Jose I have a clean and clear set of original black California license plates, unrestored if you are interested.

Love what you're doing with this car.

ebay store: autocity1958 item number 302654318337 PM them your requested date code. Turn around was less than a week and a half.

No thank you.

I'm glad others are enjoying what I'm doing. Thank you!


I have decided to put out an OH craigslist ad looking for the born with transmission. I also shared the post on Facebook and hope to get somewhere.

I got a call this morning saying that Judy simply left months ago and nobody knows where she is. The gentlemen said he asked her about the transmission and said that she didn't remember who she sold it to. It sounds like when she was selling off her estate in the 2000's she sold the Camaro sans transmission which was confirmed by John Baxter who bought the car from her. My guess is she simply sold it off separately so I'm looking for anyone who bought parts from her during this time.

As I wrench on the car, I can tell she didn't do much to the car at all. The gears were at one time swapped to open 3.31's and she ran a small block in the car (I have correctly dated 4 series carrier and 4.56 gears going back in). I doubt she blew the muncie. I was told her dream was to put a 396 back in it. my guess is that's why she removed the small block in the first place and sold it without engine or trans.

This is the last remaining important piece to the car and I'm really hoping to find it.

Sorted a bunch of hardware that came with the car. My favorite helper steered while I pushed to turn the car around to continue brake line work. We trimmed the new brake line to match the old and I'm more than satisfied with the fitment.

That 283 emblem is a SUPER rare part on a Camaro.. ;)
Aren't those hydraulic flaring tools the BEST ?? Seems a bit spendy at first, but once a person has used it, they are worth it for the ease and quality of the double flare.

Didn't know that about the 283 emblem thanks =P. Btw the flaring tool is so much better than fighting my old finicky tool! Yes I like having special tools you'll see more of that soon.




Oh and before that I cleaned the original bracket and block and installed axle brake lines/hose.

I've got one of the hydraulic flaring tools and I love it.

Yeah, I have a few specialty tools that don't get used often too, but they are sooo nice to have when I need it.
One is an electromagnetic heater. Way better than frying everything around a bolt with a torch.
"Crud Thug" is a brand name but a search will bring them up. I have a kit with abrasive wheels, wire wheels and rubber erasers. Another tool that is a real time and labor saver.

Basic disassembly and cleaning using dish soap and water.
I used a plastic scraper to remove the grime to reveal the ink stamps under the heater box followed by careful use of a razor.

I used a shop vac with a HEPA filter to remove the mouse condo. It looks like they were very cozy in there, complete with a stash of nuts.

The ground strap hole near the framerail appears drilled but not tapped. I'm assuming this is because the car was ordered without a radio. And outline from where the antenna plug/grommet once was is still visible.

The grease pen markings are difficult to read but I keep seeing 8's

The white crayon appears to be 102? and beside it another 8 grease pen mark to the right.

Job well done Jose. Very cool to document this process, thank you!

Thank You!

Carefully scraping away the spray bomb I believe I found the missing 3rd ink stamp on the RH side. Remnants of the ink stamp appear to have stuck to the white "O". When comparing the other stamps the orange is the same color.

I also carefully scraped away the spray bomb surrounding the tag. I'm hesitant to use a reducer here but luckily the manual method seems to be working for now.

A lot more work to do! Shout out to Darrell and James for the inspiration to do this type of work.

Lots of dirty work in a restoration/preservation job. I always dread this and it's hard to get started, but once I do, I'm OK. I usually end up looking like the car used to by the end of the day...:grin:

Slowly chipping away. Here's progress around the heater cutout and cleaned up the tag a bit. My eyes need a break.

Pretty sure that's a "L78" and "102" markings...

Denis that seems to be the consensus. Once seen it can't be unseen lol.

I'm told the 102 means it was the 102nd car in the line that day which corroborates with the orange PBT stamps as it was early in the 1st shift.

I'm also being told that this was sometimes found in the lower valence. Well here is my lower valence. (Image flipped for easy reading). I now need to confirm that the lower valence is original to the car.

I've discovered "1 02" also on the lower front valance!

Here is a photo with all the numbers wet showing the white numbers more pronounced. Does anyone know what the other 2 numbers/characters mean?

