There is no describing the excitement a true enthusiast can feel when in the process of picking up that latest project. Dreams of shining chrome, loud exhausts, and the smell of burning rubber tug us into the future, where all of our hopes and dreams culminate to become part of our latest acquisition. Chris Sanders knows that feeling well. That’s because he felt that way when picking up this 1973 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro as his latest project.

A fellow employee knew he was looking for a project car and he offered the blue-with-white-striped beauty to Chris for the princely sum of $500. A ’73 Z28 Camaro for 500 Franklins! He’d be a fool to turn down the deal, right? Chris agreed, and when asked what made him decide on this car, his reply was, “It was only $500!

This is the view of what Chris’ perfect Camaro looked like in his mind when he went to pick up the project car. You can be sure it didn’t look anything like this as it went on the trailer!

Chris’ love for cars is hereditary, he gets it from his father, who always had cool cars during those formative years as Chris was growing up. Chris even sat in his dad’s lap and practiced his driving skills at an early age, so it was kind of a given that when a ’73 Camaro practically fell in Chris’ lap, he was going to take the bait — hook, line, and sinker.

Remember that optimistic and fuel-infested, new-project feeling we talked about? Imagine having your next ride and joy working its way up onto the trailer when you notice that the rearend, leaf springs, and about two feet of what was once the car’s frame are still firmly planted in the ground. Yeah, that’ll definitely push those realized dreams a little further down the road.

“That’s when I knew I was in for a good time,” Chris says. “That 500-dollar Z28 may not have been such a good deal.” But a deal is a deal, and Chris made sure to bring the car’s rearend along with the rest of the body and began rebuilding that 500-dollar shell of a Camaro into the eye-searing beauty it is today. In the end, Chris describes the transformation as, “Replacing everything but the roof and firewall.”

Creating The Perfect 1973 Camaro Z28

As you can imagine, the second-gen Camaro needed a little more work than most of the subjects of those, “Will it run?” videos that clog up your computer screen. Over the next two decades, Chris poured his time and effort into creating the perfect Camaro. Chris takes great pride in the fact that save for the paint and assembling the engine, he did all the work himself to bring this languishing Z28 Camaro back from a shallow grave.

Chris welded up all the rear body seams between the quarter panels and the tail light panel, smoothing out the lines for a cleaner look. He modified the factory hood by grafting in a fifth-gen hood vent to help get the air out from under the Camaro’s bonnet. He also added a front splitter from D&Z Customs to help direct air around the front of the car at speed.

Getting this yellow rocket up to speed is the job of an LS-based engine assembled by Kingspeed Race And Repair in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The engine is punched out to a four-inch bore and a set of Wiseco pistons are perched atop K1 Technologies forged connecting rods to give the LS1 engine a 10.1:1 compression and 364 cubic-inches of squish. Just a thin gasket away is a pair of Chevrolet Performance LS3 heads. A fabricated Holley Sniper EFI intake snorts through a 90 mm throttle body. To up the ante a bit more, Chris also added a Nitrous Outlet, single-stage, 150-shot, bottle of throttle to push the Camaro up over the top. Immediately behind that fire-breathing LS engine is a Tremec TKX overdrive transmission from Modern Driveline.

Remember that rearend that was slowly turning back into its base elements? It was replaced with a beefy 12-bolt that was fitted with Yukon 3.73 gears and suspended with a Ridetech four-link and Shockwave air ride system. A set of Classic Performance Products (CPP) subframe connectors tie it all together with a set of CPP upper control arms and Ridetech StrongArm lowers. The front keeps its ride height in sync with the rear via its own set of Shockwaves.

Each wheel opening needs to make room for those NITTO NT555 tires (235/40-18 front and 245/40-20 rear) that are wrapped around a set of US Mag Riddler wheels (18×8 front and 20×9.5 rear). Inside each respective wheel is either a Wilwood six-piston caliper (front) or a custom-fabricated brake system of Chris’ own design using existing GM parts.

“The car drives and handles just like any modern sports car,” Chris explains. “Everything has been upgraded and is very responsive. The brakes are killer and the suspension is amazing! With the Ridetech air ride suspension and four-link, the four-corner ride-height sensors always keep the car level and well balanced.”

Chris tidied up the inside of his Camaro by blending numerous fifth-gen Camaro bits into the build of his second-gen cockpit. A set of fifth-gen (front and rear) leather seats keep the driver and passengers comfy, while a custom-made harness bar holding a four-point restraint keeps them safe should things go awry. There’s a late-model console added to the interior with a custom insert to house the nitrous and air ride controls.

Chris’ Camaro currently has about 5,600 miles on the clock, but he’s diligently making up for lost time behind the wheel of his once-rusty F-body. “I don’t really race it,” Chris explained. “I just love to get it out, cruise around in it, and do burnouts — lots of burnouts!” Sounds like Chris is finally getting to live out those dreams he had when he first went to pick up his Z28 Camaro many years ago!