1/18 custom 3rd Generation Camaro Trans Am racer
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 8:28 pm
Around 1986, my race car partner and I were wanting to upgrade our C3-chassied/'82 Pickett-bodied Corvette for something a little newer.
ARPCorvette by Jim Forte, on Flickr
We had been in constant contact with the prior owner of the Corvette (who produced fibreglass race car bodies), and when we mentioned to him that we wanted to upgrade, he informed us that he had acquired a tube frame chassis for a 3rd Generation Camaro in order to test fit bodies to, and that he was done with it.
Jake and I drove to Milwaukee from Dallas, TX with the rolling chassis of our Corvette in our trailer, and drove back with, essentially, a new car in kit form. The tube frame Camaro chassis had the rollcage, and front and rear clips attached, but that was it. The rest of the car parts, suspension, rear end, fuel cell, brakes, etc. were in boxes.
Along with a couple of volunteers, and through some troubling personal and economic times, we persevered and produced our Camaro.
ARP Camaro-New by Jim Forte, on Flickr
ARP Chassis-New by Jim Forte, on Flickr
ARPCamaro by Jim Forte, on Flickr
We fabricated almost everything you can see in these pictures, including hanging the body (the seller had merely mocked up his body panels with tack welded brackets and racer's tape), completing the aluminum interior (firewall, cockpit, exhaust tunnel), completing all the plumbing (dry sump oil system, brakes, fuel lines, and engine cooling), completing all the wiring, and detailing and finishing.
I have been wanting to try to create a duplicate, so will be chronicling that effort here.
My donors will be a SunStar 1982 Camaro Z28, and a GMP 1996 Trans Am Camaro.
SunstarZ28 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
GMPCamaro by Jim Forte, on Flickr
I'll skip the boring disassembly process and go right to the staging of the two donor components.
IMG_1727 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Here you can see from above that the componentry will be a nice fit.
IMG_1730 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Here from the side you can see that there are already some conflicts which don't allow the body to seat onto the chassis.
IMG_1731 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Going to be some major Dremel work.
ARPCorvette by Jim Forte, on Flickr
We had been in constant contact with the prior owner of the Corvette (who produced fibreglass race car bodies), and when we mentioned to him that we wanted to upgrade, he informed us that he had acquired a tube frame chassis for a 3rd Generation Camaro in order to test fit bodies to, and that he was done with it.
Jake and I drove to Milwaukee from Dallas, TX with the rolling chassis of our Corvette in our trailer, and drove back with, essentially, a new car in kit form. The tube frame Camaro chassis had the rollcage, and front and rear clips attached, but that was it. The rest of the car parts, suspension, rear end, fuel cell, brakes, etc. were in boxes.
Along with a couple of volunteers, and through some troubling personal and economic times, we persevered and produced our Camaro.
ARP Camaro-New by Jim Forte, on Flickr
ARP Chassis-New by Jim Forte, on Flickr
ARPCamaro by Jim Forte, on Flickr
We fabricated almost everything you can see in these pictures, including hanging the body (the seller had merely mocked up his body panels with tack welded brackets and racer's tape), completing the aluminum interior (firewall, cockpit, exhaust tunnel), completing all the plumbing (dry sump oil system, brakes, fuel lines, and engine cooling), completing all the wiring, and detailing and finishing.
I have been wanting to try to create a duplicate, so will be chronicling that effort here.
My donors will be a SunStar 1982 Camaro Z28, and a GMP 1996 Trans Am Camaro.
SunstarZ28 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
GMPCamaro by Jim Forte, on Flickr
I'll skip the boring disassembly process and go right to the staging of the two donor components.
IMG_1727 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Here you can see from above that the componentry will be a nice fit.
IMG_1730 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Here from the side you can see that there are already some conflicts which don't allow the body to seat onto the chassis.
IMG_1731 by Jim Forte, on Flickr
Going to be some major Dremel work.