I have owned a muscle car in some form or another for the better part of 20 years, but the commitments of life eventually caught up with me. I sold my 1970 Olds Rally 350 to build a garage for our newly purchased home in the country. There was a void in my life. A void my wife understood.

Travel ahead five years and we decided it was time to fill that void and buy another muscle car. My way is to buy a basket case and start from scratch, but the Voice of Reason (my loving wife) suggested buying something a little closer to finished so we could start enjoying it now, not two years from now.

But what to buy? Of all the cars I had owned the one I really regretted selling was my 1973 Z/28 RS LT that I had owned from 1981 to 1988. Hmmm... good parts availability, room to squeeze the kids in the back and they could still be had at a reasonable price. The search began! The only things on my list of “had to haves,” were early 2nd Gen, the right color (red or blue with white stripes) and a four-speed. We purposely looked for a car that was “not numbers matching” so we could change anything we wished without feeling bad about it. I truly admire the folks that try to keep everything numbers matching. I’ve been that route before and know that it just isn’t me.

Originally published in Camaro World magazine and on the World Wide Camaro website.
Reprinted with permission

In November 1999 we found a 70% finished project. A 1973 Z/28, Viper Red with white stripes and an M21 four-speed. The motor was freshly rebuilt but didn’t have a spec of chrome on it. The interior still needed work as well as the wiring and electrical system. We brought the new baby home in early December 1999, drove her one time and parked her to work on through the winter.

During that long winter we finished the interior and electrical, put on a few of the shiny pieces and added the wheels and tires that are currently on the car. Wheels are Weld “Fat 50’s” wrapped with BFG TIA radials. The engine sports a 355 with flat top pistons, mild cam and stock heads. Up top is a “Stealth” intake, Edelbrock 750 carb and GM HEI ignition. It all exits through Dynomax headers and “Super Turbo” mufflers. Behind the four-speed is a 3.73 posi.

Our first major show was Camaro Superfest 2000, where we were stunned to take a First Place in 1970-73 Street Class. We then traveled to Camaros at Carlisle 2000, where we took a Second Place. In 2001, she was displayed on the cover of the Camaro Superfest brochure. Since then we have done three to four shows a year and to date the Z has taken two Firsts, four Seconds and a Third, including most recently a Second Place in 1970-73 Modified at Camaro Superfest 2003.

I am one of the people that believe that a car is NEVER finished. Future modifications include a head and cam swap to add some more grunt and a five or six-speed overdrive tranny so she can keep up with the 4th Gens on our long Western Michigan Camaro Club cruises.

My wife, two sons and myself all enjoy our hobby. My sons are getting older and developing the same passion for muscle cars I had as a youth and my wife is into it to the point we had to buy her a 2001 SS of her own. My “void” has been filled with what I can honestly say is the most enjoyable project I’ve ever done and it is all thanks to The Voice of Reason.