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View Full Version : Build Thread: Dave Sturrocks HMC 1967 Camaro



Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 03:38 AM
As many Roaring Season members will know, a new historic racing category for New Zealand is Historic Muscle Cars. This class was created to celebrate the history of big-banger large capacity sedans that raced in the late 1970s and early '70s in the New Zealand Saloon Car Championship, plus the Australian Improved Production Championship, Group C, the American Trans-Am Championship, and the British Saloon Car Championship during the Group 5 and Group 2 era.

HMC has been created for genuine car enthusiasts, not ego-maniacs who think they're Lewis Hamilton waiting to be discovered. There is no emphasis on race wins, race winners are not celebrated, rather building and enjoying exciting old big-bore sedans with like-minded enthusiasts is what the category was created for. You can't remove the competitive aspect from people, but with the main focus of HMC being on making the cars themselves the central focus point of the class, it means car owners can go out and create cars that they themselves want to own and enjoy, not necessarily the car that provides them the greatest chance of success on the track.

There are several existing race cars currently being converted to HMC specs, several cars being built, and even a couple that have been purchased from the US, and imported to NZ specifically for HMC! Over the coming months more cars will be appearing.

An early convert to HMC was Dave Sturrock. Dave bought a 1967 Camaro back in 2011 that had been a race car in NZ since the early 2000s, initially in the South Island, but more recently in the North. Its had had a couple of crashes, and when Dave purchased it, he decided to tear it down and start again.

The goal is to build a nice looking, well presented car, that does great skids! Exactly what HMC was created for.

The Camaro will run a small block Chevy, topped with Crower mechanical fuel-injection! This will be pretty cool, and is allowed under the HMC rules, as certain period engine modifications are allowed, mechanical fuel-injection being one of these, which was used on some cars in Australia, including Pete Geoghegans 'Super Falcon, Bob Janes HQ Monaro, and Malcolm Ramsays HQ Kingswood.

Dave purchased a set of Minilight wheels, 9" wide in front, 10" wide in the back, wrapped in Goodyear Bluestreak tyres. This first photo shows the car with the motor pulled, front sheet metal removed, and the Minilites fitted. Rollcage has also been installed here.

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Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 03:46 AM
More fabrication work photos.

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Kiwiboss
09-10-2012, 04:45 AM
I know Dave is much further along than in those pictures Steve. He's still talking about making it for Denny Hulme and as he's say's, once painted its just a kitset to put back together.

Dale M

Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 06:08 AM
Sorry for the size of these, this is just how Dave supplied them. The good thing about US muscle cars is that so much of the sheetmetal is re-stamped. No such luxuries for owners of Aussie cars.

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Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 06:09 AM
Wheel openings yet to be reworked in these pics to allow for the tyres.

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Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 06:10 AM
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Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 06:12 AM
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kiwi285
09-10-2012, 06:26 AM
Another fantastic looking car for the series. Great work Dave.

Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 06:34 AM
This photo shows the fuel-injection system. Looks tough! This is what HMC is about, popping the hood and showing off a bit of bling.

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Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 07:53 AM
Fabrication work all done, its off to the paint shop, which brings us up to date, more or less. Quite what colour it'll be is a closely guarded secret that only Dave and his painter know. Or maybe he still hasn't decided yet! Anyway, will update again soon.

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Kiwiboss
09-10-2012, 08:13 AM
This photo shows the fuel-injection system. Looks tough! This is what HMC is about, popping the hood and showing off a bit of bling.

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Damn, how can i top that, Fuel Injection!!! just have to leave my bonnet closed :(

Dale M

Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 08:59 PM
Yeah I don't know about that Dale, its hard to beat a set of Webers!

kiwi285
09-10-2012, 09:17 PM
Yeah I don't know about that Dale, its hard to beat a set of Webers!

I agree - a set of horny carbs sitting on a big manifold beats a few tubes connected to the intake trumpets anyday.

