FULL BUILD: Restoring a '70 Chevy Camaro RS/SS

[Music] hey guys welcome to muscle car shops are looking a little empty around here and that's because we've been pushing projects out the door left and right we'll all this empty space left a little bit of a vacuum look what it sucked in this 70 and a half RS Camaro is our next project and no we're not going overboard with it we're getting back to the basics with a stock style build no frills just old-school muscles what we're after with this one it's been prowling the streets of California it's entire life and it survived pretty much I'm molested yeah it's had a bad repainting and non-stock color and a reupholstering that smacks of the 80s but otherwise it's all original the artists often give us the highly sought after split-bumper front end but since the rally sport package was only about looks it doesn't have much to brag about under the hood this stock 307 has given up the ghost and since it wasn't really known for its performance we're going a different direction we know we want to stay stock because these cars look great straight out of the box so we could do a numbers-matching restoration but a base 307 RS well they're just not all that desirable of a car when you ordered a brand new Camaro in 1970 you had a lot of options to choose from so we're gonna pretend like we have a factory order sheet and check off all of our favorite options and when it's finished it's gonna look and drive just like a rolled off the showroom floor the biggest baddest engine you could order was the optional L 78 the 375 horse version of the 396 one problem they were only available in the SS and only 600 of them wrote off the assembly line our Camaro is the basic RS so we're gonna be building a recreation of the rare rs/ss L 78 396 add in the z28 wheels GM's lime colored citrus green paint and black SS stripes and it's gonna steal the show it's project limelight the biggest change we need to make to transform this car is the engine we found this 396 in the local classifieds the reason we liked it is because it's complete and we may be able to reuse some of the brackets and accessories I tell you guys right up front this isn't a 1970 motor it's actually out of a 1972 GM's see that's a Reich so we told you right up front this is not going to be a numbers-matching restoration but the block is identical to what would have come in our car from the factory and that brings us to a little bit of interesting history on the 396 starting in 1970 all GM 396 big blocks were punched out to the 402 they kept the 396 badging on the smaller cars like the Camaro shovels and Nova's because these engines had already earned a big reputation in the racing world then to add to the confusion they marketed the same engine and larger cars and trucks as a 400 and nobody really knows for sure why GM did this but rest assured regardless of what the badging or the brochure says if it's a 72 72 then it's actually a 402 with visions of big-block power dancing in our heads it's time to grab the tools and pull some parts gives the original color right there that means that these bolts probably haven't been out since the car left the factory put in a wrench to a basically unrestored car has a way of bridging the years between you and Joe lunchbox who is putting together Camaros for a living it's the mostest thing so most of this car still has the original hoses and clamps and everything on and that is why you pay a little extra money for a California car no rust stuff comes right apart not much in the drivetrain department is going to be reused even the transmissions being swapped out for a manual the wheels are good for rollers but they'll be replaced with factory z28 wheels you can handle that wheel you got it if bodies are sub-frame cars so the front clips were preassembled before being installed on the line this means it's just as easy to remove it the same way now we've got easy access to pull the heavy chunks out [Music] [Music] [Music] if we had a broken motor mount [Music] hey guys welcome back to muscle car this isn't going to be the first facelift that this Camaro here has ever seen according to the trim tag she rolled off the assembly line and citrus green there's still quite a few places on the body where you can see the original paint has been hiding out for 40-plus years we knew that that color was gonna be perfect for project limelight the interior was originally dark green but somebody's changed it to black neither one of those colors seemed exactly right so we flipped through the option sheet and saw that the saddle color would look great with our green and that means all this black stuff needs to go a lot of these interior parts are pretty easy to come by but others and not so much so we're tagging and bagging all of it now many GM cars used a general assembly style but as the saying goes the Devils in the details so take patrons if you don't have a photographic memory [Music] with the doors gutted and pulled we can make short work of the interior the seats will be rebuilt with new padding and covers and most of the console will be refurbished to Pauline carpet can be a moment of truth we don't know if we're gonna uncover a pleasant surprise or a horrible nightmare [Music] oh yeah ain't ask for no better than then shoot yeah it's pretty good feeling usually when we pull this stuff up pulling the floorboard up with it man I wish I looked this good at 40 [Music] GM used non hardening sealant to install the glass which is good because it makes it easy to remove but bad because it eventually leaks [Music] well the teardown is almost done and this right here is the worst spot that we found in the entire car we knew it was there before we started on this thing because we could see it through the windshield nice thing is they make replacement panels for them so it's no big deal one more major area that's prone to rust is above the gas tank there it is a couple of bolts and we'll see if our luck holds out well the trunk floor looks every bit as solid as the floor pans it looks like buying a California car has seriously pay it off now we still have a few more parts to pull off but that rear end to stand put for now to keep it easier to roll around but later on in the build that is gonna get replaced with an SS correct 12 bolt posi today on muscle car project limelight shows off its birthday suit Rick fixes some minor flaws and Tommy shows how to update an old repair mercifully he doesn't show his birthday suit plus this old 402 has a story to tell story [Music] hey guys welcome to muscle car it's not every day that you see 40 year old sheetmetal that's still in this good a condition so you can imagine how stoked we were when he got our 1970 Camaro back from the blaster now this is where you hope for with the California car I mean look at these floorboards seams look like they were just stamped out yesterday overall we got really lucky the hood deck lid and doors oh we have a few minor dings the fenders are by far the worst panels we're gonna have to weld in a few patch panels and rework a previous repair and then we can get started on the bodywork now we like to think that we know cars pretty darn well around here and after a thorough inspection of project limelight she looks pretty solid but some people will go through a lot of effort to cover up flaw see you never really know what you got till you get her down to a birthday suit and that's where strip masters comes in these guys don't do sand blessings they do plastic media blasting which is a lot less invasive than sand when you sand by something it does take a little bit of the metal off of the product at the scene hitting the metal it creates heat maybe sometimes warping with this plastic media it doesn't heat up as much that means if you have soft parts like our Camaro grille shell here they can be stripped without being damaged and unlike soda blasting it doesn't leave a residue that needs to be prepped before you primer or paint can go on blow it off get all that stuff off and you're ready to paint now if we had a lot of bodywork to do I'd go ahead and put primer on and now to keep all this bare metal from rusting but honestly there's just not much to do on this thing so I'm gonna buzz it down with 80 grit and knock out all the bodywork now then prime the whole thing I'll start by opening up the surface of the areas that need filler so the repair will have a stronger bite the plastic bead blasting doesn't remove rust so I'll clean these small spots with the stripper wheel metal to metal filler is the best choice for high stress areas like the sea pillars it's strong and stable but hard to sand so I'll finish it out later with standard plastic filler well that air is ready to get cleaned off and have some plastic put on it now I'm going to straighten out some dents there's a little crease that runs right through there and for that I need a stud gun Matt cozy new a stud gun features a magnetic tip so the stud won't fall out before you get it into place just pull the trigger but not too long or you could warp the panel now I'm using studs right here because there's a wheel low right there so I can't get at the backside of it but you can see when this dent actually runs all the way down and ends clear down here with this area I can get up from inside the trunk so no studs required a special slide hammer comes in the kit it locks onto the studs allowing you to pull the metal back into shape just go easy and move it a little at a time so you don't over pull and stretch the metal now I can move to the inside of the trunk to roughen the rest of the crease with the shaping hammer once it's closed I can cut the studs off and finish it all out with a hammer and dolly [Music] if you look right there where that real deep part was it's almost completely gone well that's probably close enough right there I could prime it and block it out but fillers a lot more stable than primer so I'll do a little skim Co first and then prime the whole thing after the break how to fix a common fender flaw and later Tommy's got the dead down blues [Music] while rigs filling in the rest of the dense on the body I'm gonna get started on the metalwork we're pretty sure the car was repainted in the mid 80s back then this drill and slot hammer type of repair was typical at most body shops nowadays most pros would use a stud gun like Rick just showed you that doesn't mean this type of repair is wrong a lot of you guys out there probably still doing it this way the stud gun method does give cleaner faster better results we want the best repair possible so I'm going to cut it out patch in some new metal before I do any cutting I need to get the shape of the surrounding metal back to where it's supposed to be on something like a lip you can eyeball it but if this put it up against another panel it would need to be in place to make sure the lines are right I'm cutting out the old metal on the bottom line this way I'll be making a flat patch instead of one with a complicated shape I'll follow up the cutoff wheel