Words: Tommy Parry
Ever since Curt’s childhood, he’s loved second-gen Camaros - particularly the ‘78-‘81 cars. When he started following ProTouring builds, he fell in love with the later second-gens and committed then to build one of his own. When it came up for sale, he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
Though he initially told his wife he’d keep it stock, things change; he began disassembling it a couple years after purchasing it. The first order of business was addressing the toll time had taken. To fix the rust in the floor and the trunk, he had a local restoration shop replace the floor with one from a ‘70-‘73 model.
Then came time to pick out the right suspension retrofit. He decided to go with Custom Works 2G suspension kit, solid body bushings and 2G bar. He also upgraded to Viking dual adjustable coilovers all around for just about the best roadholding one could imagine from this era of Camaro.
To ensure the rear deploys the power as efficiently as possible, Curt opted for a Speedtech torque arm with a full floating Ford 9" from Dutchman, a 3.89 final drive, a Detroit Truetrac, 1/2" ARP studs and KORE3 C6 rear brakes. With these in place, as well as a set of Detroit Speed Mini Tubs for the bigger anticipated rubber, he could rest knowing the Camaro’s rear would supply him with all the traction and information needed to push.
Up front, he went for another set of Corvette brakes to bring the Camaro to repeatable stops without breaking the bank. KORE3’s C6 brakes aren’t massive Stoptech numbers but they do the job in most circumstances.
With the subframes and the suspension sorted, Curt started searching for a suitable powerplant. “I couldn’t afford to go buy the best of everything, but tried to spend money on the foundation so I could easily upgrade in the future,” he said - which leads us to his choice of motor.
Admittedly, this 36,000-mile LY6 was an impulse buy. It had a questionable history, being a motor from a FedEx van, but the price was right, so he took a chance.
Curt had a machine shop replace the crank, rod and cam bearing before porting and polishing the heads. He used Texas Speed for the valvetrain, cam and VVT delete kit, and Holley for the oil pan and headers. Other power adders he chose include a stock LS3 intake and throttle body, FAST 50lbs injectors and a Corvette accessory drive. Though the power is sufficient now, he plans for a supercharger somewhere down the road.
As the car is a T-Top car, finding a little more rigidity was a must. He chose a 10-point from Auto Weld Chassis, crafted from .120" DOM in 1 3/4" tubing, to help bring the Camaro together. Detroit Speed’s subframe connectors further help in this department.
Though it’s not complete yet, Curt’s careful planning, meticulous rust removal and sensible part selection have given him an inspiring car with huge potential. It won't be a dedicated racing car, but it should turn a few heads at local track days and autocrosses.
In fact, it’s meant to be fun - the simple, old-school style of fun. “I‘m going to drive it, fix it when I break it and upgrade when I can. I’m most excited about using it for taking my wife to dinner, taking my girls on father-daughter dates and spending valuable time in the shop with my son. In general, I’m looking forward to making memories,” he says.
We wish him the best of luck.
If you’d like to follow Curt’s progress, you can view his build thread here.