There are countless jokes that revolve around the in-laws. Some can be harsh while others have a light-hearted nature. For Phillip LoGuidice, his sister-in-law will never have to endure being the butt of that heckling. Why, you ask? If it were not for her, he would not have the gorgeous ’67 Camaro you see here.
“The car was a gift from my sister-in-law in 1983,” states. “She called and told me she was fed up with the car. The battery was dead, the muffler had fallen off, and the transmission was slipping. When she asked me if I wanted it, I immediately said, ‘of course’.”
While it wasn’t a show car, Phillip did say it was solid and covered in primer. It had bias-ply tires and the interior was worn and smelled like tobacco. His first of many things to do was to clean it up and paint it black. He also added a dual exhaust, painted the steel wheels, and had new radials installed.
Originally the car was motivated by a 327 with Powerglide, 210 HP. While the car was still not what many would call “pretty”, it was enjoyable. “In 1985, I was able to get a 350 engine rebuilt for the car,” Phillip states with a smile. “The engine was assembled using a four-bolt main that was bored .030-inch over. The stock crankshaft and connecting rods were reconditioned and put back into service with a set of TRW flat-top pistons. Covering the cylinders are a set of 461 heads and a Weiand Street Warrior intake and a 650 Quick Fuel carburetor. The Ignition is MSD billet with mechanical advance.”
When the engine upgrade was done, he also added a Turbo 350 transmission. Behind the Turbo 350 is a 10-bolt rear with a set of Richmond 3:55 gears and an Eaton posi.
While a ’67 Camaro has a decent suspension by 1967 standards, it can benefit from a few upgrades. In the case of Phillip’s Camaro, those upgrades were kept relatively simple. He added PST disc brakes as well as a set of PST sway bars front and back. The rear is supported by a pair of Edelbrock shocks while the front uses a pair of basic gas shocks.
Phillip ended his email by saying, “I have been enjoying your articles on the Home-Built hot rods. When I got my ‘67 Camaro back in 1983, I was living in California. In 1985, I was relocated for my job, and they shipped my Camaro as well.”
While I am certain the black lacquer paint job looked great, in 2012, Philip decided it was time to have the car repainted. “In 2012, I had the Camaro stripped and professionally painted. The car is now Cyber Metallic Grey with a stripe design I borrowed from Chip Foose.”
In case you’re wondering about the fenders being ’68 vintage, “my fenders are ’68 vintage,” states Phil. “Back in the late 1980s, my originals were beat-up and someone did some shoddy bodywork. I decided to replace them. I could have gotten reproductions, but a friend told me to go to my local Chevy dealer because they could get me a set of originals. I went to Mannix Chevrolet in Clinton Connecticut. The part’s guy said he could not get ’67 fenders but could get me a pair of ’68s. They cost me less than the reproductions. When the fenders arrived, my wife just happened to be getting her Chevy serviced. The service guys gave her and our boys a ride to our home. They told her that Phil’s fenders had come in and loaded them on the truck.”
Do you want to read about more Home-Built Heroes? All you need to do is click here. I want to see those reader’s rides. If you would like to share yours, I want to hear about it. Since I’ve started this series, I have received more than a few candidates, but I still want to see more — I can never get enough. If you want to see more cars built by you the readers, send a few pictures of your car showing the engine, interior, and exterior, along with all of the pertinent information, and I’ll make you internet famous. You can send your submissions to [email protected].