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Banned
After 35 Years in Storage, Day-Two 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS350 Back Better Than Ever :eek:
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The 295-horse 350 was brand new in 1967 and impressively powerful in stock form. Hot Rod's Jan. 1967 SS350 road test car ran a best of 14.85 at 94 mph with a four-speed and 3.55s, while Motor Trend logged a 15.4-second pass at 90 mph
When Bruce Mercer purchased his 1967 Camaro SS350 in 1972, he could hardly have imagined that he would still own it in pristine condition some 45 years later. Like many other 19-year-olds fresh out of high school, Bruce was living more in the moment, making money, enjoying a hot set of wheels, and living life to the fullest. In terms of the car, that meant daily driving for a couple of years as well as cruising and stoplight challenges in his hometown of Yakima, Washington. By 1974, Bruce's competitive juices were boiling over, and he turned the Camaro into a competitive NHRA drag racer.
4.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 4.JPG
The Camaro was built at the Van Nuys assembly plant in November 1966 and sold by John Koich Chevrolet in Independence, Oregon, some months later. The build date would seem too early to have been inspired by the strikingly similar SS350 that Hot Rod magazine tested in multiple 1967 issues, but similar it is, right down to the red-on-red paint/interior combo.
But whether inspired by outside influences or not, the Camaro was ordered with just a few well-chosen options: the SS350 package, U17 instrumentation (tach and gauges), and console. Bruce would like to know more about the first owner and the first five years of his Camaro's life, but his story picks up when he bought it at Ron's Used Cars in Union Gap, Washington, on July 7, 1972. The car was all original except for a homebuilt fiberglass glovebox door that housed an eight-track tape player. Bruce wasted little time replacing the original hubcaps with slotted mags. By the time he was racing, the stock three-speed stick had given way to a Muncie four-speed with Doug Nash internals.
11.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 11.JPG
Bruce campaigned the SS350 in F/Stock, mostly at nearby Renegade Raceway. The class index was 12.05 near the end of his four-year run, and Bruce says his best time was a 12.10 and nearly 120 mph. Stock classes strictly limited the level of modification and mandated a stock intake and carb, stock heads, and a maximum tire width of 9 inches. Bruce built up the original engine to blueprint specs and used a legal "cheater" cam, headers, and an electric fuel pump, and that was about it. Out back, different gear sets were tried, but the favorite turned out to be a 5.38:1 ratio in conjunction with 30-inch-tall slicks.
A couple of sponsors helped defray the expenses of racing, but costs and changing priorities caused Bruce to hang up his helmet by 1979. The Camaro went into storage, with its future undetermined. As Bruce moved over the years, he would find another storage space for the car. The years eventually morphed into three-plus decades. Finally in 2013, the time was right to get the Camaro back on the road. Says Bruce, "I initially began to fix the car up without a clear vision of what I wanted in the end, but I soon realized I wanted to take it back to how it was when I first owned it." That meant mostly stock, but not quite.
109.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 109.JPG
Bruce did the lion's share of the restoration himself, but farmed out paint and bodywork to Jon Carson at Fenders and Fins in Woodinville, Washington. The years had been kind to the Camaro from a corrosion point of view, having spent a bit of time in arid eastern Washington, a few years on the strip, and then 35 years in dry storage. It still had original paint, along with mild rear wheelwell clearancing that was a remnant of its racing days. The good condition made Carson's job a straightforward proposition, with the result being a gorgeous two-stage finish in the original Bolero Red.
The interior of the Camaro is the striking original red and, as mentioned earlier, sports the original optional gauge package and floor console. During restoration Bruce opted to install deluxe seat covers and kick panel speakers for an AAR reproduction radio with fully modern technology. These changes and a TKO five-speed make for a far better driving experience than Bruce would otherwise have, and that's important since the man really drives his Camaro! Fact is, Bruce has driven twice from his Seattle-area home to Hot August Nights in Reno, not to mention several other long-distance show junkets, for a total of 15,000 miles since the restoration was finished in 2014.
These drives are also why the Radial T/As are on board rather than period bias-plies. And the Cragars? Well, let's just say that the Cragar S/S is as classic a vintage rim as one could imagine. Nice choice.
309.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 309.JPG
As much as Bruce has enjoyed the second coming of his Camaro, more changes are likely. That's because he is currently building a 1968 Camaro with a Pro Touring vibe, the completion of which should result in the 1967 model returning to 100 percent stock. It'll be the best of both worlds as Bruce sees it, and we wouldn't argue. One car will be all about modern performance and style, the other appreciated for its classic persona and time machine character. What more could a Camaro nut ask for?
At A Glance
1967 Camaro SS350
Owned by: Bruce Mercer, Woodinville, WA
Engine: 350ci/295hp V-8
Transmission: Tremec TKO 600 5-speed manual
Rearend: Factory 12-bolt with 3.55 gears and Positraction
Interior: Red vinyl with instrumentation package and console
Wheels: 15x7 and 15x8 Cragar S/S
Tires: 215/65R15 front, 255/60R15 rear BFGoodrich Radial T/A
Renegade Days
Bruce Bruce shared snapshots of his Camaro from the days he raced at Renegade Raceway in F/Stock, as well as a few timeslips to back up his recollection of the car's e.t.'s. He would love to learn about the history of his SS350 between the time it was sold new and when he bought it in 1972. Readers, if you know, drop us a line and we will pass it on.
