 post lift as well.

[DW31S]

Looks great Graeme!!! Glass fit is likely better than original!!!

[Locker537]

Graeme, on the topic of lifts, it doesn't appear your 4 post is bolted down. I know it's not necessary, but do you have any concerns with it being able to move? The horizontal supports likely negate any real risk?

Do you store cars on it in the lifted position?

I have a "Kwik-Lift" at home, and I've never really figured out the right combination of bottle jack and stands to use the sliding steel tray. It doesn't line up with the jack points or subframe connectors on my Formula.

[NorCam]

I've had it bolted before and that was great in my old shop, but in the current home shop I like being able to move it around from time to time and it's been inside, outside and back and forth between shops. I don't do much serious work while it's up high and always keep the locks set right with a little tension on the cables which keeps it steady. My floors are also quite level and the pads have never moved. Even still I am very careful and always walk around the lift to ensure all is sound and locks are on before ever venturing under a car while also ensuring the cables are taught. Safety is always of concern around my place and even when using jack stands, there is always redundancy in place.

If I was really going to be reefing or swaying the lift, I'd again add a couple Hilti anchors at each corner. I am told that they use dozens these lifts on the grass at Carlisle and change exhaust on Corvettes. I was further told that as long as there's weight on the cables, they are quite stable. I use this one for work only and don't store cars on it at height too often, but have at times used it for storage.

In terms of the 1/4" steel jack tray, I sometimes use a center point motorcycle jack that I bought for the tray, and when I need to support outer axle points or spring locations, I have a 1/4 steel plate that sits atop the jack tray to give me a stable base to use a bottle jack from...or to place jack stands. You have to be creative to use a 4 post for working on cars as it would seem. That's why I plan to add a two post lift in the next bay over.

A guy can never have too many lifts I am told. :beers:

[NorCam]

Thanks David :beers:

Glass really did fit well, but it should of since this car still has it original body panels intact. Most problems start when quarters, roofs and tulip panels have been repaired and the car isn't as square as it may have once been.

Got a lot more accomplished today and we're boogieing right along now. Leaving a few character parts in place and trying not to over cartoon the car with ink stamps and chalk everywhere. I see so many restored cars now days that are just plastered with stamps, decals and chalk marks everywhere and to me it just looks wrong! Only a few decals and a couple markings is all this car will be seeing. Brake lines are in and tomorrow we'll hit the front lighting, grill and then the wiring harnesses will go in. We'll probably spend a good week doing the engine bay and getting the brakes bled before we start thinking about the drive line. I will get it fired on the run stand again next week before we're ready to install it. From there we will focus on the interior and making it look like a super clean 22,000 mile survivor inside. Just wish I had a mint used carpet to match everything else I have put together.

More in a week or two.

https://i.ibb.co/4TxSLRG/IMG-3463.jpg
Finished the brakes today and installed some new drums to help it stop.

https://i.ibb.co/syDhyCF/IMG-3464.jpg
Ran the remaining brake lines today and almost ready for the master.

https://i.ibb.co/tKW0VYv/IMG-3465.jpg
Added a couple decals to the front shocks and springs. (not going to go too crazy with all the markings)

https://i.ibb.co/pPNNkrT/IMG-3466.jpg
Added new e-brake cables throughout the car today.

https://i.ibb.co/9rbDh8V/IMG-E3470.jpg
There were a few nicks and character marks in the rear hold off, and I'm going to leave it that way.

[ZLP955]

On the axle I used t-bolts on the inner and u-bolts on the outer, without washers. My 69 is an 02D build. Do you know which is correct?
A pair of T-bolts (inboard) and one U-bolt (outboard) per side is how the factory did it on a multi-leaf rear, but it's common to see the T-bolts swapped for a second U-bolt to reduce the tendency for spring perch welds to crack.

[ZLP955]

Nice progress. Just wondered if you replaced the fenders, or did a previous owner fill the emblem holes?

