Bitchin’ Bowtie
1967 Chevrolet Camaro (Part 1)
Rick Skelsey’s 1967First Generation Chevrolet Camaro is a
rare beast in many ways; finding a first generation Camaro that’s not been raced
or modified is quite an achievement nowadays, as is finding one that was assembled
here in Europe.
First
generation Chevrolet Camaros are a pretty rare sight in the UK, and to come
across an example that hasn’t been modified from stock is even more unusual.
Interestingly Rick Skelsey’s car doesn’t have any American history at all, but
was sold brand new in Antwerp, Belgium, and thus features European
specification. Power comes from a 327cu in V8 engine, with Corvette fuel
injection heads, Edelbrock inlet manifold, a slightly hotter cam, and a Holley
650cfm carburettor, with a TH350 three-speed automatic transmission and LSD.
The performance parts were fitted by a previous owner, making the car a little
more spritely than stock, but without going mad. There are also a number of
options that came as standard, and would not have been found on American cars
(without ticking them off the options list). These include power- steering,
power disc-brakes, a custom interior that incorporates front bucket seats with
black accents, center console with additional instrument gauges, clock and a fold
down rear seat, making load carrying more versatile. It’s also nice to see that
the original Rallye Sport steel wheels (14in on this car) have been retained,
along with their beauty rings. Rick’s Camaro underwent much restorative work in
1986, when the entire drivetrain was rebuilt and it has completed a mere 30,000
miles since. The Chevy was then sold to another owner in 2002, with whom the
car saw little use, and it was eventually stored for many years until Rick
purchased it at the end of.
Power comes from a 327cu in V8 engine,
with Corvette fuel injection heads, Edelbrock inlet manifold, a slightly hotter
cam, and a Holley 650cfm carburettor, with a TH350 three-speed automatic
transmission and LSD
“It
was sat in the corner of a workshop under a cover looking rather forlorn and
sorry for itself...”
February
2014. His background includes co- owning several British and American cars,
including a famous Ford Pop ‘Puddle Jumper’ back in the Seventies, which was
swapped for a 1967 289cu in Notchback Mustang, and his current pride and joys
include a competition prepared Ram bodied Cobra with a stroked 414cu in Ford
Cleveland engine, plus a very low mileage
1988 Porsche 911 (930) Targa Turbo. “I’d hankered after a 1967 Camaro for quite
a while, and came across this car advertised on a website,” explains Rick. “It
was being sold via a brokerage, thus there was no contact at all with the
owner, and I’d never purchased a car this way before. When I went to view the
Camaro, it was sat in the corner of a workshop under a cover, which when
removed, revealed a very forlorn and rather sorry looking vehicle. It was
incredibly dirty to say the least, in fact the car didn’t look like it had been
restored at all, and under the bonnet was a real mess. However, beneath all
that grime I could see quite a lot of potential, and following a road test, I
decided to make the purchase.” Rick drove the Camaro home without a hitch, but
the next morning he noticed several pools of brake fluid around the front
wheels, where the calipers had decided to expire, which was perhaps
unsurprising as the car had only covered around 300 miles in the last seven
years.
A famous Ford Pop ‘Puddle Jumper’ back
in the Seventies, which was swapped for a 1967 289cu in Notchback Mustang
The
remedy was to refurbish the calipers with rebuild kits. “The ’67 Camaro was
fitted with early Corvette calipers that incorporates a four-piston set-up, also
known as floating pistons, which are not as reliable as the later single pot
piston introduced in 1968,” reveals
Rick. “The paint was all peeling off the engine block which I repainted as best
I could without taking the engine out. I also removed the tow bar from the car,
as it had previously been used to take a caravan to a couple of shows.”
The ’67 Camaro was fitted with early
Corvette calipers that incorporates a four-piston set-up, also known as floating
pistons, which are not as reliable as the later single pot piston introduced in 1968,” reveals
Rick
