How a 1967 Camaro Helped A Man Achieve His Dream

Overcoming obstacles. George Washington had to do it when he became the first President of the United States. Henry Ford had to do it when he mass-produced cars for the first time. And Dave Ross had to do it when he built this amazing 1967 Chevy Camaro. 13 years ago, Dave was riding in the passenger seat of a car driven by his friend when the car was involved in a serious accident. The accident lead to some pretty bad head injuries for Dave and left him legally blind.

Despite this impairment, he overcame his major obstacle and built his dream car. Dave has always had a weak spot for both Camaros and large horsepower numbers.

He told me about a few of his previous projects; like a 2000 Chevy Camaro SS. What started out as a daily driver slowly evolved into a show car, a trailer queen, and finally a non-street-legal track monster.

Then the itch hit again. Three years ago, Dave was shopping around his hometown of Carlsbad, California for a new project. He had recently sold a few of his other rides, like a Porsche 911, when an ad for a 90% restored ’67 Camaro popped up. When he called, Dave was told it was a father-son project and everything, short of a few small odds and ends, had been restored to original condition. Briefly after taking a visit to look at the car, the Camaro came to its new home in Carlsbad. Dave’s vision for the ’67 included being stuffed full of modern technology while keeping a clean and simple look on the outside.

Take, for example, the motor. That’s not just any LS. This one is an LS3 out of a 2010 Camaro SS. The motor sports an L.G. Motorsport G6X3 cam, Comp Cams 921 dual valve springs & pushrods in the heads, and a Katech single roller timing chain to keep things in order.  The Xcelsior Motorsports ported LS3 throttle body and intake manifold pull in the massive amounts of air to keep this beast running, while the chrome Street & Performance intake tube keeps the air cool. The transmission paired up to the LS3 is a GM6L80 6 speed automatic taken from a 2010 Camaro. Just like the engine, the tranny has been beefed up to Corvette specs with an L.G. Motorsports 2800 stall, custom tuned shift-points, and a slick Cadillac CTS-V shifter.

Using a 388ci. small-block stroker with a supercharger; Dave and his friends were able to get the SS into the high nines with a best of 9.76 in the quarter mile.

With all this power being made, Dave wanted to make sure it stops just as fast as it goes. This brought about the front & rear brakes being replaced with a complete C5 Corvette swap with PowerSlot cryo-treated and slotted rotors. Even the interior wasn’t left untouched. The stock seats have been replaced with Corbeau TRS seats fully wrapped in black leather with black Corbeau 4 point harnesses. The gauges in the dash have been changed out with Dakota Digital VHX gauges with blue LED backlighting. Even the dome light has made its’ way into the 21st century with an LED light for a brighter view.

For a full list of modifications, you can see his compiled list here. When asked about how often the car gets taken out, Dave replied “Not enough. It might see the roads about once or twice a month. If I could drive it like I really want to, it would be on the road almost every day.” It took 3 years to get the Camaro to where it is today; but without the support of his wife Roche and the help of his lead mechanic and good friend Justin Beckley, it would still be just a dream. This build proves that with time and patience, all obstacles can be beaten.

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