with a 24 grit grinding disc to clean up the edges the easiest way to make a patch is to use old metal as a template 18 gauge still is pretty standard for body panels so that's what I'm using for the patch it's thin enough to be cut with a shear or snips if you don't have a bandsaw with a patch that will be butt welded all the way around it needs to fit very precisely this means taking off a little at a time and check who the fit a lot I left the inside edge a little long when I cut this piece because I knew I would need some extra metal to form the new lip instead of using pliers I made a simple tool out of eighth inch plate so I'd have a consistent Bend all the way across this edge and it worked perfectly this piece fits like a glove as a welder patch in I'll check the fitment as I go to make sure there's no lo spot take your time especially when welding in the center of a panel and don't heat the metal up too much or it will end up warping causing you a lot more work fix it once it's welded all the way around round it off smooth with 24 grits this next area is hands-down the most common place to find rust the lower fender behind the wheel dirt and moisture get trapped behind the inner brace and it's all downhill from there these patch panels are available from year one from most muscle cars they're freeform so you just trim off what you don't need well them in for now we're only cutting out the obvious stuff with layered panels it's hard to know what lies underneath until you open it up so we may end up cutting out more [Music] looks like we got rid of enough of the outer skin but the inner brace will need some repair as well so it's time for some more slicing and dicing just like before the old piece is a template for the new I'm using 16 gauge for this because the inner structure is a little thicker than the body panels I'll use the brake to recreate the bend this piece needs but a vise and a mallet would work too once it's trimmed in shape to fit you can weld it in grind it down [Music] dupli-color is weld through primer work is a barrier to keep the rust from coming back our panel didn't include this mounting edge a fab of a simple piece that matches what we had to cut off I'll cut the notch out when I do the final grinding the great thing about using a preformed panel is you don't have to spend so much time shaping it for a good fit [Music] coming up got rust under glass we'll show you how to fix it and later our engine reveals a dirty little secret hey guys welcome back the defenders patch and the majority of the body work done there's just one more area that still needs to be repaired these rusty corners here where the windshield meets the dash now we can get away with a couple of spot repairs but classic cars are notorious for rotting out in this area now if you're not lucky enough to have an F body as clean as ours year one offers a whole panel that runs from you - all the way up to the firewall before I start cutting out the bad chunks I'm gonna remove the VIN tag to keep it from being damaged all I have to do is grind down the two rivets punch them out and store the tag in a safe place so we can reinstall it later I'm planning my cuts to avoid a brace that's underneath I only want to cut through the top layer for now then I can see what part of the bottom layer has to be replaced [Music] now here you can see on the back side of this piece that's why I own the cut it back as far as I did the sheet metal from there on over it's still good so why chop it out with all the rest uncovered I'll use a strip and clean disc to get all the flakes out of the way so I can see exactly what I've got before cutting out any more metal I'll make a simple template out of cardboard so my patch will be as accurate as possible [Music] now this patch is just small enough that I'm not going to bother with the bandsaw I just use the snips to cut it out by hand I attached a stud to help hold the patch in place and I'll slice it off as soon as it's welded in [Music] with inner structure repaired I can move on to the outer skin this area is too complicated to make in one piece so I'll break it into two patches for a patch like this you really don't need any fancy equipment snips the hammer and advise will do everything you need once you have a good fit seal up the area with some weld through primer and you can weld in the new pieces [Music] [Music] [Music] the nice thing about doing it this way is that when you're done you still have all the factory spot welds no one will ever know that that's been repaired up next dr. Tom examines our 402 hey welcome back believe it or not that sheet metal and bodywork on this thing are done before we know it it's gonna be ready for a new drivetrain so why get this thing sealed up with some primer tom is gonna crack open our 396 - we got like we've said before this engine is actually out of a 72 GMC but that's okay because we're not building a numbers-matching car any 402 block will do and remember starting in 70 any Chevrolet style big-block sold as a 396 or 400 is actually a 402 the brackets and accessories for Camaro are different from a truck so we won't be reusing most of these parts but they're still valuable so we're going to keep everything together for the next guy to use all these parts can be refurbished and our numbers stamped so if you're doing a numbers-matching restoration hang on to every little piece most harmonic balancers are press-fit so have a puller ready our Matco set made this job easy l78 s came with a holic not a QJ so this one's going somewhere else it's always a good idea to get the big chunks out of the way before you pop the intake off so nothing falls into the block I think we found a miss yeah this thing looks like it's cooked a tambourine or something now Indians may not really be able to talk but they sure can tell a story if you know what to look for pay attention to each and every part as you tear it down they could be trying to tell you something important well it looks like that's where I bear in Franklin came from that Pistons hitting the head things had to mortar and maybe it's not that big of a deal maybe a big deal there comes a good oil now yeah well from the beginning of the tear down we've had a few signs that weren't in our favor push rod out of place well the thing may have been over-revved or a lot of mouse flakes in the lifter Valley it's not that big a deal we planned on rebuilding it anyhow water in the oil panel not a big deal either because it probably just got wet at some time well then I started trying to take the oil pan off something on the inside wanted out in a bad kind of way so I'm pretty sure we're gonna find some metal where it's not supposed to be [Music] you may have been wondering why did and roll the motor over to take the oil pan off reason being is because when you turn the motor down you don't know nothing about this keeps the story in the pan so let's see what we can find yeah - that looks like a rod man that's a big chunk laughing boom big jump yeah right there broke Pistons like that's our problem thank you broke the bottom of it piston and smoke the other rod yep no rod bearing in sight so I get said X feeling - pretty much that thing left oh yeah this thing's pretty trashed have Riggs gotta see this decision we gotta meet hey brother come here a minute got good news and we got bad you got a bad look on your face good news is that I have tore the engine down kept your hands clean the whole time uh-huh bad news is race on me we've got two giant cooling holes inside the cylinder wall we thinking about that whoa dude yeah time to bore it and sleeve it yeah I don't even know if that's repairable probably need to give the machine shop a call and see what they have to say even if they sleeve it's still gonna have to magnaflux it who knows how far the cracks go man tell you what I'll check around see what else I can come up with all right brother well I carried our block down to the machine shop and I got some good news our busted cylinder can be sleeved it's only gonna cost a little over a hundred bucks more than we were going to spend anyways so that means we're right on track now all our metal work is done and the body and most of the panels are in first prime and really looking nice if you guys have any questions about products used on the show you can check it out at power block tv.com now we're gonna get all this stuff blocked out and final pride then we'll be ready to swap out the suspension brakes and rear end but for this week we're at a time so until next time we're out of here [Music] hey guys welcome to muscle car project the limelight is back in the shop for the next step in the transformation from a basic bare-bones RS into a full-blown big-block SS today we're gonna replace the old suspension steering and brakes and go with that 396 it's dropping in we plan to upgrade the rear axle to a 12-volt since this is a stock style build plan to use parts that look as close to the originals as we can we picked up this 70 RS Camaro in California hoping that it would be a solid foundation and why did it pay off the floorboards look almost new we blew it apart and pulled out the old 307 to make way for the 396 we're gonna reveal after having a blasted we took care of some sheet metal damage patched in a rust spot then got the body ready for the first coat of primer with all the bodywork roughed in it's time to turn our attention to suspension first we need to strip the subframe down with bones just like a Thanksgiving Day turkey [Music] a lot of these parks will be replaced or upgraded but some of the hardware will be reused so we'll keep it all organized once the subframe is bare only four boats have to come out to separate it from the body for cleanup and paint the original control runs were blasted painted and have new stock bushings and ball joints pressed in so they're ready to bolt back in place [Music] we remove the old small-block mounts earlier to make way for the shorter big-block mounts next up are the coil springs there's more to installing these things than just bolting them in they need to be compressed but without the weight of the engine and the rest of the car to help us we're gonna need a specialty tool and that's where spring compressor comes in now this isn't a tool that most guys are likely to have laying around the shop in fact we don't even have one we rented this one from a local auto parts store just make sure to ask them for an internal compressor if your springs install into the frame like these the safest way to use this tool is to preload the spring using a hand ratchet then you can finish the job with an air ratchet don't use an impact you can damage the tool and even cause serious injury now once it's compressed enough to fit slide it into the spring pocket and use a jack to support the control arm while the spindle is bolted in place if you don't like the idea of compressing the spring yourself you can take him to a shop and have them banded then just cut the bands off once the spindle is bolted to the a arms before