1969 Camaro Before The Paint

By Chuck Vranas – Photography By The Author

While on the road recently for Modern Rodding, our journey took us to ABS Classic Muscle Car Restorations in Manchester, New Hampshire, to explore one of their latest project builds being finalized for the new season. Not every day do you get to witness a completed bare metal masterpiece, the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro featured in our pages, and you appreciate all the intricate details infused into it. Thanks to longtime client Pat Floyd of Chester, New Hampshire, we had the opportunity to elevate one of GM’s most iconic muscle cars. Shop owner Jay Doerfler masterfully incorporated the right style and innovation into the mix. Collaborating directly with team member Nicole Boisvert, the duo achieved a flawless balance of subtle design modifications and performance, ensuring the car stands out when it hits the scene.

02 1969 Camaro billet grille LED headlight front end close up — One of the most recognizable signature features is the extent of fabrication on the front end to create the lower spoiler and splitter, designed from 3-D scans in SolidWorks and handed over to SpeedKore Performance Group and EVOD Industries for production. The final version will be 100 percent carbon fiber.

When undertaking a build of this magnitude, true dedication to custom fabrication is essential when deciding to refine the lines of such a revered model. Let’s delve deeper into what makes this 1969 Camaro so special. Once the car was completely disassembled, it was cleaned thoroughly to prepare the bare shell for its new front and rear suspension.

03 1969 Camaro custom front splitter and fog light detail — Looking directly at the front end, the modified front bumper has been narrowed, shaved, and tucked, along with the addition of a lower front valance air inlet and a custom billet grille.

In the rear, a Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE) Ford 9-inch housing holds a Mark Williams aluminum center with a Detroit Truetrac spinning 3.50:1 gears through 31-spline axles. It’s held in place by a DSE QUADRALink rear suspension with a matching 1-1/4-inch sway bar and Panhard bar, deftly paired with single-adjustable JRi coilover shocks and DSE subframe connectors. A DSE Hydroformed subframe was bolted in place to enhance handling precision, complete with matching upper and lower control arms, forged aluminum spindles, a sway bar, rack-and-pinion steering, and JRi single-adjustable coilover shocks. When it’s time to reduce speed, an aluminum Baer Remaster dual-master moves fluid through custom stainless lines to Baer Extreme+ 14-inch drilled-and-vented rotors equipped with matching six-piston calipers at each corner. It all meets the road through a set of HRE Performance RS100 modular three-piece wheels, sized 18×10 in the front and 19×20 in the rear, fitted with Nitto NT01 tires, sized 275/35ZR18 and 325/30ZR19, respectively.

04 1969 Camaro hood underside bare metal with gas struts — Smooth as glass, the all-steel inner hood was crafted from two stock units, bringing the vision of the exterior to the underside—a truly remarkable work of art.

Opening the hood, you’re greeted by a flawless blend of cutting-edge performance and design sculpted into a once purely utilitarian factory engine bay. Starting with modern muscle for plenty of power, Pat went straight to the experts at Golen Engine Service in Hudson, New Hampshire, to turn up the heat with a supercharged 427ci LS7. This build begins with a fresh RHS high-performance aluminum block machined to perfection, filled with a Callies Dragon Slayer 4340 forged steel crank linked to matching Ultra 4340 forged steel H-beam rods, capped by Wiseco custom-forged aluminum boost pistons, which are actuated by a custom-ground Comp Cams billet hydraulic roller stick. Brodix BR 7 Series aluminum heads deliver substantial performance, especially when paired with a Whipple 2.9L supercharger. Additional fine details include a Holley Dominator fuel-injection system and electronics, a custom ABS air intake and plumbing, Swiftek Engineering billet small-block–style valve covers, and a Wegner accessory drive. Exhaust gases flow through a set of DSE stainless headers to a custom ABS-fabricated 3-inch stainless exhaust system with V-band clamps and Borla ProXS mufflers, creating a work of art. The power hits the street with a Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes T-56 sequential six-speed manual transmission and a triple-disc clutch, with all modifications handled by MTI Racing, transferring the power through a Mark Williams driveshaft.

05 1969 Camaro mini tub rear quarter with deep lip wheels — Every panel of the original body has been meticulously modified and refined to perfection by the ABS team. Here, you can see just how perfectly the massive Nitto NT01 325/30ZR19 rear tires fit on 19×20 HRE Performance RS100 modular three-piece wheels.

Elevating the engine bay, the ABS team initiated the design of upgrades across various systems, beginning with installing all fuel lines and supercharger intercooler lines within the cowl panel. Following this, a custom intercooler designed by ABS was produced by Bell Intercoolers to work seamlessly with a unique intercooler tank featuring an integrated Meziere water pump, which was prototyped by Northeast 3D Scan and machined by EVOD Industries. EVOD also crafted custom firewall-mounted crankcase breather catch cans and several other machined billet components. Progressing further, the firewall center was recessed and smoothed, and inner wheel skirts were widened and modified, complemented by a modified radiator support that includes header panel close-outs. Additionally, an extensive array of custom brackets and numerous sheetmetal adjustments enhanced the one-off inner hood, designed from two stock units to reflect the exterior.

06 1969 Camaro shaved rear bumper flush tail lights diffuser — In the back, you’ll find a shaved, narrowed, and tucked rear bumper, along with a modified valance featuring recessed exhaust outlets, accented by a set of unique taillights that were 3-D scanned from original units and machined by EVOD Industries.

When addressing the body, no panel was left untouched by the ABS team, who focused on refining the factory lines with a subtle twist. Noteworthy changes include narrowed, shaved, and modified front and rear bumpers, a front valance air inlet, a lower spoiler, and a splitter designed from 3-D scans created in SolidWorks and crafted by SpeedKore Performance Group, accented by lower valance and fender extensions as well as a modified rear valance with recessed exhaust outlets. Stepping inside, ABS continued with a raised transmission tunnel and rollcage, while a Flaming River tilt column features a Sparco steering wheel to navigate the course with shifts moving through a stick from Pfitzner. Skip Readio crafted the entire custom wiring harness, including engine management from a Holley Dominator EFI system. To elevate the interior to the highest level, Pat enlisted the fine talents of JK Automotive Designs of Stoneham, Massachusetts, to 3-D scan the entire interior and create everything using CAD designs to be handcrafted in their state-of-the-art facility. This is one 1969 Camaro that truly raises the bar; we can hardly wait to see it on the scene this year. Stay tuned to Modern Rodding for several tech articles to follow by Ron Covell outlining many of the unique features we highlighted today.