Words & photos: Clive Branson
A mournful day presented itself with the announcement, reported from Muscle Cars and Trucks magazine, claiming an apparent rumour from “multiple sources” at General Motors to cancel the development of the sixth-generation Chevy Camaro Z/28, and presumably the continuation of the Camaro after 2023 with its seventh-generation Camaro program already shelved for now (the second time in the pony car’s history).
It’s about as credible as Mary Poppins giving the finger, but the writing was on the wall for some time (before the oil crisis in the early 1970s), and America’s Big 3 appeared illiterate. “Made in Japan,” a once derogatory term for anything cheaply made, changed its implications as the island nation was inspired to create a better product with better performance, better mileage, better reliability and better value-for-your-money over the decades. Today, American auto giants are stuck with basically a token car and trucks to salvage what remains of their reputations.
Camaro, a proud name on and off the circuit, was probably at its zenith during the mid-to-late-1960s with the introduction and evolution of the RS, SS and Z-28. Even the name, Camaro, sounded enigmatically cool, though there is no such word in any language. There are contradictory claims that the word means “comrade” in French, “shrimp-like creature” in Spanish or, as one journalist uncovered, as “loose bowels.” The best line was from General Motor’s General Manager, Pete Estes, who simply defined it as “a small vicious animal that eats Mustangs” - an apropos statement when launched to the press in September 1966 (for the 1967 model year), advertising Camaro as Chevrolet’s answer to Ford Mustang’s ensconced dominance.
It was Mustang’s closest rival with its long hood and short deck exterior riding on a 108-inch wheelbase, and was offered as a coupe or convertible. On the track, Camaro and Mustang shared the glory evenly. Each were honoured the role of Official Pace Car at the Indianapolis 500 during their respective debut years. On the street tarmac, Camaro’s construction was semi-unitized, allowing a sub-frame to be held by four rubber-isolated mounts while the rear chassis was part of the unibody, giving a smoother, balanced ride.
“It was an original 327 car, but when I bought it, the previous owner’s cousin furnished it to handle drag racing and equipped it with a 355 power plant and roll bar,” states Jodie, a diminutive woman with an outsized fondness for autos, who is the proud owner of a 1967 Camaro RS. She has a twinkle in her eye and an ever-ready smile. “It has a solid lift flat tappet cam and dart iron eagle heads. It gives about 400 - 425 hp and has a Holley 750 carb. The only thing I have done to the motor is tighten the valves down every couple of years and clean it.”
When Jodie bought the car in 2010 (she christened it ‘Louise’ since she owns a 2012 45th Anniversary Edition Camaro nicknamed ‘Thelma’), it was in running condition, but needed detailing. It read 61,000 miles on the odometer, but likely had aged past the 100,000 mileage.
“The day I brought it home I took it for a rip up and down my road, but only three of the drum brakes were working. The steering was so loose I fought it constantly to keep it between the lines,” Jodie reminisces. “I adjusted the brakes and drove it like that for the rest of the summer. Then, over the winter of 2010 - 2011, my husband Roger and I did a 4-wheel disc brake conversion, brought the suspension up at bit so it doesn’t rub when I hit bumps, and tried to tighten down the steering.”
All that said, Jodie and Roger have done a bit more than that. “Roger is patient and knowledgeable, and allows me to make my own mistakes,” says Jodie, “but is always there to help me when I am stuck. He has worked on many cars since he was a teenager and has a lot of experience with motors, transmission, interior, and anything car-related.”
Besides the brakes, they updated the radiator with a lighter aluminum one, installed tubular control arms, replaced the front springs with Ride tech variable rate coil springs and adjustable shocks and re-aligned the rear suspension with a split leaf mono leaf spring for better stability. Cal trac traction bars were incorporated as well as a new power steering box, tail lights, rear body wiring harness and, for cosmetics, a new RS steering wheel.
Of course, what pulls my eye to the car is the metallic orange hue. “The previous owner had it painted Huggar Orange, an authentic 1969 Camaro colour. The original colour was an Emerald turquoise with a black vinyl top.” Every curve on this car screams bulk muscle and speed, eager to be released.
“The overdrive transmission took the longest to restore,” Jodie recounts. “After I blew the turbo 350 in a drag race (against Roger’s big block Chevy Chevelle), it took me three months to figure out what I wanted to do next.” Though she’s the first to confess she’s not a competitive person by nature, Jodie does have a competitive streak which comes out in full force when racing her husband.
“I talked to other car owners about rebuilding the Turbo 350 and whether I should get a new 200 4R or a new 700 R4,” Jodie explains. “I also needed to know what torque convertor and rear end gear I would need with my current tires and horsepower. I spoke to a couple of companies in the U.S. and finally decided on a 200 4R level three drag, or strip transmission, from Bowtie Overdrive with upgraded 4.11 gears (in the auburn posi.) for the rear end. To my dismay, it was the most frustrating piece to install because I received a defective one and it failed the test drive – not once, but twice.
