The Pursuit of Happiness With This 1969 Pro Touring Camaro
It's not every day that you get to meet your heroes, but most people say it should never be done. One man had some dissatisfaction with his and decided to do something about it. Check out Bob's Classic Camaro inside.
How things started
Bob Taylor bought this Camaro almost a decade ago but wasn't really feeling the Yenko-inspired mods done to it. The changes made to the Camaro were amateur level at best and didn't do any justice to the restoration of the car. "It was stock height and it really didn't handle all that well," Bob remarked. It wasn't until after he bought the car that he noticed the performance parts coming from Detroit Speed, Inc.
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Performance mods everywhere!
Newly-enthused and with cash to spend, Bob started to throw mods at the old Camaro like nobody's business. In went a hydro-formed subframe, a QUADRA Link four-bar with a Moser 9-inch subframe connectors and a whole host of other components. But there was still something that wasn't quite right with the car. Among the shortcomings that Bob was panged by was in the power department. So Bob went and dialed up Kyle Tucker at Detroit Speed, Inc and was told to bring the car in so that they could look the car over themselves and figure out just what the problems were.
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A modern interpretation
Once there Bob felt like a kid in a candy store and marveled at all of the machines and parts that called Detroit Speed home. "They can do things with metal that, let's face it, you could never figure out on your own. I thought heck no, we have to take this thing apart and redo it." Bob instructed the guys at the shop to 'make it right but don't lose the soul of the '69 Camaro.' Fast forward three years later and over the course of that time the car had been stripped and rebuilt as a modern interpretation of a Yenko Camaro.
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Just like a real muscle car
Upon popping the hood you'll be greeted by seeing the air-filter housing on top of the manifold almost as if it obscured a carburetor and functioned just like a cowl-induction hood would intend it to. Detroit kept all the prior gear and added to it a re-engineered Mast Motorsports Black Label LS7. The wet-sump power plant has a pair of CNC-ported heads and the LS7 manifold. The big 427 swings a Callies crank and H-beam rods with Diamond pistons to boot.
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Putting that power down to the ground
The engine feeds a TREMEC T-56 rebuilt by Bowler Transmission. That T-56, in turn, feeds a 3.25:1 gear on a limited slip carrier in the Moser housing. That then spins the 335/30 BF Goodrich Rival S wrapped around chunky 5-spoke 18x12 Forgeline CR3 Heritage Series wheels. The rear wheels required mini-hubs and the fronts have 275-35s tucked on the 18x10s that magically weren't in need for custom inner fender panels.
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If it ain't broke...
Thes rest of the Camaro's body remained more or less stock so that it stayed with Bob's request of not losing touch with the original look. The car was finished up with a nice coating of Mercedes-Benz Brilliant Silver with a Hugger orange stripe.
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Life lessons from Bob
Inside the car, there are subtle touches about the cabin of various things that have received the upgrade treatment: There are a set of Classic Instruments AutoCross gauges and a Vintage Air climate control panel. The Recaro seats that were installed before Bob bought the car were now reupholstered in era appropriate leather and Houndstooth by M&M Hot Rod Interiors.
Many of us settle when we get things and it's not quite the way we would want them. We could all learn a thing from Bob and his Camaro. If you feel passionately enough about something, do everything you can to make it perfect.
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