you remove the tool make sure the springs are seated into the pockets correctly otherwise and you'll have to repeat this whole procedure we're replacing the standard shocks with GM's heavy-duty versions from year one these are correct ones for f40 one suspension upgrade we rebuilt our original steering box so it's going right back where it came from for a video clip detailing this rebuild visit the muscle car page of power block tv.com now we can start tying the two sides together starting with the idler arm which is hooked to the steering box by the center link the outer tire audience connect to the spindle and the inner tire audience connect to the center link this front steer setup marks a big improvement over the first gens rear steer [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey guys welcome back when you're doing a stock restoration well sometimes you have to make a decision between exact originals or close reproductions now if you're doing a chalk mark numbers-matching kind of build well then it's obvious you have to go with the exact correct parts but if you're going with a driver style build like we are with limelight well compromise can be good take the brake rotors for example the originals have a wear indicator groove and part numbers cast right in whereas the reap pops don't but we'd really rather not use the original because it could be warped cracked I mean honestly who knows so we're gonna go with a safer alternative and use the aftermarket one even if it's not quite exactly correct hey guys to keep your hands clean I can take care of the bangs oh cool thanks man I appreciate it I'll go get the sway bar ready to go good deal I've shown you before how to pack bearings the old-fashioned way but today I'm going to get it done without the mess with a matte coat bearing packer with the reservoir full of royal purple bearing grease all I have to do is drop in a bearing face down and press on the plunger check to make sure you can see the grease moves and through all the gaps then you know it's ready to go in the rotor gently tap in the seal flip it over and fill the hub with some more grease drop in the outer bearing and the rotor is ready to install when installing new wheel brands is important to set the preload or you may end up having to replace them again he said I'm too tight they'll build heat and burn up too loose and they'll move around on the spindle tearing themselves apart with the rotor set in place on the spindle rich it down good and tight to set the bearing on the shaft back off the nut about a half turn and snug it back down making sure the rotor can be turned by hand and don't forget the cotter pin and the grease cap before I finish up by installing the caliper I'm going to clean the braking service with some cleaner new rotors are shipped with a waxy coating and if you don't remove it it can clog up your pads a couple of swipes is all it takes then I can drop on the caliper the last piece we're gonna add to the front end it's a sway bar now most Camaros came from the factory with a fifteen sixteenths bar but if you ordered a big-block then you got the F 41 suspension package along with a much beefier inch and a quarter bar it uses the same mounting holes and the bushings will leave in 50 original brackets installing a sway bar is pretty straightforward if you're doing this by yourself a jack comes in handy for some extra support grease in the bar or bushings before they go on will prevent squeeze use the jack to raise the bar into position then tighten the bolts a few turns just to hold everything in place we'll leave all the bolts loose until the car is our right height to prevent binding hey welcome back to muscle car earlier in the show we got our front end assembled to our subframe but before we can bolt it under the car we've got to get some paint on the undercarriage and that means it's time for the old we're ready to come out when you pull and heavy parts off a vehicle that's being supported like this make sure you keep your weight balance in mind if you pull off a heavy part like a front subframe that's gonna make the vehicle tail heavy so you're either gonna have to support the back end or add a way to the nose like we did since we're replacing everything it's easiest just to pull it all out and one big chunk all we have to do is on both leaf springs shocks and brake line and the whole assembly drops right out so that the end of carriage of a car is an area that most people don't really put a lot of thought into but a true rebuild isn't complete without giving it some attention now this car came from the factory with a lacquer based sealer primer we could roll it into the booth and reapply it but I know of an easier cheaper alternative build on a budget muscle car projects that save you time and money enamel based aerosol is gonna give us a look that's very close to the original dupli-color semi-gloss engine enamel is perfect for this job it's tough washable heat resistant and it's gonna give us the look we're after but first we got to do some cleanup 40 years of grunge needs to hit the floor before we can even think about tank no high-tech tools here just scraper cleaner and a whole bunch elbow grease [Music] I'll tell you what guys if you can do this outside with a pressure washer I would highly recommend it doing it inside on the lift took longer since we had to use pump sprayers not to mention that it made a real mess that we had to clean up later it's important to get the moisture out of all the nooks and crannies by either using compressed air or a lot of drying time next we'll hit the bare metal spots with some dupli-color edge primer it'll help the topcoat adhere better [Music] once it's all prepped annexed we can beautify it with the semi-gloss enamel one of the reasons we chose this product is it covers really quick we shot the entire undercarriage with a single coat you can see what a difference it makes [Music] the original rear end that we pulled out earlier was just a standard GM 10 bolt which isn't a bad rear end but we're gonna go one step better with a twelve bolt 1970 was the only year of the second gen that this option was available and it was only available on the SSS and the z28 so they're not easy to come by but we didn't have to look far because Moser engineering sinister 12 volt muscle pack it's a complete rear-end assembly with brakes and model specific purchase already installed so all you have to do is pick your options and bolt it in attaching the leaf springs to the front mounts before the axle goes in makes installation a whole lot easier our rally sport came from the factory with standard Springs but the performance package calls for heavy duty ones so year one hooked us up with a correct set now we had some options when we ordered up our motor muscle pack including gear ratios and brakes now they do have some great disc brake packages but in 1970 Camaros only came with drum brakes so we ordered up stock replacements they also offer a wide range of gear ratios 70 SS could have been ordered with a 410 but we wanted this thing a little more streetable so we went with the 355 s which was standard on the SS after bolting the leaf springs into the shackles we can adjust the position of the rear end over the spring if you're doing this on your garage floor you'd lower the rear end onto the springs but since we're working on a lift we'll raise the car to the rear end once it's in place we can cinch it all down with new u-bolts making sure to install our new pads and sway bar mounts and now it's ready for the rear sway bar [Music] everything we need to install the Moser muscle pack including shocks sway bar and all the hardware came straight from year one since our Camaro didn't come with a sway bar we need to add a couple of holes in the frame rails to finish the install with the rear suspension done all we need is some wheels and the subframe bolted back under and we'll have us a roller ready for a big block the completed front clip goes on just as easy as it came off with four bolts some Loctite threadlocker and a new set of body pushes we've made a lot of progress on project limelight today now we've got a completely rebuilt front in a twelve bolt rear upgraded springs and sway bars not to mention a great looking bottom side now we can put together that l78 big block but we're all out of time for today so until next time y'all keep between the ditches today on muscle car project lime lights power plant comes together learn how a block is sleeved and Tommy gives some assembly tips to the plan to almost any engine Plus Rick shows how to convert from an automatic to a four-speed [Music] hey guys welcome to muscle car this super clean 2nd gen Camaro that we call project limelight is coming right along and quick we've already straightened out a few dings and rust spots and laid down the first coat of primer then we got busy on the front suspension and rear end we upgraded a big block style springs and sway bars and strapped in a 12-volt but we didn't do all that just to put in that puny little 307 this car came with we're going with the biggest baddest engine you could get in these cars the 375 horse l78 we picked up in 1972 GMC 402 because it's basically the same block you'd find in any Chevy badge as a 396 in the early 70s unfortunately our dream of finding a block as clean as our Camaro body fell apart when we tore the engine down we've got two giant cooling holes inside the cylinder wall whoa dude yeah probably need to give the machine shop a call and see what they have to say and that's exactly what we did the experts at Huntsville engine and performance gave the green light for sleeping and had some good info to share well I want to thank you for helping us out with our 396 402 build man but when we tore this thing down we wasn't even sure if this blockers repairable well in this instance right here it may look bad but it's not as bad as it seems this crack and this hole actually doesn't go already to the deck surface or to the main webbing so we can put a sleeve in this at any time does this type of repair devalue the block in any way well obviously it's a repair block but in this circumstance where you guys are going to be using this block it beats throw it in the garbage and a lot of guys have to do this kind of stuff on something that's got personal meaning or collector's item or Maxim numbers right right that makes sense cuz otherwise it would just be a piece of scrap right boat anchor yes right before any metal is carved out the boring machine is set within a thousands of an inch of what's needed for the sleeve to fit boring it out takes several passes shaving a tiny amount of metal each time any single part of the process can make or break your engine so be sure to deal with somebody that's got a good track record the wall isn't bored all the way into the crankcase instead there's a little bit of a lip left with a sleep to rest on the sleeve itself fits very tightly so it's got to be sweet-talked into the hole with a little gentle persuasion once the