Owner's 1968 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One
68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One
Read the full write-up at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
Phase one upgrades on a 1968 Camaro coupe: suspension, brakes, AC, and more
Mike.Bray recently acquired a clean, mostly original 1968 Camaro coupe and sent it to Dallas Customs & Classics for a phase-one round of upgrades focused on modern drivability: power steering, power disc brakes, a fully reworked front suspension, Vintage Air climate and accessory drive systems, digital gauges, and a transmission swap. Later updates describe finding a mismatched distributor and swapping to electronic ignition, plus plans for a future fuel system and engine upgrade.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Front suspension
- Tubular A-arms with RideTech drop spindles, new coil springs, gas shocks, and sway bar
- Brakes
- Baer power front disc brakes
- Steering
- Ididit tilt steering column with new steering wheel, power steering added
- Gearbox
- TH350 automatic (rebuilt, with new torque converter) replacing the original Powerglide
- Climate control
- Vintage Air AC system installed
- Accessory drive
- Vintage Air Frontrunner system installed
- Cooling fan
- Flex-A-Lite 3000 CFM electric fan
- Ignition
- PerTronix electronic distributor and coil
- Body bushings
- All body mount bushings replaced with polyurethane
- Paint
- Matador red, original color, recently repainted
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Engine 1
- Vintage Air Frontrunner accessory drive systemVintage Air
Installed to drive engine accessories
In the shops
Drive Belt, rear accessory, Dayco ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £7.00 GBP
Drive Belt, rear accessory, Genuine ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £13.25 GBP
Engine Accessory Drive Belt (Micro-V) ↗
British Auto USA· $76.25 USD
Fuel & Ignition 1
- PerTronix electronic distributor and coilPerTronix
Replaced a poorly adapted non-Chevy distributor found loose in the engine
In the shops
Pertronix Flame Thrower Electronic Distributor ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $356.50 USD
Pertronix Flame Thrower Electronic Distributor, 6 Cylinder ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $462.00 USD
Pertronix Electronic Ignition for Mallory Dual Point Distributors ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $188.50 USD
Cooling 1
- Flex-A-Lite 3000 CFM electric fanFlex-A-Lite
Replaced the original weaker fan to support AC cooling
Gearbox & Drivetrain 1
- TH350 automatic transmission
Rebuilt with new torque converter, replaced the Powerglide
In the shops1969 Camaro TH350 / TH400 Automatic Transmission Console Kit without Console Gauges ↗Classic Industries· $399.99 USD
Automatic Transmission, V-12 ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $0.00 USD
DG250 Automatic Transmission ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $0.00 USD
Suspension & Steering 6
- BMR tubular front A-armsBMR
Installed as part of the front suspension rebuild
In the shops1967-74 BMR Pro-Touring Upper A-Arms Red ↗Classic Industries· $549.99 USD1967-74 BMR Pro-Touring Upper A-Arms Black ↗Classic Industries· $549.99 USD1967-69 F-Body BMR Torque Arm For GM 12-Bolt (Red) ↗Classic Industries· $1,089.99 USD - RideTech drop spindlesRideTech
Fitted with new A-arms to lower the front end
In the shops
HQ Series Coilovers (RideTech) ↗
Moss Miata· $2,945.00 USD
1967-1969 Camaro Ford 9" Ridetech Housing & Axle Set, Narrow ↗Camaro Central· $1,975.00 USD
1970-1981 Camaro Ford 9" Ridetech Housing & Axle Set, Narrow ↗ - BMR front sway barBMR
New front sway bar installed
In the shopsFront Sway Bar Kit ↗rat-co.com· $475.00 USD
Front Sway Bar 7/8" (TR6) ↗
bpnorthwest.com· $220.59 USD
Front Anti-Sway Bar Kit, 7/8 in. ↗
Good Parts· $399.00 USD - Rear lowering leaf springs and gas shocks
Installed at the rear to lower the car and improve ride
In the shops1967-81 Camaro, Firebird; BMR Suspension Performance Lowering Leaf Springs; 2" Drop ↗Classic Industries· $559.99 USD
TR2-4 Rear Leaf Spring ↗
