Words: Tommy Parry Photos: Bill
Bill was a fortunate teenager. When he was 13, his folks brought a basic ‘69 Camaro home, gave him the keys and handed him an REO Speedwagon cassette. The car was covered in primer, and had a 308 under the hood and a 3-speed transmission. Though the specs weren’t the wildest, it’s fair to assume he was popular with the ladies back then. Once Bill made it to college and had a little bread in his pocket, he painted the ‘ol girl yellow and tossed the 308. In its place went an LT1 with a T56 hanging off the back of it. Certainly beats a college-kid Camry.
A basic inspection followed, and all the usual spots showed hints of rust. So, Bill tore the car apart. Pulling the leather interior and then the insulation, he disassembled the car for a media blasting to get a comprehensive view of the situation.
Though Bill was depleting his car funds rapidly, he managed to get a set of Detroit Speed mini tubs and a 9” rear end with a quadralink setup in back. Bill bought a subframe from Detroit Speed, and once it was installed, the reason he was hemorrhaging money became both clear and justified. There are worse ways to lose tens of thousands.
Bill had a 6-point cage made from 4130 steel, with fixed door bars and a removable rear to allow for reclining seats. That ought to provide a little bit of safety which, with the new motor, would be appreciated. The way it was designed, it didn’t hurt the rear visibility one bit.
After sanding the body down with 800-grit sandpaper and dousing it in Hugger Orange, they covered it in three layers of clear coat. It simply gleamed in a way that cars just don’t very often.
Now that the body had been given a good tan, it needed a set of flashy sneakers to go along with it. The shoes of choice were Forgeline GA3s with titanium centers and brushed outers, measuring 18x9.5” up front and 19x12” in the rear. Underneath went a set of Wilwood big brakes, and a selection of special tires shod the rollers. Rubber for daily driving would be Michelin PS2s, though Bill would use a set of 18x12.5” Mickey Thompson ET Drag Radials for the odd time he’d grace the drag strip with his presence.
The monstrous motor would provide more than enough thrust to make good use of the sticky tires and pizza-sized brakes. Working with a Spec ST clutch, a stainless tank with twin Cadillac CTS-V pumps provided the foundation for an LSX 427 from Texas Speed. Plus, he added Mast Black Label 256cc LS3 heads fitted with solid stainless valves and .700 lift beehive springs. That would give him around 9.75:1 compression on the 427! Of course, it wouldn’t be a real Pro Touring monstrosity without a couple turbochargers thrown in. Just for good measure.
Some JRi shocks then arrived and dotted all four corners. Now, he’d have the footwork fitting of a real Pro Touring car. He’d need it to keep the Camaro out of the ditch when 1,000 horsepower lurked under his right foot.
It’s not certain which is prettier - the blaze orange coat of paint or the intercooler-oil cooler-radiator arrangement. It could double as modern art, but without all the smug bystanders scratching their chins. Instead, observers’ jaws would just drop in amazement.
The interior retrim came next. Basic trim lined the doors, but some Recaro buckets and a Momo wheel added a little 21st-century flair. With that, Bill was done with the essentials. However, being the perfectionist he is, Bill’s project is never really over. Even now, his tweaking takes up the empty afternoons - but there are worse ways to spend time and money.