1969 Camaro * Tony Smith * Pickerington, OH
Tony Smith spent his teen years in the '70s when muscle cars were abundant, and therefore unappreciated. Everyone thought they'd be around forever. Now the price of these cars is climbing to the point they must become a luxury. The ones that are out there for a fair price need a lot of work. The '69 Camaro Tony's been working on was purchased for $1,500 with '70s-style fender flares, and a rattle can paintjob. The interior was a breeding ground for mold. Tony drove it into the garage, and never let it out until the awful paint and body work was reversed. He's got the suspension dialed in now, and awaits help from his friends to prep it for paint.
| By The Numbers |
| Engine: | 454 big-block Chevy |
| Transmission: | Muncie M-22 four-speed |
| Suspension: | Competition Engineering four-link (rear) |
| Rear: | GM 12-bolt with 4.10 gears |
| Body: | Sherwin-Williams Garnet Red |
| Wheels: | Weld (15x14-inch rear) |
| Tires: | “big” |
1932 Ford Pickup * Doug Schmieskors * Graham, NC
Some guys are engine guys, and some are body guys; we say Doug Schmieskors falls into the second category. Doug has done a lot of cutting and welding to his '32 Ford pickup: "I kept the cab, and replaced everything else with fiberglass parts. I ended up spending more on these parts than the truck initially cost me," Doug writes. He chopped, stretched, and smoothed the cab, then placed it all on a CJ-7 chassis; some things from the '30s are just outdated. To power this creation, Doug turned to Chevy for a fuel-injected 502ci crate motor. This open-minded builder has brought GM, Ford, and Mopar together for this project.
| By The Numbers |
| Engine: | GM 502ci big-block crate |
| Transmission: | TKO-600 five-speed |
| Suspension: | CJ-7 |
| Paint: | '68 Chrysler metallic burgundy |
| Body: | chopped and stretched cab and recessed firewall |
| Interior: | A/C from Vintage Air, leather seats |
| Wheels: | chrome steel (15-inch) |
1970 Mustang * Timothy Wahls * Spencerport, NY
Timothy Wahls tinkered with cars quite a bit in his teenage years, and admits he didn't know what he was doing back in the day: "What were bearing clearances back then...?" After the time off from cars, Timothy spotted a '70 coupe for sale while spending the evening with his wife Lacey. She knew he was quite fond of it, and bought it for him as a birthday gift. Now Timothy and his son, Andy, do all the work on the car, and have re-dressed the current 289 as a place holder for the '94 5.0L they're building. They have also overhauled the interior, though for only having 27,000 miles on it, it was in pretty good shape.
| By The Numbers |
| Engine: | ’94 5.0L Ford |
| Transmission: | C-4 automatic |
| Suspension: | tubular control arms (front) |
| Brakes: | power disc conversion |
| Rear: | Ford 9-inch |
| Wheels: | American Racing Magnum 500 (14-inch) |
| Tires: | BFG 205/70R14 & 245/60R14 |