Downsize continues...

olerascal

True Classic
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7 Fiats sold.
2 Fiats pending sale.
1 Fiat (BlackX) remains in mothballs,
& will be there for a year or two.

Divesture driven by mobility limitations,
and desire return to my V8 hooning roots.
Purchased orange car new, near 48 years ago.
Parked where you see it 25 years ago,
when Fiats took over my life.

darkbluebye%20003_zpszv4pmuna.jpg
 
The first generation Camaro is a design classic

One of the very best American designs ever, imo. If I was one of those guys with a 7 car garage, I'd have one - with rack&pinion, disk brakes, etc.

I would have no regrets.

But I would keep an X. You should always have an X.
 
Good to see my old $50 Strada again...

Hope it found a good home.

Take care my friend, I hope to get up there in the not too distant future for another visit.
 
I had a 69 Camaro myself with the factory cowl hood as well. I miss it dearly. My father in-law at the time disapproved of me having that kind of car due to my oldest son being 1 yr. old at the time. Regretfully i sold it and bought my 1st Porsche with an even smaller back seat. Let's just say my father in-law didn't approve of that car either :nana:

Congrat's on the sales !
 
ya ain't leaving the forum!!!!!

I don't care if you are driving a Subaru or a Volkswagen diesel pick up.....you are an inspiration to us all with the insight and wisdom you possess. I expect our paths will cross again and I can take you on a rip ass ride in black beauty!!!!
kiss the squeeze and tell her that's from me!!:excited:
mikemo
 
Yep, it gets into all of us, Mike........!

[].......when Fiats took over my life.../QUOTE]

....but you gotta admit it, mate!! It's healthier than spending all that doh-ray-me on booze!! :nuts:

cheers, Ian - NZ
 
Hi Mike,

sad to see them go.
But happy to see you spend time with the Camaro like I'd been wanting you to for more than 15 years. :woot:

What shape is it in? Is it running and driving yet or do you still need to wake it up from its 25 year sleep?
I, for one, would love to see you post pics and updates on that car here.
 
Thx for kind thoughts fellas...

AJ, Fiats have gone to excellent homes of good friends.
Each sold via word-of-email, without advertising.

Ulix, mechanicals have 30K miles since rebuild.
Anticipate just standard resurrection processes,
minor mechanical repair, finish custom dash,
and buff out the paint. ;)

It was a fierce autocross/hillclimb/trackday car during ‘70s & ‘80s,
tho' restrained by desire to retain street manners.
Good enough for geezer cruising & light canyon carving.

It also fared well at shows...not because it was “best”,
but judges liked that I did all mechanical, interior, body, & paint.

This was my first paint job...33 years ago!
Gold pearl clearcoat over OE Hugger Orange.

Current pictures...
Removed cover & dust...
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Scratch built fiberglass front...
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Vintage Torq-Thrust wheels...
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Fiat content...retains hitch for towing Fiat racecar!
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It was a fierce autocross/hillclimb/trackday car during ‘70s & ‘80s,
tho' restrained by desire to retain street manners.
Good enough for geezer cruising & light canyon carving.
I can attest to that, I ran against it back then, it's going to be good to see it on the road again.
 
God Bless you Mikey M... I know how you are feeling...

with the mobility and the age and the wheels that follow you around.


 
Answers...

Hey Guys, I greatly appreciate the interest.
Yes, I am keeping my BlackX.

Dash & engine bay aren’t picture worthy right now.
Undercarriage was highly detailed years ago for Portland Roadster Show.
Sadly, it’s showing age & abuse of gumball racetires.
Custom dash is “in process”.

Modifications were typical ‘70s, following a TransAm theme
of low, wide, flared, rollbar, built to handle.
300HP/350cid got the usual hotcam, Holley, etc.
Factory SS, 4 spd, 12-bolt posi, & disk brakes.
I paid $3300 for it off the showroom floor in ‘69,
which is equivalent of $22000 today.

Suspension got love via big swaybars, konis, & poly bushings,
tho’ springs are relatively mild to preserve street manners.
Seldom seen back in the day is modified suspension geometry
& steering components, which were critical to making the car turn.

Happy to discover the wheel finish didn’t deteriorate much.
Note, those are vintage 16x8.5 Torq-Thrust, no repros back then.
My track wheels are 15x10 & ran a 24x10 racetire.
I’d give my left nut for street tire that size.

Before, satin haze looked worse than pic shows...
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After, shiny bright after light polish...
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Comparison of the two...
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Greetings

I am sure it is tough to see toys going to new home... wish my dad would follow your lead. The folks lucky enough to offload these cars in their respective garages most certainly understand they have a huge advantage in all your hard work! My question is a bit off this topic but do you think the Hugger orange is similar to the 171 on mid to late 70s Fiats? The reason I ask is my '79 is 171 used to be called Rally Red, I think, and the rear lid is off of an'83 same code but it looks a bit more orange than the rest of the car. Having some rust on the car I POR15ed it until I can properly address it. Rather than leave big black spots all over I tried to match a rattle can color and much to my surprise Chevy engine block orange all but disappeared when sprayed on... So when I get the body done I am thinking of spraying similar color but with a metallic component. I think I would like that over the opaque 171 currently covering the car... thanks for your time.
Regards
 
Greetings back!