Is the 102 the assembly sequence number?

That's what I've been told. And there is evidence that contributes to this. My car has orange stamps which indicates 1st shift and the 102nd car would certainly be built during first shift. There is another "survivor" car with a number over 500 in the lower valance and the PBT stamps are green, thus the car was completed during 2nd shift. I think it would be cool to gather enough data points regarding possible sequence number and color of PBT stamps to prove this theory once and for all.

After more chipping I decided to give the gel evaporust a shot on the firewall. Still need to clean it up and hit it again.

I avoided the 102 mark and the center of the firewall as I still need to figure out the marks in that area behind the distributor.

I plan to use a multi color flashlight to help reveal what the markings are in the dark. Up close I see multiple X's but when the flashlight gets here I'll see if I can get those marks to reveal themselves.

In the meantime here is a progression shot. Still a ways to go.

New control arm bushings, moog ball joints, moog coil spring, and amk hardware. I also installed factory disc brake spindles. This car will be driven often. I'll take better photos of the process when I do the other side.

As mentioned before, my immediate goal is to get the car safely on the road as soon as possible while preserving it's "as found" character. Parts for a correct restoration are being collected in the meantime and all take off parts including original hardware are being bagged and tagged for restoration.

I will admit I cheated in that I have some factory Kent Moore tools and a electric hydraulic shop press which made the job much easier. Having a factory service / overhaul manual makes it even easier.

Trick to install lower ball joint boot: I bought a 2" abs plastic pipe. And simply used a rubber mallet went on easy peazy.

If using the hook style coil spring compressor the trick to getting the hooks out is to remove through bottom shock mount hole. Let one side out, and the other side will be stuck between coils. Simply use a big pry bar, open up the spacing between said coils just enough to free up the other hook and push out the bottom.

I removed the factory riveted ball joint from the upper control arm by first drilling a small crater in the center of each end of the rivet followed by hitting each one with an air chisel. Once each head of the rivet was removed I swapped the chisel for a tapered punch and knocked them all out.

There was a small crack on the frame where the upper shock mount is but I simply drilled it and hit it with the mig and ground it down. It passed the strength test after using the coil spring compressor. No flex and no cracking.
The original ball joints were toast and the shock cushions were toast which is why I believe the frame cracked in that spot.

After the front suspension/brakes are done I'm going to remove the cracked windshield, install the headliner, reinstall new windshield. I figured its nice to stand between the frame rails to get the job done.

Making progress !!
From my trucking life, I have a socket set that goes up to 3 1/2". There is a socket in there that fits those boots too. You did position the bleed slot correctly, right ...;)

Yep I don't have sockets that big and deep are those 3/4"?. Yes the bleed slot is in correct position.

Actually, that set is 1". I have another set that only goes to 2 3/4" that is 3/4" drive

Life has been busy but I managed to remove the cracked windshield. I'm pleasantly surprised at the level of rust.

Next goal is to tackle the headliner.

Dodged a bullet on the windshield corrosion. That is great news!

Jason

I've managed to get the used headliner fitted and it will be glued in within the next couple days. I'm content with the fitment as it is my first time installing a headliner.
Some of the tips that helped me most was:
Pre-installing all screws before installing the headliner
Fitting the front center and rear center of the headliner first
Pulling the sides of the headliner AT the bows, not between


I'm very lucky to be in contact with the original owner as we talk weekly. Every time we speak I get to learn a little more about the history of the car. He said the fastest time he's ever run the 1/4 mile was in the high 11's with the car "everything hooked up right and that was a fast time back then.. I think that's the only time I ran an 11"

Bruce says the 11 was at National Trail during a time trail. Usually the car would run 12's and the occasional 13's.

He said he polished the inside of the intake himself, ran headers, line loc, and his homemade traction bars because the "damn rear end wouldn't stop jumping up and down and I thought... I could solve that".

I asked him if the car had a name and he said no he didn't want it all lettered up. "But I did have that BC 1200 plate, for years all my buddies would call me BC!"
So I asked if that was a real Ohio plate or something he had made. It was the real Ohio plate.

