1972 Chevy Camaro
Brad Creamer, Bath, ME
Best E.T.: 11.06/122.02
After getting little respect in muscle car circles with his built '88 Camaro, Brad Creamer decided it was time to step back a decade. Problem was, in Maine, a car that only needs floors, rockers, and quarter-panel patches is considered "solid." So when Brad had the chance to score a '72 Camaro from the dry dusty state of Arizona, he couldn't have been more excited. Sure, it had fairly heavy body damage to the passenger side, but it was completely rust free.
The major sideswipe crunch caused the Camaro to darken Brad's garage for almost two years while he waited for a run of full quarters from Classic Industries, but in the meantime he was planning the replacement for the anemic 307. Beginning with a blown 454 pulled from a van, Brad had the block bored .060-over and all the machine and balance work finished at a local shop, and then set about assembling the short-block in his garage. Using a book by PHR tech contributor David Vizard, Brad also worked his own magic on a set of cast-iron oval-port heads, eventually achieving his goal of 300 cfm at .600 lift according to a Super Flow 300 flow bench. Not bad for a rookie.
This is one of our favorite...
This is one of our favorite types of engine builds-the one that is more than the sum of its parts would imply. There's no highfalutin parts here, yet Brad's budget big-block propels his 3,500-pound F-body almost to the 10-second zone. It's all in the research.
Pairing those heads with 9.4:1 compression Speed Pro Pistons and a good COMP grind created a big-block with impressive pump gas-friendly power. Putting his newfound engine-building skills to use, Brad traded a build to cover most of his paint and bodywork costs, which helped the rest of the car come together more quickly over the next four years as funds were available.
That's a long time for a gearhead to be without a toy, but we think the result was worth the wait. With a modest $15K investment, Brad got a second-gen F-body that he can easily drive 100 miles to the track, air down the tires, and run 11.39 at 118.8 mph.
The seats are '95 Camaro,...
The seats are '95 Camaro, the steering wheel is '86 Cavalier, but the sheetmetal instrument cluster and centersection were bent by Brad. Note the Mallory ignition box mounted above the radio for easy access to the rev limiter and timing adjustments.
| WHERE THE MONEY WENT |
| '72 Chevy Camaro: |
$2,500 |
| Paint and body: |
$2,200 |
| Cylinder heads: |
$400 |
| Machine work: |
$700 |
| Engine parts: |
$2,400 |
| Trans rebuild: |
$500 |
| Torque converter: |
$100 |
| Rearend and axles: |
$460 |
| Suspension: |
$600 |
| Exhaust and headers: |
$180 |
| Wheels and tires: |
$650 |
| Fuel system and carb: |
$400 |
| Interior and gauges: |
$750 |
| Misc. wiring: |
$200 |
| Misc. expenses: |
$3,000 |
| Total: |
$15,040 |
| BY THE NUMBERS |
| '72 CHEVY CAMARO |
| Brad Creamer, 33 • Bath, ME |
| Total cost to build: $15,040 |
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
Chevy 468ci big-block |
| Block: |
stock GM, bored .060 |
| Oiling: |
Moroso pan |
| Rotating assembly: |
GM cast crank, stock rods, |
|
9.4:1 Speed Pro Forged pistons with .125 dome |
| Cylinder heads: |
GM cast-iron oval-port (049s) |
|
with custom port work, milled .025, |
|
and Milodon 2.10-/1.88-inch stainless valves |
| Camshaft: |
COMP Cams 294S, .595/.595-inch lift |
| Valvetrain: |
COMP Cams 1.7:1 roller rockers, pushrods, and springs |
| Induction: |
Edelbrock Victor intake manifold, |
|
Holley 850-cfm carb with Proform billet center section |
| Ignition: |
Mallory HyFire-6, ACCEL HEI distributor |
| Exhaust: |
Hooker Super Comp 2 1/8-inch headers, |
|
dual 3-inch pipes, Flowmaster Super 40 mufflers |
| Output: |
416 rear-wheel horsepower |
| Built by: |
owner |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission: |
GM Turbo 350 and 10-inch 3,500-stall |
|
TCI Street Fighter converter, |
|
Hurst Pro-Matic II shifter |
| Rear axle: |
GM 10-bolt rearend, 3.42:1 gears |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: |
stock with Moroso Trick springs and |
|
Competition Engineering three-way adjustable shocks |
| Rear suspension: |
re-arched original springs with poly bushings, |
|
Competition Engineering three-way adjustable shocks |
| Brakes: |
stock GM Disc, front; Stock GM drum, rear |
| WHEELS & TIRES |
| Wheels: |
15x4 Summit Racing Drag, front; 15x8 Weld Draglite, rear |
| Tires: |
165/80R15 Kumho, front; 275/60R15 M/T drag radial, rear |