Car projects seldom turn out the way they were planned. This stunning 1967 Camaro convertible was supposed to be the back-up driver while the real Pro Touring ’69 Camaro was being built. Scott Borduin of Lake Oswego, Oregon, wanted Wayne Due at Wayne Due’s Chassis Shop in Marysville, Washington, (www.waynedue.com) to build him a serious Corvette-suspended Pro Touring car.

At the same time, Scott purchased an already done ’67 Camaro convertible that had a ZZ4 small-block, a 700R4 transmission, and 16-inch Rally wheels and tires. Scott’s wife preferred the convertible to the coupe and convinced him to put their efforts toward the convertible and forget about the ’69 coupe.

Scott drove what most people would consider a very nice Camaro convertible to Wayne Due’s shop and gave Wayne the go ahead for a radical makeover. The Camaro was quickly disassembled and the drivetrain was sold.

The body was media blasted and sent to Barry Besancon in nearby Arlington, Washington, for a little metal massaging and several coats of brilliant 2000 Viper Red paint. The body is stock except for a cowl induction hood and some shaved and filled emblems. The rear wheelwells were mini-tubbed 2.5-inches to accommodate the wide tires and wheels.

Scott built the 540 cubic inch, all-aluminum Merlin big-block. It has AFR 315cc CNC-ported cylinder heads, an Eagle crank, JE 10.6:1 pistons, and a Comp Cams Xtreme Energy solid lifter cam. Arizona Speed and Marine modified an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold for fuel injection. A Holley 1000 cfm throttle body is used with 50 lb. injectors. Wayne built the exhaust system, which consists of 2 1/2-inch headers, 3-inch exhaust pipes, and Borla mufflers. The engine is backed by a Tremec TKO 5-speed manual transmission with a McLeod aluminum flywheel, Centerforce clutch, and Lakewood bellhousing.

Scott wanted something more substantial than the original Chevy 10-bolt rearend, so a Currie Enterprises full-race custom 9-inch was installed. The custom aluminum center section houses 3.73 posi gears. The rearend was mounted a NASCAR ’72 Chevy pickup style truck arm suspension system. The long truck arms act as traction control devices. QA1 adjustable coil-over shock absorbers were used.

The front suspension is a Wayne Due’s Chassis Shop subframe, which uses ’86 Corvette components. Scott wanted the car to stop as well as it goes and corners, so Baer 13-inch disc brakes with drilled rotors were installed at all four corners. The front brakes have 4 piston calipers and the rears use 2 pistons.

Big wheels and tires are an integral part of the Pro Touring package. Budnik Famosa wheels were chosen. The rears are 17x11 inches and the fronts are 17x9. Backspacing is 6 inches and 6.5 inches respectively. The tires are B. F. Goodrich g-Force T/A radials, 255/40 ZR17 in front and 315/35 ZR17 in back. 

Wayne built a 1 3/4-inch roll bar. Carl Burr at Creative Interiors in Mukilteo, Washington, recovered the Corbeau Targa RS front bucket seats in black and white houndstooth material. The rear seat and door panels were done to match. A Budnik 13 3/4-inch Famosa wheel tops a polished stainless steel Flaming River tilt column. Wayne installed a Vintage Air A/C system and white-faced Auto Meter gauges.

Everyone involved with the project was very pleased with the results. It wasn’t the car they originally planned, but it turned out to be the car they really wanted. CP