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People have been interested in classic cars from day one, you can bet after the first cars turned ten years old that somebody noted to restore one of them, and it's the same way today, but now we have these import tuna cans that people seem to think are better then our American classic cars, the first gas powered car was built in the USA, and the best ones are built in the USA.

It's not as if I don't realize that other countries can build a good car to, it's just that I think that we do it the best of all, OK now that we have my monthly tangent out of the way, let's get back to the task at hand, and of course that task is to write this article for you, my loyal fans, and fellow classic car lovers.

The beauty of a classic, rather it's an American one or not just cant be overshadowed by the like of a fuel economy car turned hot rod, if you can call it that, the beauty of a classic car is the body lines, the crowns and contours of the sheet metal that the manufacture put on the car, in the old days it was as much about style, and standing out from the crowed as anything else.

The cars were plush right from the factory, and they came with custom paint, and high power engines, everything that a hot rodder could want, of course we modified them any way, to put our own flair and creativity in to the car, we wanted to show all of our friends just how good we could make our car look, and usually on a limited budget, we didn't have thousands of dollars to spend, so we made things, instead of buying them.

We built cars, and made friends, we didn't go around stealing cars and parts to get what we needed, we did it the old fashioned way, we earned it, our cars were not always the best looking, or the highest performance, well not all at once, we had to wait for the good things to happen, or make them happen by working two jobs.

Our muscle cars helped us make new friends, and new foes, we lived for a Saturday night on main street, and we lived for our cars, and to show them off to our friends, you know the old, check this new paint job out, look what I did to make more power, it was all about fun, it was all about us; our cars, and our friends.

We'd all hit the burger joint in our hot rods because we knew that our friends, and their cars and ladies would show up, there was nothing like a hot summer night with our friends, and our cars, and still to this day it's the same for me, well accept for the drive-ins have all gone away, obviously the car culture has changed, but if you look deep, it still remains the same.

I love the America, and all things American, the first time you think that drag racing is not an American invention, you'd better brush up on your history it all started in the late 1940's and early 1950's, and drag racing is where the whole idea for hot rods, and street rods came form, and still to this day these kids in their Honda's run the 1/4 mile to prove that their cars are the best.

This is only one way that things are still the same, a lot has changed, but a lot is still the same, we love to modify, customize, and restore cars, it all goes to show, that no matter how much things change, they will always stay the same, but my whole point here is people need to pay attention to the classic American cars, before we wake up one day, and the only place that we can see one is in a show, or museum, we don't need this to happen.

People need to restore these cars, or sell them to a person who love them enough to do it for them, classic car restoration is a huge ordeal, and a big job, but if it's done right it can also be a lot of fun, rather you do it with your family and make a big family fun time out of it, or if you take it to a shop, classic cars are meant to be one thing, and that is fun, if it's not fun for you, then do yourself a favor and sell it.

A classic car restoration doesn't mean that the car has to be all stock, I say have fun with your car, if you have an old camaro, put a new LS7 or LS9 in it, put a new 572 big block in it, put a sub frame with new corvette suspension and braking systems in the car, modify the rear suspension to take on new corvette suspension, make it your car, have fun, and enjoy the process of building it.

Nobody should tell you what to do with your car, or how to do it, it's your car, do it the way that you think that it should be, sure take advise for people who have done the same kind of work in the past, feed off of their knowledge, and use it to your best advantage, but make it your car, you'll be much happier in the end.

• Muscle Cars
• Car Restoration
• Muscle Car Information

I've been in the automotive business for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in all facets of the industry, from parts to restoration, all different makes and models, I just want to keep people interested in the old cars because it's where my heart is.

Chevy Camaro - A Small, Vicious Animal That Eats Mustangs

While engineers and designers feverishly worked overtime on the development of a four-passenger sports car they code-named the F-car, the Chevy public relations, marketing and advertising team prepared the world for the introduction of a car they called the Panther.

