The crew at Johnson's Hot...
The crew at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop pose in front of a half completed g/28. (Builder Alan Johnson is the one kneeling in the lower right.) Besides the guys at Johnson's, we also have to thank the Camaro experts at Classic Industries and the paint pros at Sherwin-Williams/Planet Color, for supplying the goods. If you want true show-quality body and paint, it pays to go with the best.
This issue marks a very special occasion-the return of Project g/28, our '76 Camaro project car. Since you last saw it in the February 2007 issue, it's been getting a complete makeover at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop, and what you see in this issue is a condensed version of what happened over a 13-month period. As far as tech stories go, the 13 pages of body and paint on g/28 we've devoted in this issue is huge compared to the five or six pages we'd normally give a story, but it's really a small number when you think about it. Do the division: That's one page per month spent in the shop. As you probably figured, top-quality show car paint doesn't come easy.
I can't say enough good things about Alan Johnson and the rest of the crew at Johnson's Hot Rod Shop in Gadsden, Alabama. When we first started g/28 in the April 2005 issue, we'd paid $2,300 (the prior spring) for this jalopy with a 305 and a Powerglide. It was a slug, but to the good, it ran and was relatively straight. Every issue from April 2005 to February 2007 had a g/28 tech story or an update. We also had a rendering by artist Kris Horton and that is what kept us going through the best and worst of times. It's also what piqued Alan Johnson's interest in our project.
When Alan first expressed interest, we initially thought he was joking, but then realized he shared our vision. What needs to be said here is that no serious award-winning car builder of Alan's caliber has ever paid any attention to big-bumper "disco" '74-77 Camaros. But Alan had a plan, which he kept quiet until he had the car in his shop. Like many of us, he was in high school when these disco-era cars were hand-me-downs. There was a sentimental connection: He saw the opportunity to be the first and acted.
One thing I hear a lot from people who see the finished '76 Camaro is: "Wow, that front bumper really looks great. What did they do to it?" The answer is, "a lot." The fix wasn't easy, primarily because we're all used to seeing the bumper look a certain way. The idea was to tweak it just enough to still be recognizable, only better looking-kind of like the way you might see a high school sweetheart through the hazy veil of memory. After seeing it, some folks say, "It looks stock, only better than I remember." When you hear that, you know Alan nailed it.
So how'd he do it? To see those details, you'll have to go popularhotrodding.com for the web-exclusive pix, but here's the gist: Alan cut three inches out of the bumper's width (actually 1.5 inches from the flat area on each side below the headlight) and shortened the length of the bumper by 1.5 inches where it wraps around. Some additional contouring (to match the body) was also required where the wrap-around terminates. The rub strip was also removed, the holes were filled, and the whole thing painted body color. When it was installed, the supports were shortened about an inch to tuck it into the body. Sweet!
Another unintended benefit of Alan's work is that we found out what was causing the overheating problem and coolant loss in our 383. One of the cylinders had been sleeved and was puking water into the cylinder. Rather than rebuild it, we took that opportunity to send Alan our Budget Sledgehammer 350 Vortec that we built in the November 2006 issue. That motor made 447 hp for under $3,500, and it runs great in g/28.
So what should we do to g/28 now? We're thinking a better exhaust system for starters. After that, maybe a blower or a bigger engine. If you've got an idea, drop me a line at john.hunkins@sourceinterlink.com. I'd love to hear from you.
Got Something to Say? I want to hear from you.Drop me an e-mail at john.hunkins@sourceinterlink.com.