Owsley’s Custom 2013 Camaro SS Convertible ’69 Pace Car Tribute

 

Photos by Kamdon Shaw

It’s been just over 20 years since we last checked in with David Owsley of Louisville, Kentucky, who at the time had a quite respectable 1980 El Camino. Respectable enough, in fact, that it was featured in the print pages (remember those?) of the March 1996 issue of Car Craft magazine.

Powered by a TPI (Tuned Port Injection, remember those?) 355-cubic inch small-block, the car was a super-clean build and this humble author had the privilege of writing that story. David was trying to build something that was suggested as a good first car. The mix included ’84-’88 (Fox-body) Ford Thunderbirds, ’68-’74 Chevy Novas, ’78-’81 Camaros and Firebirds, and, of course, ’78-’87 G-body El Caminos. David went with the El Camino as a project and, as you can see in the picture below, it turned out to be a very nice finished car.

Two decades later, we reunited with David for a look at his 2013 Camaro SS he now owns, and says he enjoys the local car scene and participating in events around Louisville with the Derby City Camaro Club.

I turned that misfortune into a good thing and took it as an opportunity to make the car into a modern interpretation of what a ’69 Camaro Indy pace car convertible would look like in 2013. -David Owsley

“I ordered the car new in May 2013 and it was delivered in August,” David told us. “There was some paint damage when it was unloaded at the dealership, but I turned that misfortune into a good thing and took it as an opportunity to make the car into a modern interpretation of what a ’69 Camaro Indy pace car convertible would look like in 2013.”

Owsley had Rapp’s Auto Body do a full repaint with Summit White paint and 1969-era Hugger Orange graphics. The car was disassembled for the paint work and the shop put the graphics under the clearcoat finish.

Other specialized exterior pieces include an MPD1 ram air hood and rear spoiler. A GM Heritage grille and an SLP splitter are also up front. Color-matched fog and taillamp surrounds add a further unique look at both ends of the car. The front, side, and rear emblems are from a ’69 Camaro.

Custom houndstooth interior was made up complete with ’69 Camaro SS logos stitched in the headrests.

Gear changes come via the stock Tremec TR6060 transmission and a Hurst shifter.

To wake up the flavor a bit in the car’s 6.2-liter LS3 engine, an NOS 150-horsepower nitrous system was added along with a set of Stainless Works headers and a Borla exhaust system. David also did extensive detail work under the hood, with more than 100 hours put into the effort by David and his shop PIE Customs. Behind the LS3 is the car’s stock TR6060 six-speed manual with the skip-shift function eliminated and 3.73 gears in the rearend center section.

To continue the ’69 Camaro Indy pace car vibe inside, Larry Snead Upholstery stitched up unique leather seat covers with a houndstooth pattern front and rear. The seat headrests also have a ’69 Camaro SS logo embroidered into them. Also inside the car, David added a 1,000-watt JL Audio sound system.

Left: David went with a set of Rocket Racing Booster 20-inch wheels that measure 20x9.5 in front and 20x10.5 in back. The Pirelli tires are 245/45ZR20 in front and 275/40ZR20 out back. Visual and functional upgrades to the brakes include custom powder-coated front and rear calipers, Hawk pads, and cross-drilled Powerstop rotors. Center: The ’69 Camaro SS logo also looks good in the trunk along with the NOS nitrous bottle that helps get the LS3 pointed to the 700-horsepower mark at the flywheel. Right: David is a member of the Derby City Camaro Club in Louisville, an organization that welcomes all generations of the Camaro and Firebird.

As we said at the beginning, it has been quite a while since we have seen David or spoken to him. But we are confident that he is much like us, given that more than 20 years later he is still involved with Chevrolets. We hope to visit another one of David’s creations in the future since he is so good at building them. We can almost certainly guarantee it will be sooner than 20 years from now.

More than 20 years ago, David’s ’80 El Camino was featured in Car Craft magazine. Much like his Camaro it had plenty one-of-a-kind bodywork, including shortened and narrowed front and rear bumpers, as well as door handles, side-marker lights, and bumper bolts that had been removed. Several add-ons that you wouldn’t really notice unless mentioned include ’87 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport composite headlights, an El Camino front spoiler, an ’89 Camaro gas door, a Chevy S-10 truck hoodscoop, and ’90 Corvette sideview mirrors. The paint finish was comprised of ’88 Chevy Beretta teal, ’90 GMC truck silver, and ’94 GMC truck maroon. It was clearly a cool car in its own right. The powertrain was the aforementioned TPI 355 small-block with a TH350 transmission, and an ’87 Monte Carlo SS 10-bolt rearend with 3.73 gears.

About the author

Miles Cook

Miles Cook began his automotive writing career at SEMA, then spent a year at Turbo & Hi-Tech Performance covering the ’90s import scene. He then worked for Car Craft magazine, where he became the de-facto Ford guy on the staff. Next, he went to Mustang Monthly where all Mustangs were the mainstay. Miles is well versed in vintage and late model Mustangs as well as GM, Ford, and Mopar musclecars. His expansive background ensures that Miles is right at home writing for Power Automedia.
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