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Photos & Words by Tommy Parry
Starting with a fairly pristine ‘69 Camaro with a mere 61,000 on the clock, Greg couldn’t have asked for a better point to start. With the help of his son, he lost no time and promptly began stripping the car down to its bare shell so it could serve as a home to a slew of modern upgrades. There were big plans for this build. He then gave it a moniker: “69 RAGE CAMARO.”
Among the list of goodies included a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis with a 4-link and Strange 9” out back, as well as a Connect and Cruise LT4 with 8 Speed automatic. With the help of custom mounts and a Holley oil pan, the modern motor would fit low and snug without much fuss, though making the gearbox fit was frustrating, to say the least.
While waiting an excruciating three months for the parts to arrive, he started browsing for and ordering the other necessary bits like a custom Autorad radiator with integrated core support that included a pair of 14” fans, a transmission cooler, a intercooler for the Eaton supercharger, and an engine oil cooler defended against overheating on a warm North Carolina coastal summer day.
Once the chassis arrived, he went ahead and had it powder coated black and metallic silver by Area 51, then added some red accents. He assembled the Wilwood big brakes while that was happening. Quickly, the build was taking shape, and within a few weeks, Greg had mounted the engine and 8-speed gearbox—the latter being the hardest part of the build thus far.
Then came time for the rest of the associated pieces. Included in that short list were a QA1 carbon driveshaft, a set of Ultimate headers, Paddle + Tap shifter from Zero Gravity in Arizona, and an Ididit steering column. Since the original firewall and upper dash were so mangled and rusted, Greg went ahead and purchased an AMD panel that went it without so much as a hiccup.
Once the shell had returned from Carolina Chem Strip, it became apparent that the floor pans would need replacing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only disappointment—the rear quarter panels had been hack welded on with excessive amounts of Bondo. At least the only spot of rust—the lower-front fender mount area—was easily repaired. Any areas that had surface rust were easily fixed with Eastwood Fast Etch Rust Remover. It’s remarkable that that was the extent of the damage time and the elements had made.
Next, Greg opted for a set of Michelin Pilot Sports, measuring 335/30/20 in the rear and 275/35/19 in front. Not only would these give the car a nice rake and an athletic stance, but the rears were necessary if Greg hoped to turn most of the LT4’s 650 horsepower into propulsion.
In the coming months, Greg has plenty to look forward to. ”I’m moving and building a 2,500-square foot garage where this build will be completed. But I still plan on keeping the build on schedule to make the 2020 Good Guys show in Raleigh, North Carolina,” he adds. Once the Camaro is complete, it won’t go up for auction, nor will it collect dust. “I plan on showing the car, as well as tracking it at a few events to see how it does. Then i will make improvements from there. Oh, and l’ll let my wife drive it. After all, I bought it for her.”
There’s still a long list of to-dos with this inspiring build, and those interested in keeping tabs on its progress, you can visit Greg’s thread here.
