Introducing........RAT’S NEST

[Tracker1]

by the way - a short stent in evaporust helps with the orig finish come thru beautifully

Emphasis on 'short' . Too long and evapo will destroy original finishes

[Kurt S]

I don't recall seeing a hex J-nut on a 69, fwiw. Many here with more detailed experience than me...

[R68GTO]

Thanks Kurt. NOS fenders installed in 1978 when the car was painted black. That was the last time the front sheetmetal was off the car until I took it off. J-nuts must have been changed then.

Cleaned up my floorpan wiring covers this weekend. One was stamped 34th week, the other 38th week. Also soaked my lock rod covers to get 51 years of dirt off them. Didn't realize there was a thin blue strip in the cloth!

[R68GTO]

It's been a month with not much activity due to running out of stuff to work on while waiting for the shop to get the car painted. They plan to do that this week so I loaded up the rear end and subframe so it can be re-united with the body next week (hopefully). Also spent some time working on "whitening" my original washer bottle. Progress being made, still more work to do. Both bottles started out the same shade of tan. Also cleaned up the window tracks, they turned out pretty nice.

[R68GTO]

Stopped to check out the paint today. No color sanding done at this point. Overall very happy with what I saw.

[enio45]

beautiful lemans blue - top notch paint booth as well!!

very nice!

[m22mike]

Nice !

[ZLP955]

Looks great

[Chuck_Burg]

Looks Amazing! I should be right there with you this week :biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Picked up a piece of memorabilia tied to my car this week off of ebay. Rat's Nest entry into the 1973 US Nationals. A few lines up there's some guy named K. Barnhart......I've think I've heard that name before in Camaro circles:wink:

[ZLP955]

Too cool! Great to have found that :worship:

[Copo_Cartel]

Great progress photos. Thank you for the ride so to speak .

[R68GTO]

Not much of an update but the cutting of the paint is in process. Hard to tell from pics but looks to be turning out really nice.

[ZLP955]

They’re doing great work, looks fantastic!

[Too Many Projects]

Well, I only read thru page 18 and I see you got a different engine for it. Sorry if you posted, but what did/are you doing with the engine that was in it ? Possibly interested, if selling.

[R68GTO]

The engine that was in the car went to the guy I got the new engine from. He needed it for a client of his who had a 66 427 Impala.

[Too Many Projects]

The engine that was in the car went to the guy I got the new engine from. He needed it for a client of his who had a 66 427 Impala.


Yeah, I figured you wouldn't have any problem finding a new home for a rare, 1965 427 block.


Your work and the paint shop are doing a meticulous job of restoration. When that obsessive bug digs in, there is no hope of just doing a nice clean and paint on them, eh...;)


I have that bug too. I was "just" going to do a front disc brake up grade on my '67 ss/rs 18 months ago and by the time my Chevelle Club tech session was over, the bare sub frame was laying on the floor and I was cutting out rust in the outer cowl panels...:eek:

[R68GTO]

Thanks. In my case "the bug" is a full-on swarm of locusts:grin: Once I decided to do a full resto, it was all-in with research, details, etc. Tips and advice from many well-known experts from this site & CRG have helped me immensely to "get it right". I'm sure I'll miss a few things but my goal is to do it right and correct - except for the Day 2 stuff that will be done - all bolt on stuff so it will be easy to get it all back to factory stock after I have some fun first.

[big gear head]

Does that mean you will be bringing it back to SCR?

[R68GTO]

I sure hope so Freddie. Going to pick it up tomorrow and bring it home to start re-assembly. Hoping to have it road-ready by spring. It may not have race trim graphics on it then but I'll bring it anyway just because it's such a great event.

[R68GTO]

Good to have it back home again. It's raining like crazy here so I'll unload tomorrow after work. Here's a couple of shots to get you warmed up.

[m22mike]

Your Camaro is turning out great. Nice tie down system too. :biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Here's some better shots with it outside the trailer.....felt it was appropriate to include a little American Pride in the one shot.:flag:
For those following this thread you know I'm committed to "transparency" about this car and also have been overly obsessive about the trim tag. Well, when the heavy layer of black Imron paint was carefully removed, we found that the tag looks like it got hit with a sandblaster. The PO that painted it black back in 1978 told me he sandblasted the firewall. Oh well, it is what it is, now y'all don't have to wonder about it.

[Crush]

Great car and flags!!

[m22mike]

The tag is not that bad, one can tell it is real.
Mike

[R68GTO]

You guys like pics right? Can't help myself....pushed it outside yesterday to do some re-arranging in the garage and just had to take a few shots of the paint with some sunshine on it - really makes the LB pop.:biggthumpup:

[L72Chevelle]

IMO no better color on a camaro than Lemans blue! Please keep the pics coming.

[R68GTO]

Got started on re-assembly today with my brother. Got the fuel tank, brake line, fuel line, axle snubbers, and shocks mounted. The tank is new (original is hanging on the wall with a few minor dents), but re-installed the original vibration dampening strips, wire pad, wire, tank straps, and sending unit. Shocks are NOS 1970 dated HiJackers:headbang: Fuel and brake lines are repro but clips, bolts, snubbers, brake distribution block, and fuel cap are original to this car. Installed the Norwood water test tape under the shock mounts and rear subframe bolts.

[69z2x4]

Looks great!

[cook_dw]

Love it.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/X0bnTmo4izNfi/giphy.gif?cid=82a1493b90xxudfz0dk2u30h870u9u1hb4fb z7ud9pvxlclb&rid=giphy.gif

[ZLP955]

Paint looks fantastic, you must be very happy with that.

[mockingbird812]

Looking GREAT! You must be stoked!! :laugh:

[R68GTO]

Love it.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/X0bnTmo4izNfi/giphy.gif?cid=82a1493b90xxudfz0dk2u30h870u9u1hb4fb z7ud9pvxlclb&rid=giphy.gif

Had to "quote this post" just because I chuckle every time I see it. Thanks Darrell:biggthumpup::biggthumpup:

[JKZ27]

Looks awesome, Jim. What date wheels did you end up with?

[bbbentley]

Sure glad this car found you. What a worthy care giver. Outstanding!

