Coast to Coast Cool
November 7, 2025
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
ELECTRIFIED
If you are like many of us who have at one time or another opted for a less expensive vehicle to build, then this how-to will be of interest to you. At the cost of certain features or creature comfort conveniences—mundane items like power windows and locks—we often begin with what may be considered a strippo model or a basic transportation car that is … well, available. These cars can, after all, make for a great foundation that can easily be personalized, just like we are doing here.
CORVETTE GRAND SPORT FANS:
Although few might admit it, Corvette owners owe a deep debt of gratitude to the original Ford Thunderbird. The fledgling Vette, introduced in 1953, was General Motors’ idea of an open-air, wind-in-your-face sports car that was apparently an attempt to recreate Europe’s success with the MG. Unfortunately, the General didn’t get it quite right. The cars were equipped with the underwhelming Blue Flame Six, side curtains for the windows and an experimental body made of that new material called fiberglass, which had more than its share of production difficulties. Only 300 versions of the Polo White cars were completed that first year, and even though 10,000 were scheduled for 1954, only 3,600 actually rolled off the assembly line.
BOOSTED BIRD
All Ford guys know the proper formula for building a Fox-body car: take a Mustang and cram it full of injected V-8. That’s the mantra, the 11th commandment of the Mustang community. Fortunately, someone forgot to show that particular stone tablet to Bill Powell, owner of Powell Performance (714/992-4909). He did something very different when he built his Fox body: he built a Thunderbird, and he built it with a turbo-four.
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STREET DREAMS
A ’67 Ragtop That Makes Every Day a Fun Day to Travel
Mark Turner is an avid hot rodder—he eats, sleeps and breathes hot rods and muscle cars, and he jumps at any opportunity to add another car to his collection. On one of Turner’s many trips to check on the progress of a Camaro he had being built at G&S Custom Fabrication & Suspension in Athens, Alabama, owner Greg Blaydes told him about a ’67 Camaro RS/SS convertible being built whose owner had lost interest and was looking to get out from under the car.
Author
Josh Kaylor
Story & Photography
Purchasing the Camaro
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.
Suspension and Brake Work
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.
Bodywork and Customization
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.
Engine Build
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.
Transmission and Drivetrain
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.
Interior and Finishing Touches
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.
Completion and Final Thoughts
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.
The late-model Nissan Sentra seats were reupholstered in rich black leather, while the factory gauges were replaced with Auto Meter white-face units in a custom Covan’s dash.
Under the hood, Turner opted to have a sinister 454 big block built to provide serious tire-turning power. Backing the killer Bow Tie engine is a Tremec five-speed transmission.
