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Totally Awesome Elky
“I started building this car a little over 15 years ago after completing a Pro Street ’70 Camaro RS for my then-16-year-old son, Brad,” says overhead door installation specialist Jim Meltzer of Ventura, California. “I always had the urge to build a ’59 Pro Street Chevrolet El Camino (hence the nickname “U.S. Pro-1”), having owned one of those cars when I was just 21 years old,” he says. “Forty years later, the ’60 came along, and I figured that was close enough. The El Camino project was a joint collaboration with my sons Brad and Rod, and it got off to a great start. We made plans for a big motor and even built a full rollcage for that huge hunk of steel with the intentions of actually racing it.”

COLOSSAL COLUMBUS
Colorful street rods and street machines filled the huge Columbus Fairgrounds, with an estimated 8,000 cars in attendance. This panorama shows just a small section of the event, and the building in the background is where the swap meet was held.

Product Spotlight: Brian Tooley Racing’s GEN III & IV TRUCK NORRIS CAM
Are you ready to give your GM truck the performance boost it deserves? Look no further than the BTR Gen III/IV Truck Norris Camshaft from Brian Tooley Racing. Designed specifically for 1999-2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, this camshaft is engineered to deliver a significant increase in horsepower and torque, transforming your daily driver into a powerhouse.
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Light at the End of the Camaro
The End Seems Brighter With Marquez Taillights
Author
Carrie Fesler
Photography courtesy of Fesler Productions
During its search for what would make for an interesting and much sought-after early Camaro, H&H decided to transform its project Camaro into something you would be proud to own. Previously, we walked you through the suspension fabrication and installation. We went from the stock, well-used suspension to an upgraded Air Ride Technologies air system that enabled a set of 20-inch wheels to neatly tuck under the well-proportioned wheel wells. We then covered the bodywork steps and the paint in another article. A fitting combination, considering that the execution of this Camaro illustrates what can be done to a well-worn car with some careful planning and a lot of straightforward work. So, if you are not the lucky one to win this car, know that you can duplicate it by following the steps that H&H decided would make a great-looking and well-running classic Camaro.
Now we are enticing you with a simple technical install that includes a set of new aftermarket taillights. When you think of Camaro taillights, you don’t generally think of custom approaches or out-of-this-world modifications, as the stock Camaro lights are still quite popular. Let’s face it, if the original lights are there and can be refurbished, they either work or they don’t, and good working rear lights will prove useful when avoiding a rearend mishap. In this context, they are necessary—modified or stock. However, the ’69 taillights can be fine-tuned, and for this upgrade, H&H selected a set of billet rim rings from Marquez Design & Fabrication.
These billet rings replace the stockers and add just the right amount of bling to this ’60s-era muscle car. Read along and follow the 16 simple steps that it takes to give the rear of your ’69 Camaro a “face” lift.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Marquez Design & Fabrication
14190 Sargent Ave.
Galt, CA 95632
209/744-9917