sleeve is seated the top is taken down near the deck - we're done knocking metal out of a cylinder for now so we're moving on to the line bore machine the idea behind this is to return the crank journals to the proper alignment which could have been thrown off during the installation of the sleeve we're also having our block deck to give it an even surface which ensures a good head gasket seal after a couple passes you can start to see the high and low spots [Music] a couple more passes and there you go no more holes man that looks pretty good what else do you like just need to cut you right release in it and bore and hone your essence on this one you can come get her well I guess I'm gonna see you in a couple weeks it's better work viewed that'll be wonderful appreciate it man thank you see you then all right well our block is all done the valve relief in the cylinder that's been sleeved has been ground out to match all the others most blocks don't require this relief but the valvetrain design of a big-block Chevy is kind of unusual and needed that extra clearance it's sweet man looks like you're ready for some reason sembly there huh yep cool well that's my cue to stay out of your way they'll finish some priming a block and say if you need a hand yo all right dude I'll do it next how to get your bottom end in top shape Plus Rick makes a fashion statement hey welcome back there are hundreds of different blog designs but when doing an assembly most of the process is pretty much the same no matter what kind of engine you're building today when I'm putting together our 402 I'm going to give some in-depth info on a few steps that can apply to any engine if you decided not to have the machine shop assemble the bottom in or if you're just planning a rearing and swapping out the bearings you need to measure four main bearing clearance to do this you need a micrometer and a dial bore gauge first I'm measuring the diameter of the journals using my micrometer from power house products to get the correct measurement slide the tool back and forth until it tightly fits across the journal now we're using a two to three inch micrometer so we know we're at two inches each one of these little marks equals 25 thousands so that's seven hundred and almost fifty so since we're one shy that's two point seven four nine repeat the process for all five journals with a quality crank the number should be the same except for the rear most journals which will be slightly smaller to compensate for crankshaft thrust next drop in the main bearings and install the caps I'm not using any Lube yet because it's all got to come back apart again once it's measured [Music] we're using ARP boats throughout this build along with their ultra-torque assembly loop it prevents seizing and maintains a more consistent preload on your boat I'm following the same torque sequence I'll be using later for the actual installation to calibrate mount dial bore gauge I'll set it to the diameter of the first journal using the measurement I took earlier then I can use my gauge to check the clearances making a note of the variance of each one each engine has its own range of acceptable tolerances for bearing clearance so make sure you've researched what your application calls for well our bearing clearance is checked out the Front's right about 24 the middle threes 25 26 and the rears at 29 perfect for what we're doing so I'm going to go ahead and remove the main cap so I can install the crankshaft never assemble an engine with plain motor oil or you'll burn up the bearings royal purple Mac stuff assembly Lube is designed to break in an engine without damage once you've hit all the main bearings don't forget about the thrust bearing surface [Music] now we can drop in our Eagle crank making sure not to damage the bearings by bumping them or sitting the crank Ian at an angle the main caps are next with plenty of loops they got to go on in the correct order which should have been marked on disassembly I've offset the sealing joint of the rear main to prevent leaks a few dabs of Loctite silicone will provide some extra insurance following the recommended torque sequence I'll tighten the main boats down in three stages for proper cap aligned now with the front four mains torque the next step is to true the thrust Bank which is a pretty simple procedure all you've got to do is hold the crank in one direction drive it that way hold it in the opposite drive it back and then torque the main cap that's it one last tolerance I need to check is thrust clearance first I'll zero out our Matco magnetic dial gauge then check to make sure the forward to rear movement of the kraang ship is within spec in our thrust clearance checks out but if yours is a little bit too tight it's not that big of an issue to fix all you need is a piece of glass like this picture frame I found in Rick's office a piece of sandpaper and simply take the bearing lay it on top of it and it a few times flip it over then reinstall the bearing torque it down the specs and recheck it that simple coming up more engine assembly tips than you can shake a stick at and later a marriage that's made to last hey welcome back today we're assembling our Chevy 402 and with the crank in place it's time to install the pistons we could ordered a standard set of 30 over rings but since this is more of a performance build we decided to go with a file fit ring for a better seal the formula for figuring out gaps for a street engine is easy just plug your board diameter into these equations and that will tell you what your ring gaps should be insert a ring into the cylinder then use a squaring tool to make sure it's properly aligned check the gap with a feeler gauge that matches the clearance you need it probably won't fit at this point pull the ring out and make a couple passes with a ring gap file only take off a little bit each time because you can't put it back on check it again with the feeler gauge the fit is right when there's just a slight drag on the gauge once you get the ring set at the gap that you're looking for you need to deburr the ring to keep it from gouging into the cylinder or the piston it's pretty easy all you need is a little honing stone or a file and carefully smooth out all the rough edges [Music] so once you get it the bird I'd like to put the ring back into the same cylinder that it came out of to keep up with which ring fits what cylinder I went ahead and gap the rest of our rings and installed most of the Pistons this is a long process so make sure to stay organized because you want to install the correct ring and the cylinder there were gap four and onto the piston and the right order when installing rings always work from the bottom of the piston to the top starting with the o-rings for compression rings an installation tool reduces the risk of gouging a piston or breaking a ring use plenty of regular motor oil not assembly Lube here where you could cause ring failure get it in every ring groove and don't forget the wrist bend switch back to the royal purple Lube for the rod bends then drop on a ring compression tool and the pistons are ready to install with our setup of Eagle cranking rods ARP bolts icon Pistons and Hastings rings will have a rock-solid bottom in that will allow us to push our l78 to redline with confidence a few gentle taps for the soft hammer should be enough to ease it into the cylinder take your time and be careful not to make the crank with the rod in I'm running the rod boats down just until they're snug then I'll torque them down the space another thing to check is the clearance between the two rods Eagle recommends 15 to 25 on the steel rods and we're at 16 so we're all good since this is a stock l78 build we've got to go with a cast iron head Summit's got exactly what we need with their big-block Chevy replacement heads they'll have the stock look with the added performance an aftermarket add offers these fill Pro head gaskets came with a kit that includes all the gaskets needed for an entire build they are peach thread sealer will prevent any leaks from the water jacket and with a dab of arp ultra-torque on the boat heads they're ready to tighten Comp Cams offers the factory grind we need for the l78 all we need to do is lube it up and slip it in cuff also set us up with a complete timing set the crank sprocket is pressed on first followed by the cam sprocket and chain after the bolts are tightened bend the tabs on the retainer to keep them from backing out our conflict has got a dip in motor oil before being dropped into place followed by the push rod now we've showed you how to adjust the lifters on a hydraulic camshaft like on blue-collar Buick but rl78 is a little different it's got a solid lift cam set a rocker on it stud give it a few squirts of motor oil and tighten down the nut adjust the lash until the correct feeler gauge fits tightly [Music] alright man I got all the panel's ready for paint thought I'd come out here and give you a hand but it looks like you about got it covered yeah I'm just about got it done it's not gonna be ready for that for speed real soon cool I'll go get some parts together sounds good hey guys welcome back and converted in a 1970 Camaro from an automatic to a four-speed well we did have a couple challenges one of which was finding an original month's a gearbox well it took a little searching around but we did come up with a good rebuilt unit next is finding a stock appearing bellhousing clutch linkage and pedal assembly well American powertrain is your one-stop shop for all this stuff there bellhousing is an exact replica of the original GM part right down to the casting numbers the difference is where you can't see it these are made out of a high titanium alloy that resists cracking from high torque we're stuffing American powertrain science friction billet steel flywheel and triple grip clutch inside we chose this clutch for its unique design these separate rings of Kevlar and ferrah mix minha can handle all the torque we'll throw at it these guys also supply everything else needed to make this conversion work including 1970 replica pedals there's two ways of doing this you can bolt the bell house into the motor first then bolt up the transmission or you can do it this way and bolt the bell housing to the transmission and install it as a unit a dab of grease on the pilot shaft will help to throw a berry move easy then you can snap in the clutch fork the rubber boot will help keep dust and grease away from the clutch hey Phil I got the big-block I'll put together you ready to both on that for speed nice I got everything ready to rock good deal man I'm gonna go take a short break the pilot Barry needs to be pressed into the back of the crank its job is to support the input shaft in the transmission next up comes the flywheel after lining up the bolt holes some gentle persuasion will seat it onto the crank be sure to use red loctite thread Locker on all these bolts as you do not want these things coming loose after torquing down the flywheel bolts the clutch goes on