All through the summer of 1965 virtually every aspect of the vehicle's design and development, from preliminary design sketches to clay models, was photographed and carefully documented. Chevy used the assets to create a 30 -minute movie The Camaro, which was later shown on TV and in movie theaters. They also introduced women's clothing called the Camaro Collection and even a Camaro road race game.

In November, Chevy sales executives and creative people previewed prototype models at the GM Tech Center. Campbell-Ewald, Chevy's venerable ad agency, immediately began work on catalogs, direct mail and sales promotion materials, along with print, outdoor and TV/radio advertising. In April 1966, at the New York Auto Show Press Conference, Chevrolet sales executives admitted no name had been chosen for the new vehicle, but did announce that pricing of 1967 model will be in the Corvair-Chevy II range.

Throughout early 1966 Chevy agonized over a name for its Mustang-killer. GM's upper management was nervous about the aggressive connotations of the Panther name. A similar bout of cold feet would later cause the Pontiac version, code named the Banshee, to be renamed Firebird. Over its short lifetime, the F-car had been called by many names including Wildcat, Chaparral, Commander and Nova. It's also rumored that Chevy considered using the letters "GM" in the name, and came up with G-Mini, which evolved into GeMini and finally Gemini. However, GM's upper management vetoed the idea, fearing the car might be a failure.

Automotive legend has it that someone at Chevrolet finally proposed the name Camaro and upper management quickly agreed. Although the name has no real meaning, GM researchers reportedly found the word in a French dictionary as a slang term for "friend" or "companion." It's rumored that Ford Motor Company researchers also discovered other definitions, including "a shrimp-like creature" and an arcane term for "loose bowels."

Because a number or pre-launch materials had already been released using the Panther name, Chevy's most pressing challenge was to now rename their new Mustang killer, the Camaro.

On June 21, 1966, around 200 automotive journalists received a telegram from General Motors stating, "Please be available at noon of June 28 for important press conference. Hope you can be on hand to help scratch a cat. Details will follow." The mysterious telegram was signed, John L. Cutter - Chevrolet Public Relations - SEPAW Secretary. The next day, journalists received another mysterious telegram stating, "Society for the Eradication of Panthers from the Automotive World will hold first and last meeting on June 28." Once again, the telegram was signed, John L. Cutter - Chevrolet Public Relations - SEPAW Secretary.

Finally, on June 28, 1966, General Motors held a live press conference in Detroit's Statler-Hilton Hotel. It was the first time in history that 14 cities were hooked up in real time for a press conference via telephone lines. Elliot M. "Pete" Estes, who replaced "Bunkie" Knudsen as Chevrolet General Manager in July 1965, started the news conference by declaring all participants were now charter members of the Society for the Elimination of Panthers from the Automotive World (SEPAW.) Estes confidently announced that Camaro was chosen as the name for Chevy's new four-passenger sports car to honor the tradition of beginning Chevy model names with the letter C such as the Corvette, Corvair, Chevelle, and Chevy II. Most automotive insiders agreed it was a ridiculous statement, given the fact that the Chevy Impala was then the best-selling car in the world. Estes then went on to explain that the Camaro name was, "derived from a French word meaning comrade or pal and suggests the comradeship of good friends as a personal car should be to its owner." Automotive legend also has it that, after the press conference, when a member of the automotive press asked, "what is a Camaro?" a Chevrolet product manager quickly answered by saying, "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."

Shortly after the press conference, editors from major magazines were invited to the GM Proving Grounds for a hands-on driving experience, hot laps with professional drivers and briefing on all aspects of the Camaro. Dealers saw the Camaro for the first time in August, at the Chevrolet Sales Convention in Detroit. LIFE Magazine teaser ads appeared in early September. On September 25, the first Camaro ads appeared in national newspapers. On September 28, 1966, Chevrolet launched an unprecedented ad blitz consisting of newspapers, magazines, radio, television, outdoor and television advertising.

The very first Chevy Camaro television commercial can still be seen on YouTube. It features a white Camaro RS/SS with the distinctive bumble-bee nose band emerging from a volcano. The voice over proudly introduces "The fiery new Camaro from Chevrolet... something you've never seen before."

