Street 1971 Chevy Camaro Project - Super Chevy Magazine

Street 1971 Chevy Camaro Project Burnout

"The Huntress" had not been started or run down the track for over six years. We expected the motor to be useless and mice to have made a nice happy home. Well, we were partly correct. Apparently, this large smokey burnout that took place woke up all the mice, who quickly exited the premises.

"The Huntress" had not been started or run down the track for over six years. We expected

Rendering: John McBride
Our Back To The Street '71 Camaro project took an unexpected turn as we scrambled to schedule a fabricator, welder, painter, and body man within the tight print deadlines that can strangle a build. Up to this point, we have the GM Performance Parts 454 and Level 10 4L60E transmission awaiting a happy home. Luckily, we know some people...this is Jersey, after all. We made some calls and got hooked up with the Mercer County Vocational School in Pennington, New Jersey, where some of the nation's best are sculpting today's youth into hands-on, world-ready crafts people.

We brought Back To The Street on an open trailer after school hours and were shocked to see close to 50 bodies awaiting our arrival. Culinary, graphic arts, cosmetology--no matter what was going on, we were getting looks. After walking in the body shop, we knew we had made a great choice. By the second day, the class had the front clip removed, the interior in pieces, and was ready to rock and roll on the front suspension.

This installment of our F-body project has us replacing the front suspension with FatMan Fabrications' Trick Suspension setup. Replacing the stock suspension with this kit offers advantages in just about every aspect, whether it's on the street, at the track, or even in a car show. Retaining the stock frame mount locations, the FatMan front suspension kit utilizes tubular control arms, triangulated motor mounting points, QA1 double-adjustable coilover shocks, 12-inch Wilwood disc brakes, and power rack-and-pinion steering.

Allowing for bigger skins, the track width is 1-inch narrower on each side, and standard with the kit are drop spindles that will lower the front end between two and three inches upon installation and coilover adjustment. The design is based off the Mustang II front end, but utilizes a shim-style alignment (unlike that of the OEM Ford stuff), allowing for easier, more precise adjustments.

In the next thrilling episode of BTTS, we will be installing the rear Trick Suspension setup from FatMan Fabrications that complements the front and offers four-link geometry. Follow along as we piece together this kit from a pile of parts to a fully-functional modern suspension.

The guys then got down to work and proceeded to rip the nose off the car. Given "The Huntress' " roots as a drag car, the front fenders were fiberglass, there were no inner fenders, and everything was held in place by two bars running from the firewall to the radiator support. Some high school help with the sawzall was all it took to cut through.
The guys then got down to work and proceeded to rip the nose off the car. Given "The Huntr
With all the brake lines cut and wires disconnected, we were ready to detach the stock front subframe. The four bolts under the body were all that were holding it on. Once we unbolted them, the front subframe rolled right out of the way. Given the mass of the front subframe when it is assembled, it is necessary to prepare the rest of the car for a shift in weight distribution. Set up on a four-post lift, we were forced to support the rear end of the car while performing this step. Luckily, when all was said and done, every one still had their fingers and toes.
With all the brake lines cut and wires disconnected, we were ready to detach the stock fro