[NorCam]

Still has the original fenders on it and neither have been replaced. Both had green paint under the silver but early pics of the car show the Camaro script emblems were taken off when it was painted in its race scheme back in 1973. Often done for placement of contingency decals. Emblems and holes were on it when I got the car but when we stripped the fenders there was a skim of filler around the holes so they must have been drilled out when the car was changed to silver (4th owner) in 1990.

One script emblem measures a touch low but nothing I was concerned over since the car has a history as a race car.

https://i.ibb.co/ZY1VXYm/IMG-3472.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/cYR8svD/IMG-3473.jpg

[Locker537]

I've had it bolted before and that was great in my old shop, but in the current home shop I like being able to move it around from time to time and it's been inside, outside and back and forth between shops. I don't do much serious work while it's up high and always keep the locks set right with a little tension on the cables which keeps it steady. My floors are also quite level and the pads have never moved. Even still I am very careful and always walk around the lift to ensure all is sound and locks are on before ever venturing under a car while also ensuring the cables are taught. Safety is always of concern around my place and even when using jack stands, there is always redundancy in place.

If I was really going to be reefing or swaying the lift, I'd again add a couple Hilti anchors at each corner. I am told that they use dozens these lifts on the grass at Carlisle and change exhaust on Corvettes. I was further told that as long as there's weight on the cables, they are quite stable. I use this one for work only and don't store cars on it at height too often, but have at times used it for storage.

In terms of the 1/4" steel jack tray, I sometimes use a center point motorcycle jack that I bought for the tray, and when I need to support outer axle points or spring locations, I have a 1/4 steel plate that sits atop the jack tray to give me a stable base to use a bottle jack from...or to place jack stands. You have to be creative to use a 4 post for working on cars as it would seem. That's why I plan to add a two post lift in the next bay over.

A guy can never have too many lifts I am told. :beers:

Thanks Graeme! The motorcycle jack or one of those cross beam adapter accessories is an interesting idea!

[NorCam]

Was supposed to go into the office today but I'm having way too much fun working on this car now so I played hooky again! Early this morning I disassembled the front park lights, removed the wiring and socket and detailed the frames before putting them all back together. I then stripped the front headlamp buckets and painted everything in black trim paint. Once the park lights and frames were installed, we set the grill and made sure the emblem was in the correct spot. Gotta polish the trim rings for the lights and clean up the front bezels for them. They'll go on later and the VE3 bumper will wait until we finish installing the motor.

Gotta run to the office for a few hours tonight but tomorrow we are planning to install the wiper motor, wiper trans, wipers and button up the top cowl panel. From there we are onto the cowl induction parts for the hood and the pedal on the firewall. Next up will be the front lighting harness, engine harness, cowl harness and the battery tray. Last thing under the hood will be the booster and master and then I can set the column and the heater core in place and button those up. That should keep me busy for a few more days...

Bring on the interior...(lol) :worship:

https://i.ibb.co/7V7MCGS/Apart-Blasted.jpg
Media blasted and ready for final detailing and white paint inside.

https://i.ibb.co/cxZ9DKD/Fronts-sprayed-white.jpg
Original pigtails reinstalled and ready for installation now.

https://i.ibb.co/LzdMdLb/IMG-3493.jpg
Park lights cleaned up and installed in the lower valance.

https://i.ibb.co/37jrH1w/IMG-3490.jpg
Grill is in and we're almost ready for headlamps and bezels.

[WILMASBOYL78]

Nice work !

[Salvatore]

Real nice work Graeme!

[firstgenaddict]

Beautiful... I love Rally Green with White stripes!

[NorCam]

Little more progress this week. Finished plumbing all the brakes and got the booster and master installed yesterday but was missing the coupler bracket that holds the soft connection above the diff and had to order one. I'll bleed the lines after that arrives next week. In the meantime we've been busy restoring the dash housing and gauges. Installed an NOS clock, mounted the cluster today and got all the wiring connected with new bulbs in place. Cowl ducts are rebuilt with new flaps and heating ducts are all installed and detailed. Column is now complete, heater controls are done and pedals are also setup now. Carpet and radio will be finished up tomorrow and then it's time to finish up the heater core before installing the dash pad and moving onto the door panels. It's coming together nicely

[ZLP955]

Coming along nicely

[rlw68]

... Cowl Induction Wiring. Have one more speedo clip in the tunnel to finish

Are you using the AAW 'factory fit' harnesses? It appears the wiper motor wire doesn't have a spare mm between the two connections. Mine's exactly the same.