[NorCam]

Wow!!! :drool:

Just catching up on your thread Jim. This car is looking absolutely amazing. The quality and execution is shining through wherever one looks, and that to me is very, very impressive.

It's going to be a fun car. I'm hoping to maybe see it at SCR, or better yet...run against you if everything falls into place.

[R68GTO]

Looks awesome, Jim. What date wheels did you end up with?

Still looking for another pair of July 69 to go with the ones you sold me. I went ahead and painted up the Aug. of 68 pair that I had planned on selling to AnthonyS. So, (2) Aug. 68 and (2) July 69 is what it is right now.

[R68GTO]

Since I've never taken a car down a drag strip in my life, there will probably be a long line of guys lining up to run me:wink:
Thanks for the compliments, I'm trying my best!

[R68GTO]

Took apart my heater box today to see what the date code is on the core - March of 69. That makes this the earliest daed component I've found thus far. Fuel tank and Blower motor are both May of 69. I was also stoked to find another "3" written on the box. This matches up with the "3" I found on top of my fuel tank (last photo). Also found two inspection stickers both within 12" of each other....any significance to the numbers on these?

[NorCam]

Wow...so much original stuff being found throughout this car which is awesome. I've gone looking for the build number on heater boxes twice as this was commonplace for those handwritten numbers but in my case, nothing was found either time.

Looking good Jim.

[R68GTO]

Working on my heater box this morning, it cleaned up pretty good with just mild soap/water. My question is should I just re-install as is with the original paint or should I re-spray it to cover up some of the scuffs and minor chips present? I have this same decision to make on my steering column. What would you guys do if it was your car/resto?

[Too Many Projects]

Wow, that cleaned up VERY nicely. I would leave it. It's not easily seen anyway and will give the interior an authentic appearance, rather than new and sanitary.

[Mr70]

I'd leave it alone too.

[enio45]

very nice - the heater box is pretty much hidden under the dash, however my theory is that if your restoring the car in its entirety then paint and refinish the box, as everything else visible is redone on the car. The numbers, i can't recall the purpose, but when i took my 69Z apart, i had a similar matching number on the heater box and gas tank as well.

I can confirm they were painted the flat black as your example shows.

[ZLP955]

If mine were that nice, I’d reinstall it as it is - especially as it has the crayon mark on it.

[R68GTO]

Getting into the dash and wiring harnesses. All the original harnesses are in place, there were few places where things were "hacked into" over the years when various gauges were installed. Original AM radio - which was the only option this car was originally equipped with from the factory.

[R68GTO]

Getting some of the bits installed this weekend. Ignore the "bundle of snakes" on the MC, I have some incorrect lines I'm trying to sort out.

[R68GTO]

So I enlisted my wife's talents to create a stencil for my gas tank to replicate the one I found when stripping the original tank. Long story/short, there was numerous back and forths between us about fonts, size, spacing. At one point she went looking on the internet for info and discovered that for $24.95 you could buy a Wheeling Pittsburgh gas tank stencil. When I told her that I knew that, but it had different numbers and format than what was on my car, well, if looks could kill......:mad: She continued on and my bruising should fade in several days, soooo, all good!:grin: All in all turned out pretty good - restore them like you found them right?

[Too Many Projects]

Your wife makes silk screens ?? !!
Tank looks good too.

[mockingbird812]

Nice attention to detail with your husband / wife resto team!! :3gears::3gears::3gears:

[Mr70]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Pittsburgh-Steel-Gas-Fuel-Tank-Stencil-Stamp-Logo-PITTS69-GM/200596206221?hash=item2eb477328d:g:oxoAAOSwa5dfKZX 5&vxp=mtr

[R68GTO]

Yep, that's the one that created a bruise on my shoulder. I found no signs of the vertical lines that create the "box" on mine, nor anything other than the 4 digit metal grade number above the 1969.

[R68GTO]

I've been slowed by some incorrect parts and other issues but have made a little progress. Heater box and cover, kick panels, ZL2 relay, & wire gutter mounted up - all original parts from the car. Included a shot of the underside of the VIN plate just for documentation sake.

[R68GTO]

Shout out to Mike Gibbons @ Brake Restoration for re-plating my original caliper brackets and dust shields. I had these parts plated by a local plater and they just didn't turn out very good. Local plater said it was "the best he could do". I went ahead and purchased reproductions so I could continue with my assembly process.
Sent my original parts out to Mike to re-plate my re-plated parts.:smirk: I just got them back and am very pleased with how they turned out! I'm excited to get these original parts back on the car!

[R68GTO]

Made some good progress with my brother's help in the last couple of weeks. Installed my original disc brake parts and buttoned that back up. Engine/trans are in now so it's starting to look like it could be a car again some day:smile:

[mockingbird812]

Looking real special Jim. Lovin’ it!!:headbang:

[Copo_Cartel]

Well done Jim. Looking great !!!

[NorCam]

Loving the look of those headers in there. What do you have planned for exhaust and muffler style? This car is gonna be wicked!

[enio45]

Impressive - great detail !

[scuncio]

Looks great! Where did you have the headers coated?

[R68GTO]

Looks great! Where did you have the headers coated?

New Image Powder Coating in Youngstown, Ohio. Same place Grady B. had his done. Happy so far but nothing but room temperature air in them so far:smirk:

[R68GTO]

Loving the look of those headers in there. What do you have planned for exhaust and muffler style? This car is gonna be wicked!

Exhaust, muffler style? I was thinking I was done?:dunno:

I'll try to stick with open headers, if I need to tone it down (but why would I?), I got a set of these off another member.

[R68GTO]

When Graeme over on the Air Force Brat thread mentioned he forgot to install the Y-duct before the heater box, I realized I had made the same mistake. So here's some pics of that component installed. The foam seals are the originals, they were still flexible, I just had to apply some adhesive to keep them in place. I think my car was assembled on a Friday, so that might help explain this:dunno: The front defroster "Y-duct" had the fastener on the passenger side miss it's mark. Screwed adjacent to the correct hole creating a corresponding extra hole in the dash structure. This car also had the driver rear quarter window adjustments assembled without the adjustment nut. Guess the guys were ready for Beer-thirty:hmmm:

[Too Many Projects]

I worked at the Ford plant in St Paul for the '73 model year. On Friday, we got handed our pay checks in the morning. There were 4 bars across the street from the plant that cashed our checks and had our preferred beverages arranged at seats along the bar and at tables. 2 for 1 of course, many had 4 bottles/glasses. The line stopped for exactly 30 minutes, so with the time it took to run over, get your cash and run back, that left about 10 minutes to "quench" your thirst... The afternoon production was much worse than the morning's...:tongue:

[R68GTO]

Little milestone in the project reached today. Hopefully the link works...

https://www.facebook.com/100024470673385/videos/859660461526302/

[Tracker1]

Little milestone in the project reached today. Hopefully the link works...

https://www.facebook.com/100024470673385/videos/859660461526302/

Sounds good, Congratulations!

