HOW TO RESTORE AN OLD CAR--Part 5: Wiring And Final Trim

After old No. 4524 returned home, the first step was to gently clean off the inevitable overspray on the wheel wells, hood hinges and other conspicuous spots. We used just a dab of lacquer thinner on a clean, soft shop towel for gentle cleaning. We were careful not to touch the fresh paint on our car--modern lacquers stay soft and they easily scratch for weeks after painting. We also padded our lift posts with plastic bubble pack to keep from inadvertently chipping the car doors when opened.

Then we started final assembly by threading new wiring harnesses from the firewall forward to the headlights and back to the taillights. Like most of our other specialized Camaro parts, these came from D&R Classic Automotive in Naperville, Ill., one of General Motors's licensed suppliers of restoration parts.

With the wiring in place, we were able to start the satisfying process of bolting on the big pieces that give any car its distinct personality. General Motors's Service Operations still had crash parts such as taillights and bumpers available at surprisingly reasonable prices. Following our philosophy of preparing small subassemblies before installing them on the car, we assembled and tested each taillight unit before bolting it in using new Wurth hardware. Then we installed the rear bumper using all-new hardware from General Motors.

Next, we lifted the car up on our Eagle Equipment lift and installed the new fuel tank. To preserve its fresh-from-the-factory look, we first sprayed the tank with clear lacquer. We used new tank hangers to hold it securely and new antirattle cushions, as well. While we had the Camaro up in the air, we also routed new stainless steel fuel and brake lines. The stainless steel lines cost more, of course, but they'll also last for the lifetime of the car.

Simply installing the new taillights, gas filler, trunk lock, rear bumper and rear spoiler completed the entire back of the car in one busy morning. We also installed a reproduction trunk floor mat and a refurbished spare tire holddown. When we added the spare tire, the trunk was complete. New weatherstripping finished off the trunk opening and neatly hid our weld marks.

Other quick and easy bolt-ons were the wheel well moldings and the RS stainless steel rocker panel moldings. These dressed up our Camaro astonishingly. Working our way forward, we installed the fake grilles in the hood that distinguish an SS Camaro from a run-of-the-mill V8. Next, we assembled and tested each of the complicated hideaway headlight units that help identify this Camaro as an RS. These diabolical assemblies can be extremely difficult to properly adjust and, consequently, can take hours of fiddling to get just right. It's easier to do it off the car, then install the ready-to-run assembly.

The RS grille is a surprisingly tricky piece. In order to fit the grille, you must loosen the lower valence panel, snap the grille in place, raise both into place together, then readjust the fit of the valance panel, fenders and hood. What should be a 2-minute job ends up taking 2 hours. After the valance was finally back in place--with three excruciating chips in our fresh paint job--it was time to add the front spoiler and its three sturdy support rods.

As a relief from fighting with the front of the car, we turned to the windows. We found glass that not only duplicated the factory parts, but was even etched with the proper codes for our Camaro. Details like this amaze your friends and win concours.

The Camaro windshield is held in place by silicone tape. The trick here is to run the tape along the edges of the glass rather than the frame, balance the glass on the bottom retaining clips, line it up side-to-side and snap it into place. If you do it wrong, a piece of safety wire dragged around the edges is perfect for freeing the glass from the adhesive. Remove the tape with lacquer thinner, clean the glass, retape and install again.

With the new windshield in place we could reinstall the windshield moldings. On the Camaro, most were stainless steel. These were pure "unobtainium," and had 25 years' worth of dings and dents. The recommended procedure: Start by straightening the parts as much as possible by hand. Then hammer out the dents--we used marfree plastic mallets sold by Eastwood. Cut down the high spots with a flat file, then sand with a DA sander and 220-grit paper. Follow this with a good buffing on the buffing wheel and polishing with Simichrome polish. I know this sounds like a terrible thing to do to an irreplaceable piece of trim, but it worked.