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The 295-horse 350 was brand new in 1967 and impressively powerful in stock form. Hot Rod's Jan. 1967 SS350 road test car ran a best of 14.85 at 94 mph with a four-speed and 3.55s, while Motor Trend logged a 15.4-second pass at 90 mph
When Bruce Mercer purchased his 1967 Camaro SS350 in 1972, he could hardly have imagined that he would still own it in pristine condition some 45 years later. Like many other 19-year-olds fresh out of high school, Bruce was living more in the moment, making money, enjoying a hot set of wheels, and living life to the fullest. In terms of the car, that meant daily driving for a couple of years as well as cruising and stoplight challenges in his hometown of Yakima, Washington. By 1974, Bruce's competitive juices were boiling over, and he turned the Camaro into a competitive NHRA drag racer.
4.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 4.JPG
The Camaro was built at the Van Nuys assembly plant in November 1966 and sold by John Koich Chevrolet in Independence, Oregon, some months later. The build date would seem too early to have been inspired by the strikingly similar SS350 that Hot Rod magazine tested in multiple 1967 issues, but similar it is, right down to the red-on-red paint/interior combo.
But whether inspired by outside influences or not, the Camaro was ordered with just a few well-chosen options: the SS350 package, U17 instrumentation (tach and gauges), and console. Bruce would like to know more about the first owner and the first five years of his Camaro's life, but his story picks up when he bought it at Ron's Used Cars in Union Gap, Washington, on July 7, 1972. The car was all original except for a homebuilt fiberglass glovebox door that housed an eight-track tape player. Bruce wasted little time replacing the original hubcaps with slotted mags. By the time he was racing, the stock three-speed stick had given way to a Muncie four-speed with Doug Nash internals.
11.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 11.JPG
Bruce campaigned the SS350 in F/Stock, mostly at nearby Renegade Raceway. The class index was 12.05 near the end of his four-year run, and Bruce says his best time was a 12.10 and nearly 120 mph. Stock classes strictly limited the level of modification and mandated a stock intake and carb, stock heads, and a maximum tire width of 9 inches. Bruce built up the original engine to blueprint specs and used a legal "cheater" cam, headers, and an electric fuel pump, and that was about it. Out back, different gear sets were tried, but the favorite turned out to be a 5.38:1 ratio in conjunction with 30-inch-tall slicks.
A couple of sponsors helped defray the expenses of racing, but costs and changing priorities caused Bruce to hang up his helmet by 1979. The Camaro went into storage, with its future undetermined. As Bruce moved over the years, he would find another storage space for the car. The years eventually morphed into three-plus decades. Finally in 2013, the time was right to get the Camaro back on the road. Says Bruce, "I initially began to fix the car up without a clear vision of what I wanted in the end, but I soon realized I wanted to take it back to how it was when I first owned it." That meant mostly stock, but not quite.
109.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 109.JPG
Bruce did the lion's share of the restoration himself, but farmed out paint and bodywork to Jon Carson at Fenders and Fins in Woodinville, Washington. The years had been kind to the Camaro from a corrosion point of view, having spent a bit of time in arid eastern Washington, a few years on the strip, and then 35 years in dry storage. It still had original paint, along with mild rear wheelwell clearancing that was a remnant of its racing days. The good condition made Carson's job a straightforward proposition, with the result being a gorgeous two-stage finish in the original Bolero Red.
The interior of the Camaro is the striking original red and, as mentioned earlier, sports the original optional gauge package and floor console. During restoration Bruce opted to install deluxe seat covers and kick panel speakers for an AAR reproduction radio with fully modern technology. These changes and a TKO five-speed make for a far better driving experience than Bruce would otherwise have, and that's important since the man really drives his Camaro! Fact is, Bruce has driven twice from his Seattle-area home to Hot August Nights in Reno, not to mention several other long-distance show junkets, for a total of 15,000 miles since the restoration was finished in 2014.
These drives are also why the Radial T/As are on board rather than period bias-plies. And the Cragars? Well, let's just say that the Cragar S/S is as classic a vintage rim as one could imagine. Nice choice.
309.JPG© Hot Rod Network Staff 309.JPG
As much as Bruce has enjoyed the second coming of his Camaro, more changes are likely. That's because he is currently building a 1968 Camaro with a Pro Touring vibe, the completion of which should result in the 1967 model returning to 100 percent stock. It'll be the best of both worlds as Bruce sees it, and we wouldn't argue. One car will be all about modern performance and style, the other appreciated for its classic persona and time machine character. What more could a Camaro nut ask for?
At A Glance
1967 Camaro SS350
Owned by: Bruce Mercer, Woodinville, WA
Engine: 350ci/295hp V-8
Transmission: Tremec TKO 600 5-speed manual
Rearend: Factory 12-bolt with 3.55 gears and Positraction
Interior: Red vinyl with instrumentation package and console
Wheels: 15x7 and 15x8 Cragar S/S
Tires: 215/65R15 front, 255/60R15 rear BFGoodrich Radial T/A
Renegade Days
Bruce Bruce shared snapshots of his Camaro from the days he raced at Renegade Raceway in F/Stock, as well as a few timeslips to back up his recollection of the car's e.t.'s. He would love to learn about the history of his SS350 between the time it was sold new and when he bought it in 1972. Readers, if you know, drop us a line and we will pass it on.
