The Camaro Club (UK)

Bump for updates

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It's been a long time since I updated this thread, but here goes...

After the paint I focused on getting some more welds in the tail pan which was a nice easy job...



I then gave some attention to the corner, one was easy-ish, the other one needed some persuasion with a hammer...



I mocked up the rear bumper before finishing up the welding...



...and the not so nice - the worst side...



The fit here was pretty awful, but nothing that I couldn't resolve, of all the panels I've replaced the tail panel was the one I was most disappointed with, but then I guess I've been pretty lucky!

Next I got one of the corners mostly finished, trial fitting the light housings to try and get the holes right...



Next I got the quarter welded up to the tail pan on the underside and put some welds in from the quarter to the trunk drop offs...



Oh and I couldn't resist, In respect of the cars origins I got some Ohio plates made up...



Plenty still to catch up on, I might even finish the car before I get this thread updated!

Nice work good pictures as well .
Hope to see it out and about sometime soon .
Love the 70-73 2nd gens.

Thanks, I was hoping to have it on the road this year, looks like it will be delayed a little longer, other commitments are draining the project fund!

Next I got both quarters welded up round the arches and repaired the ends of the rockers...





I used a blow torch to melt the lead from the roof joints ready to tidy up the join...





I started by cleaning it up and making a cardboard template of the repair piece...



I cut the repair patch out and tacked it into position...



I welded the patch piece to the roof and then completely welded the length of the new edge to the quarter. I've read that this joint is prone to cracking over time. Hopefully by welding the seam up I shouldn't have this problem. I guess only time will tell...



The other roof joint welded up...





I also got the holes welded up on the rocker panels, I'm guessing they were for the trim plates which would have originally run down the side. Next I gave some attention to the front wing, the radiator support was bent so needed some persuading...





I think the wing must have been bent either at the factory or in the post, the alignment was awful...



Nothing that couldn't be straightened, I ended up welding a long bar on it and applied some leverage to pull it back into shape, no photo of that though in my archives.

Brilliant updates, looks like the sheet metal is all sorted now Onto body filler & sanding next?

About the roof joint being prone to cracking - if you're planning on using subframe connectors then this will massively help as the load will be greatly reduced at this section

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How to post pics: When writing a message, scroll down and use the "attach file" option. Where possible, a photo sharing service can be used such as Flickr, Imgur etc. The image location (usually ending in .jpg) can be copy and pasted between the ][ brackets that appear when you click the 'Img' button (you can find this button at the top of the message box).

How to post youtube vids: Click on the 'youtubeHD' button at the top of the message box and in the middle of the ][ brackets that just appeared, copy and paste everything from the youtube web address that appears after the = sign i.e if this is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cNqaPSHv0 just copy "K2cNqaPSHv0").

No plans for SFCs although I may consider some bolt-ins at a later date, have to swap out the poly bushes for solids too though

I figured one of these would pay for itself with plenty of smaller parts to blast...



First thing I blasted was the trunk hinges and the bracket thingy which goes under the drivers floorpan. I can't recommend this blaster enough for all those small pieces!

Got these welded up...



Followed by this bracket, I replaced the floor earlier in the build so had to salvage this off the old one and clean it up...



I just couldn't resist unpacking my hood and chucking it on. The initial alignment was pretty good given the amount of work I'd done replacing panels...



I think I made the right choice for my build, I was always tempted to go for a cowl hood but love the clean lines of the original.

Good to see more progress
The work on the roof seam is excellent, the secret is to get the lead right with minimal use of filler and it should remain crack free . I overheated mine and caused a problem on one side
Lead work is one of the skills that separates the men from the boys !
Look forward to seeing your car on the road and good to meet you at Speedfest .

Thanks!

Next I figured I'd fit up the panels and see how everything went together. On the whole things were ok, I was pretty happy with how the passenger side turned out...





The gaps were ok, but still needed a few additions here and there to make things spot on.

The gaps on the drivers side weren't so great though, made worse by my knackered door hinges, the lowers were ok and salvageable but the uppers were completely shot. So far gone I couldn't even repair them!

With the front end sheet metal on I installed the inner fenders, one was a breeze the other was a right PITA but I got there eventually...





In fairness I was pretty pleased with the fit, it took some patience but they came up pretty good.

I also spent some more time aligning the doors and panels, I ended up with much better gaps but still not perfect...

Drivers Rear...



Drivers Front (the worst)...



Passenger Rear...



Passenger Front...



All in all the front end cam up pretty good straight out of the box but with all the fabrication in the project there was always going to be some fettling required. The most daunting thing at this point was knowing that the panels would be off and on umpteen times whilst getting things just right!

Next I got the hood mounted for a trial fit. The fit was good straight out the box with no major dramas gap wise. The only problem was my newly powdercoated hinges (not such a great idea) which I had to free off to get them to work...





At this point I was making lists of all the little jobs required to finish up the bodywork, although the car looks complete in these photos there was still many hours of prep work to follow!