Finishing touches - Part 2

At the end of a build I always go through the car and make sure everything is up to par. On the Camaro, I thought the front markers were OK, but once everything around was new - well, they stood out  - for being OLD. New parts were ordered, delivered - and installed.

Talk about details - as I was hooking up the new wiper motor, I noticed the "E" was missing from the knob bezel....so some careful detailing brought it back out,

Th car was without wipers since the firewall was shaved a while back, but since it was now owned by one of the RCMP's finest - and wanting to make it a driver  - meant it had to have working wipers!

Luckily, the original wiring and connector were tied off behind the engine, 

so it was still "plug and play"!

Everything - right down to the squirters!

50 years of pullin' gears meant the shifter bolt inserts had pulled right out of the floor so,

 after locating the holes through the padding and new carpet, 

new inserts where installed to give it that "as-new" feeling.

Before the console was re-installed, it was treated to a coat of SEM black. Doing it right meant first cleaning it up with prep-paint solvent and then giving it a coat of sand-free adhesion promoter prior to painting with SEM "Landau Black"

Perfection!

Stay tuned for final photo's in the sun!

OK, one teaser!

Finishing touches - Part 1 (of 10 at least - LOL!)

 Grille and headlight doors.... funny how they never go back in as easily as they came out!

                                           Everything fits nice and tight behind new grille -

The grille looks so good I couldn't use the top chrome strip due to some previous damage. We'll order that up with the front market lights.

Bumpers where finally next on the agenda.

 

With the front end ready to be lowered back down, I did a rough toe adjustment -

These new tie-rod adjusters really simplify toe-in 

Getting far enough along that the name plates may as well be on...

Looks almost done here!

A quick buff o the center caps before they where re0installed...

 Next week I'll trim the carpet, install the console and a few other things and it'll pretty much be ready for sub-trades: Interior, AC system finalize and charge, wheel alignment and such...

 As with every proejct, while bitter-sweet to see it go, it'll be a blast to see it at a car show, or carving turns at an aautocross!

Modding the suspension: SpeedTech tubular control arms and Viking Shocks

Upon posting up my work on the completed Left side, I was reminded that I was supplied with new Viking coilover, double-adjustable shocks. D'Oh!

Luckily I had only done the one side and it didnt take much to swap out the shock set-up....

 The Viking set up is a very nice kit -

The right-side lower control arm was a hell of alot tougher to install, likely due to a slightly tweaked cross member. Jusdging by the bent lower lip, this side of the cross member contacted something solid at some point in it's life. This will have to be kept in mind during the alignment phase and if shims are not enough to correct for it, it may have to be measured and pulled forward.

With the upper and lower control arms installed, it was time to install the Viking shock system - 

Double-adjustable coilovers should add a lot of tuning ability to the front end. With the right tires this Camaro should be a hoot on the track!

 Cinching up the ball joints -

The big new sway bar was next. After coating the rubber busing and steel mount with the included lubcrication, I bolted them up the frame.

The old sway bar hangars and arms were still in faily good nick - 

The included sway bar arm replacements where exactly like the originals removed, but the Speed Tech hangers (that came with the tubular control arms) where stellar units.

 Judging by the condition of the upper mounting bolts, the rear shocks had been on the car for a while....but off they finally came and the shocks were swapped out.

But the new double adjutables sure look sweet!

More scrap parts for the parts bucket!