Six-Pack of Camaro Restomods

It's hard for gearheads to imagine what hot rodding was like before the advent of the factory-built muscle car, and the Mustang in particular had a profound effect on how vehicular performance is enjoyed across the world. The lightweight, affordably built American sportscar was an immediate success, taking much of the domestic auto industry by surprise. Chevy didn't watch from the sidelines either and by the Fall of 1966, the Camaro was born. Overnight, the public had a profusion of choices that we still enjoy today.

The appeal of the Camaro (and all cars in the "ponycar" segment) is nearly universal, its accessibility engendering a variety of uses ranging from economical daily transportation for secretaries and university professors, to wheel-standing dragster pilots and road course warriors. There isn't a single walk of life, profession, or slice of society that hasn't gazed upon the flanks of a Camaro and not come away impressed. Today, Camaros can be found in such far flung places as Iran and China, testifying to the compact American sportscar's flexibility and universality.

Restomod-style Camaros are understandably among the most popular, their modernized suspensions, more efficient drivetrains, disc brake conversions, and improved occupant protection bringing them in line with contemporary performance offerings. For some, newer performance machinery is cold, bland, and ubiquitous, despite having impressive power and features. For those folks, only a classic restomod Camaro can scratch that itch.

Types of Restomod Camaros

The Chevy Camaro has evolved stylistically over the decades, and depending on one's own experience and age, your fancy may hew more closely to a specific generation of Camaro. We'll be looking at six restomod Camaros from the first three generations of (F-body) Camaros: the 1967-to-1969 first generation, the 1970-to-1981 second generation, and the 1982-to-1992 third generation. The evolution of the mark is fascinating to watch and the march of design and technology on the Camaro's changing aesthetics is well in evidence. Let's see how some of today's brightest restomod builders have reinterpreted the classic Chevy Camaro.

1967 Chevy Camaro

As a self-admitted computer geek and car builder, Justin Smith saw the build-up of his 1967 Chevy Camaro restomod as the perfect excuse to combine his two passions in one car. Rather than go the old-school route with a carbureted big-block and a knuckle-dragging set of big-n-littles, Justin opted for a high-tech 530hp LS2 crate engine, six-speed Tremec overdrive, and all the best handling goodies including RideTech rear four-link and Global West front suspension bits. The modern fuel-injection snaps to attention at the twist of a key, but this is no straight-line one-trick pony. Giant Michelin Pilot Sport tires on Boze wheels are great on grip and Baer 13-inch disc brakes all around make it stop on a dime.

1969 Chevy Camaro

The memory of watching his first car roll off into the distance—sold to fund a refrigerator and a couch for his first home in 1972—is one that haunted Jeff Johnson for decades. The '69 Camaro had been a graduation gift from his parents. Fifty years later he and his wife, Joyce, decided a half century was long enough to go without another one, only this time Jeff would outfit it with a Smeding Performance 572ci big-block Chevy and an indestructible dual-disc Centerforce DYAD clutch behind a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission. Handling was upgraded to new-Camaro levels with a TCI rear four-link and tubular front subframe, aided by fat Nitto gumballs (245/45 front, 315/35 rear) on Billet Specialties hoops. Check out all the sweet details of Jeff's first-gen Camaro restomod here.

1970 Chevy Camaro

By the time GM's engineers arrived at the assignment of designing the second-generation of the Camaro, longer and lower proportions had come into vogue. It was, however, the split-bumper version of the 1970 Camaro that Texas businessman Doyle Thomas craved, and Mike Rutter of Rotterz Rods had all the right components at his disposal to build Doyle the car of his dreams. Starting with one of GM's choice LSA supercharged crate engines making 556 hp, Rutter reached for the Detroit Speed and Engineering catalog for an AlumaFrame front clip, QuadraLink rear suspension, and nine-inch rearend housing, and didn't stop until the stance was perfect with a set of custom rims from The WheelSmith wrapped with steamroller Michelin Pilot Sport 18s (front) and 20s (rear).

1976 Chevy Camaro

An interesting phenomenon happens when you start looking for restomod Camaros built between 1974 and 1977—there seem to be none! Federal crash standards meant giant bumpers with ugly proportions beginning in 1974, and the Camaro was an unintended victim. This author was the editor of Popular Hot Rodding magazine at the time and thought that was a shame, so a 1976 Camaro was purchased and modified between 2005 and 2008. Stories covered the affordable restomod conversion with baseline performance testing, 18-inch rolling stock from Weld and Falken, larger disc brakes from Baer, a 383ci small-block stroker engine build-up, freer-flowing exhaust parts from Hedman and Dynomax, a fast-ratio steering box from Flaming River, a new interior from Year One, and spectacular show-winning paint by Johnsons Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama. Except for the paint, the 1976 Camaro was built for a total of $20k, including the car. The biggest obstacle, however, was convincing folks a 1976 Camaro was a car worth having, a challenge we met when we showed folks how to fix those ugly disco-era bumpers here.

1981 Chevy Camaro

In the before times, when TV star David Freiburger ran HOT ROD magazine, the pressure was on to promote GM's new line of E-Rod crate engines—the now ubiquitous turnkey LS3 crate engine putting out 430hp in smog-legal trim. In 2011, the decision was made to tackle the transformation of a 1981 Chevy Camaro Z/28 from junkyard refugee to restomod standout. The 1981 Camaro—the last year of the second gens—was owned by Freiburger and underwent the transformation at Diversified Creations, where it received a complete Hotchkis TVS suspension package, PCS quick-ratio steering box, Wilwood brakes, RideTech shocks, and the aforementioned E-Rod Connect and Cruise crate engine conversion. Called Ol' Rubber-Nose by the HOT ROD staff due to the 1978-to-1981's unique injection-molded bumper, Freiburger confided in your author he thought it was much too nice for his tastes, and the car faded quickly from view once its PR function was complete. Nevertheless, it stands today as a shining example of late second-gen Camaro restomod beauty.

1989 Chevy Camaro

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and in the case of Justina Schwartz—daughter of well-known car builder and speed parts entrepreneur Jeff Schwartz (Schwartz Performance)—it seems to be true. Like her brother, Dale, she grew up watching her dad drive a beat-up 1989 Camaro he bought after loosing his job in 2005. Eventually forming his own business and graduating to nicer wheels, Jeff passed the car to son Dale, who then passed it down to Justina. When Justina decided she wanted to go autocrossing like her brother and dad, the Camaro became ground zero for her hot-rodding dreams. But Justina would not be handed a finished car on a silver platter—she had to wrench on it herself, working nearly every day on it in the family shop before and after school. Of course, Justina had some fatherly help with patch panels and rust repair, but tough jobs like wiring Justina tackled like a pro. Get all the details how she accomplished it in the full story here.