1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
James Reed’s Camaro wasn’t just a young man’s whim, he acquired it after a lifetime’s tutelage from his American car-mad family, as Jon Cass discovers…
Growing up surrounded by American classics must sound like a dream to most of us, but for 25-year-old James Reed that’s exactly how he remembers his childhood years: “My dad, Steve, has always had interesting classic cars, the earliest I remember was a ’54 Packard Clipper,” James recalls. “Spending my days around his cars at shows was always bound to have a long-lasting effect on me!” It’s certainly an enviable position to find yourself in and unsurprisingly James has already begun to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Aside from the Packard, James has lost count of the many classics his dad has owned. “He’s had a ’65 Corvair, a Viper, a Ford Falcon and a few Barracudas,” he laughs. “Those are just the ones that really stand out, but he’s had many more over the years too.” It wasn’t just the shows where James became involved; often he’d find himself helping his dad out in the garage, carrying out repairs and servicing whichever unusual car Steve happened to own at the time. By the time James was just 13 he’d bought a cheap car, carried out some repairs and sold it on for a profit. “When I was 15 I managed to find a cheap thirdgeneration Firebird and had that up and running and back on the road pretty quickly,” he smiles. “V8 engines have always been the biggest attraction… I never tire of them.”
While most of his former school friends were hooning around in
European hot hatches, James ignored any peer pressure and bought himself a third-generation Camaro 5.0-litre V8 convertible at the age of 21. It may have shared the same GM pedigree as the countless Corsa VXRs driven around by your more typical 21-year-old petrolhead, but that’s pretty much where the connection ends! Within a few years, James had moved on to an even more unpredictable candidate in the shape of a Cadillac Eldorado, but that ownership experience was to be short lived once he’d heard about a certain ’78 Z28 Camaro a family friend had decided to sell.
“I’d known about the car for some time and the last owner had only covered 500 miles in it over the previous 10 years, “James recalls. “It was totally original and untouched with just 60,000 genuine miles from new, so this was a rare opportunity.” Bought new in ’78 by a doctor in California, the Camaro had been imported to the UK as far back as 1980 – in fact it had done well to survive so many British winters. “The first UK owner lived in Stokeon-Trent and he’s obviously cherished the car as he’d kept it for 27 years,” James explains. “In 2007 it was sold to a family friend of mine and had been rarely driven since.”
On closer inspection, the Camaro still retained its matching numbers 350cu V8 and James was pleased to see the shell had never been welded, with the floor pans and boot floor remaining original and untouched to this day. “It had been stood for a while, but I managed to get the car roadworthy again and ran it that summer,“James remembers. “The original paint was beginning to look a little tired and that winter I decided to breathe a little more life into it again.”
What would begin as a basic strip-down and respray ended up being much more, as James soon began to realise: “Before I knew it, I’d stripped the car down to a rolling shell and got a bit carried away taking bits off,“he laughs. “I’d guessed this was the easy bit, putting it all back together was the bit I was dreading!” The by now bare shell was then despatched to good friend Kenny Kitching for a respray in black. “He bare-metalled the shell first and did a fantastic job, much better than I’d ever imagined,” James relates. “Once the immaculate shell returned I began bolting the old parts back on, but soon realised all the used parts were now letting the car down.” James decided to take the plunge and began compiling a list of new parts he’d need to bring the Camaro up to show condition. A fresh windscreen and lower front grille were required to complete the exterior, while the original trademark Z28 alloy wheels have benefited from powder coating, new wheel nuts, centre caps and chrome rings.
“WHAT WOULD BEGIN AS A BASIC STRIP-DOWN AND RESPRAY ENDED UP BEING MUCH MORE, AS JAMES SOON BEGAN TO REALISE...”
Despite that low mileage the interior was beginning to show its age and although the original black seats could be retained, James decided to purchase and fit a new carpet, headlining and heater fan. “I chose to remove the troublesome air conditioning system using the correct blanking panel fitted with the heater blower,“James points out. “The original space saver tyre and jack still survives in the trunk, only the boot mat is new.” The floor pan had somehow managed to escape any welding in its 42 years though most of the components on the underside were now looking past their best. “I decided to replace the whole lot so the fuel tank, suspension, steering system and brakes are all new,” James explains. “By now I wanted the underside to look just as spotless as the top so I’ve not cut any corners.” Polybushes have been fitted all round too, helping to tighten up the Camaro’s handling.
The matching numbers 350cu in/5.7-litre V8 was always destined to return to its familiar bay, but not before a thorough clean, along with the addition of a few irresistible modifications such as the new Edelbrock carb and inlet manifold. “I also fitted new Newman headers which suit the look of the car and they sound great too,” James adds. The end result looks truly stunning and is a testament to the skills and attention to detail applied throughout the whole project. There are still plenty of Z28 Camaros around, but few are finished to such a high standard and let’s not forget James is still only 25!
“I’LL PROBABLY KEEP CHANGING CARS LIKE MY DAD HAS ALWAYS DONE, BUT I’VE REALLY GOT MY HEART SET ON A TRUCK RIGHT NOW,” JAMES LAUGHS.
The entire restoration process took James eight months, which is hugely impressive considering this talented guy works full time too and has few hours to spare. “This is the first car I’ve fully rebuilt to such an extent and despite its ups and downs, I’d happily go through the whole process again,” James says. “After a few years now of owning American cars, I know I’ll never be rich, but every time I get behind the wheel, it makes it seem all worthwhile and every drive puts a big smile on my face.”
Just recently James took the difficult decision to sell the Camaro to a good home after all that hard work in order to fulfil his current desire of renovating a Seventies American truck. “I’ll probably keep changing cars like my dad has always done, but I’ve really got my heart set on a truck right now,” James laughs. For certain, every one of those future purchases will have that familiar and addictive American V8 rumble! ★