using the alignment tool included in the kick top it off with the pressure plate using more Loctite thread Locker on the bolts now once it's all torqued down you can pull the alignment tool out and bolt up the transmission how we look in the pair yeah pretty good make sure the splines on the input shaft slide into the splines on the clutch disc before you run any bolts into the block or you could damage the transmission clutch disc or both with the engine and transmission married we can drop the newlyweds into the subframe ah since we're using all factory parts it goes together with no problems well guys we are well on our way and converting our 1970 RS Camaro into a ground-pounding rs/ss all the major components are in place and l78 spec 396 Muncie transmission upgraded front suspension and 12-volt rear end if you have any questions about anything we've used on the show today check it out at powerbot tv.com the bodywork is all done and it's sitting in final primer so it's ready for some paint but we're all out of time for this week so until next week y'all keep between the ditches today on muscle car it's alive it's a pickoff no it's project limelight we're turning back the clock on our Camaro to 1970 with a groovy green paint job Tommy shows how to refurb a set of steel wheels and stainless trim Plus Rick lays down a set of z28 stripes [Music] hey welcome to muscle car project limelight is taking a huge step toward living up to her name today she's gonna get a few coats of citrus green which is not only a factory color for a 70 Camaro but it's the original color of this car now we've already taken care of the little bit of sheet metal and bodywork then we went two rounds with the priming and blocking followed that up with a final wet set of 400 grit now she's ready for paint we've matched this car really thoroughly to prevent overspray and even mask it to the floor to keep our freshly painted undercarriage looking good now if we're doing a chalk mark restoration and we'd actually want some overspray underneath because from the factory these things were not exactly perfect they had visible overspray in areas like the sides of the cowl and pretty much the whole underside of things but we're going for a cleaner look so we got all that stuff covered up well y'all may have noticed that I'm on the injured list today working on cars is a pretty serious business with all the cutting and grinding and such well you wouldn't think masking up a car is all that serious of a hazard well I proved that wrong I'm asking the roof off pulled a clip off and bashed my hand against this pinch weld and I'm here to tell you nine stitches later y'all pay attention to what you're doing in a shop always now before the color goes on I'm gonna lay down a coat of sealer now some guys think that this is kind of a wasted step but it does serve several different purposes it helps fill in any scratches left over from your final blocking it creates a barrier between all of your bodywork and your top coat it gives you a nice even color to lay your base coat down on and it helps your base coat stick better I'll use my owatta base coat gun that I got from power toolbox dotnet to spray the sealer I'm not gonna use a primer gun because primer guns have a lot larger orifice to move thicker material well sealer is only slightly thicker than base coat so I can go ahead and use the same gun the fluid tip used for primer also requires a different air cap to break up the larger volume of liquid so make sure to use the right gun for the material you're spraying check out the full water line at power toolbox net sealer comes in many different shades but grays are more easily covered by the base coat make sure to pick one the same tone as your base color this green gray will be a good for the citrus green going over it I'm spraying the fenders at the same time as the body to help ensure a match any change in temperature or humidity can cause a color variants especially in metallics so it's a good idea to paint as much at one time as you can this is why the doors and deck lid have already been mounted to the car of course you still need a room to move around without bumping into your wet panels so don't pack in too much the hood and nose pieces will be done in a separate batch picking the color for project limelight was easy so we really liked the factory color that was on it citrus green all we had to do is check the trim tag for the color code and give Auto Body color and supply a call a trim test can usually be found on the firewall cowl or ready to support sometimes on the driver side door jamb so you might have to look around a little bit if you trying to match an existing paint job and don't know the code take a panel with you - you paint supplier and they can mix up a custom match or if you don't know what you want ask for a color chip book and browse until you find one you like [Music] always spray with the gun perpendicular to the surface and keep the overlap pattern very consistent especially with metallics or you could get stripes and splotchiness three full coats go down first then a light dust coat that will ensure the metallic color looks even coming up Rick add some more shine to limelight and later Tommy does some shining of his own hey guys welcome back with all the basecoat down on project limelight we can go one of two ways if you're routing graphics to a car like stripes you can either put them under the clear which means I'd have to spray them now or you can go ahead and spray the clear now and add the graphics last on limelight I'm gonna be laying the stripes down over the top of the clear and I'm doing this for a couple of reasons first of all when these cars were originally built they didn't have any clear coat they were all shot in single stage second reason is these are actually z/28 stripes if you wanted them on an SS well the dealer had to add them later if you're doing your graphics under the clear then make sure the panels are correctly aligned either on the car or on a rack before laying the graphics out but just like base coat keep the pattern consistent with about 50% overlap pay attention to how it's acting as it hits the surface and adjust your technique as you go [Music] we painted the panels ran everything through a bake cycle and let it dry for a day so we're ready for assembly if your booth doesn't have a bake cycle wait at least a couple of days before handling the parts well tackle the front clip first now the factory assembled it off the car and then drop the whole thing on as a unit sounds pretty good right well they had a specialized jig beside all the parts on without running the risk of banging anything up we don't have one of those specialized jigs so we're all be doing this the old-fashioned way piece by piece starting with the core support everything is built off this piece so leave it a little loose to allow for adjustment as the front clip goes together the inner fenders need to go on either before or with offenders don't try to jam them in after the fenders are mounted [Music] assembling a car is a lot like putting together a puzzle parts need to go on in a specific order if you get it wrong you're gonna waste a whole lot of time having to redo it a parts assembly manual cuts out all the guesswork your one offers these for most muscle cars and trust me they're worth every red cent assembly is also made easier with a master body kit if you're doing a chalk mark type restoration well odds are you're gonna be reusing some of your original hardware but if the stuff is damaged what's gonna have to be replaced regardless now this kit from year one comes with everything pre bagged and tagged that way there's no searching around to try to find what you need this is we're working with an all original car really saves a lot of frustration these pieces are already familiar with each other so we're just reuniting old prints with the help of some new hardware [Music] at this point the front clip is just about finished but the core support and inner fender boats are still loose to allow final fitment of the hood once the hood and fenders are square in the line we'll tighten them all up that doesn't look bad train got this up next turn your old steel wheels from Danny right out of sight and later Rick earns his stripes hey welcome back to muscle cars now that we've got the body painted and looking great we can turn our attention to the wheels our car came with 14 inch rallies and that doesn't exactly scream performance so we're upgrading to the z28 wheels we'll gain an inch in diameter and an inch in width so that means we'll get a lot more rubber to the road build on a budget muscle car projects that save you time and money you can buy reap ops but we're going to show you how to refurbish an original set painted steel wheels with stainless trim are really common with muscle cars so this process can be applied to more than just the z28 Wheels factory wheels are coated just like engine blocks if you want to identify set check for the size and date stamp on the rim some are also coated near the valve stem hole z28 used this style wheel from 70 to 81 the earlier ones were painted gray and had an oval valve stem hole for 77 ups were painted body color and had a round valve stem hole these don't have the oval that we'd like to have but painted gray will be plenty good enough for our build the first thing we need to do is straighten out the lip a flat spot here and there is okay but make sure the wheels aren't warped if you have doubts take them to a tire shop and have them check next smooth out any gouges or Nicks use a metal file instead of a grinder to prevent scratches don't remove too much just knock down the rough edges during this step before blasting will leave a nice even surface you could try to chemically strip these but believe me it's worth a few extra bucks it will cost to have them blasted I'm using glazing putty to fill in any Nicks and scrapes once it's dry with coarse grit paper like 80 or 120 move to 180 or 220 grit to shape it then smooth off the scratches with 320 or 400 I've got about four hours invested in these and it's amazing how much better they look just getting the old paint off of them DEP primer is up next which is the same stuff we used on the body you can get good results out of a spray can just be sure to use an edge primer for better adhesion after blowing them off wiping them down and giving them a quick once-over with a tack cloth I can get to spraying I'm doing the back side first then I'll flip them over and cover the rest I'll give them two coats for a good barrier against rust [Music] early 70s z28 wheels used a specific paint formula that original lacquer is no longer available so our gamer but is a call-out at auto body color and supply and they hooked us up with a formula to match that original flat gray the new formulation is a urethane base coat just like we used on the car after two coats of base I'll let it dry for about 15 minutes then lay on two coats of semi-gloss clear [Music] nothing ruins a good-looking