TRGB· £538.95 GBP
Rear Leaf Spring (MG TD) ↗bpnorthwest.com· $289.99 USD - Polyurethane body bushings
Replaced all worn original rubber body mount bushings
In the shops
Polyurethane Differential Bushings ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $25.99 USD
Polyurethane Valve Cover Bushing Set ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $7.50 USD
Polyurethane Leaf Spring Bushing Set ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $52.59 USD - Ididit tilt steering columnIdidit
Installed with a new steering wheel for power steering setup
In the shops
1967-1968 Camaro Steering Column Rag Joint Coupler for IDIDIT Tilt Columns ↗1967-68 Chevrolet Camaro, Chevelle, El Camino, Pontiac GTO; Ididit Retrofit Tilt Column; Column Shift; Steel ↗Classic Industries· $929.99 USD1967-68 Chevrolet Camaro, Chevelle, El Camino, Pontiac GTO; Ididit Retrofit Tilt Column; Column Shift; Polished ↗Classic Industries· $1,675.99 USD
Brakes 1
- Baer disc brakesBaer
Power front disc brake upgrade
In the shops1964-72 Chevrolet Chevelle, 1967-69 Camaro, 1964-74 Nova; Baer Front Disc Brake Set; Red ↗Classic Industries· $949.99 USD1967-74, 78-87 GM with C5-C6 Spindles Baer Extreme+ 14" Front Disc Brake Set with Red 6-Piston Calipers ↗Classic Industries· $3,849.99 USD1967-74, 78-87 GM with C5-C6 Spindles Baer Extreme+ 14" Front Disc Brake Set with Black 6-Piston Calipers ↗Classic Industries· $3,849.99 USD
Interior 1
- Vintage Air AC systemVintage Air
Full air conditioning system installed with hidden hose routing
Photos
34 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
Mike.Bray · 2025-05-29T18:08:09-0400 10this post at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
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Mike.Bray · 2025-06-07T10:54:52-0400 5this post at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
Mike.Bray · 2025-06-07T10:59:53-0400 4this post at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
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Mike.Bray · 2025-06-13T17:18:04-0400 5this post at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
The owner describes acquiring a clean, mostly original 1968 Camaro coupe finished in its original Matador red, recently repainted with no detectable bodywork. Windows were tinted and new wheels and tires had already been fitted before the car went to the shop for phase-one upgrades.
Suspension, steering and brakes
At Dallas Customs & Classics the front end was rebuilt with tubular A-arms, RideTech drop spindles, new coil springs and gas shocks, and a new sway bar, with Baer power disc brakes added. The rear received lowering leaf springs and new gas shocks, retaining the existing 10 bolt posi axle for now. An Ididit tilt steering column and new wheel were fitted along with power steering, and all body bushings were replaced with polyurethane.
Drivetrain and cooling
The original Powerglide transmission was removed and replaced with a rebuilt TH350 with a new torque converter and cooler lines. A Flex-A-Lite 3000 CFM electric fan was installed to help the Vintage Air system cope with Texas heat.
Interior, electrical and comfort
A Vintage Air AC system and Frontrunner accessory drive were installed, with hoses routed behind the fenderwell. Dakota Digital gauges were planned for the dash, and the owner was designing a 3D-printed adapter to fit a double-DIN radio into the original center dash, going through at least two prototype revisions.
Ignition and fuel plans
While investigating the distributor, the owner found it was a poorly adapted non-Chevy copy and replaced it with a PerTronix electronic distributor and coil. He also purchased a Sniper 2 EFI system and describes plans, not yet carried out in these posts, to install an Aeromotive fuel tank, pump, sender and regulator ahead of fitting the Sniper and eventually a 502 big block with sequential port injection.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at 68 Camaro Coupe Upgrades - Phase One ↗
Worth knowing
- Checking old shadetree-mechanic repairs before buying saved dealing with poor past work on other cars considered