STREET DREAMS

Being a true Camaro enthusiast, it didn’t take Turner long to purchase the car for the attractive sum of $2,000. A few weeks later, Turner and his pal Danny Griffin loaded up the car and all its pieces, took it home and began the arduous task of reassembling the Camaro.

Since Blaydes had already hung several new panels on the car for the previous owner, Turner and Griffin began the assembly. After blasting and cleaning the front clip, the two first assembled the front suspension using Hotchkis dropped coil springs and 2-1/2-inch-dropped spindles to get the nose of the car low to the ground. To help bring the Pro Touring Camaro to a halt, the drum brakes were replaced with a set of 12.19-inch Wilwood discs with twin-piston calipers. Out back, Blaydes had already mini-tubbed the car to accommodate the narrowed 9-inch Ford rear, which is held in place with a set of Detroit Speed 3-inch-dropped springs and is stuffed with a set of Randy’s Ring and Pinion 3.50 gears. Stopping power comes from Wilwood 12.19-inch disc brakes. Completing the front and rear suspension package is a set of 17×8- and 17×11-inch Newstalgia wheels wrapped in Michelin rubber.

With the suspension work completed, Turner and Griffin began working on all the little details before delivering the car to Tony’s Body Shop in Fort Payne, Alabama. Owner Tony Olivia began by stripping the car to bare metal and reworking the panels to perfection. With the car disassembled, Olivia welded up the front bumper holes, one of the few exterior mods this Camaro would see. Rather than reuse the factory hood, Turner opted to purchase a fiberglass hood with a late-model SS-style scoop from Year One. Olivia also built a custom dash for the Camaro to help make the interior look more appealing. With those details completed, Olivia applied a flawless coat of PPG Incan Gold to the vintage Chevy sheetmetal.

While the bodywork was being done, Turner and Griffin decided that, since the Camaro is the quintessential muscle car, it should be powered by a big-block Chevy. Turner supplied Bo and John Shacklett with a stock 454, and the rest is history. The duo began by installing a forged bottom end producing 10:1 compression, topped by a set of reworked GM iron heads. To operate the valvetrain, Shacklett installed a 0.480-inch-lift Comp cam and lifters. An Edelbrock Air-Gap intake and Holley Street Avenger carb were installed atop the 454, and to rid the engine of spent gases, Turner installed a set of Sanderson headers in a custom-built exhaust.

Since the car was intended to be driven, Turner installed a Tremec five-speed behind the 454. Converting that torque into usable power is a Centerforce clutch inside a blow-proof bell housing. Dave’s Drive Shaft was enlisted to build a driveshaft to withstand all that power without fear of breakage.

With the car almost complete, Turner and Griffin wired the car and installed beautiful new trim and a Detroit Speed wiper delay. Turner opted to install a Covan’s molded dash and Auto Meter white-face gauges and then delivered the car to Russell Upholstery in Athens, Alabama, where upholsterer extraordinaire James Russell worked his magic. Russell began by removing the headrests from a set of ’02 Nissan Sentra seats and upholstered them in rich black leather. Before bolting in the new seats, he installed a new molded carpet kit. Utilizing the same black leather used on the seats, Russell built and upholstered a set of custom door and kick panels. Before calling it quits, Turner installed a new Flaming River polished column, a Billet Specialties steering wheel and a new power top.

Turner and Griffin completed the Camaro convertible in June 2007 and have been steadily cranking up the miles while attending events such as the Goodguys Nashville Nationals and several others. The Camaro now shares the shop with several cars, including a Nova II, a ’32 Ford roadster and a ’68 Chevy truck, to name a few. Since the Camaro has been completed, it has seen the lion’s share of attention, and that’s because this one belongs on the street.