By Nick Licata – Images by Patrick Lauder
Seeing the high school seniors drive their cool muscle cars into the student lot every morning was the motivation a young Kenneth Anabeza needed. Cars loaded with loud V-8 engines and fat tires were rolling thunder—a sound and sight he wanted so desperately to take part in. “I told myself once I’m able to save enough money, I’ll get a cool car just like those guys,” he remembers. It’s been 22 years since those cars rolled in and out of his high school, but Kenneth finally made good on that vow with a Craigslist-sourced 1967 Camaro—a first-gen he was finally able to stash away the funds to acquire.
The Online photos made the Camaro look honest, maybe needing a little tidying up here and there, nothing a few Saturday afternoons and a fresh set of plugs couldn’t fix. Kenneth bought it, and like many Online romances, the truth hid under layers of paint. A detailer killed the illusion in a single pass around the sheetmetal, informing Kenneth that the body was more filler than steel—an old story in old metal, but never a fun one to discover when you just dug deep into your pockets to fulfill one of your dreams.
That’s when Kenneth leaned on his buddy Justin Clark (JC), who knew his way around first-gens thanks to owning an early Pontiac Firebird. They hauled the wounded Camaro into Clark’s garage and began peeling back 50-plus years of surprises. What was left of the shell, basically the roof and inner structure, ended up at Grand Collision in Hayward, California, where the crew tossed out the bad, stitched in the new, and laid down a deep layer of Nissan Katsura Orange—a modern color that somehow suits a ’67 shape like the designers had thought right out of the gate.
Once the Camaro came home wearing its fresh skin, the real fun began. Kenneth and Clark dove into the suspension, the wiring, and engine bay for the performance makeover. The hard-earned progress was measured in busted knuckles, late nights, and open weekends. The blasting tunes and smell of grease turned Clark’s garage into a temple of restoration. Three years later, the Camaro rolled into the daylight looking and sounding like something beyond Kenneth’s wildest high school dreams.
Underhood lives a 364ci LS2, massaged by Clark with the kind of internals you don’t brag about unless they are real. Try forged Callies crank, TSP I-beam rods, and forged Wiseco pistions—that’s hero hardware for an engine that was never intended to be background music. AFR aluminum 215 heads clamp down on an 11:1 compression, while a custom 0.630-lift cam—ground to 242/248 duration on a 112 LSA—makes sure every degree of crank rotation counts. FAST takes care of the air and fuel side through a 102mm intake, and Doug’s 1¾-inch headers dump the evidence into a carefully bent 3-inch Kellybuilt Fabrication exhaust capped with Black Widow Venom mufflers. The accessories are driven by a Wegner Automotive serpentine system and spark is courtesy of MSD. All told, the LS2 huffs out a proven 476 hp and an equal helping of torque—numbers that turn this Camaro from a pretty toy into irresistible temptation.
Power routes through a TREMEC T56 six-speed and LS7 clutch, because anything less would be malpractice. A 3.5-inch Inland Empire Driveline aluminum driveshaft feeds a Moser rearend stuffed with 3.70 gears and Currie 31-spline axles—the right mix of strength and street sense.
Suspension is Ridetech territory—control arms, drop spindles, coilovers, Muscle Bars, and a four-link out back—held together with Ridetech subframe connectors instruct the first-gen Camaro to behave like a modern sports car. Six-piston Wilwood calipers clamp 14-inch rotors all around, fed by a Wilwood master cylinder with a Detroit Speed booster—real brakes for real speed.
Under the fenders, Forgeline GA3 wheels are wrapped in Nitto NT555 rubber sized 265/35R18 up front and massive 335/30R18s out back fill the expanded real estate provided by Detroit Speed mini-tubs. It’s not like the Camaro is showing off, it’s merely prepared for action.
Inside, the cabin feels more boutique than backyard. Metal, carbon, and leather surface everything worth touching, thanks to DJ Designs in Hayward. Recaros hold the driver, Billet Specialties spins the wheel through an Ididit column, and Dakota Digital gauges keep track of every life sign moving through the LS2’s veins. The HVAC is Vintage Air, the sound system wears Pioneer, Memphis, and Audio Frog badges—and yes, this thing carries a subwoofer big enough to remind you that it’s all about that bass.
