1968 Chevy Camaro SS

Build Journey from Restomod to LS Swap/Pro-Touring

• @celineblackpearl

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ABOUT

During the end of 2015, I started searching for a 67-68 Camaro, manual & semi-restored, to purchase and work on. I finally landed on a 68 Restomod that I fell in love with. Next day, I took a flight to NY, test drove it, put a deposit, and flew back to MA.

Celine had one previous owner, who restored it with original parts and some aftermarket parts. It was then sold to a dealership in Long Island, NY, which I then purchased it from in January 14, 2016.

Even though Celine was a Restomod, it still wasn’t very reliable. The Carburetor would constantly choke, over-heat and stall. It needed major tuning, and suspension adjustment. That was exactly what I was looking for, an incomplete first gen camaro to work on.

In November 2018, I decided to start my “Project LSx Swap”. The build took longer than expected due to usual surprises in a build that needed many new parts, such as new mounts, bearings, etc..

After the LS swap, it was day & night. More power, and reliability. The only thing left was to improve handling and comfort. A year later, November 2019, I decided to start on “Project Pro-Touring”. It was time to turn this ’68 into a daily driven machine.

Classic Muscle: Where to start?

Choosing & buying a classic car is not as easy as modern cars. If you search for 1968 Camaro on any site (e.g. Hemmings.com), you’ll find many for sale at widely ranged prices ($4,000 to $200,000). So how to choose your classic muscle, will all depend on what you’re planning to do with the car. Do you want a fully built ready classic for a piece of mind, or Do you want a semi-restored classic to work on yourself?

As you know, I like to build and customize my own cars. So I was looking for a restored good condition running ’67-’68 Camaro, which is considered a Restomod. Restomods refers to classic cars being restored, including some modern upgraded parts. For First-Gen Camaros, I’ve seen the price range vary between $25,000 to $40,000. You would have to familiarize yourself with the work done to the Restomod car, and know what parts have been restored or upgraded.

Next, and most importantly is to TEST DRIVE, and make sure to look all over for rust, especially underneath the car. Don’t let a paint-job fool you. Try to find out what parts have been upgraded by the previous owner, this is important! Not knowing what parts have been upgraded might affect your build goal…Trust me, I found out the hard way when I started upgrading my suspension. (I’ll mention what happened below).

I found my ’68 Camaro SS on Hemmings, being sold by a Classic Car dealership. I test drove the car, and felt comfortable purchasing it. It was in an okay condition, the motor was healthy. I wanted a NOT-Perfect Camaro, so I can do my own full rebuild. The one annoying part is that the dealership did not have any upgrade part details that was done by the previous original owner. I had to do the research myself.

Restomod Build

AR105 Torq Thrust M (American Racing)
-17×8, 4.5 backspace, 0mm offset
Disc Brake 10.5″ Rotors
C10 Chevy Calipers
Sumitomo HTRZII 235/45/17 & 275/40/17

Cowl Induction 2″ Hood
OER Injection Front Spoiler
G/stock Gauges (Classic Instrument)
OEM 15″ 3 spoke Steering Wheel
Custom 2-tone Paint-job

My experience with the Restomod 1968 Camaro SS: I knew what I was getting myself into choosing to buy this Restomod. What I didn’t get right, was the extensive issues running a carbureted engine in hot & cold weather. The carbs would either constantly choke and stall, when it’s hot, or take ages to crank in winter.

The suspension setup that was on it made it feel like you’re driving Fred Flinstones car haha. Exhaust fumes were unbearable, taking hard corners would throw you left to right…everything about this car was way beyond from being perfect.

As always, I start doing my research, reading, joining forums, and speaking with current owners for educational advice. I finally decided to go with an LS swap first, and then focus on the Pro-Touring side “handling”.

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LSx Pro-Touring Build

I began my LS swap project, after moving back home from the U.S. The one main issue over here, are the resources of classic parts and experienced shops/mechanics who have the knowledge on working on classic cars.

Fortunately, I was able to find a mechanic to help my with finding the engine parts, and help me with the build. I ended up going with an LSx route (which is a mix of LS parts) because parts were easier to find, rather than going for a full LS2 or LS3 swap. My goal here is to have a reliable street-driven Camaro.

LQ4 6.0L; 364cid
317 Heads (LS)
LS1 Intake Manifold
Engine Mounts
Power Steering (LS)
Spark plugs
Fuel injectors
Fuel pump (Bosch)
Alternator (AcDelco 145amps)
Air Intake (K&N)
Aluminum Large Intercooler – Custom
A/C compressor (LS)
Rear extended Exhaust Pipes – Custom
Painted 6.0 Engine Cover (Holden SS)

T-56 6-speed (Tremec)
Shift Lever (Hurst)
Driveshaft (LS)
Clutches (Corvette C6)

Ridetech StreetGrip Kit, which includes:
Shocks HQ Series Adjustable Mono (Fox)
Coil springs 2” drop
Muscle Bar 1 1/8 (Front) w/ Billet ends
Delrin Control Arm Bushings
Composite Leaf Springs with Billet ends
Leaf Spring Bushings & Shackles
Tall Ball Joints
Lower Ball Joints

Additional parts installed:
1″ Lowering Block (Ridetech)
3/8″ Coil Spacers (Global West)
Steering Kit (Ridetech/Proforged)
Steering Arms (The Right Stuff)

11″ Slotted Rotors (The Right Stuff)
Dual Piston Calipers (Wilwood)
Stock Spindles (The Right Stuff)
Master Cylinder DBMC05 (The Right Stuff)
11′ Brake Booster RPB1001 (The Right Stuff)

Aesthetic Mods

7″ Halo Headlights (Oracle Lights)
Vengeance LED Tails (Black Cloud Battalion)
2″ Cowl induction hood (OER)
Front spoiler (OER)
AR105 Torq Thrust M – full gloss black (American Racing)
NT555 G2 235/45/17 & 245/45/17 (Nitto)

View all Exterior Photos –> HERE
View Wheel Setup Guides –> HERE

Gauge dash panel (AutoMeter)
UltraLite gauges (AutoMeter)
LS gauge install kit (AutoMeter)
GT9 retro Steering (GT Performance)
GT9 horn button (GT Performance)
Steering wheel adapter plate (Summit)
Rally Console with Dash (Classic Truck Console)
Sport R Upholstery (TMI)
3 point seat belts, (Morris Classics)
Shift Lever (Hurst)
Classic shift knob (Hurst)
Window Cranks (Lokar Midnight series)
Billet Lock Knobs (Eddie Motorsports)
Mp3 Player (Sony)

View Interior details –> HERE
View all Interior Photos –> HERE

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LSx/Pro-Touring Build
(pt. 1)

Camaro Instagram: @Celineblackpearl

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