[R68GTO]

Original headliner had a 50 cent piece sized hole above the salt panel. Such a shame as the rest was in excellent condition and still tight. Started to take it down and found another rats nest in Rats Nest:haha:
Also got the restored XT's on the car with new rubber. Cleaned up the front and back bumper today. Here's some pics of the front - original 52 year old chrome. Not perfect, there are a few light scratches but just couldn't bring myself to re-chrome them. Should head back to the body shop to have the front end installed, then home for good:biggthumpup:

[Too Many Projects]

Looks great !!
Fifty cent size hole is dead give away of a mouse house. I've got 2 in the headliner of my '67 and I can't get the stink out of the material. Again, nice headliner, but it's gotta go.

[Copo_Cartel]

Great progress. I love the wheels and headers.

[R68GTO]

Cleaned up my original mirror and visors today. Everything turned out great. If anyone has an original visor end cap, I would be interested as I'm missing one.

[R68GTO]

Cleaned up the tail lights and housings. I had a buddy vapor blast the housings to get some red and gold overspray off from prior paint work. All pcs. original to the car and will go back on including the tail light seals.

[R68GTO]

Wrapped up the headliner this morning. What a PITA that job was, thankfully my brother had done a couple in the past so it turned out pretty nice.

[scuncio]

Headliner looks fantastic! Hope I’m able to see this one in person sometime, awesome car.

[RPOLS3]

Headliner looks fantastic! Hope I’m able to see this one in person sometime, awesome car.

Agreed - me too. I've really enjoyed following the restoration here. Thanks for the great thread.

[bbbentley]

I know who I’m calling to help me with a headliner

[R68GTO]

"I would love to do you headliner", said no one ever:grin:

[Too Many Projects]

"I would love to do you headliner", said no one ever:grin:
Actually, an upholstery guy did say that to me, but with a hefty price tag on it...:tongue:

[big gear head]

Me and my brother put the headliner in my dad's '65 Nova. It wasn't a terrible job, but I sure was glad when it was done. Turned out pretty well too.

[bbbentley]

Me and my brother put the headliner in my dad's '65 Nova. It wasn't a terrible job, but I sure was glad when it was done. Turned out pretty well too.

Note to self: Freddie=Back up plan. Not fair, you all have brothers.

[olredalert]

----I tried the headliner deal 1st back in about 1988 or so. It was a 72 El Camino SS small block. I figured that because of the size it would be easy. Was using the heat gun to tighten up the wrinkles and blew a 4 inch hole in the almost finished headliner.....Bill S

[R68GTO]

I put up with my wife's cursing at me as I walked out of the house with her hair dryer. I did not want to use a heat gun for that reason.

[60sStuff]

I’m still navigating around on this SCR site and stumbled onto this R68GTO thread.

Awesome car, but a more Awesome story!

I love the start, Introducing ...... RAT’S NEST.

I know that feeling, sometimes you hope you see something negative so you can STOP thinking about it, in this case a car.

Congratulations on a Super Rare Find.

I’m subscribing now.

Chris.

[R68GTO]

Wrapped up my headliner assembly this morning and installed the original sail panels and original rear inners. Pretty happy with overall results. Car will leave my possession Monday and go back to the body shop for final front sheetmetal and glass assembly. Getting closer.....

[scuncio]

You're doing a wonderful job...nothing like a well executed headliner!

[napa68]

Love the work and the project!

[Xplantdad]

wow...looking great!:headbang:

[PeteLeathersac]

'

Awesome progress of another fantastic Supercar here at Yenko.net!
This whole story also car and Member combined is such a perfect example of what this site is really all about!:youguysrock:
:beers:
~ Pete

.

[jwbavalon]

Great looking car. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[touspude]

Amazing progress. Can't wait to see the next update.

[R68GTO]

Started deep cleaning my original door panels and rear inner panels today. Came out really nice.

[olredalert]

----OK, Inquiring minds want to know what you used to get those panels that nice besides elbow grease!.....Bill S

[R68GTO]

----OK, Inquiring minds want to know what you used to get those panels that nice besides elbow grease!.....Bill S

I used original formula GoJo hand cleaner and a nylon bristle brush. GoJo is white stuff in a plastic can that has the consistency of mayonnaise. Get the stuff without "grit" in it. The nylon bristle brush is like a large toothbrush. Basically smear a thin coating on the panel and use the bristle brush in small circular motions. It works best if you don't apply too much pressure so the bristle tips get into that light grain pattern to pull out the dirt. The white GoJo was dark grey by the time I was done scrubbing. Wipe of the excess with a paper towel, then buff with a cotton dish towel. The GoJo has "lanolin" as an ingredient in theory to moisturize your hands. It seems to soak into the vinyl, the excess edges at the bottom of my rear inners started out dry/stiff, when I was done, they were noticeably more "flexible", same for the main vinyl, it just felt softer.

Here's some pics of the door panels...June 11, 1969 dated, 3 1/2 months ahead of build.

[napa68]

Go Jo for cleaning interior parts..........makes perfect sense! Who'd a thunk? Thanks for the info!

Tim

[Pro Stock John]

Have read this thread twice through, great history.

You mentioned the car was purchased a roller at some point, did you hear whatever happened to the engine?

[R68GTO]

Engine was pulled by 1971 or 72 and sold to a guy who putting it in a pulling tractor. That guy now lives in Texas. When I spoke to him he told me that engine ran real good and he eventually sold his tractor to a kid just getting into pulling. He was at the first contest where this kid made his first run. The kid started in the wrong gear and blew the engine to "kingdom come". He told me the at least one of the rods came out the side of the block. So unless his recollection is wrong, I don't have to go searching for my original engine.