set of wheels worse than some scuffed up dented up trim rings and center caps if you can't find replacements or if your originals aren't messed up too bad you might try fixing them up this process works for all kinds of stainless trim as long as you can get to the backside of the damaged area work slowly and gently using a hammer with a tip that matches the size and shape of the area of your fixing I'm using a metal file to find the low spots not to remove any metal just give it over the surface and you'll see what still needs work you'll probably go through this process of hammering and filing several times to get the shape just right sand it with 180 grit followed by some 320 to get rid of the scratches left by the file before it's polished [Music] the next step is to buff out the tiny scratches left over from the sandpaper this buffing kit from Summit Racing comes with all the compounds to shine up just about any type of metal on the car from copper and chrome to steel in aluminum you can even shine up plastic and the buffing wheels that come in a kit will fit any shop grinder apply the compound to the wheel not the trim and make sure to wear gloves because these things can grab the trim right out of your hand which has been known to leave the trips to the ER let the wheel run over the entire surface if you've done everything right they should polish to a shine really quick I'll get the emblems glued to the center and they'll be as good as new after the break learn how to lay down some lines hey guys welcome back well Tommy finishes up the trim rings and center caps I'm gonna get the stripes laid out now there's a few different ways that you can do this if you're going for a non original look then lay them out however you want just keep them symmetrical but if you're going for a factory recreation of the originals then there's a couple of ways that you can do with this you can get a stripe kit which is basically a big sticky template or you can use a picture of an original car and go with the measurement method which is how I'll be doing it the first step is to find the center of the hood by measuring both the back and the front use a soft tape measure to prevent scratches and don't worry the marks will come off with a little polishing compound mark the center line with eighth inch tape and this will be your main reference for laying out the stripes the emblem is going back in place to use as a guide now when you're using pictures to help you lay out graphics look for things like vents in the cowl the distance to any emblems and the distance in your body lines or curves by looking at how the stripes are run from the cowl events in my picture I know where they should start and how wide they need to be I can also see how they're positioned around the emblem to get the correct length now looking at how the stripes follow the body lines on the hood will give me the rest of the way there now once I get the first stripe laid out I'll take measurements to recreate it on the other side this way I know that they're going to be symmetrical with the basic shape laid out I can come back and Mark the rounded corners using the rolls of tape and sandpaper as templates I'll run a line of quarter-inch tape inside the original marks to create the outline of the outer stripe this will be removed before I paint the next comes another strip of quarter-inch tape inside the last one this one marks the gap between the inner and outer stripes now I can remove the tape I'll aide to mark the outer stripe and mask it all up for paint i sanded down all the big areas with 400 grit then went back and hit all the edges with a red scotch brite now if I was shooting these stripes like a high metallic silver then I would have used something finer like a 600 grit and a grey scotch brite that way the sand scratches wouldn't come back through but with the single stage black we're using on these this prep will be just fine now we've got it all scuffed up masked up now we're ready to lay down some black when you're painting graphics on panels assembled to a car make sure to mask inside all the gaps where the black will travel under the masking paper and get all over the body and interior after two coats got plenty of coverage and here she is after letting her sit for about four hours I pulled all the masking off to reveal our new stripes I'll tell you I can really see why these things were popular dealer option they give the whole car new attitude I got the trim rings and centers all finished up then wrapped the wheels and a set of Firestone wide oval buy supplies just like it would have had when it was new Coker Tire specializes in factory rubber so they are the place to go if you want a stock looking tired if you guys want more info on tires or anything else you seen on today's show or want to watch a full episode a muscle car online check out power block tv.com well the exterior project limelight is looking awesome and that means that we can turn our attention to the interior but for this week right of time so until next time we're out of here hey guys welcome to muscle car we got a project sitting in the shop and it's been getting a lot of attention and you can see why our 70 RS SS Camaro project line line is sitting pretty sweet now this is a stock style build with every performance option in 1970 had to offer included a 375 horse big-block 12-volt rear end and heavy-duty suspension but it's still missing something that every car has to have an interior before the car was blasted we pulled everything out we don't plan to reuse very much of it cuz it's the wrong color and it's in pretty bad shape but we did save the seats because we plan to rifo and recover we're also replacing the whole wiring harness because we don't trust 40 year old wires plus riding a full set of factory type gauges so we need a different kind of setup but before we put in any new parts we need to cover up all this bare metal many GM cars came from the factory with no coating on the inside but we want to give limelight every bet it protects you we can so we're breaking out the dupli-color and since it'll be hidden under the carpet it'll still look factory beautiful it's hard to get excited about wine but it's a step that you cannot afford to neglect it runs under and through all the interior components so it needs to go in while the car still gutted but no need to panic just take your time go one step at a time and it's really not that hard do yourself a favor and get the steering column completely out of the way it will make this job much easier I left the old harness in until the last minute so the routing and hookups would be fresh on my mind when putting the new one in there are several points that attach the main harness to the car start by removing the fuse block and then look for any others clips plugs and brackets until the whole thing comes out in one piece this area was covered up when the car was blasted so it needs a little attention before the new harness goes in clean off the rust with a wire brush hit it with some itching primer and semi gloss black a new firewall insulation Matt will keep the engine noise down with the mat in place the new harness goes in using all the same mounting points as the old one [Music] this is where using a quality Oh a style harnessed pays off all the plugs and clips will match so it's actually kind of hard to get it wrong oh he's awesome he's got a taking time [Music] once the main harness is installed you can run the body harness out back using the existing clip where Tommy gets a steering column put back in and gets the last few wires run I'm gonna get some dial a down in all these parts now some stuff you can order in the factory correct light saddle which is the color that we chose for the interior but other stuff you can only get in black and that means you have to dye it but before we do that we've got to get all stuff prepped out PPG designed a whole system just for cleaning nonmetallic parts it takes all the guesswork out of prepping everything from interior plastic parts to exterior flexible bumpers and body kits [Music] the 3-step system includes sealed disposable applicators in a final spray-on adhesion promoter now you can use the OEM color codes to order the dye but if you want an exact color match and do like we did we sent a whole door panel over to Autobody color and supply they mix it up a custom batch so we know it's dead-on this stuff comes straight out of the can or ready to spray so just dump it in you're ready to go [Music] guy goes on a lot like base coats to build it up in three or four thin layers once it looks covered add one more coat now this is going to help longevity for parts that get a lot of contact or abuse like armrests and kick panels you can add a layer of flat clear for extra insurance [Music] coming up tummy installs a spiffy new set of gauges and Rick makes our tired old Camaro seats super cozy and comfy [Music] hey guys welcome back before we install that freshly died - we're going to assemble the gauge cluster classic industries has all we need to swap out this basic o set with the deluxe gauges and all we'll be reusing is a few pieces of hardware this plastic assembly is over 40 years old and it's obviously seen better days luckily the most important piece is for us to save are the screws since we're able to replace pretty much everything else [Music] the new housing is the same as the old one but what we're putting in it is not to make the deluxe cage set complete we're adding attack and clock and the idiot lights are being replaced by actual gauges for water temperature and alternator [Music] while you've got it all apart this is a great time to change any old bulbs these things aren't the easiest to change for the gauges in the car so you could spend a few extra bucks on the front end and save tons of time later on you spend a lot of time staring at the dash while you drive so you might as well make sure it looks good not to mention it's also one of the first things people see when they check out your interior [Music] we're topping it all off with a new gauge bezel the original one was just too far gone a lot of the interior panels overlap the headliner so what's got to go in next now there are some one-piece molded headliners that are a little bit easier to install that you can get but we want to keep this car all original so we're going with a bow type now this one from classic industries is available in the correct color and it even has the original grain and pattern we're reusing the factory bows which need to be removed and installed in the new headliner in the same position that they were originally in the car if you're reusing the original clips beware it doesn't take much to turn them into a pile of plastic shavings [Music] in there I'm marking the edges so I can be more precise with the application of the glue with this perforated style headliner it can actually bleed right through those holes to the visible side it takes about 10 or 15 minutes for the adhesive to be ready to stick a little