68 Z/28 RS Rescue
 

I’ve been working on this car for awhile. Special thanks to several members here for technical intel and parts. Still a way to go but I suppose it’s time to share my project and progress.

Link is to my thread on a paint forum so it’s focused on that but does cover some broader aspects of the job.

http://www.spiuserforum.com/index.ph...-rescue.10488/

I found an old abandoned race car that turned out to be a very interesting piece. It was behind a body shop and my first look at it I ran away, then I went beck after thinking about it. It was once a highly optioned Z, with deluxe red interior, D80 spoilers, full gauges, tint, Rally Sport pkg and one of 200ish with power steering. Sold new near me in Columbus, Indiana. The second owner got it in 1969 and drove it to college, wrecked the front end and put on a glass doghouse and painted it flat black. Then drove it and sold it to a racing family in 1974. Mel the dad bought it for his son Randy to start drag racing at 15 and they lied on the applications. After Randy got good (he is a pro racer still today) they sold it and someone back halved it and shot it white and then over time it became just an old junk car.

But because of the rarity of it and that I'd sworn off projects but never stick to a resolution, I made a deal with the body shop to make it a painted roller for me and off we went.

Then after a couple years in body shop prison, I took the car out of there and started un-doing the work that had been done.

As found

various stages

Looks amazing! Well done…

05B Norwood. Tag before and after.

Very cool!!!

Here are some chassis components

Running

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OntId_...7s&pp=2AFDkAIB

Awesome! Great work.

Neat car! What compression did you end up with?

Tim

Wow. Wish I had your talent.

Right around 11.3

Whitepost saved the almost unsaveable WT master cyl.

Left the tire sticker untouched but preserved under a plexiglass disc in the cup holder.

^^ We did a Very similar thing on my Red "E70-15" Box Sticker!
It is Paramount to retain the as built 'decal' in this instance (aka 68Z documentation)

SMS

Great Job I Really enjoyed the photos in your Link.

Jim

Great job on preserving the tire pressure decal!

Beautiful job - hats off to your expertise and eye on the details!

Thanks for all the supportive words team.

That is quite motivating, needed at times during a long part time project.

Here are a few more updates.

Original red and black paint found under the deteriorating white.
Alone with white stripe remnants dropping into the trunk lid jamb.

Incredible resto, nicely done.

Some of the drivetrain. My few day 2 influences on this one is a set of 4.88 gears in the rear and m22 gear set in the m21 case. These, plus reproduction factory headers and a few top secret engine internals are my deviations to faithfulness

The car had been off the road since 1974. This school decal and student parking pass from 1971 still in the back window was instrumental in tracking down the second owner, who put me in touch with the original family and the family he sold it to.

Tinted glass and 725 interior

New covers and door panels have arrived. Original dash pad cleaned up and is perfect.

Lonestar Caliper sleeved the original units for me.

814 alternator. Special thanks to Paul L (HuggerSS) for locating the correct deep groove ps pulley. (Yes, wrong cap on the pump. I’ll fix that)

Also very elusive fast ratio 391 Pittman arm. :)

That motor is gonna love the 11.3 compression and the 4:88 rear! Hope you have enough vacuum for the power brakes.

Should have. I had Erson do a special grind on the lobe separation and overlap designed to enhance idle vacuum. Now that you mentioned it, I forgot to check the vacuum when I had it running so I’ll have to do that upon reassembly.

Rich P coming thru on specific bolt markings when I’m in a jamb.

Outstanding details, true to form

Funny thing about this car. As dilapidated as it was overall, when I was looking it over in the field trying to not breathe the raccoon scatted interior, we found the shoulder belts perfectly tucked neatly in their overhead clips. It looked like they had never ever been deployed LOL.

Red overspray and red oxide primer created in the interior.

Tried to match the original cowl white out pattern.

Somehow, we’ve already passed the QC inspections. :)

First panel cut and buffed.

That is some splendid work there!

Shows you just about any car is never too far gone to bring back to life.

any more pics when it was "as found" or as abandoned? you've come a long way with it!
great save!

Just caught this thread. Excellent work throughout and on point with all of the details. And just wow with all the execution of the paint work!!! I love that you got the underside and the firewall detailed as you did. Bravo SMS

G.

Hood buffed tonight and stored in the basement until stripe time.

Wow - you've got the home game dialed!

First thanks for saving this camaro second you are doing an amazing job. Thanks for sharing your talent and progress much appreciated!

Any chance getting to see really what you started with. I see the picture from the back but a side view or 2 would be great?