He responded, "Well back then we'd go up to Northern Ohio near Cleveland, I believe the place was Euclid, and all you had to do was give the counter worker a $20 dollar bill and they'd set your plate up how you wanted, a lot of people would go up there, and that's how I got the BC!" I asked if the 1200 had any meaning and he said, "No they'd just set you up with a good number; I wanted my initials BC on the plate"

At one point I asked how to pronounce his last name and he said "Bruce CreMEAN... emphasis on the MEAN!" and we both laughed.

Headliner installation complete! I don't think I did too bad considering it was my first time. I made a repair to one of the original GM sail panels but it worked.
To install the rear glass trim I used a small rubber mallet and placed a small paper towel between the rear glass and mallet, sliding the mallet against the glass carefully bumping the trim into place.

Also, I have a lead on the salesman who worked at Bobb Chevrolet that may have ordered my car originally. His name is Mike Cassidy and I'm working to make contact. Bruce says the salesman was about the same age, turns out this guy is the same age (80 now) and also owned a Bobb Chevrolet sponsored 1968 Camaro SS 396 Convertible. (Last pic) I was told by Ronnie Crawford that the gentleman pictured on the right is Mike Cassidy who was a Bobb Chevrolet Salesman. Ronnie was another local racer who said all the Central Ohio guys used to caravan together to different tracks.

Looks good.

----Wow! Good job on the headliner.....Bill S

Agreed!!:biggthumpup:

Nice job Jose!

Great Job!!

Looks great!

Thank you all for the compliments it helps keep me motivated. I was able to speak to Bruce and mention the name Mike Cassidy and he said, "Well that don't ring a bell no, hell I have boxes of stuff I need to go through and get all that paperwork" He was referring to the sales documentation that may have the name of the salesman.

My next goals are to:
-remove spray bomb from original Z23 a pillars
-rebuild the window and door lock mechanisms
-repair/replace under dash and body wiring
-clean/rebuild heating system
-send out original seatbelts to be rebuilt/restored
-reinstall windshield

Another thumbs up on the headliner installation. Nice work Jose. I’m wondering if the headliner trim at the back window fits with a consistent but snug gap to the back window when viewed through the glass? It sure looks like it does, think mine will be needing some work.

Provided that your webbing is good enough, have you considered using EvapoRust (Tips and Tricks)
Starting about Post 39
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showpost...1&postcount=39

Enjoying your car and paper trail progress!

Yes it does fit with the consistent snug gap. The rear trim is a "trim parts" repop as my original was crumbling apart. The front trim above the windshield is original GM and fits great as expected. A repop front windshield trim did not fit well so I bought a good used original and was very happy.

Thank you for the seatbelt tip.

I've done many hours of research on installation of the front windshield. I eventually called Jeff Gretz from first class auto glass about the kit they offered including dam. Unfortunately, the company that made their windshield dam no longer produces the part. He advised I purchase the MARCY brand 3/16" x 3/16" single sided dam and a specific urethane when it comes to installation.

However, since my car will likely be apart again after my trip to OH, he advised to do the typical butyl rope temporary install as it is very difficult to remove/reuse glass after a proper installation with a dam/urethane. I am aware gm originally used a cloth backed latex covered foam and Thiokol so I was looking for the next best thing. He was VERY helpful. Here is a video he made demonstrating proper installation of GM glass per shop manual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY1b...nnel=LukeBoltz

The nice thing about using the Butyl for now is that I will have time to find/create a dam I'm happy with.

Nice progress Jose. Keep it up.

Here is the plenum air cleaner Bruce made to go faster at the track found a few days ago sitting right where he left it when the L78 was pulled from the Camaro to become a temporary family car.
Turns out, he went to the junkyard and pulled this unit off of a Chevelle. So the mystery is now solved. The air cleaner is a modified GM unit from an L34 or L35 Chevelle.
What I dig about it is that I can run the AC212CW filter element which are much easier to find.
As Bruce kept a racing diary, I'm curious as to how the air cleaner improved his ET's.
George, older half brother of Bruce's son Todd, found the air cleaner and said he remembers all the kids sitting in the Camaro when it was a temporary family car with the small block in it.
He also helped me confirm that the steering wheel in the car was a standard black wheel, definitely "no fancy woodgrain"
.

Looks like it came from a car with a QuadraJet.