Time to throw it way back to the beginning. This photo is from the day I purchased my Camaro. The date was August 8, 2011 and I was 15 years old at the time. The car was purchased for a whopping $2,000 and was a clean, rust-free 2.8l base model. While browsing craigslist for my first car, I was looking for a non-v8 f-body or mustang that I would one day be able to swap. The only rule was my first car couldn't be an eight cylinder.
The story that I got from the seller was that it had been sitting under a tree with a blown engine for about 15 years at the body shop he worked at. The owner of the shop originally purchased the car for his daughter as her first car. The seller decided to buy the car, replace the engine with another used 2.8l and give it some fresh paint. He owned it for about 3-4 years before selling it to me. I always appreciated knowing that history and loved the fact that this car had a full 7 years of stories before I had even been born. It also excited me that its mine now, and the story will continue on with new chapters of life written by me, a dumbass who LOVES to get in over his head.
There we are, December 23, 2013, getting in over our heads. That's Justin (left) and Brett (middle) with me. I had known Justin from the age of 3, he lived across the street from me. Brett and I went to the same highschool and he also drove a 2.GREAT Thirdgen Camaro, so naturally we had become friends.
The 2.8l had a good run. It got me everywhere I needed to go (most of the time). I didn't maintain that engine at all, it's almost like I wanted it to blow. The only issues it ever gave me was the starter. I carried a crowbar in the back seat in case it gave me a fit. Most passengers knew the drill, when the starter acted up I got out and gave it a not-so-gentle whack while the passenger turned the key. Seems like a dumbass kid thing to do, because it was.
However, I was caught at a gas station one time and didn't have my trusty crowbar on me. Here comes some stranger to the rescue. That stranger was my now great friend Pete. Pete noticed I couldn't get the car started and offered some guidance. We talked a while and he gave me his number and said to let him know if I ever need any help with anything. Pete had no idea what he was getting himself into.
After the power steering pump went bad, I decided it was time to start searching for a v8. Why spend money on the v6 after I found a rebuilt 305 and 700r4 on craigslist for around $500. When the photo above was taken, the plan was 2.8l out, 305 in. Nothing crazy, let's just keep it simple.
Naturally, I could not keep it simple. Here we are, two weeks later on January 7th, 2014, pulling a 350 out of my newly acquired parts car. Thats Justin (left) again and Nick (right). The guy I purchased it from lived in town. I reached out to him with a question about engine mounts and ended up buying his whole car for a staggering $500. He blew the trans up and just wanted it gone.
I reached out to Pete for the first time a few months after meeting him that day at the gas station. I filled him in on the status of the car and he laughed at me for wanting to put the 305 in when I had a 350 in my possession. He said something along the lines of "Tie a rope up to that 305, its most useful as a boat anchor". I only wanted to install the 305 because it was rebuilt and the condition of the 350 was unknown. He offered to help me go through and rebuild the 350. Despite the fact that I had never even completed an oil change on my own at this point, I decided I was going to rebuild this 350.
At the time, I was going to vocational school half day through a program my high school offered. The original plan was bore it, new pistons, polish crank, new main and rod bearings, freshen up the heads lap the valves. You know, a reasonable and functional rebuild. I filled Pete in on the progress going on at school, he laughed again. He said get the engine out of there and bring it to his shop.
I initially decided to work on the engine at school because I didn't truly know Pete at the time. I had no idea what it would cost to have a professional rebuild my engine, but I knew I couldn't afford it. His whole idea was to have me build the engine at his shop with him present to help guide me. He saw I was willing to work hard and wanted to learn, and he just wanted to help.
This time, I took Pete up on his offer. We loaded up the engine in the back of my fathers Durango and were heading to Petes'. The look on Petes' face when we arrived will always make me laugh. The engine was sitting on the oil pan in a tire, with Nick sitting in the back bearhugging it so it wouldn't tip over. Thats a story that is still brought up to this day.
I found some brand new loaded GMPP aluminum heads and roller rockers on craigslist for $800, Pete told me the part number of the cam to buy, and it was time to make some power. Pete came through and did exactly what he offered. We finished assembling the engine at his shop and he told me to let him know when it was ready to fire up in the car so he could come by and help dial in the timing and carb.
It was finally time to install the engine. The day started off with just my father and I, and as you can see in the series of photos there were many people willing to offer a hand. Not a single one of us had installed an engine before, but we all chipped in and made it happen. One thing I love about this series of photos is when my neighbor Alan showed up with his son. You can see in the first photo he's dressed like he had just come home from work and just stopped by to see what was going on. In the next photo, the button down is off and he's hands on helping until the job is done.
I believe the drive to problem solve and accomplish cool things with cars is contagious, and these photos are a great example of that. I was always surrounded by amazing people who were willing to help. Throughout that day two of my friends, Anthony and Justin, had also stopped by to lend a hand. In the earlier pictures, you can see two more friends, Brett and Nick, helping remove the engines in the unheated garage in the dead of winter. Of course, there was also Pete helping build the engine. I may not have realized it at the time, but all of these events were adding up to become the start of something really special.
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