Tweet
I am shop foreman at Jim Winter Buick Cadillac GMC in Jackson. Married with two kids... but none of that is what you guys and gals care about.
The real story is Triple Jeopardy and how the project came together. I must start the story back in 1987 when my brother in law rebuilt his 2.8L Camaro and had a mural of a camel painted on the side and the inscription "Double Humper". I was a young kid with a dangerously high IQ and the inability to keep my mouth shut. Kris always called me "Triple Jeopardy". Over time Kris had to sell his car and eventually I started to grow up. In 1997 I started dating a girl that had just went through a divorce where she took her ex husbands Camaro from him. It sat in the garage with a bad transmission until I point blank asked her what she had planned for the car. She was going to let it rot just so he couldn't have it. I bought a transmission and got it running again, replaced the "plastic T-tops with glass units and added an IROC hood and GTA wheels. It was pretty sweet, for an anemic 5.0L TBI terd. We broke up and both moved on with our lives. About 6 months ago I was informed that if I didn't have an operation on my neck I would kiss cars goodbye as well as possibly even my life. It was a pretty odd time for me. I said my peace to a lot of people and went under the knife. After I started feeling better I got an eMail from my ex stating that she had again let the Camaro sit for too long and her (new) husband didn't want anything to do with the car. She offered me the car if I felt up to it. I resisted initially, but I finally said what the heck, how bad can it be... right?
The car had been moved from inside the temperature controlled awesomeness of the three car garage to the side yard where it was placed under a car cover then under an old blue tarp. It sat there for about three years. Moisture has gotten in to the car. Mold, mildew and oxidization is rampant, the car had no will to start let alone live again. I have been slowly building up my strength and initially it looked like I would not be able to even try to start this big of a project when something dawned on me. Triple Jeopardy. This car is on it's third chance for a good life. I myself am entering this third stage in my life. The car is a Third Gen Camaro. All of these "threes" have led me to accept what I need to do.
I don't know how long this will take, I will be doing this one little step at a time. But here are the basics:
-Get the "stock" car running and driveable again.
-Get the interior dismantled, repair the mold, mildew, moisture and mayhem.
-Update the interior. I am thinking 4th Gen Firebird dash and console dyed black. New black carpet. Dye interior panels black and reupholster the headliner and other cloth bits to match my alternate interior colors, Tan and Brown.
-Install new black GTA wheels and new tires.
-Rebuild the rear end using S10 3.42:1 locking rear end parts.
-Rebuild the transmission using updated drum and HD internals, add 4.3L torque converter.
-Replace fuel pump with high volume unit.
-Install long tube headers, high flow cats, narrow X pipe, Dynomax dual pipe kit, X-flow muffler and pipes dumping out the drivers rear side of the bumper.
-Build and install 5.7L roller cam truck block with Vortec heads, LT4 Hot Cam, GMPP TBI intake, modified 454 TBI, adjustable fuel pressure regulator and a custom burned map.
It is a tall task, certainly. I am not certain I am up for it all, but since the car owes me nothing I might as well take a whack at it.
Alex, I am betting it all on this Triple Jeopardy answer.
The real story is Triple Jeopardy and how the project came together. I must start the story back in 1987 when my brother in law rebuilt his 2.8L Camaro and had a mural of a camel painted on the side and the inscription "Double Humper". I was a young kid with a dangerously high IQ and the inability to keep my mouth shut. Kris always called me "Triple Jeopardy". Over time Kris had to sell his car and eventually I started to grow up. In 1997 I started dating a girl that had just went through a divorce where she took her ex husbands Camaro from him. It sat in the garage with a bad transmission until I point blank asked her what she had planned for the car. She was going to let it rot just so he couldn't have it. I bought a transmission and got it running again, replaced the "plastic T-tops with glass units and added an IROC hood and GTA wheels. It was pretty sweet, for an anemic 5.0L TBI terd. We broke up and both moved on with our lives. About 6 months ago I was informed that if I didn't have an operation on my neck I would kiss cars goodbye as well as possibly even my life. It was a pretty odd time for me. I said my peace to a lot of people and went under the knife. After I started feeling better I got an eMail from my ex stating that she had again let the Camaro sit for too long and her (new) husband didn't want anything to do with the car. She offered me the car if I felt up to it. I resisted initially, but I finally said what the heck, how bad can it be... right?
The car had been moved from inside the temperature controlled awesomeness of the three car garage to the side yard where it was placed under a car cover then under an old blue tarp. It sat there for about three years. Moisture has gotten in to the car. Mold, mildew and oxidization is rampant, the car had no will to start let alone live again. I have been slowly building up my strength and initially it looked like I would not be able to even try to start this big of a project when something dawned on me. Triple Jeopardy. This car is on it's third chance for a good life. I myself am entering this third stage in my life. The car is a Third Gen Camaro. All of these "threes" have led me to accept what I need to do.
I don't know how long this will take, I will be doing this one little step at a time. But here are the basics:
-Get the "stock" car running and driveable again.
-Get the interior dismantled, repair the mold, mildew, moisture and mayhem.
-Update the interior. I am thinking 4th Gen Firebird dash and console dyed black. New black carpet. Dye interior panels black and reupholster the headliner and other cloth bits to match my alternate interior colors, Tan and Brown.
-Install new black GTA wheels and new tires.
-Rebuild the rear end using S10 3.42:1 locking rear end parts.
-Rebuild the transmission using updated drum and HD internals, add 4.3L torque converter.
-Replace fuel pump with high volume unit.
-Install long tube headers, high flow cats, narrow X pipe, Dynomax dual pipe kit, X-flow muffler and pipes dumping out the drivers rear side of the bumper.
-Build and install 5.7L roller cam truck block with Vortec heads, LT4 Hot Cam, GMPP TBI intake, modified 454 TBI, adjustable fuel pressure regulator and a custom burned map.
It is a tall task, certainly. I am not certain I am up for it all, but since the car owes me nothing I might as well take a whack at it.
Alex, I am betting it all on this Triple Jeopardy answer.
Thanks for bringing another 3rd gen back from the brink. 
357ci LT1, cammed, stalled, and driven. 
Comment