[NorCam]

Are you using the AAW 'factory fit' harnesses? It appears the wiper motor wire doesn't have a spare mm between the two connections. Mine's exactly the same.

Not sure what the "mm" wire is Rob? I remember reading a footnote about harnesses having this black & yellow jumper wire between the wiper and motor and recall it's so the motor see's high speed before the low speed will work or something like that. My memory isn't what it used to be.

[DW31S]

Looks real good Graeme!

[KenMaisano]

I Love this car! Great build, can't wait to see it hit the streets.

[rlw68]

Not sure what the "mm" wire is Rob? I remember reading a footnote about harnesses having this black & yellow jumper wire between the wiper and motor and recall it's so the motor see's high speed before the low speed will work or something like that. My memory isn't what it used to be.

Sorry I meant that wire is very short in length, ie one less millimeter and it might not work ;(

[NorCam]

Yeah...I was surprised how tight it was and commented on that to a buddy who's been helping me work on the car. Installed a new harness on my Nova and thought the same thing on another harness from Lectric Ltd of Illinois.

[NorCam]

Been nibbling away at more work on the Camaro the last couple days. Also managed to sneak down to Montana on another parts run where I picked up some NOS rocker spears, NOS trunk seal and also picked up a minty set of NOS window felts yesterday. We got the front sway bar installed (forgot to powder coated it earlier) and installed a few more brake parts including some original e-brake hardware that was phosphate coated. Today we changed out the rear quarter window channels as the originals were not up to par.

While at it we then swapped out all the window felts as the repro stuff was horrible. Headlamp trim was completed today and the car's now ready for front and rear bumpers. On tomorrows docket, we'll finish installing the heater core, bleed the brakes and button up a few little things under the car. At that point we're ready to drop the freshly built 302 into the car and get the transmission and shifter mounted up. Before long, the console will be going in, the carpet will be trimmed and the rest of the interior can start going together.

boogity boogity :3gears:


https://i.ibb.co/swZp1Jx/IMG-3774.jpg
Headlight bezels restored

https://i.ibb.co/9cvvH04/IMG-3777.jpg
NOS Rocker Spears

https://i.ibb.co/7NHpCWY/IMG-3780.jpg
NOS Window Felts

https://i.ibb.co/jvdfRbr/IMG-3783.jpg
NOS Trunk Seal

[NorCam]

Finished up installing the heater core this morning, rebuilt & installed the reverse lockout onto the frame, got all the ground straps installed, restored the e-Brake pedal assembly and started bleeding the brakes. Son #1 show up to help with the brakes and became the pedal man for an hour or so tonight.

https://i.ibb.co/ZNYYBgZ/IMG-3792.jpg (https://ibb.co/fQnnkNc)

[NorCam]

Trying to stay on this car and get it finished for it's 50th birthday in about 3 weeks. Found a decent original radio and speaker earlier today and got that installed before I finished bleeding the brakes. With all the little things now completed under the hood, it's now ready for the engine which is going in tomorrow. Did I mention how much fun it is to finally have this car going back together. I don't know why I waited so long?

https://i.ibb.co/R9JNZh7/IMG-3796.jpg
Original 69 AM Radio w/ 10 ohm speaker. Tested and it all worked great.

https://i.ibb.co/JnkCyqJ/IMG-3798.jpg
Installed the radio and the speaker which finishes up the dash work.

https://i.ibb.co/0FF7TmW/IMG-3804.jpg
Bled the brakes, installed the last speedo clip in the tunnel and tied up few loose ends.

