Chris’s first burnout experience was in his older brother’s friend’s 1969 Camaro, 327 peg leg. He was 7 and HAD to have one. Fast forward 30 plus years, Chris had a 69 LM1 Camaro, the gold car in pictures, that the painter destroyed with his laziness, so he sold it.
Chris’s favorite color was fathom green on a 69 Camaro so he went looking for one. He found a project close to him that a friend had, it is a CA car so no X code, no engine, no trans, 12 bolt rear, power disc brakes, big block 4-speed cross member, multi-leaf rear, big block heater core, and 3/8 fuel line.
Other than being apart, and missing some key parts, it was fathom green, with black gut so a deal was struck. It’s believed to be an original big block car, although it cannot be confirmed, and no one can say for certain it is not.
As far as powertrain, Chris has been able to make some great friends in the Camaro community, one had a correct 69 Camaro L78 4 speed block, crank, radiator, cab, dist, and NOS exhaust manifold. Another buddy had a BV 12 bolt posi rear with 4.88 gears in it. For transmission, Chris already had a rebuilt 69 M20 from a prior project.
“We may not go stupid high speed, but we are going to get there really quick!”
While there is no documentation for it to be an L78, the details point to it being one. “I will NEVER say the car is original since it was stripped out when I got it, but when it’s complete it will look the part of a 69 L78 Camaro”.
While it is still a slow work in progress, he says it will one day be cruising to the ice cream stand with his furry son Memphis riding in the backseat.
Review: I get many of my parts from Ground up at Englishtown and Carlisle. They normally have a great selection at the show in person, and if not they are great guys about getting me the parts as soon as they get back to their shop.