Howdy Rocco:
Interesting you found Chevy engine orange to match your Fiat 171.
Engine orange is close to standard ‘69 Hugger Orange,
so it sounds like Hugger & 171 are close...per your touchup!

‘69 Hugger leans toward red side of orange.
Pontiac offered same color, but called it Carousel Red.
Note, 1970 models used same name, but different color code,
so ‘70 is probably a different shade.

I put lotta pearl over the Hugger Orange, which reduced brightness of color,
but added a golden glow that shifts in sunlight as the car moves.
I'd expect metallic to shift the color also.

Yes, seeing restored cars go was tougher than seeing project cars go.
But worse is accepting physical limitations that made it necessary.
Truly blessed with excellent new stewards for each.
And finding excitement in re-connecting with Camaro of my young days.

Best wishes for your dad finding his path.
Let him do whatever makes him happy.
For some, joy comes from having a herd.
Even if your dad may never do anything with excess,
he may like having the dream.

For me, having a herd became frustrating
when I accepted that I'd never finish what I had, so projects got sold.
Then accepted that I can't race or drive stick shift comfortably,
so all but 1 restored Fiat got sold.

It's a new Camaro day at the MM Cosmic Garage!
 
Mike,
every time I look at the pics of your Camaro, what absolutely amazes me is that while it is a time capsule, nothing on it looks dated!
To me, all the mods you made could have been made last weekend. They match current taste and style.
The front is beautiful, so is the rear, everything done to clean simple lines.
Other modified cars of that same period often look gaudy today, yours doesn't. Wide 16" wheels with fairly low profile tires (for the time) were quite advanced for the time. 15" was still very much the standard back then, wasn't it?
Let us see some more pics of the interior and engine bay when you get around to it.
 
I agree!

Ulix is right! It is as if you did all the mods last year... which probably really set it apart from it's contemporaries! I misspoke about that metallic... Hugger Orange is opaque like Rosso Arancio or 171. So I will in fact apply a pearl on top as well. Was your pearl a color or is it just pearl? Seems to be many choices for color with pearl additives. The tangerine one would look nice but might shift the color more orange where a red pearl would move it towards red... I have a long way to go before I need to make that choice but your info set me on a path. Thanks!
Regards,
Rocco
 
Thank you guys!

I appreciate the kind & insightful commentary.
You guys nailed it...unique when done in early ‘80s.
The resto-purist movement was gaining momentum,
& emulation of dragcar look was also much in evidence.

16” wheels were seldom seen before early ‘80s.
Especially in ‘60s Torq-Thrust style.
On a street custom/café racer with 50 series tires,
they were cutting edge esthetically at the time.

As was removal of visual “barbs”.
Emblems, side lights, simulated louvers, & misc chrome trim.
And some custom fabrication...

Scratch-built one-piece front valance replaced
OE bumper, 3-piece valance, & front spoiler.
Which allowed relocating front turn sigs behind the grille.
Approx 200 hours to fab & finish.

Fenders flares retained OE stylelines, so look near stock.
No cutting, no fiberglass...just OE metal stretched out.
Approx 100 hours to hammer & finish.

OE Camaro tailights have “busy” multi-level surface.
Tailights adapted from ‘65 Thunderbird smooth out the rear.
Sadly, had to leave hitch for towing racetires & support gear.

Stock:
stockcamaro1_zpslr0ti7vd.jpg


De-barbed:
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PS to Rocco: Gold pearl paste added to clear coat,
which was laid over the original color of Hugger Orange.
 
Meanwhile, in matters of the Dk Blue X.....

Nothing to report. The motor is at the shop awaiting inspection and freshen up. Until then, I got nuthin'. And I don't expect any surprises.

Biggest issue so far was locating a snail side motor mount. I found one in Croatia so it will be "double imported". :) NOS plus postage, 50 bucks. It could be Christmas or a do nothing New Years. Ya take a chance now and then.

Until the motor gets back it's just, clean this, replace this hose, and, "Jesus Christ! What was Mittlestead thinking!??" But I jest...:)

The interesting part will be the antique Megasquirt. The Compac computer that came with the car is a 1997. There's also an outboard 3.25" disc drive. I will put the car back together and see how it runs. If it's good then I'll leave it alone. If it's not, Mike included the original Bosch parts. I remain on the fence. :sun: Same old fence, same old place.

Kindest thanks to Big Mikey for sharing his valued collection with me. :hug:
 
from mike to mike to mike

i have several snail mounts here. how's 25. and shipping sound??? or if your in nor Cal, drop by and peruse the collection I have acquired.
they had a pearl back in the day called Murano that you mixed in with the clear and depending on the sunlight, it morphed into different colors while retaining the shade below. killer stuff. but that was back when centari and emeron was the paint of choice. a good paint shop should find a waterbourne source.
mikemo
 
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