[bbjohnny]

I would keep looking if I were you! My motor went to a boat shop and I was told by the boat shop that it was blown to pieces. So I didn't bother with it. showed up years later with a sleeve in one of the cylinders and was a lot more money!!!

[R68GTO]

Picked this 1972 US Nationals program that list my car (1718) in it. So I know he competed in Super Stock D in both 1972 and 1973. I located a 1974 program but he is not listed. I have not yet located a 1971 program, so if anyone has one, I would be interested to know if he competed that year or not.

[Copo_Cartel]

Jim...call me Sunday afternoon and I will look at my copies....I think I may have 1971 hopefully. Doug 614-203-1272

[R68GTO]

Great talking to you Doug, and thanks for checking your stash. I'm still looking for anyone with this program that can check it out for me.

[R68GTO]

Stopped in to check out the car this week. They finished up the painting of my NOS grill, it turned out great. They duplicated the body color overspray from an original grill that I supplied. There were a couple of spots they weren't happy with on the body o they did a little more wet-sanding/buffing to clean those up. Should be hanging the front sheetmetal this week. Played around with more of my original interior parts. Got the pillar post trim (closeup pic is before/after cleaning) and windlace cleaned up. Also cleaned and ironed my original water shields. One shield was ripped completely in half, so I glued that back together. Ironed the major creases out....far from perfect, but they're original and hidden. Finished repairing my trunk divider by gluing the hanger holes back together and glued up that big ripped section. Ironed most all the warpage flat. Same as door shields, not perfect, but original.:beers:

[RPOLS3]

Really enjoying this thread and how you are trying to re-use as much of the original stuff as you can. The car looks great.

[R68GTO]

One fender on and driver side glass back in. Non-spoiler trunk lid mounted - the last time this car was without a spoiler was the spring of 1970.

[Xplantdad]

Looking great!!

[big gear head]

You've got to be getting very excited about this.

[R68GTO]

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it Freddie! Here's the latest update from today...starting to look like a car now. final alignment needed, hood, bumpers/trim, font/back glass then in my hands to finish for Camaro Nationals in Maryland. Gonna be close!

[Xplantdad]

looking great!!!:biggthumpup:

[69z2x4]

Just about as good as it gets Jim.. When you get finished I"ll have to make plans to come up to see it..

[NorCam]

The paint is looking fantastic Jim. Can wait to see some additional pictures of it.

[R68GTO]

Just about as good as it gets Jim.. When you get finished I"ll have to make plans to come up to see it..

Sherm, I might need you to come up before it's done to help me get it together for the Camaro Nationals.:grin:

Since I'm going to be cutting it close I've been going through my parts to make sure I have everything ready to go once I get the car back home. Cleaned up my steering wheel horn shroud, radio knobs, parking brake components, etc. Again, some of these items aren't perfect, but they are original to the car.

[R68GTO]

The shop has wrapped up the sheetmetal, trim and glass install and it's ready to come home:beers: Here are a couple of crappy pics the guy sent me, I'll post some better ones once I get it home this week. Now it's crunch time....I'll have about 7 days to install dash, interior, tail lights and a couple dozen other things before it gets loaded up for the trip to the Camaro Nationals.

[big gear head]

Wow, that's not much time. Be careful and don't damage anything. I hope you have trustworthy friends to help.

[R68GTO]

At long last it is in my hands for good:biggthumpup: Lots of work to do in the next 7 days!

[mockingbird812]

You gots to be STOKED!!! :3gears::3gears::3gears:

Good luck in your final push. If you get a chance please take a photo or two!!:biggthumpup:

[Xplantdad]

Very cool! Get 'er done :) :biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Made some progress tonight, there's more to do than I had in my head....

[Zman1969]

beautiful resto! the door panels made me jealous! I bought TMIs best offering and they did them 3 times for me and I am still disappointed with quality and how many times I've had had to install them and yet your originals are "pristine" my Z is a 09C so this is a great date resto to look at thank you!!

[R68GTO]

Glad you're enjoying the thread. I'm trying to document as many details as I can, some people are into it, others aren't - I'm fine either way.

My brother and I spent another 5 hours on the car tonight - had to wait out a local tornado that touched down about 20 miles from us. Anyway, got the engine compartment finished up for the most part and fired the engine up to verify we were leak free. All was good. Air cleaner is a "runner", have a vintage fly eye for it. We have a few more exterior items to address then we're down to the interior.

[R68GTO]

Underside wrapped up for now. E-brake cabling will have to be "post-Nationals" as the front cable installation with inner fender in place will be a time consuming challenge.
Driveshaft loop is the one that was on the car in 1971.

[69M22Z]

Underside wrapped up for now. E-brake cabling will have to be "post-Nationals" as the front cable installation with inner fender in place will be a time consuming challenge.
Driveshaft loop is the one that was on the car in 1971.

Awesome

[Too Many Projects]

Getting the front e-cable to bend tight enough from the firewall to subframe is a challenge without the inner in place...:no:

Car looks awesome.

The alt harness seems odd to me. Is that how they ran in '69 with the side switch from left in '67-68 ?

[scuncio]

Nice progress. I was able to install a front cable on a '68 with the fenders installed by fishing a heavy gauge wire through from the interior side, through the hole and down the firewall. I tied the end of the wire to the leading end of the brake cable, and pulled the wire through from the interior side until the cable emerged. Not the easiest thing to do, but not terribly bad either. Good luck!

[R68GTO]

Thanks for the tip on that, we did discuss the idea of using and electricians fish tape so we'll give that a shot at a later date.
Got more done today, installed the Ray Bryant bumper decal, installed package tray reusing the original jute padding, got my restored trunk divider back in place and installed the rear inner panels and seat back. Tomorrow is carpet, door panels, seats, and hopefully a little test drive!

[scuncio]

That dealer decal is over the top! I love it.

[R68GTO]

There's a lot of "tweaking" to do but we've gotten enough done to take it to the Nationals - display only. After the show, I have plenty to tidy up. Tomorrow night is cleaning up and getting the hub caps installed, Tuesday is load 'er up time to head east.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Love love love this COPO

Ryan W31

[mockingbird812]

YOWZAAAAAAAAA!

