If there is one thing we like to do around here, it’s keep things personal. After all, the way we see it, we’re just one of you guys. Keeping it personal is why we have put together our Home-Built Hero [1] weekly segment that you see here. It gives you guys the opportunity to be a part of what’s happening here, and we are continually asking you all to send in submissions about your cars. They do keep coming, and we appreciate that.
This week, we decided to put together a grouping of reader’s rides and show you a variety of classic Chevys to drool over. These cars epitomize the term home-built, so let’s take a look.
Cutting Corners – In A Good Way
Eric Hartman tells us that he is a huge fan of Chevrolet’s [2] Camaro, and that affliction began with his first car, a 1969 model. Eric tells us, “Years after I sold the ‘69, I bought a ‘94 Camaro Z28. I wanted another ‘69 that would run and handle like the ’94, and in Dec 2010, I found this one not too far from my house and I bought it.”
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But, like many 48-year-old cars that are still around, it needed some work as Eric attests, “My Dad and I put new floor pans in it, replaced the quarter-panels, trunk floor, tail pan, and fenders.” When Eric purchased the car, it had a SS hood on it, so he decided to make it look like an RS/SS model.
[4]LS swaps are becoming increasingly popular.
Looking under the hood of this home-built hero, you’ll get a surprise according to Eric, “The LS1 engine and T56 transmission came from a low-mile ‘04 GTO that was wrecked.” The rearend is a 12-bolt with 3.42 gears, an Eaton Truetrac [5] differential, and Moser [6] 33-spline axles.
The front suspension is comprised of a Detroit Speed [7] subframe, and the rear suspension is Detroit Speed’s Quadralink set up. The car also utilizes mini tubs and subframe connectors. The front brakes are Kore3 [8] C6-style, and the rear binders are from a ‘02 Camaro.
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The interior has the stock deluxe door panels, and the seats are from Procar [10]. The dash is from Detroit Speed and is filled with Speed Hut [11] gauges. Finally, an Ididit [12] steering column protrudes from under the dash.
Eric tells us, “The only thing I didn’t do myself was finish the body and paint it. The color is Laser Blue Metallic.
Hillbilly Hot Rod
Bill Green has been building and rebuilding Chevelles for as long as he can remember. In fact, he and his family have a couple of buildings filled with A-body cars and parts. This particular ’66 model was acquired from his son-in-law back in 1992, but took a while to get to the condition you see here.
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All of the work has been handled in-house, and with the help of friends and family, Bill has a great-looking cruiser.
[14]A truly hot-rodded big-block.
Under the hood is a 396 big-block that has been bored .030-inch over, features a stout flat-tappet camshaft, and an Edelbrock [15] intake and Holley [16] carburetor. We asked Bill what the cam specs were, and he told us, “Do you know how long ago I rebuilt that engine? Hell, I don’t remember.” Behind that is a 700R4 transmission, backed up by a 12-bolt filled with a Posi unit and 4.56 gears.
Inside, with the exception of the B&M [17] shifter, a couple of aftermarket gauges, and a stereo unit, everything looks like it did from the factory.
[18]mostly stock, but check out the B&M shifter in a factory Chevelle console.
Life-Long Dream
Shane Tracy started our conversation by saying, “I’ve had my ‘67 for 31 years now. I restored her in the early ‘90s, and this style has always been my favorite.”
[19]This is the Camaro before the rebuild began in the early ’90s.
According to Shane, the ’67 Camaro has always been his dream car, and his dad traded a Chevy Luv pickup for it. When Shane got home from school one day, he found the car sitting in the driveway. He and his dad rebuilt it in the early ‘90s, and it looks the same today. Shane does admit that the car is ready for another rebuild.
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Currently, under the hood is a 350 small-block with a mild flat-tappet camshaft, double-hump heads, Keith Black [21] pistons, a Torker II intake, and a 750 cfm Edelbrock carb. A Turbo 350 with a shift kit and a 3:73 geared Posi rearend finishes the drivetrain. During the rebuild, new quarter-panels, inner and outer wheel wells, hood, trunk lid, front valance, and rear panel were installed.
[22]Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heroes? All you need to do is click here [1]. If you own a Home-Built Hero, we want to hear about it. Since we’ve started the series, we have received more than a few candidates, but we still want to see more – we can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send us a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and we’ll make you Internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected] [23].