[NorCam]

Looks like we've turned the corner with assembly of the Z/28 now. Engine was primed yesterday and installed late in the day. The transmission will be going in next followed by a Gardner exhaust system. With the dash and instrumentation also complete, we'll soon install the console and start to button up the interior. Progress is coming along nicely considering the assembly started a mere 5 weeks ago. Couple more pics...

https://i.ibb.co/jwVJNsg/IMG-3824.jpg
CE Coded 302. Balanced & Blueprinted top to bottom.

https://i.ibb.co/NmKyh77/IMG-3865.jpg
Installed into the car with exhaust manifolds in place

[HawkX66]

Looking great! Just for curiosity sake, why did you install the motor separate from the trans?

[NorCam]

I use a Macs engine pivot (tilter) that bolts to the carb studs to lift engines. The thing really is slicker than snot for dropping engines down and positioning the mounts to drop right on. Adding the trans increases the load on those 4 studs and although this rig works awesome, I'm still a bit concerned about having it pull the carb studs and dropping an engine.

With the car being assembled and painted, the risk of it dropping it while going in over the front of the car has the potential to be catastrophic. Hence the reason I added the chain yesterday (as a safety). Adding the transmission weight onto those studs increases the chances of something failing so I have been putting the transmission in separately on the last 3 motors just to be safe. It's not hard to lift the transmission in and then add the rear mount after the fact.

[NorCam]

So with the engine now resting in place, we have since connected the clutch, installed the transmission and aligned the 3138 shifter with linkages. Today we cleaned up the original console, made the required carpet cuts and got the lower base installed with the wiring and oil pressure line in place. The console top was set in place near the end of the day and further cuts were made for the seat belts and seat tracks. I'll be finishing up the console, carpet and seat belts over the weekend with the rest of the interior to follow early next week. A mere 21 days left before the cars birthday and original shipping date of May 9th. Crack goes the whip.

https://i.ibb.co/8DskCCy/IMG-3888.jpg
Rebuilt Muncie M21 Trans with 3138 Shifter and Linkages

https://i.ibb.co/tm0qSrH/IMG-3896.jpg
Mounted up but can't find the right bolts for the linkages. They're around here somewhere...gotta find them! (temporary bolts are in place for now)

https://i.ibb.co/bzKyN3r/IMG-3898.jpg
Buttoning up the rear cross member and the transmission mount. Linkages are working great!

https://i.ibb.co/mSqR7yX/IMG-3899.jpg
Using many restored original fasteners for this drive line, courtesy of Rich (Enoch)

https://i.ibb.co/WHvXyQX/IMG-3913.jpg
One of my employees (Keith) helping me out as he cuts the carpet holes.

https://i.ibb.co/5KsYPHb/IMG-3942.jpg
Original console and gauges cleaned up and installed.

https://i.ibb.co/V2qW8LK/IMG-3943.jpg
Looking good for a 50 year old piece, and so is that un-restored shift handle.

https://i.ibb.co/dcfWDXQ/IMG-3869.jpg
The Z/28 is starting to look like a car again. Won't be long now. Tic Toc

[napa68]

Looking good Graeme!

[outlawperformance]

That's going to be a sweet car!

[69z28302]

Love the Rally Green. I'm a fan of the less common colors

👍🏻

[mockingbird812]

Dang Graeme - she is looking FINE!!!!:3gears::3gears::3gears::3gears:

[SS427]

Car looks fantastic! Great job by all!

[RPOLS3]

Looks great!

[Damien]

As expected, very nice Graeme!:biggthumpup:

[NorCam]

Been working hard with the interior the past few days while sorting out what seats to use in the car. I have a restored set of seats with new covers and an original survivor set but I'm really struggling between them as both have their +/- issues. A little more adjusting of the door panels is required but these originals are definitely going in. While back and forth with seats, we're also prepping bolts and hardware for the engine peripherals. Today we'll install the smog system, alternator, power steering, clutch fan and fuel lines.

https://i.ibb.co/2tJRXk5/IMG-3984.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/txp7GY7/IMG-3964.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/pZHL4yk/IMG-3971.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/C5pYBQR/IMG-3993.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/NN7HsXJ/IMG-3994.jpg

[Xplantdad]

Great stuff Graeme! :)

[napa68]

Resto porn!