She looks terrific! Have fun & Good Luck! :3gears:

[Too Many Projects]

YOWZAAAAAAAAA!

She looks terrific! Have fun & Good Luck! :3gears:
What he said....:worship:

[Xplantdad]

Be safe and have fun!:beers:

[1967Z28]

Awesome car and great job. Have fun with it at the Nationals.

[R68GTO]

One of the best things about this project is the great people I've met in this hobby. For those members here whom I've never met, if you are attending the Nationals, please stop by and introduce yourself, I would love to meet you.:beers:
Despite my brother's tremendous help and a marathon 5 days of working well into the evenings and all weekend, the car is not done yet, but done enough to bring it out - hopefully see some of you this weekend!

Jim

[Too Many Projects]

5 days from paint to road is phenomenal enough. You'll have plenty of time after the show to finalize and detail.
Congrats on getting to this point, this fast.:worship:

[Xplantdad]

Beautiful!!!:headbang:

[1967 4K]

Its been fun watching you get to this point with your car. Thanks for the photos and info you've shared with us. I hope to see it in person some day.

Best regards,
Richard

[R68GTO]

Camaro Nationals are in the books! Humbled by all the great cars there. I learned a bunch of new stuff (things to fix on my car) thanks to the group of knowledgeable guys there. It was a fun experience!

[bergy]

Beautiful car - I wouldn’t change a thing! Great owner too :-)

[R68GTO]

Thanks Bruce, I really enjoyed meeting you! And yes, your car was one that I was humbled by, it is stunning!

[CJP_69]

Great job on the car Jim. It was nice talking with you on Friday.

Chris

[R68GTO]

Working on some punch list items since I got back from a family vacation. Got the e-brake cables assembled. I dreaded the thought of trying to fish that front cable up through the floor pan with the fender and inner fender on the car. Wasn't too bad of a job after all. Front and intermediate cables are repro in stainless, back cables, hook, joints, and clips are restored originals. Still needs adjusted, but that won't take long.

[R68GTO]

Adding more Day 2 goodies to the inside. NOS Sun SuperTach and a nice trio of Sun blue line gauges. All dated early '70's. Had to laugh at myself tonight. Went through a lot of work getting the tach mounted to clear the dash, get wiring routed so it looks neat and clean. Oh yeah looks great! Then I went to turn the steering wheel. Uh oh. Tach is in a great spot as long as I never need to turn since the horn shroud hits the tach housing:hmmm: Closed up shop, grabbed a beer and called it a night :beers: So, enjoy the pics, it's the last time you'll see the tach in that location.

[napa68]

I found the same problem on my 68 as well. I had to rotate it toward to passenger side to slide it forward on the column.

Great build......really enjoying the progress and result!!!

Tim

[Dave Rifkin]

Napa I don't think that will work for him because the ignition is on the column where yours was on the dash. I think the ignition is going to prevent him from doing what you suggest.

[napa68]

Napa I don't think that will work for him because the ignition is on the column where yours was on the dash. I think the ignition is going to prevent him from doing what you suggest.

Good point!!

[R68GTO]

I think I can rotate it to the driver side below the speedo pod to get the band clamp behind the ignition switch. There is a dead space to the right of the wiper switch but below the speedo. A couple of the idiot lights would be covered, but it might work out ok.
If it doesn't work, what's a good period correct (early 70's) tach that has a smaller body?

[Chuck_Burg]

I have a Stewart Warner 977J. You can see how I mounted mine in my build thread. I mounted it to the plastic dash gauge cluster, granted my car is a 67 and the dash is different that a 69. I have seen this tach mounted to 69 dashes and it looks pretty cool, common on the Yenko cars.

Have I mentioned your car is totally AWESOME. Great job!

[R68GTO]

Thanks Chuck. I thought about the Yenko style mount but I don't want to do any of my day 2 stuff in a way that can't be undone without leaving holes. I agree it looks great on the Yenko cars but since that's what Yenko did BITD, it makes sense.
Thanks for the compliment on the car, I'm having the time of my life!

[R68GTO]

Way early in this thread I mentioned that the son of the 2nd owner (Rat's Nest pilot) and the guy that painted Rat's Nest back in the early '70's still race together today. Thought I would post a couple of pics from this weekend with both of them in action. I owe most of the important history of my car to these two gentleman.
2nd owner's son in the black '69 and the painter in the D.A.R.E. Sheriff car. Great guys with drag racing in their blood their entire lives.

[69z2x4]

Rick painted my Camaro black when it was practically new..

[R68GTO]

Rick won his class at Indy's "Beat the Heat Championship" last weekend.

Still working on small punchiest items on the car and getting my garage cleaned up. Hung up some parts that will go on if I ever take it to 100% stock.
Mocked up the engine torque bracket. The bracket that bolts to the subframe was made/installed by the above-mentioned Rick Wilkin back in the early 70's. The bracket was still on the car when I bought it. I made a new strap based on a description from Rick. During the resto, I had the mounting holes in the subframe welded up. The bracket now has dummy bolt heads JB welded to the bracket with a soft pad stuck to the underside to prevent scratching the subframe.
Plan to bring the car up to the COPO Shootout in Norwalk this weekend. Not ready to take it down the track yet, just plan to display it next to Don Marten's ZL-1. Stop by and say hi if you're going to be there.

[Xplantdad]

Very nice!!:biggthumpup:

[NorCam]

Wish I could be there for that, but will have to see it via photographs.

Have fun and say hello to Don for me. :biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Well, I won't be making it to Norwalk tomorrow. Seems my carb is dumping fuel into my cylinders for some reason. Taking stuff apart again!

[Too Many Projects]

Are you using non-oxygenated gas ? If not, the floats/needles may be gummy and sticking. Probably just need a clean out and drop the float a hair. Very common issue with Holley's.

[R68GTO]

Recovered from my tach mounting faux pas...works pretty good in this location and doesn't block anything but a couple of idiot lights.
Also bolted on my 15 x 8 Cragars to verify clearances before sourcing aluminum slots and slicks for the Rat's Nest theme. These Cragars have a 4" backspace and the Pro Tracs are 9.25" tread with a 10.5" section and 27.75" diameter. With the car weight on the tire, the top of the tire is just below the wheel opening. I'm thinking I need a 15 x 10 wheel with a 3.5" to 4.0" backspace with a 10" wide slick. Anyone have a wheel/tire combo like that that can show me how it looks mounted on the car?

