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Tools you will need:

1. Saw or Dremel Tool

1. 200 plus grit sandpaper

1. 10 mm socket

First off, you will need a fuel door off a 2000-2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse. Even though the door looks like it’s made of billet, it’s aluminum.

One inexpensive and simple way to tighten and seal up your Camaro is to replace the weatherstripping! These door and trunk weatherstrip pieces are correct to give you an exact fit on your car, attaching with the original style pins and screws.

Parts Needed:

• WS-2: 68-69 Door weatherstrip w/molded ends

• WS-5: 67-81 Trunk weatherstrip

This 1973 Camaro RS Z/28 clone (a real RS, not a Z/28)had been sold to two good friends in Australia, but they both found other projects in OZ to take on instead. So, after 5 years of sitting around and collecting parts, I decided to do something with it. I named it Project Boomerang because it just kept coming back!

I’ve owned this Camaro for the past eleven years– I purchased it at the Spring Daytona swap meet in March of 2002. I had decided I wanted a project car to work on, as I had always wanted a ‘69 Camaro for that exact purpose. My plan was to work on the project as funds became available. I thought that it would take as little as 5 years, (depending on the condition of the car, of course). As I walked around the Daytona Swap Meet that day it looked like I wasn’t going to find my project car. All the Camaros found were already restored and were commanding at least $35-$40 thousand dollars.

Ever since my first car, a 1975 Camaro, I’ve always had a Camaro in my life. That is, until my four children came along and the Camaro was traded in for a Suburban! Fast forward 20 years and with the kids in college, I decided it was time once again to renew my love for Camaros. I started searching for a ‘69 retro-rod. I looked for about six months, but everything I found was well above my price range.

One day while traveling down the Interstate I saw a 2000 SS Camaro that really caught my eye. I modified my search to include a Gen 4 SS. I found the perfect car just 20 miles from my home, and I just had to have it.

It did not take long for Bill Panouses to get hooked. The local East Milone, IL paper, a ’68 Camaro, and a test ride were all it took.

Feeling his heart pump wildly as the owner slammed through the gears on the test ride confirmed to Bill that there would be a time when he owned a ’68 Camaro. “It was the ride of my life!” exclaimed Bill.

I purchased this ’71 Camaro SS from Jim Rathmann Chevrolet in Melbourne, FL. At the time, I was working at the local Publix grocery store and living at home and I needed reliable transportation. I ordered the car in March with almost every option available, and then talked my mother into co-signing for the GMAC loan. I wanted an SS because the Z/28 didn’t come with air conditioning, and after all, I lived in Florida. I also realized that big blocks wouldn’t be around much longer. I decided against the RS package, because the car was going to be parked in a grocery store parking lot, and I saw how people parked head-on there. Besides, I liked the full bumper look.

When it comes right down to it, Chevrolet’s storied performance history can be summed up in two simple letters— “SS”. Sure, names like Chevelle, Camaro and Nova conjure up visions of tire-smoking prowess. And of course, cubic-inch call-outs such as “396”, “427” and “454” all bring to mind big torque and power. But the “SS” moniker is the all-encompassing term that will forever symbolize not only power and performance, but a level of pure class as well.

Where did it all start? In 1961, with the introduction of the SS option on the full-size Impala. This was the year the legendary 409 cube V8 came into play as well. The SS/409 combination was Chevy’s response to Ford’s 390 powered Galaxie. You might say 1961 was the year that the serious horsepower wars began!