[NorCam]

So true Tim. Kind a like you guys with all these new shops being built. :grin:

Interior is almost done here with one door panel to mount after I reinstall the drivers mirror. Aside from a couple little things in the engine bay, we're almost ready to put the hood back on. First I have to add the carb linkage, mount the breather and put a battery in it. We will then shift to finishing off the Gardner exhaust before it goes out for a quick alignment. Next week it'll be fired up and tuned so I can start with some initial shakedown runs to work out any bugs with the car. I'm excited to hear this one run after its been sitting here for so long.

https://i.ibb.co/RYg1tFB/Right-Seat.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/0GYhgwb/IMG-4110.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/c6whyyg/IMG-4111.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/xh7nCvQ/IMG-4112.jpg

[NorCam]

And before anyone spot's that goddy repro rad cap, I have a good original around here somewhere but cannot locate it at the moment. Putting that on there really bugs me but it'll have to do until I can find my original cap. :D

[novadude]

I use a Macs engine pivot (tilter) that bolts to the carb studs to lift engines. The thing really is slicker than snot for dropping engines down and positioning the mounts to drop right on. Adding the trans increases the load on those 4 studs and although this rig works awesome, I'm still a bit concerned about having it pull the carb studs and dropping an engine.



Car looks great!

I also use that Macs Pivot Plate and love it!

One thing about how bolts and studs work...

Preload on the fastener = (torque)/(K*nominal diameter), where K is thread coefficient.

0.2 is a good K value for steel-on-steel. The higher the thread coefficient, the more thread friction we have. Let's say steel on aluminum is 0.3 (a wild conservative guess).

Let's say we have no gasket between that pivot plate and the manifold, so it is a rigid connection (the best way to use this plate). Let's also assume that we tighten the bolts holding the pivot plate to 15 ft-lbs (180 in-lbs). Let's calculate the preload in ONE of those studs / bolts:

(180)/(0.3*0.3125) = 1920 lbs.

That means that just ONE of those bolts has a theoretical preload of 1920 lbs. Four bolts would have a total clamp load of 7680 lbs. Until you exceed that clamp load, the fastener and threads do not actually see any additional load. If it doesn't pull threads when tightening the fastener, it's not going to load the threads more until you exceed 7680 lbs. Of course this assumes straight tension, and a completely rigid plate. Still, there is a ton of room for error here.

I used my Macs pivot plate to install an iron head BBC and TH400 in a Friends '70 Cutlass. No problems at all. As long as you tighten the bolts first, your chance of pulling threads is zero. 7680 lbs of clamp load also generates a lot of frictional force to keep the plate from sliding around and generating any side shear loading on the bolts.

Just throwing this out there for other guys nervous about carb plates.

[jdv69z]

The hooks the factory used to hoist the engine are attached using only one manifold bolt each.

[NorCam]

Installed the Gardner exhaust today and gotta say I like how well it fits. Finished off a few other loose ends and installed the breather ahead of the cowl hood which will go back on after we fire the car up Monday. It also gets an alignment next week and should be ready to roll on on it's birthday (May 9th) which marks 50 years from the day it left the Norwood plant. More on the car when we get it fired up next week.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mothers Day to all the ladies and wive's out there.

[KLars1]

Amazing work! I'm drooling all over here on this build!

[Crush]

FYI- mothers Day is next weekend... had me worried for a Sec.!

[NorCam]

FYI- mothers Day is next weekend... had me worried for a Sec.!

