The Camaro Club (UK)

I can't remember quite what the ratios were but I could probably look them out, I think I did add a little thinner, maybe up to 10% but again I'd have to check. I have to say my epoxy was always rock hard, a little too hard for sanding even so I'm not sure what we did differently!

Here's some more from the build, there was plenty of block sanding to do, amazing how many low spots there were...



The back end needed a fair bit of work, most of what went on came back off again!



I was using red oxide in a rattle can as guide coat, just something I had laying about that I wanted to use up.



Once I had most of the blocking done I gave everything a dust of epoxy to take things back to how they were and seal up the exposed steel. I was really happy with how the tail panel came out, of all the panels this was the one I was most worried about...





I chose to smooth the lower quarter, made most sense at the time...



After paint...



Next was the roof and trunk lid, both of which were a lot worse than I'd anticipated.

This is what happens...



When you let someone do this...



I wondered why the guy kept rubbing the roof once he'd blasted it

More work than I'd planned but it blocked out ok...





I was really pleased with the roof and rear quarter blend...



Looking back I really don't miss all the block sanding!

Looking good and nice progress

Thanks, here's some more from the build days...

I was overdue an upgrade for painting, having used a basic siphon feed gun which had been ok for epoxy and general work but the transfer rate was poor and I always found siphon feed a pain to use.

I ended up with a Deltalyo kit, came with both 1.3 and 1.6 tips and needles, perfect for base and clear, also got a gun regulator, cleaning rod, tools and a few other odds and ends. Came in very reasonable and I got a discount from my local paint shop so it worked out great!





Next I finished up the filler work on the body, had to add a radius on the rear window to match the trim, easily forgotten...





Got the rear end finished up, had some minor work to do around the gutter and spent several hours sorting out the light clusters...



Finished up the lower edge of the other door and quarter blend...





Spent some time on the front wing/door corners, these were rubbish to start with...





Set the doors up and drilled some location holes...



Stripped the doors and wings and finished up the front door jambs, there was some pitting which needed a squick skim to smooth out...

This is one of the best and most informative restoration threads , great clear pics and description of the work .
Credit to you for the quality of the work and attention to details, from what you have shown the standard is probably higher than the work available from many " pros " and the bonus of doing it is that you know that there were no short-cuts taken which sadly often happens when you pay other people to do the hard stuff ...corners get cut to speed up the work and it comes back to haunt you later .
Always liked the early ( pre '74 ) Camaro , the trouble in the UK is finding one that is solid enough to be a candidate for a serious long term keeper project .Even in the US the good examples are rising in price to the point where the average owner will be priced out if trends continue .

Thanks for the kind words. To be honest mine was really only fit for scrapping when I picked it up, I'm glad I've stuck with it, I've learnt a lot of new skills during the restoration and feel like I've saved a car which would probably have been weighed in!

Here's some more from the build...

Next I spent some time sorting out my transmission, fitting a new filter and modulating valve, a coat of paint and some bling...





Then started working on the engine. I freshened up the block, checked the timing and torqued up the timing set. Also checked the torque settings on the bottom end, all good...



Got a new timing cover, sump and oil filter fitted with new gaskets and stainless hardware, also put a new timing tab on...



Then there was an expensive trip to Real Steel where I picked up some essentials, all the pieces needed to get the engine and trans back in. Edelbrock E-Street heads 64cc, TCI Sizzler torque convertor, 10 qt's ATF, 1.6 Long arm rockers, ARP bolt set, plugs, damper, and a few other odds and ends, thin gaskets, calculated CR of 9.4:1



Really pleased with the heads, light as a a feather and well finished for the money, perfect for the build, nothing too extravagent, quoted figures for the Edelbrock package I'm building are 330HP and 409ft/lbs...



Got the heads installed...



This was the first time I'd used ARP hardware, and I doubt I'll ever use anything else again, superb quality. Picked up a new Performer Air-Gap ages ago and dropped that on along with new rocker covers to tie in with the colour scheme...



Installed the damper as per the instructions, 15 mins in the oven at 120 degress Celcius and then installed with a tool, went on a charm, no drama at all...



Next I loosely fitted the rocker arms to work out the push rod length...