OUR CARS
Here is a current project being restored by Vancouver Classic Cars and featured on the Team Camaro/Camaros.net Website. Follow through the entire step by step restoration process of a concours 1969 RS Z/28 Camaro. This will give you a great example of the quality of the restoration process and services offered in house
1969 Camaro RS Z/28 "Brooklyn Project"
Just acquired a 1969 Rally Sport Z/28 project car. ~22,000 original miles, Hugger Orange, M21, BV 4:10 differential, Comfort Weave deluxe black interior, Console, Gauges, Endura bumper, X33 trim, D80 Spoilers, flat hood, 2B build date. It was delivered in Long Island New York by Booth Chevrolet and until now has never left the Brooklyn/Long Island NY area.
It sustained front end damage in the early '70s which effectively sidelined it ever since. The front clip was replaced with donor sheet metal that was re-assembled to an amateur standard. The car was stored for many years and finally delivered to a body shop in NJ in early 2015 for paint and to sort the front end when the owner decided to abandon the project following partial paint stripping of mostly original paint.
What you see in the photo is the remaining original paint. Despite being an eastern US car there is virtually no-rust . The engine, transmission and differential are original and have never been out of the car.
Jerry MacNeish authenticated the drive train, select major components and the trim tag as original to the car. The car will be subjected to a ground up restoration, with attention to detail and accuracy.
Here is link to another build thread on Camaros.net featuring a 1969 Camaro from the stable of Vancouver Classic Cars. This car was finished in 2014, but also serves a good reference of the evolution of our history and the restoration process. It makes for great reading and has been viewed over 500,000 times on line
When the car was purchased from the original owner, a sweet little 88 year grandmother, the car was immediately nick named "Grandma" . She was the only person who ever drove the car and it enjoyed a very pampered life. The car was used primarily as transportation to and from work. The car was in remarkably good shape and still retains its original interior, but a full restoration was in order to return the car to a like new state if not better. The car was stripped to bare metal and repainted in Cortez Silver, selected over the original Dover White and painted by Rumbleseat Restorations. The car was originally going to be a 427 COPO Clone, but during the restoration process gears changed, as they do, and headed in a different direction, and the car took on a new identity as a Z/28. The car is a tribute to the dedication and attention to detail of the builders who managed the project and did the work
1969 Camaro Z/28 Tribute "Project Grandma"
Paul Martin first heard about the new "Bullitt" movie from a friend “ I was intrigued by it, and thought the 1968 charger was an absolutely striking car.“ his cousin had one, as did a local businessman. Martin would have to wait until 1973 to finally see the movie on TV. "I thought the jumping seams were just surreal," he said.
"From that day forward I had to have a 1968 charger." Said Martin, who is 22 then and had already restored some muscle cars.
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Many years and cars later, Martin found the right candidate. It was originally a base charger that was converted to a RT trim by the dealership. It was being offered for sale by the original owner. Painted white over its original yellow and I just 62,000 miles as a result of being stored for over 20 years. It had the factory installed 383 and four-speed transmission.
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In 2006, the cars bullitt transformation began. "It had long been on my mind that when I got a 68 charger, it would become triple black like the movie car" said Martin.
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Martin gathered a pair of good doors and quarter panels to replace the Bondo filled ones which had been damaged, not rusted. The rest of the sheet metal was solid, and it was soon in the shop at Mark of excellent auto restorations. Once the paint dried, a new vinyl top and interior were installed. Martin had creature comfort such as power Windows and tinted glass installed. High Performance Engine balanced and blue printed the motor, and beefed it up with a more radical cam shaft, Edelbrock intake, 2 1/4 exhaust originally 2 inch with Waldron cut outs to give it a throaty sound. The compression ratio rose from 9.5 to 10.5, the horsepower from 325 to 355. The stock four-speed and 323 sure grip rear axle were rebuilt. Front disc brakes replace drums, while gas shocks and quicker ratio steering were added. BF Goodrich 225 Dash 70R 14 tires with custom-made white walls were chosen to utilize stock steel rims and wheel covers, in keeping with the movie car luck. 4000 thrilling miles have been added by Martin since the project completion.
1968 "Bullitt" Charger R/T