LOL...I thought it was this weekend until I just looked at the date. Can you tell I've been busy...don't even know which day it really is. :biggthumpup:

[Billohio]

Beautiful and great progress

[NorCam]

Thanks :biggthumpup:

We rolled it outside tonight and fired it up. No leaks other than a couple exhaust joints that we need to torque down. Ran it for a few minutes and backed her in for the night. Alignment and tune up tomorrow and then we can put the rear guards on, button up the hood and mount the Endura bumper. Shake down runs are right around the corner here. And it'll be ready for it's birthday as it was built 50 years ago this week and shipped out of Norwood on the 9th of May, 1969

https://i.ibb.co/ZWjcDJK/IMG-4198.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/wCyqzwN/IMG-4201.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/5GjJckR/IMG-4203.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/PxkBX0t/IMG-4208.jpg

[Maxsg1973]

Wow...nice work!!!!!!

[ZLP955]

Nice birthday celebrations coming up.
Having seen your test run stand, just curious why you didn't run the engine out of the car first?

[big gear head]

Looks great. You sure do work fast.

[NorCam]

Nice birthday celebrations coming up.
Having seen your test run stand, just curious why you didn't run the engine out of the car first?

I ran this motor on the run stand a little over a year ago, but with the 186 style aluminum heads on it from Trick Flow. I then took those heads off for another build and recently put the factory iron 186 heads back onto it before installing the motor into the car. The cams already been run in.

[NorCam]

Got the front bumper mounted up today, installed the hood and ran through all the hoses, connectors and exhaust system once again. Everything is torqued to spec and we treated ourselves with a nice little cruise when all the work was done.

[X66 714]

Looks great....Joe

[KenMaisano]

What a great job! One of my favorite colors. It sure would look great sitting next to my silver Z.

[Dave Rifkin]

If I had a fraction of your skills..............what a nice job.

[RPOLS3]

Looks great - love the details and the endura.

[NorCam]

I'm excited to announce that Kym Miller has purchased his old Z/28 back from me. It's now going full circle back to Miller with the restoration being substantially completed on this its 50th Birthday. Kym will now be enjoying the car again after a 40 year hiatus. It makes a fitting cap on the cars restoration with it going back to it's original owner. Video of today's meet & greet to follow. :burnout:

Ju5EjlgRlhY

[NorCam]

Just a little follow up with some video shot earlier in the day with original owner Kym Miller who was out for another visit and a short cruise on the cars birthday. Nice little clip of the car running after we put a tune on it. We've now had it out for a couple little shake down runs. Still plenty of little things we plan on detailing now that it's running but it's a right solid little car and will be fun for many years to come.

iMpqq3jBNno

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

I'm excited to announce that Kym Miller has purchased his old Z/28 back from me. It's now going full circle back to Miller with the restoration being substantially completed on this its 50th Birthday. Kym will now be enjoying the car again after a 40 year hiatus. It makes a fitting cap on the cars restoration with it going back to it's original owner. Video of today's meet & greet to follow. :burnout:

Ju5EjlgRlhY

Wow that is an amazing positive turn of events!!!

He will enjoy it even more the second time!!

(How Long has this been planned???)

Ryan W31

[RPOLS3]

That's awesome - congratulations to all.

[novadude]

Beautiful. You do nice work!

[ZLP955]

That is a nice turn in the restoration journey.
Is he going to hit the track again with it though? :grin:
:3gears:

[NorCam]

That is a nice turn in the restoration journey.
Is he going to hit the track again with it though? :grin:
:3gears:

Kym has taken up road course racing and he's now running a couple of Corvette's. His son Jason is very active in drag racing and his grand kids have also come up through Jr. Drags. As a matter of fact, his grand daughter has now stepped into an 1180 HP dragster and is loving it. Suffice to say, drag racing runs deep in this family.

[KenMaisano]

What a Great story and build. Awesome job on the videos..

[mockingbird812]

Very cool Graeme - is he the original owner of the car? He has got to be STOKED!!

[NorCam]

Very cool Graeme - is he the original owner of the car? He has got to be STOKED!!

Yes he is. Kym factory ordered the car when he was turning 20. He street raced it for a year, then in 71 it became a Super Stock car and was raced every other weekend around the PNW. It transformed over the years to become a competitive SS/JA car in the west and he won a division title with it in 1978. Sold it to his best friend in 1980 and it has stuck around Alberta for the rest of it's life until I restored the car back to street trim. Yesterday was the first time it has technically seen the streets since about 1971. Kym had bought it back a while ago and I stepped in to help him out by finishing up the restoration in time for it's 50th birthday. Before months end, he'll have it home and that'll mark 50 years to the day he took possession of the car on May 27th, 1969. It's a cool story that has brought the car full circle back to him .