bit of stretching them pull them and gluon I got to come back here and trim this edge roll it finish gluing it in place it's pretty much there doesn't look too bad obviously there's still a few little wrinkles in it but that all smooth out once it gets out in the Sun and heats up and if it bugs me too bad I can lose use a heat gun and kind of smooth it out that way too but for now it's pretty good while Tommy gets the back seat carpet and shift4 installed I'm gonna tackle the front seats I know a lot of you guys out there may think that this 80's upholstery job here is totally rad but we need a stock type interior the best way to do that is to recover the original frames now classic industries has foam and covers that match the original style and colors all you need is the bones to build off of it's real common for these seat frames actually outlast the rest of the car and even if they are a little damaged they can usually be repaired now before we get it in this thing to D we need to get this whole cover off and see what condition our frames are ready here it goes save all the little parts try not to break in the beauty of a kit like this say you can recover your seats with the tools you already have lying around plus a few bucks for a set of hog written flyers at this point you want to check for things like broken Springs or cracked frames so you can repair any damage before you cover it back up our friends don't need any repair but we still need to get rid of the rust if you can't blast them use a wire brush to clean them up with the frames freshly blasted we'll seal them up with some dupli-color engine enamel now normally these things aren't painted from the factory but these are rolled so they need all the rust protection that they can get alright now for the hard part getting that new seat cover over the new foam if your old foam is still in decent shape we can go ahead and reuse it maybe save yourself a few bucks but odds are especially on the driver's side it's probably beat up pretty good it's gonna need to be replaced now start out by hog ringing the cover to the center of the seat foam then work your way out put it on seat covers like headliners or vinyl tops it's a whole lot of pulling and stretching just make sure the cover stays centered on the pad the stitching lines will make a painfully obvious if it's out of the line [Music] that's looking pretty good the seatback is similar to the bottom stretch it hollering it stretch it hug bring it stretch it and you get the idea now there are some areas where no amount of stretching is going to remove the wrinkles and that's where batting comes in stuff it into the loose areas until they're nice and smooth then install the seat back cover I also cleaned up the seat tracks and painted them now they're ready to install that's a good-looking seat right there unbolt this dude in look at boss man coming through oh hey mint paint looks pretty good for a bondo bandit like yourself thanks whereas interior doesn't look bad for a pushrod Banzi well you know man I started off with a huge box from classic industries including the carpet rear panels rear seat covers console and then I added the original style shifter her sent us yeah it looks like you got the glass installed too man looks good yeah neither one of us are done yet we still gotta get the steering wheel and the door panels installed yeah and I still got to finish the driver seats I'm out we already stuffed the guts into the doors so now we can cap them off with the door panels we've even got some fresh shinies for that factory fresh look [Music] [Music] and the cherry on top is a brand-new steering wheel [Music] heads up man got the driver's seat done cool man set it in there let's check it out this interiors looking nice a couple little details we can call this dude done yeah but we're all out of time for this week so until next week y'all keep between the ditches hey guys welcome to muscle car project limelight here it's coming into the final stages of the build our goal is to recreate an RS ss396 using all the options that we would have chosen if we had ordered it way back in 1970 and when we're all said and done this baby is not only gonna look factory fresh but it's gonna drive just like it did back in the day we started this OAM style build with a nice brush free split-bumper RS very little bodywork was needed before we hosed on the original GM citrus green a 402 block was built up to the L 78 396 specs and bolted up to a Muncie 4-speed the front end was upgraded to the f40 one special suspension option using all factory spec bushings and parts and we gave it a 12-volt since this was the last year you could get one in an F body then we made over the interior to look just like a 1970 Camaro should well the engines been installed but it's not ready to fire up yet we still need to bolt on a bunch of parts like the carburetor and all the engine accessories then we can attend to a few details like the clutch linkage and wiring you don't have to remove the hood to do this we went ahead and snatched it off to give you guys a better look at what we're doing now l78 Camaros came with a very specific carburetor while most F fighters came with a Quadrajet we need a rare Holley for our application and these things are not easy to come by but the parts place specializes in factory correct reproduction carbs and they hooked us up with this one [Music] this is kind of cool could the Sun comes up and they're all like hey man what pennant what pound injectors are you running on your motor and you look at them go dude we're gonna Holly back up we nabbed arranging accessories from classic industries these are all remand parts made to replicate what would have originally come on in l78 Camaro and they've got these kind of pieces for a ton of different builds the cooling components and Weinger all the same story all this stuff is built to marry up together right out of the box sweet no modifications necessary I need to double-check because from the factory they use a resistance wire right here that actually cuts the voltage down to 6 volts instead of 12 so the points last longer but we put in electronic ignition so I need to double check and make sure it's not gonna screw it up all right now this is where we go back and check stuff apparently it's ok to leave the ballast wire in place but you do need to get your hot off a 12-volt source not the 6 volt on the other side of the resistor so that means I need to find myself a new 12-volt switch source no biggie [Music] with the radiator cover and fan shroud in place that means we're done shoving big pieces into the engine bay time to take off these old pickup truck valve covers and swap them out for the correct chrome ones I'll bet you thought we're gonna leave these orange ones on huh yeah the plugs distributor cap and ignition wires are also stock OEM parts right down to the original rubber booties we're missing a few small things like wire separators and some hoses but pretty soon Limelight's gonna be ready for the prom oh yeah guys welcome back got all the brackets mounted for the clutch linkage I'm ready to drop in the Z bar now all of these om style of four-speed conversion parts came from American powertrain once they get all the stuff mounted we'll get it up here in the rack make some final adjustments so it engages and disengages in the right spots and doesn't cause any damage here's a peek at 1970s technology before yeah back when you didn't need a PhD and asked for physics to properly set up a clutch nowadays when a manufacturer runs a manual transmission the clutch system is all hydraulic with a tiny little magical leprechaun who makes it all work hey Tom Abbie yes sir when jumping the Carn give me Hannah just in the clutch all right oh thanks pretty cup 250 you know this thing in like a four-wheel-drive version will be too bad [Music] when you're adjusting the play in the clutch it helps to have somebody that can sit in the driver's seat and run the pedal for you all right Tommy where we out on the clutch it feels like you got clutch but it doesn't feel like it gets good - almost at the floor bring it all the way down and get it one more time getting better keep going keep going yeah it feels about right Rick cool we're dialing we ordered the correct exhaust for a big-block from classic industries now this kit comes with a larger diameter pipe than with our original small-block 307 used to breathe through these are made from a luminous steel which would have been the material of choice back in the 1970s [Music] now it's Rick's turn to be the placeholder guy he does a pretty good job think it hangs a little low it's gonna sound all night it might scrape a little bit it's a good thing he's pretty knowledgeable about exhaust [Music] this is what you call a transverse muffler Jim used this design for decades the ponies are set really low to the ground so they had to compensate for this by shoving the muffler up between the rear end and the gas tank we're reusing the factory hangers which still fit this exhaust even though the car came with the single tailpipe a little bit of wiggling is all it takes to get the pieces in place the kit comes with all the OE style clamps to hold everything together just don't torque them down super tight until you have everything lined up where it's supposed to be [Music] [Music] and voila a factory correct exhausted we've got the exhaust all buttoned up and it's gonna look and sound real nice the pieces are coming together on limelight yeah we're getting dangerously close to taking her out for a maiden voyage but we still have to hang a gas tank the brake booster bolt on a few shiny parts and tighten up some loose ends we started with the tired 1970 Camaro RS with a sad little 307 small-block a bargain barn paint job and a mega rad 80 style interior we went out and found a rusty 402 and a barn tore it down sleeved it and built it up and finished it with an L 78 396 after a little bodywork we brought it back to its GM factory color citrus green then we planted some stripes across the hood and deck with all new front and rear suspension which replicates what a big-block would have been sitting on out of the factory air correct wheels and tires gnarly four-speed and a light saddle interior that would make an angel sing limelight is Dan close to being finished we're gonna get her button down topped off and fire it up we've got to take care of some exterior trim too a bit of wiring and get that big-block fired up before we can do that so we better get to work and we've got some majority of the parts that still need to go on the car all laid out here in the blanket and they're laid out in the same position that they need to go on the car now that's gonna save us some time from searching around trying to find stuff as we go now every part that we're not reusing is an accurate reproduction from year one we decided to reuse the grille bezel because it was one of the pieces that held up pretty well over time advanced plating made it look brand-new again despite the SS