Pretty nice car in the shop today, a 1968 Camaro.  This one belongs to my father-in-law, he’s been slowly restoring it over the years, and it’s about there.  I would have to say it’s nicer now then the day it rolled off the assembly line in Norwood, Ohio.  At least all the panels fit better!

Restoring these cars is very doable, mostly because they were made of steel.  You can straighten or repair anything made out of steel.  Makes you wonder how they are going to restore a modern ride that’s mostly plastic and electronic black boxes.

This car has two safety innovations for the time, seat belts and a dual chamber master cylinder for the brakes.  Before this date, it wasn’t unusual at all for a car to lose all it’s brakes due to a leak in the hydraulics, hitting buildings and rolling down hills…. the sixties and seventies were almost hilarious but for the fact that it was you rolling down the hill…. and needless to say the handbrakes weren’t any good either…. and cars didn’t have seatbelts, and why are we still alive?

This car has a 327, 3 speed manual shift, and no power steering or brakes.  The worm and roller steering took some getting used to, it took some muscle and quite a few turns of the wheel to get it into the shop.  It may not be the most comfortable car in the world, but it is an adventure!