Now we’re cooking

Today we buttoned up the dash on the Camaro. The gauges have all been checked and passed. So we went ahead and installed the gauge cluster in the dash for the final time. We also installed the center dash cover as well. Moving along, it wont be long now.

Getting cooler

The Camaro saw some action today. We plumbed the condenser and ran all the hoses for the A/C and heater on the engine side. We also were able to get the door installed on the driver side and the fender and fender well installed. The fender is on but we will have to fine tune the alignment more tomorrow. Its going to look more and more like a car over the next few days.

Ahhh, Thats cool

Today we buttoned up the the A/C and almost all of the wiring. The Column is completely bolted in as well as the A/C control panel. All the hose for the vents have also been run.  This only really leaves the dash to hook up and the inside is squared away.

Turning the corner

Today was a good day. We installed the steering column and had some good progress on mounting the Vintage air box. We have to run one more A/C line before we can button that up, but we are pretty close. We also wire the plugs for the gauges, and the turn signal switch. You can see the wiper switch has also been installed. When you get to this stage of the build things appear to slow down. Wiring is a bit time consuming as well as determining the routing of the A/C lines and heater hoses. The only thing you can do is just keep plugging along. Take it one step at a time and don’t rush.

Making it cool

Sorry for the lack of posts these past few days. I have been taking pictures, but have not had time to write. Sometimes life gets in the way. So, here is an updated on the Camaro. We have been wiring the inside and the engine over the past few days. All the wires for the console and the gauges in there are wired as well as the starter, distributor, wiper motor, alternator, oil pressure and temperature sending units are all done. While I was doing the wiring Chris and Chase installed the A/C compressor and the radiator support. We will start installing the fenders and doors soon. This will then allow us to run the wires for the head lights and turn signals. We will continue to keep plugging along on this project. Its on the downhill stretch now. The owners will riding in style in no time.

Whole lotta work going on

Lots going on today on the Camaro. Wiring, Fat Mat sound deadening material, and the engine and transmission getting installed today. While I was wiring the rear of the car, Chris started installing the Fat Mat. This product turns a hollow tin can sound into a super quiet thud when the doors are shut. We put this product everywhere we could. The roof, floors, rear package tray, inside firewall, even on the inside and underside of the dash. Even with a big block this car should be quiet as a mouse inside. When the doors close, the sound will resemble a new car.

 

 

I have all the wiring done on the back of the car now. Tail lights, back up lights, fuel gauge wire were all buttoned up today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The controls for the heat and A/C have to be converted over to electronic to work with the Vintage air system. I had to completely disassemble the original controls. Then I cleaned it up and painted the arms that the knobs go on.

 

Somewhere in the middle of all this work, the owner came by with a truck load of goodies, including the engine. Here you see Chase muscling the big block 396 ci motor into place.

 

 

 

Here you see the electronic slides that control the Vintage air unit. Wires will connect to these and plug into the unit. Once I got it all back together, every moving part was lubed for smooth operation.

Oh so Cool

Today we received a few boxes of goodies for the Camaro. The Vintage Air system came in. Vintage Air is a company that makes Air conditioning systems for just about any car imaginable. This unit will supply both heat and A/C. Here you can see us doing a mock up of where its going to be mounted. We also cut the holes for the vents, on each side and a center vent above where the controls mount in the dash.We also test fit the defrost vents which you cant see in these pictures. You can see where the bulkhead will be mounted. This part allows the coolant and the refrigerant to pass through the firewall into the unit and back out to the compressor and to the water pump. This test fit went very well. Hooking all that stuff up in a few months will be the challenging part.