Might see this story in MCR as well as one other Mag that has taken an interest since learning about the circle of events. :worship:

[mockingbird812]

Yes he is. Kym factory ordered the car when he was turning 20. He street raced it for a year, then in 71 it became a Super Stock car and was raced every other weekend around the PNW. It transformed over the years to become a competitive SS/JA car in the west and he won a division title with it in 1978. Sold it to his best friend in 1980 and it has stuck around Alberta for the rest of it's life until I restored the car back to street trim. Yesterday was the first time it has technically seen the streets since about 1971. Kym had bought it back a while ago and I stepped in to help him out by finishing up the restoration in time for it's 50th birthday. Before months end, he'll have it home and that'll mark 50 years to the day he took possession of the car on May 27th, 1969. It's a cool story that has brought the car full circle back to him .

Might see this story in MCR as well as one other Mag that has taken an interest since learning about the circle of events. :worship:


Muy Bueno!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Muy Bueno!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Full circle !!!

Is the other magazine Bone Stock and Modified Muscle cars? (If so they did a story on a Rallye green 1969 Z from the same dealer as my car)

Ryan W31

[NorCam]

MCR had this in Barn Finds in 2015. There was talk about doing a revisit after the restoration but it's been a while so who knows. One of Kym's friends has already talked with another mag about the full circle thing which might happen from his end. That's all I know.

[firstgenaddict]

BEAUTIFUL... I love Rally Green with White stripes.

[Motorhead848]

Great build and great story!! I know you ran a Gardner exhaust...but I’m curious if you ran their deep tone muffler? In the video it sounds great! Also is it stock compression?

[NorCam]

Great build and great story!! I know you ran a Gardner exhaust...but I’m curious if you ran their deep tone muffler? In the video it sounds great! Also is it stock compression?

Yes, that is Gardner's deep tone exhaust and compression is 11:1.

Camshaft is a little different in this motor. It's a Comp Cams 12-673-4 which is their Nostalgia Plus 30 + 30 grind.

[enio45]

Nice work for sure!!!

[NorCam]

Had the car out for a few short runs lately, and yesterday we had a full polish performed on the car. This made the metallic green paint dance in the sun while adding some amazing depth. We'll install some NOS drip moldings later today and then it's out to the Rocky Mountains to put some break in miles on the drive line. After a few hundred miles, I'll change the fluids and it's then off to the Miller family. Here's another dozen pictures of the car as it's finished up and detailed prior to delivery. I'll shoot some video while we're out in the car later today.

https://i.ibb.co/hD4SCBL/IMG-4624.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/vxFF97F/IMG-4625.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/2sJmw0x/IMG-4627.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Bw9Zf1L/IMG-4631.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/bNH676H/IMG-4550.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gmkfZqq/IMG-4551.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/v3Bwp0X/IMG-4552.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/7W3gLtW/IMG-4553.jpg

[KenMaisano]

All I can say is First Class Job! What a great looking car. You did well by saying her.

[m22mike]

Niiiiice :biggthumpup:

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Shine cred goes to?

Ryan W31

[NorCam]

Audra is know as "The Queen of Shine."

She worked 9 hours on the Camaro this past Sunday and did a great job with the final cut and polish. One of the best car polishers in Alberta and takes a lot of pride in her work. She gets full credit from me.

[Mr70]

What brand/product did you use on the cut,and then polish?

[NorCam]

Audra did the cut and polish so I don't know her trade secrets, but can tell you she uses Würth polishing products for the cut and the polish. She's not a 3M fan so she said.

https://shop.wurth.ca/cleaning-detailing/vehicle-cleaning/exterior-vehicle-cleaning/polish-wax-accessories/polishes-waxes