Long-Distance 1969 Pro Touring Camaro Piles On The Miles

The only thing better than building a 500-horsepower 1969 Pro Touring Camaro is piling on thousands of miles in it once the project is complete. That’s exactly what Dennis Ramsey does with his gorgeous piece of Bow Tie machinery.

When he purchased the F-body, the body and paint work were done, but that was just the beginning. It had a fairly mild 350 under the hood, which was good for tooling around, but when you’ve won numerous drag racing events in 7- and 8-second quarter-mile pounders and three NASA American Iron regional road race titles, fairly mild just won’t cut it. He knew an all-out 1969 Pro Touring Camaro was the only way to go.

“When I bought it from the guy, I drove it the way for a little bit the way it was,” said Dennis, whose shop Ramsey’s Performance was a staple of the Florida performance scene from 1996 until he retired two years ago. “I’d been gathering up parts, the engine, all the Detroit Speed suspension stuff and all that. Then, once I had everything in my hand, I took it apart and started working on it. It took me about three months. I started it in July [2024] and was done in October. I pretty much worked on it seven days a week.”

The plan was to build a Pro Touring Camaro all along, which was a bit shocking to some since all his racing successes came in late-model Ford Mustangs.

But there’s a reason for everything.  His brother had a 1968 Camaro RS when they were growing up in Iowa, so the seed had been planted years before. 

He wanted the Camaro ready for the annual Cruisin’ The Coast event in Mississippi. It is quite remarkable that he got it done on time. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and a hurricane kept him and the car safely tucked away in their home state of Florida.

““I always liked that ’68 and liked the looks of the ’69 the best, so when it became available I snapped it up,” Dennis said. Not that he’s given up on the Blue Oval. He’s currently refurbishing a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, a non-Shaker 351 Cleveland car. “That will be getting a Gen 2 Aluminumator 5.0 short-block, 2012 Boss heads, a Whipple Supercharger, and a T56 Magnum six-speed.”

The exterior of the ’69 was great, but Dennis didn’t like the look of the patched-up floor, so that was the first area to be completely redone. He decided to put a whole new floor in it. While he was under there, he installed a complete Detroit Speed Quadralink rear suspension with mini-tubs and a 9-inch rear, along with Detroit Speed’s hydroformed front subframe. The latter made the LS swap a snap.

For those not in the know, hydroforming is a manufacturing process that preserves the steel’s strength and stiffness because the process is performed at low temperatures and promotes uniform wall thickness. This was first seen on the OE side on the C5 Corvette.

These suspension goodies would not only transform the ride and handling of the Camaro, but give Dennis lots of room for some major wheels and tires. He got a set of 18-inch Fikse wheels (12-inches wide out back and 9.5-inches in front) and wrapped them in the latest BFG gForce Rival rubber. The sizes are P335/30ZR18 rear and 275/35ZR18 front. 

Braking chores are handled at all four corners by Baer 14-inch rotors with six-piston calipers. 

While he has the goods to attack any autocross or road course facility, that is not in the cards at the moment. “Honestly, I built that car for going on long, out-of-town events like Cruisin The Coast, Goodguys, etc.,” Dennis said. “It drives and rides great, it really does. It’s cruise around at 75 or 80 at maybe 2,300, 2,400 rpm.”

Under the hood, is a Chevrolet Performance LS376 “Hot Cam” crate engine. It’s standard LS3 from intake to pan, but as the name suggests, it gets a more radical hydraulic roller camshaft with .525-inch lift on both intake and exhaust, and 219/228-degrees of duration. That’s actually less intake lift than a stock LS3, but the extra duration allows the valves to stay open longer. The result is 495 horsepower and 473 lb-ft of torque, a huge increase over stock. Horsepower here is further enhanced by Detroit Speed’s long-tube headers. 

The engine is cooled by a Dewitts radiator with dual fans and a Holley accessory drive is employed. Everything runs off the stock GM computer. The transmission is a 4L65 electronic four-speed with overdrive. A B&M Bandit shifter handles the gear changes. There are 3.55 gears in the Detroit Speed 9-inch.

The entire interior was built with TMI front and rear seats, TMI dashpad and matching door panels. 

“Normally, they put TMI logos on all their stuff. I got mine without that,” said Dennis. This change gives it a more factory appearance. “It has a Dakota Digital dash and the console is one I picked up at a swap meet and cut down to make it all fit. I made the plate where the shifter and cup holder are. Then I had it covered.”

The ACC carpeting and headliner are factory-style and new. Climate control is practically mandatory for any Florida car, and this Camaro is equipped with Vintage Air. The stereo is a Kenwood unit with four speakers. A factory-style woodgrain steering wheel was added by Dennis and really brightens up the cockpit. It swings from a factory tilt column, to which the owner added a quick-release so he can remove the wheel for security when staying in hotels. A Detroit Speed windshield wiper motor with interval settings really rounds out the better-than-new ’69 Camaro theme.

The F-body did make Cruisin’ The Coast show in 2025, a good 1,200-plus mile roundtrip from Dennis’ home, and it was a trouble-free experience. It has traversed many thousands of miles since. 

And that was the plan all along.