[GSX4SPD]

That looks awesome- great story!

[R68GTO]

Took the car out for a photo shoot with a professional photographer (not me). I wanted to get some high quality photos of the car in its as built configuration before I do the Rat's Nest conversion (October) for the MCACN show and probably for the rest of my ownership. These few are just from my cell phone, the couple of previews of his shots look pretty incredible compared to these, but thought I would share a few. Enjoy!

[Xplantdad]

Very nice, Jim! :biggthumpup:

[Pro Stock John]

Wow!!!!!

[R68GTO]

701Qr5H7Jjs

Got the car out for the hometown show, thought capturing a little idle video would be fun. Probably woke the neighbors up.

[Chuck_Burg]

You've done such an incredible job restoring this car. I love the story and I love how you put all the pieces of the puzzle together. It was fun for me watching both your build and Graeme's build while I'm doing my own build.

I'm sure the open headers sound bitchin in person, this video does not do it justice. Can't wait to see the next step.

[Xplantdad]

You've done such an incredible job restoring this car. I love the story and I love how you put all the pieces of the puzzle together. It was fun for me watching both your build and Graeme's build while I'm doing my own build.

I'm sure the open headers sound bitchin in person, this video does not do it justice. Can't wait to see the next step.


I couldn't agree more! :biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Headed off tomorrow to get the vinyl wrap. I'm pretty stoked to get to this milestone in the Rat's Nest conversion.

[Too Many Projects]

The wrap will really bring back the nostalgia feel for that car.
Next summer, you should bolt on a pair of sticky wrinkle walls and get a pic at the local strip with the front tires in the air to hang next to the original pics you have...:headbang:

[bbbentley]

Can’t wait it to see this transformation! Great idea Jim

[R68GTO]

The wrap will really bring back the nostalgia feel for that car.
Next summer, you should bolt on a pair of sticky wrinkle walls and get a pic at the local strip with the front tires in the air to hang next to the original pics you have...:headbang:

Already in the plans.....Doug Davis who owned/created/drove Rat's Nest back in the early '70's passed away in 2006. His son Denny still drag races with Doug's old racing partner (and the guy who painted Rat's Nest back in 1970) Rick Wilkin. Those two guys will take it down the track at KilKare next season. IDK about the wheel stand thing (don't want to tear up the BE), but the slicks are in the garage waiting to be installed.:biggthumpup: Seeing those two guys take it down the track 50 years later is the #1 reason I'm doing all this.

[touspude]

Your car is lovely!

[NorCam]

How is that wrap coming along now...or is that reveal being saved for Chicago?

Dying to see it. :naughty:

[Donnie]

How is that wrap coming along now...or is that reveal being saved for Chicago?

Dying to see it. :naughty:

x2

[bbbentley]

X3

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

X4

[PeteLeathersac]

'

x5 = time's up!:biggthumpup:
:beers:
~ Pete

.

[R68GTO]

I definitely appreciate the interest guys.....nothing to show yet. Wrap should be finished up Monday or Tuesday. A couple of progress pics the guy sent me shows that he is "nailing" the recreation from the vintage photos I gave him including the Rat's Nest door name. I won't hold out for an MCACN unveiling since y'all have been so helpful to me over the almost 4 years since I bought the car. I probably will wait to post pics until I get the Fentons/slicks/traction bars/speed stickers installed since a Rats Nest would look kind of dorky with XT's and dog dishes:grin: Probably some time next weekend I'm guessing. Here's a couple of the vintage pics just to remind you what the goal is.

[NorCam]

Being completely honest...I'm totally OK waiting to see it debut at MCACN which is now only 3 weeks away. I'll totally get it if you lift the wraps off it here, but I'd still suggest you reveal it there when it's dialed in for it's big show? Whichever is the case...you've earned the accolades that go along with the cars restoration Jim.

Fantastic work on the car and kudos to you for it all being finished in time for the show.

Cheers...G

[Xplantdad]

Being completely honest...I'm totally OK waiting to see it debut at MCACN which is now only 3 weeks away. I'll totally get it if you lift the wraps off it here, but I'd still suggest you reveal it there when it's dialed in for it's big show? Whichever is the case...you've earned the accolades that go along with the cars restoration Jim.

Fantastic work on the car and kudos to you for it all being finished in time for the show.

Cheers...G


I totally agree with this. :biggthumpup:

[Too Many Projects]

Yep, me three....keep us in suspense for 3 more weeks. It will be even more fun at MCACN...:worship:

[R68GTO]

Weeeelllll.....keeping y'all in suspense might be what I have to do. Picked up the car tonight and the Rats Nest logo will need to be redone. The rest of the work turned out great. Bringing the car back Saturday and will spend some time at his computer with him to get it all dialed in right.
Oh well, another small setback on the project that creates a lost weekend of work. Looks like there will be a lot of late evenings of "thrashing" again.

[Pro Stock John]

Really appreciate the effort you are making to recreate the race car look, all too many COPO Camaros have lost all of that.

[RPOLS3]

Oh well, another small setback on the project that creates a lost weekend of work. Looks like there will be a lot of late evenings of "thrashing" again.

Old cars are great - aren't they? LOL

[Xplantdad]

Weeeelllll.....keeping y'all in suspense might be what I have to do. Picked up the car tonight and the Rats Nest logo will need to be redone. The rest of the work turned out great. Bringing the car back Saturday and will spend some time at his computer with him to get it all dialed in right.
Oh well, another small setback on the project that creates a lost weekend of work. Looks like there will be a lot of late evenings of "thrashing" again.


Sorry things need to be redone...but love that you'll keep everyone in suspense :)

[R68GTO]

Old cars are great - aren't they? LOL

Congratulations on being the proud creator of post number "427":headbang:

[R68GTO]

I had cleaned up and installed the set of Holley valve covers that I got with the car. I had a vintage photo of them on the car from the late 1970's. I've never been able to pin down when those were produced but it seems like a late '70's thing. So I picked up a set of Cal Customs for MCACN. Still work in progress (320 grit stage now) and picked up a pair of NOS Cal Custom breathers from Jason (SuperNovaSS) off this site. Going to look better I think:biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

.

