Few of us still own our high school hot rod, and even fewer have one that looks this cool.
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A lot of us remember our first hot rod or classic project car, and if we’re lucky we have some old photos to jog the memory. But for Flaming River’s Brett Domin he only has to go out to his garage for a refresher.
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“I purchased the car in 1984 when I was 14 for $600 using money I saved cutting grass for neighbors,” Domin said. “I was into cars because my dad painted cars as I was growing up. I tore the car down right away and painted it red with white racing stripes and put on some Cragar SS wheels. I had it ready to go by the time I turned 16 in May of 1986. I cruised it for about seven years until I decided to restore it a second time in 1993. This time I was caught up in the Pro Street craze and all the bright colors that were featured in Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines. I tubbed the car and installed a Ford 9-inch rear along with a four-link. I painted the car a turquoise color with purple flames and Weld wheels. I also updated the engine with a small-block with a 671 Weiand blower on top. I had a lot of fun during this phase, taking it to a lot of Saturday night cruise nights. I also got an opportunity to have it on a display at Summit Racing on their turntable inside the Tallmadge, Ohio, location. The car than sat inside the showroom of Flaming River for many years.”
While the turquoise Camaro sat on display, Domin was busy getting his career and family in order. But eventually, around 2009, he was ready to give his Camaro one final makeover. “I started totally dismantling the car in 2009,” he said. “I was moving away from the blower motor and was replacing a lot of the sheetmetal that I repaired back in the earlier paint jobs. The car received a Goodmark floor, hood, front fenders, and full rear quarters. This process took me a long time since I worked on it in my spare time while still juggling family, career, and building a new home with a 40×50-foot building to dive into my hobby more than ever.”
The biggest change was to the car’s color. The dated ’90s color was replaced with a timeless Dupont Hot Hues orange with black rally stripe combo that will never look dated. The Camaro kept its Pro Street stance, but the F-body has more of a street machine vibe these days. No blower through the hood, but instead a snotty Chevrolet Performance 350 small-block that has plenty of power, and no headaches, when cruising around town.
For suspension the second-gen Camaro relies on parts from UMI, including its tubular control arms, and the steering was upgraded with a Flaming River rack-and-pinion system along with its front and rear coil-over systems. The four-wheel SSBC disc brakes are housed inside Mickey Thompson HR1 wheels wrapped in MT rubber.
The interior was also reworked with a full complement of AutoMeter gauges and all-new American Autowire looms to make sure everything works properly. And, given where Domin works, there’s a Flaming River tilt column and steering wheel to keep the Camaro pointed in the right direction. Future plans call for finishing up the Vintage Air install and adding an audio system to Domin’s high school project car. All we know is that this 1970 Camaro has a great combination of classic looks and hot rod upgrades.
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