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Roselle Camaro owner restores a rare RS beauty
One of the worst fears of a hot-rodder is blending in. Owners will go
to great lengths to ensure their ride is different from the next in the
car show or cruise night lot. It's a safe bet to say owner Tommy Denic
of Roselle never has that worry with his number's matching, 1969
Chevrolet Camaro RS.
From its bright, electric paint job to the massive chrome wheels, to
say it turns heads would be a bit of an understatement. It has more of
a 'snap your neck, yank your attention' street appearance that every
hot-rodder craves.
"I really wanted a car that stands out and gets noticed. Something that
looks completely different from all the other classic cars out there,"
Denic said.
The first, and perhaps most important, characteristic that sets this
Chevy apart can be determined with a quick look to the grill.
"One of the unique features is that it is an original 'Endura bumper
car'," Denic explains. Only 5 percent of the 243,085 Camaros produced
in 1969 rolled off the assembly line with the Endura bumper as an
original option. "The majority of cars built that year came with
protruding, front chrome bumpers. With the Endura, the front bumper
blends into the front clip, giving it a smoother, seamless look.
Finding one is quite rare, so I knew I had to snap this one up."
That 'snapping up' happened several years ago when Denic found the car
sitting neglected in a corner of a North Carolina garage. While the
original Garnet Red paint was long gone (covered over in a dull and
fading black), it did possess all of its original body panels, one more
thing that adding to its desirability. The car was promptly trailered
back to Illinois and taken to Palatine hot rod shop American Muscle
Cars, where all the panels were removed, sanded and sprayed in 2008
Dodge Viper Blue paint.
Two Cortez Silver stripes were added, and then the whole vehicle was
slathered in multiple coats of clear coat for that pearlescent shine.
When asked about the new hue and its Mopar origin, Denic responds with
a smile, "Blue is the best color in the world for a muscle car. Even if
it is a Dodge color on a Chevrolet." The worn, red vinyl covering the
seats was ripped out and replaced with Houndstooth fabric. New black
carpeting, dash and interior panels were added to complete the look
inside.
But this Camaro's beauty isn't only skin-deep. Denic wanted a daily
driver that not only looks great but also performs. The dated,
four-wheel drum brakes were tossed, and new disc brakes were bolted on.
The stock 350 small-block was freshened up and returned to factory
specs, but now breathes easier thanks to a Flowmaster exhaust. The
original wheels were swapped out for massive Boss 338's - 18-inch
upfront and 20-inch in the back, giving the car that slight rake that
oozes hot rod coolness.
"Picking the right wheels was a big decision for me. They say so much
about the car. In the end I determined the Boss's were the best for
reflecting that old school look but in an updated and modern way. As
for the big size, they really help to fill out the wheel wells and have
the car sit lower visually," Denic said.
Despite all the radical changes, Denic is quick to point out that this
still is a numbers matching vehicle. "The car is fully documented with
a Chevrolet build sheet, which is basically a birth certificate for the
car. It tells everything from where the car was built, what options it
came with, and anything else you could possibly want to know," Denic
said. In addition, he also possesses the original protecto-plate - a
small 4-by-1-inch metal tag that told factory assembly workers what
options to install on the vehicle.
"A lot of times dealerships wouldn't give the plate to new owners or it
became lost as time passed, so to have the original tag is pretty
special," Denic said.
Other original items include the window sticker and owner's manual.
Both can be found tucked safely away in the glove box. Even though it's
been over 40 years since this Chevy rolled off the assembly line at the
Norwood, Ohio, factory, the odometer reads a barely broken-in 21,000
miles.
Denic does assert that this is a driver and he takes it out quite
regularly. "The car gets huge looks everywhere I drive it. Whether I'm
filling up at the gas station or at a local cruise night, everyone
wants to come up and ask about the car." As if one classic wasn't
enough, Denic recently purchased a 2010 Camaro SS and created what he
calls a 'brother car' to match his '69.
After seeing the final results of Denic's pair of stunning Camaros,
blending in and not being seen is one thing he never has to worry about.
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