Car owners: Chuck & Teresa Lopresti Words & photos: Gary Rosier
Chuck Lopresti and his wife Teresa of Deltona, Fla. have literally come full circle in life, their relationship and the blessing that her father gave in his passing not long ago. Growing up together in their old hometown of Middletown, NY, they dated and even went out in Chuck's car for a time. That ride was a '67 Camaro, red white stripes. Sounds like the perfect story, right?
As fate would have it, and as most of our stories and travels through life reflect, we get busy with life, school and jobs and move on to other things. Teresa got married, Chuck remained single, but they still stayed in touch. Other things came and went but always two things remained: Chuck's fondest memories of the moments with the love of his life - and his cool '67 Camaro. Who knew that both would come back around?
Chuck never married but stayed in the area, completing school and attending the local (BOCES) Vocational Tech School for an auto-body career. He also got interested in racing and driving go-karts at a young age and eventually became the 1988 Orange County Fair Speedway Champion! He is still recognized by fans whenever he's in the area, but he did move to Florida to escape the winters eventually, after 30 years in the auto-body field.
Teresa became "available" some years back and while they had never really lost touch with each other, Chuck didn't wait around this time, asking her out and eventually asking for her hand in marriage. They've been married now for over 16 years and they have two daughters (Nicole and Lisa), one from Teresa's previous marriage and one together - both of whom are adored!
Teresa's dad was very ill and passed away suddenly not long ago, leaving her the means to do something special for Chuck. Chuck was always doing things for the girls and family but never asked for anything in return. She surprised him one day by telling him she would buy him anything he wanted. Why not look for that special Camaro once again?
The hunt was on! They looked and looked through all the various car sale type newspapers, both online and print. They located a car not far from where they lived (Bartow, Fla.) via Craigslist of all places!
It was a 1967 Camaro with faded red paint, but solid floors, trunk lid but no running engine. Chuck would be the third owner. This is where it gets really interesting, though. It's a 'protecto' plate '67 Camaro alright. A doctor bought the car originally in Mich. The second owner resided down in Fla., but this is where everything gets a little weird.
In tearing the car down - it did not have the original engine/trans - the front fenders were '68 (sidelights were a '68 item) but it was clearly a '67 by the VIN and vent windows. It was a V-8 equipped car, albeit a late production one. Camaro's could be ordered with the RS/SS option, without a doubt. Chuck is still gathering info and background on the car, but much remains a mystery.
Chuck decided to add a 383 stroker motor and Turbo 350 (Teresa wanted to drive it too!) with a B&M Mega Shifter to select the gears. The car's original red paint was far too long gone, he says, so he stripped the car himself - wasn't much paint left, after all - and painted it a custom PPG Mix Red with six coats of clear urethane. Remember, he worked in the auto-body business for 30 years. Black SS stripes were added to the all-metal cowl induction hood.
Lakewood traction bars were the go-to traction device of the day, so he stuck with those, as well as perfect period Cragar S/S Mags shod with 215/60R14's up front and what else but M/T's 28x12.5/15's out back! The rear end is a 10 bolt posi with 3:23 gears (those 4:11's were killing the street drive-ability).
Engine goodies include 9.5 compression pistons, aluminum heads and manifold with a Holley 770 carb. Hooker headers expel the gases. All the vitals are monitored by a full set of period gauges including the Sun 8K tach. The original red interior and carpet remain, but are on his list of "to-do's." It does look good enough for now.
A Grant (13-inch) steering wheel points it in the right direction when he gets it sideways every now and then. A Champion aluminum radiator keeps her plenty cool with an electric fan for those hot Floridian days. He added the front and rear spoilers from a Z-28 because he liked that look.
Yes, they've come full circle and are enjoying every moment with each other, their family and their ride! Blessed indeed!