Just prior to the official June 29th launch date, a press package with photos, specifications, and line stories were released to newspapers and magazines across the country. Over 100 members of the press were invited to participate in a gymkhana driving competition at the GM Proving Grounds. The same type of event was held one week later in Los Angeles. A group of editors were also selected to drive top-optioned Camaro RS/SS models from Detroit to their home cities so they could publish, "I drove it personally," feature articles in their local newspapers. Finally, on September 29, 1966, the Chevrolet Camaro was released to the public.

Mustang's two and a half year head start in the market did little blunt America's eagerness to see the new Camaro. Chevy dealerships across the country were filled to overflowing with curious and willing buyers. Dealerships were issued special window trim, urged to black-out their windows and extend their showroom hours. Long lines formed to even glimpse the new vehicle. Those waiting in line were also more than willing to debate the merits of Mustang and the still unseen Camaro. It's rumored that local police were often called help control the crowds.

Once inside dealerships in most metro areas, buyers were treated to not one but three Camaro models. Chevy made every effort to provide their largest dealers with a base sport coupe, Camaro RS and a Camaro SS convertible. The tactic was an extension of the creative approach used in Chevy's national ads which showed all three Camaro models under a tag line, "How much Camaro you want depends on how much driver you want to be."

The sticker price of $2,466 for a Camaro base coupe and $2,704 for a base convertible was fully competitive with Ford's pricing of their 1967 Mustang models which was $2,461 for the standard coupe, $2,692 for a standard fastback and $2,898 for a standard convertible.

Taking a page from Mustang's success in earning added profit from options and accessories, the Camaro could be ordered with nearly 80 factory options and 40 dealer accessories. Buyers could also option up to a larger 250-inch version of the standard straight six engine, a choice of 327-cubic-inch small-block V8s fed by either a two-barrel or a four-barrel carburetor and two versions of the 396-cubic-inch big-block V8. In order to keep the new Camaro from taking sales away from the Corvette, a corporate edict forbade equipping it with engines larger than 400 cid. Transmission options included a four-speed manual, a two-speed "Powerglide" and in late 1967 the new three-speed "Turbo Hydra-Matic 350".

The first 1967 Camaro built at the Norwood, Ohio, plant had a VIN ending in N100001; the first built at the Van Nuys, California, plant had a VIN ending in L100001. The 1967 Camaro was the only model year to have its VIN tag mounted on the door hinge pillar. VIN tags on later models were moved so they would be visible through the windshield. 1967 was the only model year to feature side vent windows. 1968 saw the introduction of a fresh-air inlet system called Astro Ventilation. The bumblebee nose stripe included in the SS package also became available as a separate option in March 1968.

As factory-fresh Camaros rolled off the assembly lines at Norwood and Van Nuys, the Chevy team worked just as hard to keep Camaro in the public eye. Camaro, in fact, was chosen as the Official Pace Car for the 1967 Indianapolis 500. A white Camaro RS convertible with a 396 V8 engine, not normally available for that package, and a distinctive blue bumble-bee stripe around the nose paced the field. Over 100 special reproductions of the pace car were also produced as promotional vehicles for Chevy dealerships across the country.

A total of 41,100 new Camaro's were registered in the 1966 calendar-year and an additional 204,862 in 1967. Ford, on the other hand, sold almost a half million Mustangs in 1967. Still, the battle lines were drawn. Chevy knew they had a winner and devised a bold strategy. If they couldn't beat Mustang on the showroom floor, they would at least beat it at the track. And while GM wasn't officially into racing, that didn't stop Chevrolet engineers from developing the Z/28, one of the most potent and powerful performance packages of all time. But, that's still another story.

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what tremec tranny should i use for a 454 big block chevy?

what tremec transmission would be the best for a 454 chevy big block? i am building a custom chevelle this summer and i was wondering what the best one would be

go with the biggest available as the 454 has a lot of torque and will rip tranny's up.

Editorial: Springfield puts brakes on street racing
As long as there are fast cars, hot weather and songs by the Beach Boys, there will be drag racing.

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