package most of the trim options are RS Camaro style [Music] these are the pieces that define the look of the car there's a certain feeling of satisfaction that goes along with the final few components getting put in place not to mention the anticipation that comes of being is so close to being able to drive it it takes a lot of man-hours to turn on a huge water steel back into a rolling piece of Detroit muscle yeah that's the money right there better engraving this mirror is nice reflection is how it can be pretty difficult separating the details from the RS package and what's supposed to come from the SS package this car rigidly rolled off the assembly line with RS badging on the fender but it's supposed to have the SS badging we needed to come up with the correct SS emblems so we gave your one a call now it's time to put emblems back on your car there's a few different ways to do it you can go to an old assembly manual and take it from there you can find pictures of original cars and hope that they're correct or you can find an original fender or panel and drill the pattern off of that the tape will usually run along a body line like this because that's a given you know where that is from there you can start just make a little crease or mark with your fingernail or pen or whatever where the edge of the fender is where your body lines are and where the front edge of the fender is now that you know where your parameters are where the edges are you can go back and start marking your centers now this is a 350 car now to 396 but it's very least the SS emblems will be in the correct position and then you got a pattern that you know is correct it doesn't get any more accurate than that [Music] still to go working out the Camaro Kings and pulling an all-nighter to bring a big-block device hey guys welcome back project limelight is mere moments away from firing up for its first time but that means we're working on the final details which usually takes up a lot of time that's how it is when you come into the homestretch of a build like this you got to track little things down like why um gremlins beat them out of your car then we can top off the fluids check for leaks and hopefully fire this dude up so nice work on mold of cars like this you can actually reach all the bolts I wanted Bela housing board right now looking at how the PCV valves are routed as the positive cable is supposed to go under that motor mount or above it I'm thinking that's supposed to go under it that figure I really don't know what that is sure seems to fit awful nice running it that way I'm popping in a couple of new u-joints we decided to go ahead and reuse the stock driveshaft we had to swap out the front yoke for the larger big-block version now it's also a good time to double check your fluids empty there ain't much worse than getting a couple miles down the road and realizing that you ain't got no gear old in that rear end call you weekend wears out there that drive late model whatever fill in the blank during the week keep in mind that the early transmissions here don't use ATF transmission fluid this is back when the machining process and these things were about as a rough as the people that shifted them they need 90 weight gear oil not ATF so don't put ATF in a Muncie you will destroy it stick your finger in there and the level should be just below that thread and it's right there so we got it I like to add a dab of Loctite thread sealer just for insurance now guys remember when you're starting a brand new motor do your best to pre-fill the oil filter because by doing this and that will help prevent a dry start it's a lot easier on the engine another mistake that a lot of guys make once you get this thing cinched down to where that seal is just kissing the bottom of the block don't turn it on there another two three turns we'll never get it off all it needs is about quarter of a turn and that's it [Music] eff down yep okay down that's what you're watching for it they're sellers the Liberals coming out you crack it open watch pretty bubbles and there was a single bubble in there that means that you got it it's always a good idea to use break-in oil when you first fire a new motor now it's time to get her to move under her own power and you can see we have here there's a whole lot of work to do you we're having a little engine trouble don't know if it's vacuum leak or distributor problem there may possibly even carburetor go again let's go again with this little behind-the-scenes look there's no ego smooth late last night trying to get this thing tuned and it wasn't working out at all it's just one of those crazy kind of little deals can't quite figure it out clam let's got an attitude it's making us work for it I'm just gonna put the fuel in it that way I know I want a man to buy diesel hmm okay just try helps it's a muscle car you will make it very sad this is about the part where somebody usually says hey y'all watch this guess the timings off and so are my eyebrows flames coming out of the carburetor mean that your intake valve is open and a cylinder when it gets spark your ignition system and rotating assembly or plumb out of whack use an atomic light you can tell how many degrees advance or [ __ ] your engine is time rotating the distributor changes the point at which the plug fires all engines have a sweet spot for initial time l seventy-eights were happiest at around 4 to 6 degrees advanced time and dad on his things off by life but you bring it down to where it supposed to be it won't even run your problem can also be aggravated by other small issues like having a Miss tune carburetor we just let this idle it down a little bit now I'm starting to hear the cam loaf a little bit double-checking your specs never hurts to know the hot idle speed this one 700 excellent looking up to actually see the correct tune or the timing spec on it it says it sets it four degrees before you'll from pressure we checked that last night go spin we're sitting about five and a half and that's for them this kind of fix can be real tricky sometimes you don't know if you need to be adjusting the car or the distributor as long as you keep making a little bit of progress at a time then you know you're headed in the right direction we're also dealing with a lot of components that can change the requirements of the motor by small amounts a little here and a little there can add up pretty fast trying to figure out where this dudes gonna be happy we copied this thing as close as we could off of the l78 at the end of the day original l78 parts they needed to come by it starts to good time I think tip for all you gain a start no better than that [Music] we looked hot and heavy trying to find the right air cleaner but the best we could come up with was a z28 version and really when you get down to it that's the name of the game when you're doing a resto job now guys we know that we could have spent literally years tracking down every single little correct par for this car man we wanted to build it and drive it and beside you can always swap out the incorrect parts for the correct ones as you find them if you have any questions about today's show you can check it all out of PowerBlock tv.com the next time you see this ride we'll be riding in it at the good guy show but we're all out of time for this week so until next week y'all keep it between the digits hey I'm driving no I'm driving no no I'll let you drive but I'm driving this thing flip you for it flip me nothing [Music] we've had the chance to work on some pretty sweet cars on this show before and they've run the gamut from low but do-it-yourself Street cruisers to asphalt thrash and fire-breathing monsters that you could hardly keep the tires planted on but limelight here's a little different what it lacks an over-the-top capabilities it makes up for with pure [Music] sophistication and classic Sensibility [Music] you know Tom I think this is about the most accurate restoration we've ever done on the show I mean we usually upgrade stuff like motors transmission suspension tires all that but today what dude sometimes the old stuff just cool I'm lights Biblos factory style parts but just because she's got old-school components don't count her out when it comes to raw powder one of the signature styling cues of a pony car is the long hood short deck body style that they are often designed with now this results in a smaller car than most of the big models of the day but it still has room for a big engine with big power this citrus green paint looks pretty nice out under the Sun it's got just enough metal flake for a nice subtle Sheen this shades not only an accurate chevrolet color of the day but it's also a unique choice that gives this car look all of its own tommy's resto job and these wheels looks dead on the poly glass rubber really completes that it's cool factory look we're going for the trim options for the RS SS model bring a good deal of pizazz to the table with subtle compliments at chrome and aggressive styling cues that you will not confuse this car for the base model and the l78 396 that we built for it cranks out plenty of power to push it right on down the road it's chilling out in the ballpark of 375 for and for a car that's just a hair over 3,300 pound it's hard to beat a good old-fashioned big-block and a forest beat we're just outright fun [Applause] the better be a lot more of these dudes still around but they've been Street race and beat up and they're funding a bridge of buttons which means when you got something like this man that's a shame to keep it locked up for no one to see these things were meant to be driven and enjoy well I guess this thing's living proof that they knew what they were doing back in the day yeah they did she was pretty old and tired and wore out in the Gadar but I think she's that for going out and scaring the heck out of some hybrids man scare him hey let's make some examples out of it works for me you

Channel: POWERNATION

Views: 2,039,036

Rating: 4.8232827 out of 5

Keywords: Car, PowerNation, howto, how-to, diy, automotive, cars, trucks, automobile, do it yourself, automobiles, auto, camaro, camaro ss, camaro zl1, chevy camaro, camaro rebuild, camaro rebuild time lapse, car rebuild, car build, salvage car rebuild, time lapse car rebuild, chevy, chevrolet, chevrolet camaro, muscle car, muscle car build, muscle car build in 10 minutes, building a car in 10 minutes

Id: UE3L4n-OArE

Length: 102min 47sec (6167 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 30 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/Uptons_BJs]

I know, this is a near 2 hour video. but I love Powernation, and you should check the video out. This is a complete in detail restoration of a classic muscle car.

[u/UptownDonkey]

This video would be so much better with about 1/10th as much over the top TV production value as it has. From a very different era but still interesting.

[u/soiboughtafarm]

That ugly giant ‘grill’ looks almost modern in design.

[u/jezwel]

Good stuff, love these old muscle cars.