When it comes to classic cars, our friends north of the U.S. border are not much different than we in the U.S. are. We all have an appreciation for Chevrolet hot rods, and Brandon MacDonald, is a 23-years-old enthusiasts that hails from Port aux Basques Newfoundland, Canada. He is a fan of everything that General Motors builds, but his hot rod of choice is this ’79 Camaro.

The 350 ci small-block runs as good as it ever has, but is slated to be replaced by a 383 ci engine when the snow flies.

Brandon told us, “My father found this car when it came up for sale on a local classifieds web site in 2011.” As soon as the senior MacDonald saw the car, he decided it was what he wanted.  That’s where my father saw it and from that moment he had to have it. Brandon continued, “When we got the car, it was in amazing shape overall. It had always been properly stored and rarely driven. The downside however, was the faded old paint and dirty engine.”

Within the first few months of owning the car, Brandon’s father gave it a face lift. The dingy looking, faded green paint was stripped from the body, and it was covered with an eye-searing green infused with gold metal flake. According to Brandon, “The greasy engine was also cleaned up and painted, and still runs as good as it did in 1979.” That engine is a 350-cubic-inch small-block with a Quadrajet four-barrel, backed by a Turbo 350 and a 3.73-geared 10-bolt rearend.

Brandon said that when he could, his father would drive this car to every show that occurred on the west coast of the province. It truly was his pride and joy. Brandon said, “My father had plans of modifying the car to increase performance, but due to other projects at the time, it was put aside.”

In 2014, Brandon was working away from home, and on Christmas of that year, his father presented the car to the younger MacDonald as a present. Unfortunately, only three months after handing over the Camaro’s ownership to Brandon, his father passed away unexpectedly.

The second-generation Camaro looks good from any angle.

Since then, Brandon has devoted all of his free time to slowly rebuilding the Z exactly as his father had originally intended. For that reason, the plan is underway to replace the tried-and-true 350 ci small-block with a new 383 cubic-inch stroker. Brandon finished by telling us, “I’m not building the car to race or abuse, but rather, to build the badass summer driver that my father would have wanted.” Kudos to you Brandon, and we’re sure your father would approve.

Like we said, any angle.

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