You have a really nice Camaro! The engine compartment is looking really good. Since the interior is so great, I can barely wait to see what the engine bay will look like when you're done.

Welp, here'* the direction it'* going....






When the motor was first assembled, the thought was the car could not stray too far away from stock appearance...hence the fake EGR valve (it would never have worked, the aluminum Vette heads don't have provisions for internal EGR) and a few other emmissions-friendly items....

Well, seven years later, that concept got pitched right out the window. I dipped into the parts bins and changed the intake manifold to a high-rise, dual plane, Performer RPM. The aircleaner sits high enough now that the cowl induction will function with a little tin work (I'll get to that later wen the strut-tower brace is back in.

Other changes done: Alternator is now mid-mounted on billet brackets. Looms for the spark plug wires, and Valve covers are now cast, tall units. I don't need them yet, but it gives some extra room later for 1.6 roller rockers and stud girdles. When the heads were assembled, provisions were made to allow for higher lift and higher rpm operations than I expected to actually use (heavier springs, with more clearence to prevent coil bind.) The motor was built with over-kill in mind....now, years later, I'm giving more thought to push the limits a little further.

Last, more of the old, rusty, steel bolts are being replaced with stainless fasteners, to keep them from becomming old, rusty, bolts.

Sweet Camaro. I like the blue engine and body colour.

Ahhhh....I can hear the rumble of 8 cylinders in my memory.......it'* been a couple of days.

Thanks. GM Medium Blue Metallic (7106), the car'* original color. It'* kinda low key, not flashy like the Sunflower Yellow or other colors from the era.

The theme for the car was to paint everything in one of three colors: Medium Blue Metallic, Silver/Aluminum, or Black. So, a lot of the engine bay is blue. (I even scrounged some blue wire wrap to hide the wiring on the firewall and frame rails.) The only other colors on the car are Medium Grey in the interior and two Arctic White Pearl racing stripes on the hood and rear deck.

There'* still plenty of scrubbing to be done, along with touch-up paint work on the firewall, shock towers, and fender wells...but that comes later after it is rolling on the road again.

The Bonneville is still patiently waiting it'* turn under the knife. The L67 is still on the engine stand waiting it'* turn.

I'll hold off on the photos until daylight tomorrow, but the engine bay is pretty much finished (just a little more wiring to clean up and stuff back into those funky harness protectors.) I had to flush all the brake lines...one caliper was stopped up, but it'* all good now.

Car sounds, well, uh, just plain MEAN. I forgot just how loud steel tube headers sound on a V8. And, best of all, the car can move under it'* own power again...which will go along way towards maintaining domestic tranquility.

I'm still re-learning the fine art of tuning carbs. I've pretty much have the choke settings and idle mixtures right. Tomorrow will be the first round of flight testing. Take it around the neighborhood a few times, then crack the throttle on my secret test track (same place I tested out the Bonnie'* speed limiter )

almost makes me wish i had a carbed car to work on.... that car is so much simpler.
looking forward to pics and a driving story!

Ok, Back from the secret test facility in the rural part Florida...





The carb setup is simpler, but has faults of it'* own. One dissapointent was the wot performance. The car ran out of breath at approx 5200 rpm (the vac gauge was showing it pulling a little bit of vac..about 2" as the motor got close to redline at 5500rpm. The car pulled really hard from 1800rpm through about 4700 rpm, then kinda tapered off. At idle (700 rpm) the motor is pulling 22" of vac. Crack the throttles and it dumps to 0" while the motor accellerates. What'* really funny is closing the throttle and letting the motor coast back down to idle...it pulled over 30" of vac! I've never seen a motor do that (Even the Bonnie will only max out at 25" of vac when coasting down.)

Sooooo..my conclusion is that the 600cfm Holley just isn't big enough to handle the 420cid displacement. On paper with an estimated 80% VE, it should have been enough carb...but it'* not and is causing a restriction of its own (you should never see any vac at WOT...the motor should be able to suck as much air in as the heads can handle.)

Next plan, rebuild the trashed O-80508-1 (Holley 4160 at 750cfm). Maybe uncorking it a little more will let it breath at high rpm.


...and of course...time to add these:

Beautiful car, what do you think it will run in the 1/4 mile?

wow that looks amazing id kill for a camaro like this