[Too Many Projects]

You are a teaser...:biggthumpup:

[R68GTO]

Made a trip to southern Ohio today to pick up a helmet to match the car. Denny and Rick used Denny's dad's original helmet as a pattern to create a duplicate using Lemans blue instead of the original ice blue. Had them both sign it too! I gave Denny the original driver's door glass out of his Dad's car for him to hang on his garage wall. It was a great day!

[Too Many Projects]

Very cool !!!
That's neat that you gave him the glass. Have you planned for this for some time and replaced the glass with new ?

[cook_dw]

Badass helmet. Very cool to give him the door glass. I’m sure he was happy.

[R68GTO]

The original glass had a few spots where it was hit with a sandblaster by the guy that restored the car black/gold in 1978 so I sourced an original date coded piece to replace it. Denny can now hang this on his garage wall along with hids Dad's helmet.
Seems like every time I visit these guys I get a little more info from them. The car hauler they used to haul Rat's Nest around was a silver 1969 C30 chassis truck they bought new and immediately stretched the frame on and added ramps to haul their A990 hemi car. When they got done painting Rat's Nest, they pulled the C30 in and painted it to match. Denny pulled his wallet out and showed me this tattered photo that his Dad had in his wallet when he passed away in 2006.

[PeteLeathersac]

'

Super cool!
:headbang:
~ Pete

.

[Xplantdad]

That's cool as heck! :headbang:

[R68GTO]

Well, we made it! All set up just 3 cars away from Joe I. And his yellow yellow houndstooth big block!

[Too Many Projects]

That tattered pic is about as nostalgic as anything gets....waaaaay cool. On the hunt for a '69 C30 now ???
I was looking for one of those 10 years ago and they were hard to find then.
REALLY looking forward to being there tomorrow and putting eyes on ALL the cool cars I've been watching on this forum for the past year. Yours should be quite easy to spot.

[cook_dw]

Car looks great Jim. Well done.

[scuncio]

Wow! Can't wait to see it!


Well, we made it! All set up just 3 cars away from Joe I. And his yellow yellow houndstooth big block!

[Xplantdad]

Great pics...and the Camaro looks bitchin' !


Have fun talking with Joe....he's good people :) :beers:

[69z2x4]

Made a trip to southern Ohio today to pick up a helmet to match the car. Denny and Rick used Denny's dad's original helmet as a pattern to create a duplicate using Lemans blue instead of the original ice blue. Had them both sign it too! I gave Denny the original driver's door glass out of his Dad's car for him to hang on his garage wall. It was a great day!

Great bunch of guys!

[Pro Stock John]

Car looked awesome in person Jim.

[RPOLS3]

Awesome car and restoration - thank you for bringing it for everyone to see.

[Too Many Projects]

I was busy taking pics of Jim's car, and many others, when I noticed a small message in the upper right corner of my camera...NO CARD !!!!!!!!!!! I had removed it the night before to download some pics and NEVER PUT IT BACK .......aaaaggg. Talk about disappointment. His car looks even better in person. I was getting the right angles with the lighting to show the White wrap actually has a metal flake in it and looked SO cool in person.
It was fun to meet Jim and talk with him.

[Pro Stock John]

Also wanted to say, I really appreciate that you wrapped the car, yours was one of the reasons I hit up the show.

[67ssmn]

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE CAR NOW? LEAVE THE WRAP ON? leave the wrap on?

[R68GTO]

Made it back home from MCACN 2021. Mike and I had a great time and as always learned a lot. Met quite a few guys from this site who I only knew from their site name so it was good to put a face and real name to them. I think most of them I met this weekend had some parts on the car that they sold me at one time or another!
The car ended up winning a Concours Gold in Day 2 which was very satisfying as I had never had a car "points judged" before in my life. It was a great process and again, I learned stuff I didn't know before. Thank you to my resto partner/brother Mike and all on this site that sold me parts or provided knowledge and advice!

[bbbentley]

Lammers, you hit it out of the park! Bonus extra ‘style’ points too! Congrats.

[Xplantdad]

I see Benny and Schoyne in the pic :)


Your Camaro looks amazing, Jim! :biggthumpup:

[napa68]

Great job Jim!! Unfortunately, there were a bunch of people who I would have liked to meet. I was making the rounds looking at the cars early Sunday morning and many of you were not by your cars (understandably).

Tim

[Too Many Projects]

Great job Jim!! Unfortunately, there were a bunch of people who I would have liked to meet. I was making the rounds looking at the cars early Sunday morning and many of you were not by your cars (understandably).

Tim


Yes, it was very difficult to get to meet members, just wandering around.
You'll be there next year with the Corvette in the 'survivor' corral and we can all come to you...:wink:

[Oldss]

One thing I noticed on your car besides it being a great car and great restoration.
The wrap went all the way into the jambs. Not just laid over the car, then cut and pushed into the jambs. The people that installed it must have done it panel by panel? Great job!

[R68GTO]

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE CAR NOW? LEAVE THE WRAP ON? leave the wrap on?

Wrap will stay on. As others have commented, the wrap guy did a fantastic job on the car and it wasn't cheap. The bottom Lemans Blue portion has a 3mm clear wrap on it so when I take it to the strip next year I have some paint protection!
Next year I will be focused on closing the loop with prior owners and having a few of them take it down the track again 50 years later. After that, I will probably move the car along and look for the next project.

[Mr70]

Beautiful car.One of the Best I've seen.

[Flying Undertaker]

Jim: Let me know who did the wrap on the Rat's Nest Camaro as I am interested in purchasing a wrap for myself. They did an excellent job! Don.

[R68GTO]

Flawless Signs and Wraps - Troy, Ohio. Ken Thompson is the owner.

[Jonesy]

Wow. Somehow I never saw this thread. I just spent the last hour reading all of this. Amazing how this all ended up. Your car looked great and the wrap on there is also amazing. Even up close it looks like paint. It was great meeting you and Mike and checking out your car. Great story!!!