“When we replaced the new transmission there were many modifications to run, such as the transmission cooler and lines. During this process, we lined up the motor and pulled it back a few times,” recalls Jodie. “I had to order a specific cross member that caused me to have to cut my exhaust. Once we had it in, there were a series of tests that the transmission had to pass in order to get the warranty. I got on the phone with California, read them a bunch of pressure read outs from the gauge they supplied, and got approval to test it on the road. I headed out from home and it would not shift, nor would it kick down, so it failed the road test.”
Jodie raises her hands in remembered despair. “When I came home and called them, they wanted me to check the filter to confirm whether it was correctly installed. The linkage was okay, so we had to undo it from the motor, pull it back from the block and then call them back with the results from our review. I then went for a test drive and it overheated so bad it boiled over. The company asked me to take it out, ship it back to them, and they would send me a brand new, level 3 street/strip overdrive transmission under warranty. I was pretty discouraged by then, but they were awesome to help over the phone and deal with the replacement. We then got the new one and re-installed it; it passed all the tests right away and has been perfect ever since.” Jodie grins, fists clenched in victory.
Cars have been a mainstay in Jodie’s life. “My dad always worked on cars and small engines and got me to start working on cars as soon as I got my driver’s license. And when I was 15, my heart would skip a beat when I heard a certain ‘74 Charger with a 440 cruise by my house. I ended up dating, and subsequently marrying, the owner of that car, and 40 years later, we are still married, have kids and grandkids and are still playing with cars together.
“I also love the satisfaction of fixing a car and driving it away. The first motor I changed was in a 1974 Pinto that I took out of a Mustang II. I was so proud when it started but as I drove it home on the highway, I had a fire under the hood. It was towed back to dad’s garage. I was really upset but I learned that tightening cork gaskets too tight is not a good thing! My dad just laughed and treated it as a learning experience.”
After eight years working on the Camaro, it is now 100% better, but Jodie always has her eye on future upgrades, such as ceramic coating of the headers, putting new seat forms in the driver’s seat, painting the console and getting the glass replaced. If there is one slight irritation, it is the fact the car only runs 94-octane fuel as it has 11:1 compression, so getting gas requires planning ahead. “This is why I always carry octane boost in case I can’t find the right gas station,” confirms Jodie.
But the results speak volumes. “It is quick off the start, pulls straight and sounds awesome.”
Some men find it hard to believe that a woman would love and maintain a car like this. “I think it is in their upbringing to believe that women are not ‘car people,’” Jodie speculates. “Most mechanics are men who don’t usually teach their daughters to work on their own cars. If I hadn't met and married a gearhead, I probably wouldn't have continued down this path. It is the same with raising boys - if the parents never encourage the boys to try to fix things, or work on their own cars, they also will never learn. I had my son under my old Beretta when he was 10, helping to put a starter in. He works on cars now. When my daughter got her first car, she took it to a shop for an oil change. They tried to get her to change the cabin filter and she wouldn't let them. She came home quite proud of herself for saving a fistful of cash and changed her own filter.
“Don’t get me wrong - I also get a lot of, ‘Wow, you drive that! You go girl,’ from men and women - even from older women. Last night as I was leaving our photo shoot, an older lady, in her 70s or so, came over when I was buckling up and said, ‘This is YOURS?’ I said, ‘Yes ma’am!’ She said, ‘She is beautiful! I love your style!’ When I started her up she pointed it out to her friends and gave me a thumbs up and big grin.
“There are, however, some men who are annoying as they don't believe I know anything and will turn to Roger and ask him about it. He will say, ‘Ask her, it’s hers.’ I will answer and they will turn to him again for the next question. GRRRR!
Is having two gearheads in one house always easy? “A lot of men tell hubby that he is really lucky to have a chick who loves cars and will fix them, but he says, ‘Yeah? Try fighting over hoist time and not being able to pull the wool over her eyes for the cost and necessity of upgrades… LOL!’ He loves it, though, because now that I am retired, he leaves me jobs to do on his rides: detailing the engine bays, scouring junkyards, restoring and finishing parts we have collected from the junkyards and painting and finishing the interior of the Chevelle when it was gutted this winter.”
“I think the value of these beauties, like my ’67 Camaro, will eventually decrease as my age group ages. The younger generation doesn’t value these cars the way we do, as it is a memory from our youth, not theirs. They are into new small cars or souped-up pickup trucks. Regardless, what makes me happy is hearing my car start up and take off from a light.” She beams as though discovering a short line at Disney. For Jodie, driving the car is like therapy. “I tell people it may cost more than a therapist, but it is way more effective and I get immediate results. It puts a smile on my face every time I’m behind the wheel. Try to replace that!”
