Without even trying, Rafel has co-authored a short essay on how to get great speed for little money by simply filling out a techsheet about his car. The theme of resourcefulness that repeatedly manifests itself from bumper to bumper probably atones for the car's rough edges to any reasonable judge. Oh wait, there is no front bumper, but by now you probably don't care. It suits the car's street thug persona just fine.
Where The Money Went
Knocking on the 9-second window for $20K is pretty impressive in anyone's book, but even more so with a First Gen Camaro. And that's a real-deal figure without a load of freebies skewing the numbers on the low side. Rafel's great at snagging good deals on used parts and fabbing parts in his garage, which accounts for most of the low-buck items. Of the little money that went into the project, here's how it was spent.
| 1967 Camaro | $2,500 (1998) |
| Paint and body | $3,500 |
| 12-bolt, rear leafs, rear shocks | $1,500 |
| Traction bars | $0 |
| Aerospace discs | $500 |
| QA1 front coilovers | $400 |
| Custom rollbar | $800 |
| GM TH350 | $1,100 |
| ATI converter | $500 |
| Used 502 short-block | $800 |
| Machine work | $1,300 |
| Lunati cam | $300 |
| Crane lifters | $300 |
| Lunati pistons | $550 |
| Rings and bearings | $300 |
| Lunati timing set | $150 |
| Fel-Pro gaskets | $150 |
| GM 049 heads | $1,200 |
| Lunati valvesprings | $150 |
| Lunati rockers | $200 |
| BLP pushrods | $50 |
| Moroso oil pan | $170 |
| Dart intake | $200 |
| Hooker headers | $150 |
| Fuel system | $1,500 |
| Airscoop | $0 |
| Racing buckets | $60 |
| Lukovich driveshaft | $400 |
| Griffin radiator | $300 |
| Weiand water pump | $100 |
| Wheels and tires | $600 |
| Misc. interior trim | $300 |
| Total: | $20,030 |
By The Numbers
'67 Chevy Camaro
Rafel Wlazlo * League City, TX
Rearwheel horsepower: 626 hp at 6,200 rpm
Best ET: 10.08 at 133 mph
Total cost to build: $20,000
| ENGINE |
| Type: | 502 Chevy big-block, 4.467-inch bore |
| Block: | Factory GM |
| Oiling: | Moroso pump and pan |
| Rotating assembly: | cast GM 4.000-inch crank,
cast GM 6.135-inch rods,
forged 10.0:1 Lunati pistons |
| Cylinder heads: | ported GM 049 iron castings,
2.19/1.88-inch stainless steel valves,
113cc chambers |
| Camshaft: | Lunati 252/263-at-0.050 hydraulic roller,
.612/.611-inch lift, 110-degree LSA |
| Valvetrain: | Crane lifters, Lunati springs
and 1.7:1 rockers |
| Induction: | Dart intake manifold, 1-inch open spacer,
Barry Grant 1,000-cfm carburetor |
| Exhaust: | Hooker 2-inch headers, custom X-pipe
with 3.5-inch collectors,
dual MagnaFlow mufflers |
| Cooling: | Griffin radiator,
Weiand Team G water pump,
Jeg’s electric fan |
| Output: | 626hp at 6,200 rpm,
627 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm |
| Built by: | Rafel Wlazlo |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: | Mike Kurtz-built TH350,
ATI 2,500-stall converter,
manual valvebody, Hurst shifter |
| Rear axle: | GM 12-bolt rearend,
Moser 33-spline axles, 3.73:1 gears, spool |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: | QA1 coilovers,
Energy Suspension bushings,
sway bar delete |
| Rear suspension: | Calvert monoleafs,
Strange adjustable shocks,
custom subframe connectors and traction bars |
| Brakes: | Aerospace 11-inch discs,
front; stock drums, rear |
| WHEELS &TIRES |
| Wheels: | Bogart Dragonfly Star 15x3.5
(2.25-inch backspace), front;
15x10 (5.5-inch backspace), rear |
| Tires: | Hoosier 26x7.5x15, front;
Hoosier 28x13.5x15, rear |