Whats the next project then?? Something with an "ENDURO" bumper on it?? :D

[R68GTO]

Likewise Jonesy, great to meet you as well. I'm going to get me a car with the "enduro bumper" and it will definitely have the correct radiused trunk lid bumpers:)

[Lynn]

I did not even realize it was a wrap. I was showing Sherri all the metal flake in the white. I had never seen a white with that much metal flake in it.

Looks killer.

[R68GTO]

Way back in post 92 just over 3 years ago I started the teardown and this bay of my garage became "parts central". There were times I wasn't sure it would make it here but we've come full circle! Darrell Cook - you got your wish from post 91:beers:
I have to say, Rats Nest does have a nice a$$.

[chevyman0429]

O DAT AZZ so fine!

[napa68]

It really came full circle! Excellent job through and through!

Tim

[Chuck_Burg]

Jim, you've done a wonderful job on "Rat's Nest". What an awesome car and a great history. Thank you for documenting the story and build for all us to follow and drool over...

[R68GTO]

Thanks Chuck. I still have to pinch myself when I think about how all this went down and all the fantastic people I've met because of this car. More fun next year when we hit the strip with it 50 years after it it made it's debut as a Super Stocker:3gears:

[R68GTO]

Things have been pretty quiet around here so I thought I would create this post show the transitions over the 52 year plus life of the car. I guess if we keep repeating history, black with gold stripes is next:hmmm:

[Tracker1]

That is amazing!

[Rfish]

Nice pictorial history!!

[Too Many Projects]

If you could save the current wrap and do the black and gold in a wrap it is a cool combo. I'm not much for black cars anymore, but the gold really sets it off.

[Pro Stock John]

So cool!!!

[SMS]

Love the car and history. Together makes this a first class thread. Thank you!

[R68GTO]

If you could save the current wrap and do the black and gold in a wrap it is a cool combo. I'm not much for black cars anymore, but the gold really sets it off.

I always liked the black/gold combo on the car. Given the 1977/1978 time period when it was restored to that configuration, black/gold on a car was pretty popular from Smokey and the Bandit movie.

[Xplantdad]

So beautiful, no matter the color!:headbang:

[John]

...

... Jim , you have done a fabulous job restoring your Copo.

... :worship:

...

[R68GTO]

Finally got around to getting some original shift levers on the M22. Why does it just feel better to have an original part that does the same thing as the repro?:grin:
Also got my old school Hurst line loc installed (solenoid still needs wired). Almost ready for the burnout box3gears.gif

[big gear head]

I sure hope you make it back to SCR this year.

[R68GTO]

Planning on it. Gotta find someone to teach me how to drag race, never done it.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Planning on it. Gotta find someone to teach me how to drag race, never done it.

So much fun!!

Ryan W

[Xplantdad]

Planning on it. Gotta find someone to teach me how to drag race, never done it.


You will have a blast. Just bring a helmet...and leave on the second yellow light !:burnout:

[Too Many Projects]

Planning on it. Gotta find someone to teach me how to drag race, never done it.


I'm first in line as instructor !!! I'm sure you won't have any shortage of people to help drive your car...:laugh:

[big gear head]

You can't do any worse that me. I just go to have fun. I'll never be competitive. I always go out in the first round.

[olredalert]

----It's addictive!!!.....Bill S

[R68GTO]

You can't do any worse that me. I just go to have fun. I'll never be competitive. I always go out in the first round.

I've seen you run Freddie, I will do worse than you:wink:

[Too Many Projects]

----It's addictive!!!.....Bill S


Oh boy, have you've got that right...:headbang:

[R68GTO]

Carmate 24 footer. Escape door is nice - can get 3 of 4 tie downs in place without sliding my body along the car.

[Too Many Projects]

NICE trailer !!

[big gear head]

Love the escape door. I wish ,mine opened up that way.

[Xplantdad]

Very nice!!!:biggthumpup:

[Pro Stock John]

I like that wheel stop system too.

[R68GTO]

The wheel stop saves the guesswork when driving into the trailer. This location gives me 920 lbs of tongue weight and guarantees I’ll never open the car door into the escape door frame!

[Too Many Projects]

The wheel stop saves the guesswork when driving into the trailer. This location gives me 920 lbs of tongue weight and guarantees I’ll never open the car door into the escape door frame!

That is a really nice set up. It, also, serves to hold the car back in a hard stop, in addition to the rear wheel straps. Frankly, I would probably have two, just as safety stops.

[Chuck_Burg]

WOW!!!! I want one!

[R68GTO]

The Springfield Ohio Swap meet this weekend is having a special display of vintage drag cars that used to run at KilKare Dragstrip so I'll have Rat's Nest there all weekend. If any of the Ohio contingent on this site are planning to go to the swap meet, stop by and say hi.
I'm hoping some of the prior owners of the car make the trip to see it and hope some of the old timers remember the car and have some stories to share. Should be a fun weekend!

[Too Many Projects]

That should be fun ! If you get "old timers" with stories, record them with a phone, or something, to save them.

[Xplantdad]

Have a great time!!:biggthumpup:

[69z2x4]

Hope to be there saturday..

[R68GTO]

Great time at the KilKare Vintage Race Car Display. Finally got to meet Sherm (69z2x4) after messaging him for a couple years on local race history stuff. Also had a couple of family members (Chad Willis / Richard McQuirt pics below) of Ralph Willis stop by to see the car that Ralph restored to the Black/gold stripe scheme back in 1978. Ralph passed in the summer of 2021 unexpectedly. He told me this was the car he wished he had back.
Also had a guy stop by the car and told me that he knew the car well. He worked at the Ray Bryant Chevrolet parts counter and remembers when this Lemans Blue COPO was delivered to the dealer along with a another white COPO. He was a childhood friend of Doug Davis (owner #2 of my car and the guy that did the Rats Nest theme), and later worked at Ault & James where Doug had the engine built. To top it off, at one point he was the announcer at KilKare Raceway! He's going to send me a few pics he took of Rats Nest after it was painted, but before it was lettered up. He also thinks he might be able to help me find the OO for my car! I sure hope that pans out!

[Too Many Projects]

That had to be a very exciting day for you, Jim, congrats on all the people filling in history for you. Double fingers crossed on finding the OO..:cool2: