02:35 consignment. Also for the fire wall, just cut metal and patch it to make it smooth, don't use fiberglass, it'll look like shit and will NOT hold up. Trust me old cars flex a lot and the fiberglass will pop. Fiberglass and bondo are the bane of my existence, having worked on old cars over the years.
Hooker’s T-56 Shift Hump Panel (PN 71223008HKR). It’s a timesaver that, when combined with Hooker’s engine mount brackets and transmission crossmember, makes swapping a TREMEC-backed LS engine into a second-gen F-body easy. One piece of advise....don't let the big picture scare you, take it 1 piece at a time and it'll get done. Bust out that dry erase board and list all the things and start marking them off, you got this.
Priority - rust repair, fill extra holes, mini tub, roll bar. On the trans tunnel you really need to put in the front sub frame, engine and trans so you can confirm sizing. Be aware it will effect your center console fitment. It’s over whelming if you look at everything that needs to be done, so just focus on ONE thing….complete it and move to the next. You got this🍻💪
I would definitely say start with what youre most comfortable with. So that would probably be the fab work. After getting it stripped and everything, make sure the t56 fits and cut the necessary hole for the shifter, clutch, etc. Get it to the body shop. Once paint is done, work on getting the driveline completed. Since one of the last steps is engine wiring (usually) then go for the chassis wiring. Super excited to see you work on this thing man. Cant wait for the coming videos.
The main body harness can stay. Just remove the engine harness portion. You have a “stand alone” engine management system with that Holley system. Just adapt the key on and start circuit from the original harness and that’s about it. It really is pretty simple on the wiring side. It just looks like a pain. If you want to update that old wiring, check out painless wiring or American auto wire for a complete swap in replacement harness. This would be the simplest.
You don't have to rewire everything. You skim the oem harness down to a key on wire/ the starter wire and then all your body wires, lights heater, dash lights and then run the ls stand-alone.. so I wouldn't just get rid of that oem firewall plug unless you want to complete redo it.
Your plan for the car sounds fine to me? Strip it, modify, paint prep, paint, reassemble... but before you do anything to the car, I'd get a storage rack or two and some plastic bins to store the parts you're keeping. I know you have some sort of storage system (leaning shit on the wall) but have a dedicated storage spot that's neatly organized can help down the road. Much love
I’m so excited to see the Camaro back! You got this Dan ma dude. It’s just work as you always say. Considering how Odin turned out can’t wait to see what you end up doing with this thing. And hopefully it won’t take 735 years again. Love ya dude!
Dan, absolutely love that you’re back working on the Camaro. However, can we get one good cinematic reveal of Odin similar to what you did with the Magna and Warhorse.
so... for those who dont know. spot welds and seams serve a purpose, the car will naturally twist and flex from usage as well as expand and contract on hot and cold days. when building race cars fully welding every seam will result in the body developing serious cracks that are hard to repair without replacing the metal. Usually the seams are stich welded and seam sealed to increase rigidity without this cracking issue. also, don't forget to reinstall drain holes in areas you replace, then cavity wax them before humidity or water gets in, you can spray the backside with weld through primer before install to help this.
It’s been a HOT HUMID STEAMY Minute since I’ve watched Dan. I used to ignore his car content and only watch the motovlogs but now I like car stuff and this is the perfect Chanel
Glad to see ya working on it again! I’m in a similar boat with my s10 blazer project, bad timing and poor decision making and next thing ya know it’s been years and nothings done. My .02 would be to strip the interior, fix all the rust, do the mini tub, and then do a “test assembly” put the whole drivetrain in, do the roll cage, do ALL the fabrication/customization you want to do, especially if you’re going to have someone else do the body work and paint it, the last thing you wanna do is have to get a portion repainted because you changed your mind. And if this is truly a life long car, i think it would be worth having the whole car stripped/sand blasted inside and out and get the under side properly re seam sealed and painted/coated along with the interior. Can’t wait to see where ya take this build Dan!
100% got the right idea with getting it mechanically solid and sending it to someone to get body work and paint done. it would be awesome if you could find a shop that wanted to let you kinda watch and learn from them the way dan does with everything. that last sentence may not make sense but hopefully it comes across right, cause some of my favorite videos are of you being the jack of all trades learning from a master of the craft!
Dan, you should look into getting a helper like Chase did for his motorcycle rebuilds. Brian was a massive!!!! help to Chase. I feel like you could use a buddy to keep you going on these projects and bring some more experience to your builds. Love the vids, it’s only work!
I’m so excited for this project. Been waiting to see it get done for years. Don’t worry so much about it Dan, you may be figuring shit out on the fly but it’s fine. You did the same shit with the dually and taught yourself how to do a bunch of the work and it turned out dope. Just take it a piece at a time and you’ll get there eventually.
I would highly recommend a product called POR, (Paint Over Rust). It actually penetrates the pores of the metal itself and stops rust from spreading. Clean up the surface, get rid of any current rust or any damage that has been done and then spray the POR over the entire area. I think this would be a really good option for your firewall, frame, and any other body panels.
FINALLY! I've been so fuckin hyped to see the Camaro get the love it deserves! Painless Wiring would be your best bet to get it rewired or even Holly. I'd bet you could take care of 90% of the body work and a tube just behind the seats with a bar for a 4 or 5 point harness. You got this Dan, just do one section at a time.
Dan, just a heads up, if ur removing the entire floor pans or a large part of them , Dont cut the floor pans outta ur car without putting some type of support bars inside, from side to side or corner to corner bc once u cut the metal from the floors the body will twist or become outta square then u will have a nightmare to deal with. also using the proper bracing u can also remove the entire firewall if u wanted and replace it with a more flat style firewall, actually i think u can buy those, or you could cut it on your plasma table. hope this helps, i cant wait to see it when ur finished with it.
I put a cold air intake on my shitbox civic so I am obviously a real mechanic. And I recommend using cardboard to roughly build your parts then cut what you need in metal using the cardboard as a guide.
You could maybe do floor pan replacement panels and weld those in while you're doing the tubs. Then you could bulkhead the backseat area so you have a clean slate for any shenanigans you want to do for the backseat area and map out your half cage and have a solid foundation?🤷 For the firewall, I wouldn't fiberglass it. Heat can make it separate and crack and look like shit after a while. Just patch the holes and grind the welds flat so that it can be painted and be nice and clean. There are also HVAC systems that you can get that will be modern and cleaner that you can pop in. I don't remember if you did it but there are also modernized vintage replacement dash kits you can get with gauges and all that. Just a thought! I'm so fucking stoked for this, dude!
It's just work... but you have to remember when building a project car of this scale is... it's a LOT of work. Be focused, Have a plan! And mock up everything! Everything going in needs to be mocked up an fitted before taking it apart again for paint etc.
Also companies who do stand alone harness's can make whips for a body harness as well. Rywire and a few companies offer a generic kit you can use to map out what you need for engine and what you want for the body.
Look into a tiger roll cage seems to be what you are looking for. Don't trash the factory bulkhead as you will still use that for stock lights. Now you could always do your own and change bulkheads but the. Your going into a whole extra project. Is your concern on firewall more clearance or appearance? I would probably say clearance it, clean it up seal it then use the plasma to cut a firewall plate and rivnut that to the existing firewall. Gives you a nice smooth wall with just the holes you need. Also interested in them seats for my 75 if you decide to part with them
Dan's been working hard man. Smashing out the content 💪🏾. Absolutely love to see it dude. Just take your time with this man. Get it stripped, get it rolling, get it cleaned. Go from there. Its just work 👌
Woofers and gun storage, I dig it. As for my like button press it was the slowly dropping lift for me. Tho, I'd hit it a second time for that carry belt and reaction.
The first thing you should probably do is strip the car down as far as you want to go. Clean, cut etc until the car is functional even if it doesn't look great. Then get the body work done before finishing up the final wiring. It shouldn't be to difficult just a lot, a lot, a lot of work. You got this Dan.
Dan for everything you are saying ....take everything off and send it out to get sand blasted to see what you have as far as rust and holes it will remove the undercoating and trunk shit and remove any mold from the interior and make it a breeze to weld and metalwork .... spray it with weldthru primer to stop it from rusting ........
and dan please dont forget to RGB lighting everything you can on this classic car. headlights, taillights, headliner, steering wheel, shifter, radio, wheels, underglow, do one of those light up antennas like on those side by sides, and build a center console with storage for a lunch kit
Little insight on the wiring, any standalone ECU company will have a universal harness, make your own ends for the bulbs your using and the ECU handles the rest, watch Taylor ray with his comp Vette build, it's all super simple so you got nothing to worry about
Will you need to somehow fit the engine and transmission to build the new tunnel? That sounds like a later issue, I'd really focus on one thing at a time and not juggle multiple parts. Gets messy and stressful then. Starting with ripping the interior and stripping it sounds like good idea followed by fixing the small holes.
In the words of David Freiburger, "Don't get it right, just get it running." I would get it running and driving before you go all out and make it look all pretty, that way you can enjoy the car more while you're still working on it. It will also allow you to test it more to make sure everything you think you want to do with it is actually what you want it to be like after you start driving it. Plus you won't be so worried about getting rubber all over the back of the car during your first couple burnouts. That's my two cents anyway, I'll still watch the whole build no matter how you do it lol
While chassis is at bodyshop just 1 over the engine and t56 have it bolted up ready to go in and just make a list of everything youd need to do to be back assembled and driving. Goodluck man this things gonna be amazing when its done
Look into American auto wire kits, I used a factory replacement on a c10 and tapped into it with my Holley terminator x max. I feel like that was the cleanest way to do it. Also left a lot of versatility if I ever wanted to put the small block back into it or use a different combo. Also older gm cars trans tunnels are typically all the same as they didn’t change the press for the small block and big block cars. Should just have to cut a new hole for the shifter and use a tubular crossmember. Also a hammer and dolly will be your best friend on the firewall as you’ll be able to fix the large majority of the creases just by cutting slits in them and banging them flat and rewording the seam you cut.
Dan I'm so jelly about this car that I don't know if I can watch! Lol.. I've wanted a 70 to 73 for 30yrs. I've had a 74,76 and 69 just not the round tail lights! 74 and 6 were white also.. 5 star cragars!! I have 3 kids now instead of cars but one day before I go?? I pray.. wish you the best of luck with this one!!!!
So my dad and I have done lots of Chevelles. I have a 69 Chevelle and my dad has three. One of the biggest things that help when doing stuff like this is a rotisserie for the body.
It may not be bad to make a checklist on a white board for the Camaro. You’ve done that on other projects and that may work well for this project. Love the videos. Keep it up honcho. 👍🏻
I have a 72 RS that's been sitting for 26 years. Maybe I can get motivated here. In my defense I have built 2 67 camaros, a 69 4x4 suburban and a 57 Chevy 210 among smaller projects in that time. Problem now is I'm getting old.
Honestly, I would strip the car, and then have the whole thing acid dipped and start from bare metal. Replace and modify any and all sheet metal, then work your way towards finished. Only way to get it exactly how you want.
100% Strip the car. Fix the rust, and any other bodywork that needs to be done. Then build it. Build the car entirely. Make sure it runs, and drives exactly how you want it to. Get it so all that's left to do is paint. Then strip it down again and take it to a body shop to tighten it up/paint. Make "To-Do Lists" the entire way, and live by them. As you go you will keep finding things that need to be done, add it to the list imediately. Leave nothign off your lists you WILL forget about it. A dry-erase board is a great thing to have. A spread sheet will work too, but just isn't as cool IMHO. Spread sheets jsut don't have that "mad scientist" thing going. Stay organized, don't rush it, and everything will be fine.
Learning is always fun but for your first classic send it to someone professional. Use your learning experience for a less valuable chasis. Lol me learning to weld on scrap metal. Also do everything body wise first before sending it off. So you don't have to worry about scratching your paint afterwards.
Need to get the engine and trans in it before paint. Run all your lines and cut the firewall/tunnel for the clearanced you need. Then blow it all back apart and send it off to paint
