L78 M22 Pace Car Restoration

[firstgenaddict]

Replated the 1-2 & 3-4 levers yellow dichromate.

Striped the driveshaft -

Installed red plastic plug in the clutch cross shaft.

Removed the binding between the front seat bolts as original cars were.

[cook_dw]

What technic (gun) do you use for the splatter paint on the trunk? It looks amazing. Well done. Also great tip on the tail light housings.

[Pro Stock John]

I should show this thread to my friend with the BBC pace car that's been all part for 25 years. I have him partially convinced to sell it I think. He knows he could never personally do the work to give his car the resto it deserves.

[firstgenaddict]

Originally Posted by cook_dw

What technic (gun) do you use for the splatter paint on the trunk? It looks amazing. Well done. Also great tip on the tail light housings.

The NOALOX is one of the biggest improvements in ensuring grounds and electrical connections I have found. It's specifically made for bimetallic electrical connections which often develop galvanic corrosion if left exposed.
Most of our muscle car connections are brass on brass however there are a number which are brass on steel or brass on zinc.

The Spatter paint is a mix I make using a not quite black Enamel with Catalyst and a waterbased aqua pickling tint from MINWAX.
I spray it using a pressure fed gun which mixes two products internally and has separate controls for the volume of each. I believe it was originally for Gelcoat or similar viscous liquid.

[L72copocamaro]

Excellent technique.

[bergy]

Question for the group - my understanding is that there were 3,675 1969 Pace Car replicas produced.

- Does anyone know (or has anyone estimated) how many of those Pace Cars came from the factory with the L78 engine? (my estimate is 61)
- do we know how many L78 Pace Cars survive today? (my estimate is 20)
- Of the surviving L78 Pace Cars, how many L78, M22 Pace Cars survive today? (my estimate is 1 or 2).

We are preparing the Pace Car for display at MCACN 2022, and want to make sure that we get the production/surviving numbers as accurate as possible. It's also important that the numbers include only factory documented and/or certified cars.

Any help would be appreciated.

[COPO]

Certainly L-78 Pace Cars are rare, but have never seen a breakdown or by transmission.
Mine is M-20 with 3.55 gears. Great combination.

[firstgenaddict]

My GTO and LT1 both are M20 3.55 cars, which I consider one of the best all encompassing street combos around.
M20 with 3.55 gives you about the same effective first gear ratio as a M21 with a 4.10 rear.

2.52 x 3.55 = 8.946
2.20 x 4.10 = 9.02

PLUS with the 3.55 you can cruise at 60 MPH around 33-3500RPM.

[iluv69s]

Originally Posted by bergy

Question for the group - my understanding is that there were 3,675 1969 Pace Car replicas produced.

- Does anyone know (or has anyone estimated) how many of those Pace Cars came from the factory with the L78 engine? (my estimate is 61)
- do we know how many L78 Pace Cars survive today? (my estimate is 20)
- Of the surviving L78 Pace Cars, how many L78, M22 Pace Cars survive today? (my estimate is 1 or 2).

We are preparing the Pace Car for display at MCACN 2022, and want to make sure that we get the production/surviving numbers as accurate as possible. It's also important that the numbers include only factory documented and/or certified cars.

Any help would be appreciated.

If Jvrdcall, Kurt from CRG said there were 4 or 5 M-22 pacers known.

[bergy]

Certified with the original M-22 in place? Or just Pacers with L78 & M22 but not necessarily originally M22?