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’73 Camaro


Scale-Master

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Yes, I used graphite impregnated urethane bushings throughout when I first set it up, including the sub-frame mounts, but except for the upper control arm bushings.

 

Because I set the front spring rate to "Competition" (instead of the "Sport" or "Street" options) those bushings are standard rubber to provide a manageable "weak link" I could easily monitor from under the hood since I expected it to be harsh. They are still the same ones (and in fine shape) from back then.

I also shaved the lower control arm bushings to move the lower control arms forward and gained about 1/4 inch in overall wheelbase, also visually centering the front wheels in the wells. The resulting added caster was dealt with in the shims at the upper control arms. I run a bit more camber than stock to maximize the wear on the tires and to get the best contact patch on moderate to hard cornering.

 

The rear sway bar uses lead bushings on the bar since it will blow out the urethane ones in less than 500 miles of good use. I custom cast those myself and have had zero problems since I started using them about 1992.

The real current trick set up is to replace the urethane subframe bushings with aluminum, or steel. This is to make the subframe a virtual part of the body when combined with the connectors. It stiffens the suspension points and cuts out the majority of chassis flex.

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Thanks guys.

 

Del - This at the time was current/leading edge tech.  I'm fine if new stuff comes along, no need to try to fix this one, it works.   The real car is so harsh (even without solid motor mounts) that swapping beefier subframe bushings on this one is past overkill. It was built to be a daily driver. This car has been "done" for over a decade; suspension and current set up is about 25 plus years old. I drive the "it" out if it; it's what I built it for. (It was a good daily driver for a twenty-some years.) Now a door ding in one of our plastic cars is much easier to deal with than this one getting carelessly damaged, so grocery shopping in a Corvette is safer...

 

I didn’t like the way the headers fit under the car after mocking it all up with the suspension and wheels. So I stripped them and shortened them. First I cut the three tubes that were closest together. Then I snipped the single tube and re-bent it to fit after cementing the three back together. DSC06291_zpsfvla2tpe.jpg Time for reshaping… DSC06294_zpske6hprv2.jpg Primed … DSC06295_zpsbc9ivymd.jpg

Edited by Scale-Master
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I tried TS-30 Silver Leaf instead of the Chrome Silver I used before thinking it would go on thinner and still be bright enough.  But decanting and airbrushing did not give the desired look.  Rather than build up more paint I opted to strip the headers as I had done in the past.  Unfortunately this time the plastic disintegrated, not just at the glue joints, they crumbled like rice.

Set number three came from a Revell ’69 Camaro and were also significantly modified to fit the engine/sub-frame. 

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  • 1 month later...

You Think it will be okay, It's awesome. What a nice air cleaner, what a nice build. Been following your build for a while now and just love it. I had a 73 Type LT. It was a real nice car but the ending wasn't so nice  ( ouch! ).  Thanks for sharing this with us and I can't wait to see more.        Jeff 

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You Think it will be okay, It's awesome. What a nice air cleaner, what a nice build. Been following your build for a while now and just love it. I had a 73 Type LT. It was a real nice car but the ending wasn't so nice  ( ouch! ).  Thanks for sharing this with us and I can't wait to see more.        Jeff 

This one is a Type LT as well.  Just rolled over 275,000 miles on the odometer.  I'll be taking it out for a romp tomorrow too. 

And thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I made copies of the Kicker 6X9 speakers for the rear…

Rubber Heartbeat floor mats for the front…

And the velour dot pattern for the three factory seats…

The dash still needs the gauges, but most of the painted details are done.  The stereo is a Kenwood KRC2008 and the face is a custom decal. The burl wood trim is hand painted.

 The silver paint had worn through the dash trim on my car so I repainted it blue (and the Camaro script) to go with the exterior.  I also added the A/C vents and made a non-manual transmission brake pedal.

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Nice Nice Mark,...tell us more about the  'dot pattern velour'..

This is a cool camaro Man

I wish I knew more about it.  It has the original factory interior still except for the driver's seat (I have the factory driver seat in storage) and the minor details like trim color and gauges.  The dots are actually recessed on the real car, but not enough to try to replicate in this scale.

I've never seen another '70-'73 Camaro with the same pattern/material, and thankfully it wears like iron. 

The car was built during the last week of the '73 production run (according to the VIN) and I found other minor quirks like '74 door locks in side the doors.  So I'm guessing it was a late in the year option, (or maybe new one for '74?).

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