Tony Whatley’s been a friend for a few years and is a connoisseur of incredible automobiles. From this ’69 Camaro to a new Viper, he has good taste in cars and one thing he’s always put first is the proper wheel/tire package and the proper stance. He’s owned this Camaro since 2005 and decided a few years ago to do a full restoration with a modern twist to it.
This is an original X55-code SS and originale Hugger Orange car. Finding an original Hugger Orange SS ‘vert wasn’t an easy task, but he found this one in Tennessee. With no original drivetrain or anything extraordinary about it the way it was, it was the perfect candidate for him to build as an all out ProTouring monster. First off, he sent the car off to Gap Racing in Houston for the metalwork, then to RF Customs in Spring, TX for the paint & body work. These are the only parts of the car that Tony didn’t do himself. While at Gap Racing, they installed Detroit Speed minitubs and stretched the quarters 1/2″ to tuck wide tires in the rear. He built the rest of the car in the garage behind his home over a couple year period and his first test drive was driving it from his house in Houston to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to start the 2016 Hot Rod Power Tour!
He wanted modern power, so he started with a bare LS7 block then sent that to Texas Speed & Performance to build a bulletproof short block with Callis Compstar crank and rods, Wiseco pistons, and one of their custom-grind camshafts. He wanted to give it a killer look under the hood, so he install a Beck CNC billet intake manifold that looks absolutely incredible. The heads are CNC-ported units from Mast. Engine management is taken care of by FAST’s EZ-EFI system with the EZ-LS timing controller. Their setup is a closed-loop, self-learning system that requires no custom tuning. You put parameters into the setup wizard and it tunes itself. For proper breathing, the LS7 got a set of Hooker 1 7/8″ long-tube headers and a full 3″ exhaust system with Magnaflow mufflers. This combination is good for 650 horsepower all day long.
For the rest of the drivetrain, he went with a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual with a Ram billet pressure plate and dual-disc clutch. A custom driveshaft connects this to the Moser 12-bolt rear end with 3.42 gears. the suspension is all from SpeedTech with billet front spindles, tubular control arms and sway bar. The rear is also Speedtech with a torque-arm setup. The grip is put to the ground with Forgeline GZ3 3-piece wheels all around and sticky Toyo R888’s measuring 245 wide up front and 345 in the back. The brakes are Wilwoods with 14″ rotors and 6-pistons all around. This thing is one killer purpose-built machine and Tony drives the hell out of it. Look for more on this ride soon! Check out this BEFORE and AFTER!
Specs:
Year: 1969
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Camaro
Engine: LS7 427ci
Induction: Beck CNC Billet Intake
Transmission: Tremec T56 6-speed
Rear End: Moser 12-bolt, narrowed 4″
Suspension: Speedtech Suspension with QA1 Adjustable Coilovers
Wheels: Forgeline GZ3 18×8 and 19×12