Steve Holmes
09-10-2012, 10:04 PM
Whether its mechanical fuel-injection or multi-carbs, its all pretty horny to me. Both set-ups are fairly pricey and a bit tricky to set-up, so I have a lot of respect for anyone going down either of these paths. I don't know much about Crower, is it quite similar to Hilborn? But its a very nice old-school set-up. Dave has to run very short trumpets, due to him having to use the original cowl hood. But its definitely some nice eye-candy.

Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 03:59 AM
More updates on Dave's Camaro. Its currently at the painters, getting the final body prep done. Its also getting the last of that hideous yellow paint removed.

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Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 04:03 AM
With paint removed, the rear quarters and wheel openings are showing signs of a couple of pretty hoary looking repairs.

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After some hammer work and a bit of welding, things are looking better.

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Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 04:05 AM
Looking much nicer!

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Check for clearance, by chucking a fat Minilite and Goodyear tyre up underneath.

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Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 04:07 AM
Nearly ready to start applying primer to the outer shell.

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Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 04:09 AM
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Kiwiboss
10-25-2012, 04:33 AM
Looks like a damn V8 SuperCar, where's he racing it again? LOL :)

Dale M

fullnoise68
10-25-2012, 04:42 AM
Good work Dave, with a deadline looming this is commitment at its best!

Kiwiboss
10-25-2012, 06:55 AM
And further more Steve, he's already entered and paid up for Denny Hulme!! that's the kind of HMC commitment i luv from you all!! offcourse others have going cars and will leave it too the last minute!!

But yes, amazing job and this Camaro will certainly be spectacular!!

Dale M

kiwi285
10-25-2012, 07:43 PM
You really have to admire the work of a craftsman when you see what they start with and how it ends up.

Great looking car Dave - do we know the final colour yet ????

Steve Holmes
10-25-2012, 08:07 PM
Final colour is a closely guarded secret Mike. I don't think even Dave's wife Shelley is allowed to know!

Steve Holmes
09-19-2013, 07:42 PM
Its been almost a year since there were any updates to this build thread. Car owner Dave was trying to get the car completed for the 2013 New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing, but when he ran out of time, the build was put on pause. With a couple of other little life drama's, he has only just recently started getting back into it, but expects the car to be up and running for the first time in a couple of months. This is how it looked earlier this year.

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Kiwiboss
09-25-2013, 05:35 AM
Stop in to see Dave today and he's about to get back into the Camaro!! it looks a picture for sure!!

Dale M

richiev8
09-25-2013, 09:48 PM
Stop in to see Dave today and he's about to get back into the Camaro!! it looks a picture for sure!!

Dale M

Nice build Dave, love the injection

Steve Holmes
03-13-2014, 02:02 AM
Here are the latest pics of Dave's Camaro. Dave has been busy with lots of non-racing related stuff the last twelve months, plus he has been working on a couple of F5000 cars for customers, so the Camaro has taken a back seat. But he is getting back into it now.

The car looks good with these wheels on it, and when you think about it, these are the correct wheels for a '67 Camaro, as Minilites didn't really come on the scene until 1969. Regardless, it looks great with either set.

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Steve Holmes
06-02-2014, 11:34 PM
Latest pics from Dave. The Camaro looks stunning! The motor has gone back in, soon she'll get fired up for the first time.

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Doug Rudy
06-03-2014, 01:25 AM
Acid dip it now!

Rod Grimwood
06-03-2014, 09:49 PM
Jesus Dave, just clicked it is near same colour as that headache you/we were working on at Festival. Yours is a real car with real engine. Bet you can start this one real easy, and it sounds right as well. You said it was coming on, but mate this is just amazing. Can't wait to see it in real life.

Steve Holmes
06-05-2014, 12:22 AM
Ha ha ha, yes a slightly ironic point that Rod! Lets hope he has more fun with the Camaro!