The largest area of chrome trim on these early Camaros is the windshield header. We had our's stripped and rechromed before reinstallation. At the same time, we had the frames for the front vent windows rechromed. Fitted with new weatherstripping and new glass from OEM, these added dramatically to the finished appearance of our doors. While we were in the vicinity, we added the correct 1967 "bowtie" rearview mirrors to the doors and also installed new door handles and locks. All these parts came from D&R.

We spent a long time on the side window mechanisms. We'd completely stripped the inside of each door when we first disassembled our car, months before. We bead-blasted and painted each unit, relubricated the operating parts and reinstalled them in the doors and rear quarters. Only after each was properly operating did we equip it with glass and new weatherstripping. Working steadily, this took, literally, days to accomplish, and from the outside, there was no indication of our extra efforts.

The same thing was true of the tangle of wiring and controls in the dash. We spent tedious hours upside down with our heads in a foot well and had nothing to show for it except turn signals that blinked like they were supposed to. Quicker gratification came with the installation of a genuine 1967 Camaro 3-spoke fake-wood steering wheel. Steve Drueck at D&R came up with this rare piece, a $500 item.

You'll remember that we fitted our Camaro with a 345-hp H.O. 350 V8 from Chevrolet. This is essentially the hot Corvette LT1 engine fitted with a carburetor instead of fuel injection. We used Accel accessories--starter, alternator, distributor, spark plug wires and wire looms.

The H.O. 350 comes without exhaust manifolds. Our friend Reeves Callaway (of Callaway Corvette fame) donated a set of late-model Corvette exhaust manifolds. It was a simple matter to weld up the air-sensor holes we didn't need on this "pre-smog" engine. Getting them to fit was a little more difficult. On the passenger side, it was no problem. On the driver's side, though, we had to cut and reweld the exhaust port flange to bring the manifold closer to the block. We also cut and patched a section out of one runner to clear the steering box.

Once modified to fit, we had the manifolds stripped and plated with High-Temperature Coating by HPC in Manchester, Conn. This gave our manifolds a semigloss silver finish that's tough, heat-resistant and more attractive than either traditional header paint or chrome.

It seems to be human nature to want to make changes, without considering the ramifications of those changes in other areas. For example, this way of thinking is almost endemic among members of Congress. Unfortunately, we were no exceptions. When you bolt a new H.O. 350 V8 and TH700 transmission into a 25-year-old Camaro, almost everything has to be changed. Take the driveshaft. Connecticut Driveshaft in Milford, Conn., shortened ours by 2.375 in., equipped it with new U-joints and then balanced the whole assembly.

The exhaust system was even more complicated. Walker makes an exhaust system for almost any car, except (at the time) a 1967 Camaro with a late-model V8. We started with a Walker 430 system that fits all 1967-69 Camaros with small-block V8s. We used the stock crisscross muffler, tailpipes and arches to clear the rear axle. That took care of the open end.

For the engine end, we ordered Walker's 40449 pipes, designed for the late-model Corvette of the day. On the Corvette, these pipes join as a Y into a single exhaust pipe. We cut ours off to make duals, rewelded the manifold flanges to get the right angle, then connected the Corvette header pipes to the Camaro's exhaust using 2-1/4-in. pipe we had custom bent.

In 1967, the hot street tires were Firestone Super Sports Wide Ovals--the ones with the little red stripe on the sidewall. Coker Tire had these in repro, in the correct size of D70-14. Of course, we had to have GM's famous Rallye wheels, but we upgraded to 15 x 7-in. versions with modern Goodyear Eagle NCT radials in size 235/60ZR15. This was a huge improvement over the original 14 x 6-in. Rallye wheels with the skinny bias-ply tires.

Except for a few minor details--like a shifter--our Camaro was pretty much finished at this point. Of course, we still had to install the top and the interior. In Part 6, you can see how we fitted new carpets, seats, door panels and the convertible top. And in Part 7, our Camaro was complete and ready for testing on the dyno ... and the dragstrip.