Randolph's Jim Styles will take a break from turning wrenches Saturday to plant himself in front of his TV.
A 1969 Chevrolet Camaro he rebuilt and owned for several years will be featured on the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction, which will air on SPEED from Orange County, Calif., beginning at 5 p.m.
Styles, an RHI Monofrax machinist, has owned a dozen or so 1969 Camaros during the past couple of decades. He found the one that will grace the small screen on the Internet and purchased the rolling chassis in Arizona.
Article Photos
The pictured 1969 Chevrolet Camaro was restored by Randolph’s Jim Styles. The car will be featured on the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction on Saturday.
Photo courtesy msclassiccarsllc.com
"I bought it just by the photographs," Styles said. "I try to trust everybody I deal with."
Styles dismantled the car and reassembled it in his free time with the help of Joe Camarata, Vance Hess, Weber's Auto Body, Hertz's Dyno Service and his son Ryan.
"There was no motor, no transmission, no nothing," said Styles, who reassembles each of the classic Camaros he purchases. "Every one of them is a big project. You're going inside out, top to bottom. You restore the car, but you make a lot of modifications to it. From the first appearance it looks as though it's stock and original until you walk around the car and see exactly how it looks," he said.
After restoring the car and putting some miles on it, Styles decided to sell the 1969 Camaro. He advertised the car on the Internet and was soon contacted by Marc Schiliro, owner of MS Classic Cars, LLC, one of the top consignors at Barrett Jackson.
With photos and videos of the car taken by Styles as his guide, Schiliro sent a couple of his employees to Randolph, and they purchased the car within 24 hours of his initial conversation with Styles.
Once Schiliro took the car for a ride, he decided to contact Styles once more, writing him a letter. The man who has bought and sold more than 150 classic vehicles had this to say about Styles' former car: "The 1969 Camaro I purchased from you is in the top five of the best built classic vehicles I've ever owned. The quality of the entire build is excellent. Everything just works, and that's not always the case with these classic cars and trucks."
"He wants to buy everything I build," Styles said. "I'm working on a couple of projects. He told me if I need advice to call him. He pretty much said, he didn't care if it was a four-door or a six-cylinder, if it was as nice as (the 1969 Camaro), he'd buy it."
Styles owns two other 1969 Camaros now which he plans to restore. He'll have the help of his 17-year-old son Ryan, who has been working on cars in his dad's garage since he was 5.
"I'm just blessed with a good kid," Styles said. "He never told me no."
When Styles, his friends and family turn on SPEED Saturday, they'll have their eyes peeled for lot No. 374.3: a 1969 Camaro that has gone from Randolph to Orange County, Calif.
Visit msclassiccarsllc.com for more information on the Camaro.
Year: 1969
Make: Chevrolet
Model: Camaro
Style: Custom two door coupe
Exterior Color: Blue
Interior Color: Black
Cylinders: Eight
Engine Size: 496
Transmission: Five-speed manual
DETAILS
This was originally an X-66 big block car as the trim-tag indicates.
New steel 40-inch tubs were added and the rear quarters were stretched 8 inches during the restoration to accommodate the 15 by 14 American Torq Thrust rear wheels and 33 by 22 Mickey Thompson tires.
The exterior is complimented with a black interior with white houndstooth.
Some interior upgrades include Covan classic dash with Pro Comp gauges, Grant GT steering wheel and tilt column, Detroit wiper motor, custom stereo for iPod including two 400 watt amps, Sony speakers and a Pioneer subwoofer, four-point roll cage which doesn't interfere with entrance, and a custom rear interior with black carpet.
The engine compartment houses a Hertz Engineering 496 big block with Edelbrock aluminum heads. It has 562 horsepower. The engine has high end internal components. It is equipped with NOS, and the switch is mounted on the dash.
The engine runs on 93 octane and has a 15-gallon fuel cell. The engine breathes through Hooker super ceramic headers and custom 3-inch exhaust with Borla race mufflers. It is cooled with an aluminum radiator with electric fan.
The engine is coupled with a Tremec TKO-600 five-speed with a McLeod clutch, 11-inch aluminum bell housing and Tremec aluminum driveshaft.
The power hits the pavement through a Ford 9-inch rear end with 31 spline axles, Detroit locker with center section and 4.30 gears.
The rear suspension is a Chris Alston ladder bar setup with QA1 coilovers.
The car was built with a Hurst Line lock system for roll control.
SOURCE:
barrett-jackson.com