Two of the biggest groups within the car enthusiast world are those who build show cars, and those who like to make their ride go as fast as possible. Well, Grady Maynard wanted to build a car that lived in both of these worlds. Grady, with help from his brother Sam, have built a 1991 Camaro that truly is equal parts show and go.

If you ask Grady how he got into cars he will place the blame squarely on his brother Sam. Thanks to Sam, Grady was always around fast cars and racing. Cars were something the brothers bonded over and it has never really gone away for either of them.

“Sam instilled a passion for cars in me at a young age. He would always pick me up from school in one of his fast cars. He took me under his wing and taught me everything he could about cars and how they worked. To this day, we still go to things like Cars and Coffee, Good Guys events, and races together,” Grady explains.

Racing was something that Grady naturally gravitated towards thanks to his fascination with cars. It fueled his desire to build unique cars and try to make them go as fast as possible. Grady liked having street cars that looked good and made lots of horsepower. So, any build that Grady tackled had to have both of those attributes by the time he was finished. Over the years, Grady’s projects have included Chevelles, El Caminos, Novas, and several other vehicles.

Well, Grady decided he wanted to start a family. So, he had to take a break from cars and racing for a period of time. But, you know that it’s really hard to cure the need for horsepower, so when the funds were available Grady started the search for another fun car.

Grady was on the lookout for a Pro Street style of car and found this 1991 Camaro for sale online. It checked every box, but it was a basket case and needed to be put back together.

“The guy that originally owned the Camaro passed away after he had a lot done to the car. The gentleman I acquired the Camaro from had started to put it back together, but it still needed to have a lot of work finished up. But, all of the parts were there and it was the perfect start for what I wanted to do,” Grady states.

The Camaro came with binders of receipts and other documentation that covered what was done to the car. That made it easier for Grady to finish building the Camaro since he knew exactly what was done, and how it was done. This also made it easier for Grady to push the build quality even higher since he had a solid foundation to start with.

Under the hood of Grady’s Camaro, you’ll find a 377 cubic-inch small block Chevy. The engine uses a Dart block as its base and is home to a Callies crank, SCAT rods, and GRP pistons. A set of aluminum AFR heads sit on top of the engine. A Lunati camshaft controls all of the valvetrain’s movements.

The induction system consists of a TPS mini ram intake and a Holley throttle body. A FAST ECU is the brains of the engine and is tuned by Sam. The ignition system is made of parts from MSD. Boosted air is fed into the small-block by a F-1 ProCharger head unit that’s been chilled by a ProCharger intercooler.

Since Grady drives his Camaro on the street the rest of the driveline had to be stout. A TCI TH400 transmission and torque converter were bolted up to the small-block. To keep the RPM levels acceptable for long cruises, a Gear Vendors overdrive unit was added to the transmission. Under the rear of the Camaro, there’s a braced 9-inch rearend filled with 4:10 gears, 35-spline axles, and a Detroit Locker differential.

The Camaro rolls on a set of Billet Specialties wheels. The rears are outfitted with beadlock rings and Hoosier tires. The front wheels are wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber. Wilwood brakes bring the Camaro to a stop in a hurry.

Lo-Man’s Rods in Dayton, Ohio sprayed the Pearl Blue paint on the Camaro. The interior of the Camaro has been covered in a custom gray upholstery. A 10-point roll cage was added for safety at the track. Grady monitors the car’s vitals thanks to a set of AutoMeter gauges.

Grady has enjoyed driving the Camaro on the street as he worked on getting the car finished up. His first trip to the track in 2023 didn’t go as planned due to some electrical issues. So, Grady and Sam spent the winter rewiring the car and preparing for more track time.

“When we took the Camaro to the track for the first time it only ran in the low-tens. It kept blowing fuses and having other issues. We went through the car from front to back looking at everything. The wiring was changed and we put new relays in throughout the car. Now, it doesn’t have voltage issues and everything seems to be good to go. We know the car wants more at the track and now we can finally make that happen. The engine makes about 1,000 horsepower, so it should be pretty quick,” Grady says.

The part of the Camaro that Grady enjoys the most is the stance and how well it’s built. Grady gets a lot of satisfaction from seeing the final product of his efforts and how well it all came together. This is backed up by all the compliments the car gets when it brings it to shows or takes it for a cruise.

Building the Camaro has been a lot of fun for Grady. It reminded him of when he and Sam were young and that makes it all worth it. Grady is grateful for all the help he’s received to make the Camaro as nice as it is.

“I would like to thank my brother Sam for helping me get the bugs worked out of this car. I couldn’t have done any of this without him. I also need to thank my fiancé Jennifer Beverly. She’s been very patient and understanding about all of the long weekends and time away from home as I’ve worked on this car,” Grady says.

Grady Maynard’s goal of building a car that looks good and goes fast has been realized. What makes it even better for Grady is the fact he got to do it all with his brother.