Frame Up Restored Camaro SS 396 TH400

We've featured a lot of early Camaros at RK Motors Charlotte, from legitimate COPOs to loaded Z/28s, and here's another unique piece to add to your collection. With an incredibly rare (and gorgeous) color combination, this RS/SS 396 is not the kind of car you'll see very often at a car show. The recipient of a recent rotisserie restoration, it's ready to show or enjoy, and you'd better start bracing yourself now for the storm of compliments that will be coming your way.

Looking at the trim tag on this Camaro, you can easily see that it is a Dover White (code 50) body, black vinyl top (code B), with a standard red interior (code 718). That's a very rare combination in anyone's book, and it looks spectacular in person. Add in the fact that it's a real SS/RS, and packs 396 cubic inches of big block muscle, and this one is a slam-dunk. If you're into the unusual and the interesting like we are, this is your car.

The body was stripped and extensively reworked with fresh steel for the quarters, floors, and front clip, ensuring that this car is as close to factory new as you can get. We have photos of the work, and you can see that the quality is excellent throughout, thanks to the experts at Classic Muscle Works. Hours of prep and sanding went into getting the body into shape before any of that classic Dover White paint went on, and it was worth every second. Two stage urethane was used for a deep shine, and then all the SS/RS details went on. The taillight panel was blacked-out, the RS folding headlight doors were installed up front, and black SS stripes were added along the front fenders. The hood is an original-style flat hood with the ornamental inserts, not a more common cowl-induction unit. Out back, a ducktail spoiler lives on the deck lid, giving the car an aggressive profile that fits perfectly with the Camaros mission. Panel gaps are good throughout, leaving you with one seriously nice F-body.

Trim is spectacular throughout. If it couldn't be restored to better-than-new condition, it was replaced. Stainless is mirror-bright, the bumpers are excellent, and the badges and trim are crisp. The black vinyl top is expertly fitted, and uses the original grain pattern, and is secured by beautifully polished trim pieces. The bright wheel arch moldings and inserts ahead of the rear wheels are fresh, too. Glass is good, with much of it being new. No corners were cut in the construction of this Camaro.

But it's not just another pretty face. This is a real SS396, and living under the hood is a 396 cubic inch big block. Built to L34 specs and correctly detailed, it delivers tons of low-end torque and mid-range punch that make these early Camaros a blast to drive. Yes, it's a 3999290 casting, which means it's a truck block, but there's really no difference and from behind the wheel you won't care a bit. This one has been correctly detailed throughout, from the Chevy Orange paint on the block and heads, to the chrome air cleaner lid with the appropriate 396 Turbo-Jet 350 HP decal. The chrome on the valve covers is as good as the bumpers, and details like the hoses and clamps are, of course, authentic. Production line shift stamps have been replicated on the firewall, and even the exhaust manifolds look like new. Turn the key, and this big block fires instantly, idles as it should, and is equally happy putting around town or hammering down the track. Its current condition proves that it has been driven only shake-down miles since it was completed, and it is ready to show today.

The engines traveling partners include a built TH400 3-speed automatic (only the most durable automatic transmission ever created) feeding a bulletproof 12-bolt rear full of acceleration-friendly 3.73 gears on a Posi. As a rotisserie restoration with new panels, the bottom of this car is expertly restored as new, with satin floors and subframes, along with correctly finished suspension components and hardware. It is new throughout, from the lines and hoses, to the hardware holding it all together. The dual exhaust system is a correct reproduction setup, not with Flowmasters, but an OEM-type cross flow muffler that sounds much more authentic. A new gas tank hangs out back feeding the big block, and again, it shows only testing and tuning mileage today. Beautiful 14-inch SS wheels carry reproduction F70-14 Firestone Wide oval super sport tires.

For me, the real treat is the red interior. A lot of guys like black, I have a hunch that once you see the red with the Dover White and black top, you'll fall in love with the classic combination. Camaro interiors are some of my favorite muscle car cockpits, with great ergonomics and a surprising amount of room. The seats are new, with fresh foam and covers in the original pattern. In fact, everything you can see or touch is new or restored, from the fresh carpets, headliner, and door panels, to the restored dash pad and brilliantly restored gauges. And that center console with the horseshoe shifter is reason enough to get the automatic; there's never been a cooler setup in any car. New seat belts have been installed, and everything works properly. In back, the trunk includes a new mat, jack assembly, and a full-sized spare tire on a standard steel wheel (thank you, Classic Muscle Works for going for originality instead of using a fifth SS wheel).

Documentation includes more than $40,000 in receipts for parts not labor, just parts. There are also dozens of restoration photos so that you can see how this car came together.

If you're into the same cars everyone else is into, we have some Hugger Orange Camaros with black interiors in stock right now. But if you want something truly unique that is every bit as beautiful as it looks in pictures, a car that will draw crowds and have people double- and even triple-checking your trim tag to verify its authenticity, this car is a winner. With a high-quality professional restoration that is highly detailed and accurate, you'll definitely want to get it out and show it off. And with that big block and the automatic, it's an incredible driver that will put a smile on your face every time you get in. Call now, because I have a hunch that this is this week's “gone before you can pick up the phone” candidate.