If you found one of these race cars today how would your restore it?

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by 1967 4K

Notice this car has wing glass doors so it’s a 67. It also has front and back side markers, so it’s a 68. If you pay attention to some of the old photos from back in the day you see this.

In the case of the Stephen Pontiac pro car , they would update the body every year to look like the next years model. But it was the same car .
They couldn’t do that with the 69 so when it carried over into 70 they just changed the paint scheme by lettering it different.

The 70 up body actually ran in the 71-73 seasons the car wasn’t delivered til late (half way through season) 70 and being in the north east the season was pretty much over by the time it got dialed in.

It seems the RAV engine was tested in my 69 because the car has two hoods with it one hood was cut for the dual quads. No one can remember for sure . Doesn’t help (the memory ) that all the cars were painted similar. Of course that’s what helped me get this car in the first place ..

Many probably don’t know it (even Pontiac guys) but the Ram air V engine was a very rare beast only given out to racers in most cases, the one I have was also topped by a RAV dual quad intake and carbs that only 4 racers got ahold of. (When I go to shows I get comments that it’s not even a Pontiac engine in there ) the last picture is of the exhaust gasket layout the ports aren’t in the normal Pontiac exhaust arrangement
The engine was mainly designed to be a contender in super stock , but was forced to run in pro because they never got installed in car bodies, do to a shortage of the A frame forged connecting rods.

The DS series of part numbers means developmental series or service. It shows up mainly in engineering test engines or parts not production parts

[turbo69bird]

Well
One thing is for sure, I’ve posted this same basic question in a poll on several different websites and it’s always the same, people prefer to see them restored as drag cars to stock 4 to 1 or more every time.

[Pro Stock John]

If I saw your '69 lettered up on drag wheels I'd hustle right over. If there was the restored to stock version of your car there I'd only briefly check it out personally.

[69LM1]

Little late to the game, and against the criteria since it was a privateer, but keep as raced for me. I sold the Tin Soldier in race trim and missed the car, so researched and bought it back, luckily still in race trim.

What makes the Tin Soldier COPO unique is that it is the only COPO that the original owner actually hands on built part of on the factory floor himself. Mr. Ron, the OO, worked at the Norwood plant.

I have toyed with the idea of a "detune" to drive to local shows. Great video below where we revealed the TS at the Camaro Nationals years ago, Mr. Ron initially thought someone cloned his old race car.

Mr. Ron and his wife back in the day



Mr. Ron and his wife at the Camaro Nats (same car, same wife)


Some cool pics he let me copy


And more




Vid


Whats really cool is that he still races and competes today, and his son continues the legacy with Tin Soldier Fabrication building cars.



/R

[Pro Stock John]

Cool famous COPO!!

I'm guessing Mr. Terrell enjoyed seeing the car.

[markinnaples]

Love The Tin Soldier, and I think it's a great idea to de-tune it enough to drive to shows and cruises. So many more people would get to see an amazing Camaro.

[big gear head]

Tin Soldier Race Cars is in business here in KY building chassis components. I believe it's Ron's grandson who runs the business. Excellent TIG welding skills. Their shop car is a 4 door Malibu called Charlie Brown. Very fast.

[69LM1]

Yep, that's his son Jason Terrell. Jason had never seen TS until the Camaro Nats, what was cool is that even though you usually cannot drive the cars once they are in (except to leave) they allowed Mr. Ron and Jason to drive TS once around the show that year.

Great that Jason has continued the legacy.....

/R

[turbo69bird]

So if it’s been proven over and over in polls on forums that race cars are preferred 4-1 why don’t they bring More than the stock counterparts at auctions seems that would make sense and it’s that way in other forms of auctions and other types of cars only really in the muscle car world it doesn’t seem to be that way.

Especially in the realm of the early stock eliminator cars because they were pretty stock w just ringers with some blueprinting (stock but better) and some bolt ons.

Wouldn’t it make Sense if you gonna spend big money on a car to show you’d prefer to pay for one that 4 times as many people actually want to see at that show? Sometimes these pills go 10-1.

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by markinnaples

Love The Tin Soldier, and I think it's a great idea to de-tune it enough to drive to shows and cruises. So many more people would get to see an amazing Camaro.

With todays stroker assemblies you can pull out compression add cubes and end up with the same HP and more torque and drivability actually drive them and enjoy them . Outwardly they are exactly the same stock look they had and the same performance without the worry of having to grab race gas all the time .