What We're Working On: Update on Erika's '68 Camaro
Hello fellow FCG enthusiasts! It's been a bit since we recognized the FCG Team's progress.
You'll be happy to know, since our first blog post featuring Erika's '68 Camaro, it has been blasted, primed, and had the transmission rebuilt. So what's next? Read more below to find out!
From Erika:
In the last few months, the car has been blasted, primed, and had the transmission rebuilt. Our friends at Big Easy Blasting, Metal Menders, and Angelo's Transmissions shops gave us the help we needed. I'm pumped to be making the progress, but I know the next phase will feel painstakingly slow in comparison.
Now begins the metalwork.... I have some areas which we initially anticipated, such as the quarters, and rear valence panel, but I've also decided to go ahead with mini-tubbing the rear fender wells. The trunk had some rough spots, so along with mini-tubbing, I'm planning to go ahead with a completely custom trunk layout. The plan is to add a fuel cell that will sit lower into the custom trunk pan, allowing me to still use the original goose neck to fill up.
In addition to the trunk, the roof and passenger side floor pan had pin-hole spots. To save myself from future headache and prolong the car, I've opted to replace both the roof skin and floor pans. I could have worked with what we found, but my goal is to build this for the ages. Overall, I was pretty happy with the bones we uncovered. The car is in decent shape and in a great jumping off point for the work ahead.
In the coming weeks, it will be headed over to Larabell Race Cars for its metal fab and structural support. Mike is the best in the business, so I trust him to make sure the car's straight as an arrow and structurally sound. It will be in his hands for the next few months as he works his magic.
In the meantime, I have to trust the process and focus on the contributing factors - suspension, chassis, etc.
The hope is to have this phase of the project completed by the end of the year. However, we all know that being Financially Challenged has it's reasons and comes at a price- time and money. The good news is that we're on the right track! Definitely looking forward to the next few stages as it all starts slowing coming back together.