By Scotty Lachenauer – Images by the Author
Climbing the ladder of performance is a natural progression for most young automotive aficionados. Dan Lutz, of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, is one of those guys who took his preteen love for muscle cars and trucks and slowly moved closer to his ultimate ride through a series of steps—each time climbing higher up the horsepower pyramid and closer to his main objective of owning his dream muscle car.
Dan, like many of us, got his love for classic rides through his immediate family. “As a kid living in a car house, I was always surrounded by hot rods,” Dan says. “One of my first memories was losing control of my bicycle and crashing it directly into the side of my dad, Brian’s 1969 Nova. At that time, it was a complete basket case, but it was the car that kick-started my passion for the hobby.
From there, it was a series of purchases and sales that drove Dan up the ladder of performance. First was a 1982 El Camino, which was painted and then sold off for a 1989 K2500. Due to a lack of hot rod feel the truck was also quickly sold. Dan then scored a 1967 Chevelle, which was a real Pro Street ride. He painted the Chevy then added a 502ci big-block and a fresh blower up top. “The car was an eye-catcher, but as I got older, and having kids became a possibility, I decided something with a back seat was needed,” Dan says. “That was the moment I decided not to settle and went after the car I always wanted.”
As Dan moved forward, he finally scored the car he was after all along: a 1969 Camaro. However, after stripping the car for paint, he found the sheetmetal to be in poor shape. Dan realized this wasn’t the car to morph into his dream ride, so he tried again, only to be greeted by another sub-par Camaro. Ready to pack it in, Dan hit the marketplace one last time. “I thought I learned my lesson about buying cars sight unseen but then comes another ’69 with Oklahoma tags I found online,” Dan says. “The car looked beautiful, and after much debate due to being burned twice before, I still went with it. I bought the car and shipped it back East. Luckily, it was everything the owner said it was; a clean body and a 383 stroker underhood.”
Once Dan had the Camaro in his garage, he began planning ways to personalize the car. His best friend, Troy Radcliff, owner of Radcliff Performance Motorsports in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, is a huge LS guy. He told Dan that his car was just begging for an LS swap. Dan held off for a while, feeling that LS swaps had become almost too common at the time. After about a year, however, he finally decided to go for it and made an LS powerplant the heart of his beloved F-body.
The basis for the Camaro’s new mill was a junkyard LS that had seen better days. Dan and Troy tore it down and then started the process of building it back better. The block was gone through, honed, and then rebuilt using choice parts, such as ARP main studs, head studs, and rod bolts. The rotating assembly is made up of stock GM Gen IV LS internals. AFR Mongoose aluminum heads top the cylinders, and a Brian Tooley Racing Stage 3 hydraulic roller cam gets the valves jumpin’ in sync.
The engine’s induction system is the finishing touch, featuring a reverse-rotation D-1X ProCharger supercharger paired with a Holley 92mm Hi-Ram intake and a Terminator X engine management system. A CX Racing 3-inch intercooler improves efficiency, while Holley Blackheart long-tube headers feed into a custom exhaust fitted with Black Widow Neighbor Hater mufflers, giving the F-body the aggressive rumble Dan was after.
The reborn LS is backed by a TREMEC T56 Magnum shifted by a Tick Performance short-throw shifter. Power is fed to a Currie 9-inch rearend stuffed with 4:11 gears. As for the suspension, Dan decided to keep the four-link setup that the Camaro came with and added QA1 coilovers out back. Up front, Dan added QA1 tubular control arms and coilovers to get the ride height exactly where he needed it.
Once the suspension was set, Dan keyed in on the interior. Looking to keep the vintage vibe of the Camaro, he opted for the look and feel of his original buckets, covering them in stock leather upholstery. The carpet and door panels are also stock pieces. Auto Meter gauges in the original dash keep track of the car’s vitals and Wilwood pedals add a modern, performance flair down below. The steering wheel is a mystery to Dan. It came with the car. He liked it, so he kept it.
The wild, heavy flake paint job also came with the car. It’s called Legendary Red Metallic from Kenworth Trucking. The past owner, being a proprietor of a body shop in Oklahoma, did all the bodywork and paint. The cowl hood was later added to clear the intake. That work was done by Korek Designs in New Berlin, Pennsylvania. They also smoothed the firewall, painted the inner fenders, and reworked the radiator support.
Once the exterior was set, Dan set his eyes on a quartet of KMC Forged rims, 18×8 up front and 18×10 out back. They are shod in Nitto NT555R Extreme Drag tires, 235/40R18 and 335/30R18, respectively.
After the build process, Dan took the Camaro out for a shakedown. “For me, this car is everything I’ve always wanted,” Dan confirms. “I’ve put more miles on this Camaro than anything else I’ve ever owned. It started out as my dream car but has turned into so much more. Every time I get behind the wheel, I have this gigantic smile on my face. Having built it the way I wanted with my own hands is very rewarding.
“I’d like to thank Troy Radcliff from Radcliff Performance Motorsport and Ryan Korek and his team from Korek Designs,” Dan continues. “They’re friends of mine and have now become family. I can’t thank them enough for supporting all my crazy ideas.”
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
Tech Check
Owner: Dan Lutz, Harleysville, Pennsylvania
Vehicle: 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
Engine
6.0L/364ci LS
Compression Ratio: 10.1:1
Bore: 4.000 inches
Stroke: 3.622 inches
Cylinder Heads: AFR Mongoose
Rotating Assembly: Factory Gen IV GM, ARP main studs, rod bolts, and head studs
Valvetrain: AFR 1.270-inch OD Hydraulic Roller, 8mm solid stem intake and exhaust valves, factory GM rockers with trunion upgrade, and Monton custom-length pushrods
Camshaft: Brian Tooley Stage 3
Induction: Reverse Rotation ProCharger D-1X, CX Racing 3-inch intercooler, Holley 92mm Hi-Ram intake
Ignition: Factory GM coils, Holley Terminator X
Exhaust: Holley Blackheart long-tube headers, custom exhaust, Black Widow Neighbor Hater mufflers
Output: 735 rwhp (estimates 847 hp at the crank)
Drivetrain
Transmission: TREMEC T56 Magnum
Shifter: Tick Performance
Rear Axle: Currie 9-inch rearend, 4:11 gears
Chassis
Front Suspension: QA1 tubular control arms, QA1 coilover shocks
Rear Suspension: Four-link, QA1 coilover shocks
Brakes: Wilwood Disc Brakes
Wheels and Tires
Wheels: KMC Forged, 18×8 front, 18×12 rear
Tires: Nitto NT555R Extreme Drag, 235/40R18 front, 335/30R18 rear
Interior
Upholstery: Stock
Material: Stock leather
Seats: Stock
Steering: Stock
Shifter: Tick Performance Short Throw
Dash: Stock
Instrumentation: Auto Meter
Audio: N/A
HVAC: None
Exterior
Bodywork: Korek Designs (New Berlin, PA)
Paint: Kenworth Trucking Legendary Red Metallic
Hood: Sunoco by Glasstek 5-inch cowl
Grille: Stock
Bumpers: Stock
