Everyone has that one classic muscle car in their life that impacted them like no other, one favorite street machine that set you on a path that continues to this present day.

Randy Wilson started this project with a near-perfect and rust-free body. (Photo by Brian Wagner)

For Randy Wilson, that classic muscle car was his neighbor’s 1970 Camaro Z28. Tommy Whitaker bought the F-body brand new as soon as it came out and treated it like gold. It was never in rain or snow, and the body was in near-perfect shape when Randy turned it into the magnificent machine you see here.

“As a young teenager, when I saw this car I went crazy over it,” Wilson said. “I thought it was the neatest-looking car I’d ever seen in my entire life. I don’t know if it enticed me, but he would not let this car go. I think the ‘No, you can’t have it,’ made me want it that much more.

Wilson finally got to own the Camaro after Whitaker died of cancer. Tommy had instructed his wife Diana to sell the car to Randy after he was gone. We’d say Wilson did him proud.

I would 10-times rather have my friend back than this car — no question — but this is the next best thing.

The Camaro received an Art Morrison Enterprises frame, Heidts Pro G front suspensions with polished upper and lower control arms, and a rear suspension from Spraker Racing in Mooresville, North Carolina. Billet Specialties wheels are at all four corners and measure 20×12 inches in the rear.

Wilson made it easy to view the polished control arms by cutting and shaping the front inner fenders so they were visible.

The engine was a Chevrolet Performance crate 383 that Wilson would not leave stock. He added a different cam and ported the heads, then added what was at the time a unique Fitech fuel injection system (it is now in that company’s catalog). An MSD ignition system fires off the mixture and Sanderson headers expel the spent fumes.

Power for this geniune ’70 Z28 is a Chevrolet Performance crate 383 that has been upgraded with a different cam, cylinder head work, and Fitech fuel injection.

A Tremec five-speed was sent to Liberty’s Gears (Harrison, Township, Michigan) and modified with carbon-fiber sliders to make selecting any gear as easy as possible.

 No Excuse Body

The 28,000-mile Z28 had, in Randy’s words, “a no excuse body.” Ronald Terry did the prep work and slathered it in PPG Viper Red paint. Up front is a common mod for these Camaros, split bumpers with a non-Rally Sport grille.

Complementing the red exterior is a supple black leather interior by Stephen Everhart of Trimmers Trim Shop in Lexington, North Carolina.

“I love his work,” Wilson said. “I won’t go anywhere else now. I can’t say enough about this guy.”

Long Lasting Legacy

Now that he finally got his dream machine, don’t expect it to go anywhere soon.

“A car like this, in my opinion, is irreplaceable,” said Wilson, who maintains this is the only car he’s ever owned that he will not part with. “I feel so honored to have something he [Whitaker] had and took it to a level that I know he’s looking down and approving of.”

Owning a classic muscle car like this is never just about the name on the title or the way it looks or drives. It is about carrying out the legacy of the original owner, doing right by him, and ensuring the car remains out there for everyone to know.

We hope this story on Street Muscle Magazine helps in that regard.