Outside, the Katsura Orange paint glows like it’s competing with the sun, especially with the Detroit Speed hideaway headlight kit leading the way and Anvil Auto carbon-fiber bumpers cleaning up the edges. Dapper headlights and Eddie Motorsports taillights handle illumination, while the stance tells the rest of the story without uttering a word.
Kenneth laughs a little every time someone assumes the Camaro was built at a high-end shop. “It’s really cool to see the reaction of people when I tell them the car is home-built,” he admits. “They can’t believe it, and honestly, I kinda can’t believe it either.” That disbelief is what this car represents. It’s not a catalog Camaro delivered turnkey. It’s the result of sweat, stubbornness, and confidence.
Kenneth’s Camaro exists not only because of the knowledge and skill of JC, but also because a kid once watched seniors rumble into a high school parking lot and decided he wouldn’t just ogle—he’d someday answer back. That day finally arrived, and the Camaro that rolled out of JC’s garage is fast, reliable, and impossible to ignore—much better than anything those seniors ever drove, that’s for sure.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
TECH CHECK
Owner: Kenneth Anabeza
Vehicle: 1967 Camaro
Engine
Type: LS2
Displacement: 364 ci
Compression Ratio: 11:1
Bore: 4.00
Stroke: 3.622
Builder: Justin Clark
Rotating Assembly: Forged Callies crankshaft, TSP I-beam rods, forged Wiseco pistons
Valvetrain: Valves/springs AFR
Camshaft: Custom 0.630 duration, 242/248 lift, LSA 112
Cylinder Heads: AFR aluminum 215s
Induction: FAST 102mm intake
Fuel Injection: FAST
Air Cleaner: Anvil tube, K&N element
Exhaust: Doug’s 1¾-inch headers, Kellybuilt Fabrication custom 3-inch exhaust, Black Widow Venom mufflers
Valve Covers: Proform
Accessory Drive: Wegner
Ancillaries: Wegner water pump, Afco Racing radiator, MSD wires, Anvil Auto hardware, RingBrothers hood hinges
Output: 476 hp, 472 lb-ft of torque
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC T56 six-speed
Clutch: GM LS7
Driveshaft: Inland Empire Driveline 3.5-inch aluminum
Rear Axle: Moser, 3.70 gears, Currie 31-spline axles
Chassis
Front Suspension: Ridetech control arms, drop spindles, coilover shocks, Muscle Bar; Detroit Speed & Engineering steering box
Rear Suspension: Rideteh four-link, Musclebar, coilover shocks
Subframe Connectors: Ridetech
Brakes: Wilwood 14-inch rotors, six-piston calipers front and rear, Wilwood master cylinder, Detroit Speed booster
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Forgeline GA3, 18×9.5 front, 18×11 rear
Tires: Nitto NT555 265/35R18 front, 335/30R18 rear
Interior
Upholstery: Metal, carbon, and leather
Carpet: Black loop
Installation: DJ Designs Custom Interiors (Hayward, CA)
Seats: Recaro
Steering: Ididit column, Billet Specialties steering wheel
Pedals: Clayton Machine Works/Lokar
Dash: Factory with Anvil Auto insert
Instrumentation: Dakota Digital
HVAC: Vintage Air
Control Panel: Vintage Air
Entertainment System: Pioneer head unit, Memphis amps, Audio Frog speakers, Memphis 8-inch subwoofer
Stereo Installation: DJ Designs
Exterior
Bodywork and Paint: Grand Collision (Hayward, CA)
Paint: Nissan Katsura Orange
Grille: Detroit Speed Hideaway Headlight Kit
Bumpers: Anvil Auto
Headlights: Dapper Lighting
Taillights: Eddie Motorsports
Side Mirrors: Anvil Auto
Body Mods: DSE mini-tubs
