Grandfather's 68 SS Camaro.

[JRC99]

I was bored so I pulled the passenger side head off. This... really doesn't look that bad, at least to my un trained eye. Certainly not the nightmare it looked like on the borescope. I don't quite understand how it looked dreadful on camera yet looks almost fine to my eye but I'll take it.

[Too Many Projects]

It does show wear and on a rebuild, you'll want the size measured and determine if a hone and re-ring will be within specs.
The main hurdle you need to get past is the block being taken down to absolute bare and thoroughly cleaned to remove all the metal particles and debris from the cam failure. Any less than meticulously clean and there could be particles left in the block to score new crank and cam bearings.

[JRC99]

The time has come. Engine is going to a builder next weekend if nothing pops up. Should have it back sometime in January. It's finally happening!

I could have tried rebuilding it myself... but I've waited over twenty years to drive this car more than two miles. I'd rather just have it done. I have a 383 stroker in the garage if I truly want to learn how to rebuild an engine.

[dykstra]

Super cool!

[BJCHEV396]

Good luck,hope everything turns out OK.

[JRC99]

Boredom made me grab what I think is the date code off the block and the heads. Block is E 7 73 so I think that means May 7th 1973?

One of the heads is F 18 9 the other is I 12 9

I *think* that's June 18th 1969 and September 12th 1969? I didn't think to get pictures of the dates on the heads.

[JRC99]

Tomorrow.

Also, I always forget how damn sharp this car actually looks when it's not tucked in a garage.

[JRC99]

Engine is with the builder, and getting hot tanked Monday! Asked him to guess what it should make power wise and compression ratio. Should make, his quick guess, 560hp. Gross, and crank, I'm sure, but still. Also, despite the flat tops, it's been heavily decked (as I'm sure most of you probably noticed from the pictures). So it should still be right around 10.5 or 11 to one. It'll scare the hell out of me, that's for sure

Interestingly, while it's all still getting replaced, the bearings and whatnot did not look that bad, and the rings are still very tight

[JRC99]

No pictures, but I'm kinda amazed at how quick it's progressing. Block's already back from getting tanked, it's been honed, and I've already bought most of the stuff it needs to go back together. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it's back and ready to go into the car by New Year's! I don't think 15 year old me, or 18 year old me, or even 24 year old me would have thought it'd A) ACTUALLY happen, at least on my dime and B) In such a short amount of time. To say I'm ready to start bouncing off the walls in excitement is a bit of an understatement. Like I've been telling everyone, I've been waiting over 20 years to drive this car more than half throttle and more than two miles from home. I've never gotten to have fun behind the wheel of it, only as a passenger, and it's the only one of my grandfather's cars I never got to truly enjoy. The Mustang? I've beaten the hell out of that car since I was 18. The Grand National? Same. The Chevelle? Yup, I've even driven that fairly hard (except the transmission likes to upshift at 4000rpm but that car isn't my problem at this point in time)

But the Camaro? Nope. Hell, I remember taking pictures in 2018 (you can find them in this thread. I implore anyone who goes through and reads to disregard my utter, painful lack of knowledge, and my 'It's happening this time!' and 'I'm totally doing THIS to the car!' Call it youthful naivete, and at 26 I still have plenty of it) and it was a block from the house. And it still popped and stalled. Wire came loose from the distributor. Did it when I drove it in 2020, too. The time I drove it in high school, Dad was with me, I had my permit, and of course, it had a 650 Holley on it and didn't run right anyway.

What I'm saying is I've never felt big block torque unleashed by my right foot. Not properly. And I have an ear to ear grin just imagining it.

[dykstra]

Glad to hear your project is progressing!