For the Love of a Z
A dream build for both the owner and builder
Story by Budd Stanley, photos by Darren Greenwood
Many people dream of building a ‘69 Z-28 Camaro. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of those, building a base Camaro to look like a Z-28 is the only option, as finding a proper Z can be a time-consuming process, not to mention the likelihood of blowing a good part of your budget on the initial vehicle. Gerry Gionet is a man who believes if you’re going to build a Z, use a Z. Gionet just happened to have both the patience and the means to build a car that he had been dreaming of for a very long time.
Gionet had two dreams growing up - to be successful in business and to one day own the ultimate Z-28 Camaro. Well, he’s done quite well business-wise, and now it was time to secure his second goal. He didn’t want to start with a base or aftermarket body and build from there, because he is the type of person who knows in the back of his mind that, if the car didn’t start its life as a Z, then it really isn’t a Z, is it? After some searching, he found an ideal Z-28 in Texas, and went about procuring it and transporting it north to his native Alberta.
He brought the car to Joey Steckler, owner of Joey’s Place in Edmonton. It was here that the two put their minds together to create a truly impressive custom version of a classic car. The resto-rod theme appealed to both men, as they were both attracted to the low stance, big wheels, modern interior and technology that resto-rods exhibit. The direction was firmed up, but the exact path to take was still a little sketchy, so Joey took Gerry to the SEMA Show for the chance to be exposed to a plethora of options and styles available from which to fine tune the design. Like so many others, Gerry was drawn to the work of Chip Foose, so with a couple of vehicles in mind, a road map was laid to build this resto-rod Z.
The first people on the phone list were the competent fabricators at Detroit Speed and Engineering. If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. And so they did, shipping in a hydroformed front subframe and QuadraLink rear end. The hydroformed front frame rails offer the car strength, stiffness and precise quality, as hydroforming is performed at low temperatures and preserves the steel’s strength and stiffness. The Corvette suspension and steering included in the package don’t hurt, either. In the rear, swapping the leafs out for coil-over suspension mated to a four-link geometry design will give the car the best possible handling.
When it came to power, there is no doubting the usefulness of the LS engine range. Sporting a 402 cubic-inch supercharged V8, this mill pounds out an impressive 700 horsepower on the dyno. At the time of writing, the engine was being fitted with an even larger supercharger, so power figures will likely rise significantly. Mated to that LS, Joey’s mounted a five-speed transmission to direct the power to the rear wheels.
Budnik Wheels made a custom set of 18-inch wheels to carry all that rubber required to keep traction civil. With a nostalgic look, and continuing the matted finish look that much of the car’s trim portrays, the wheels really set off the resto-rod look of the car. Of course, you need to bring all this violence to a stop. Housed behind those wheels lay massive six-piston Baer calipers clamping down on both cross-drilled and slotted rotors. You’ll find the same rotors in the rear, minus the six-piston calipers.
While the mechanical components were exotic, Gionet thought that the car should not stray too far from the original Z look in terms of paint and body. While the car looked good when it was bought, like so many projects before, the story turned south as soon as body parts started getting unbolted. The car was in need of a total restoration. Joey’s went to work replacing the fenders, quarter panels, and doors. The firewall was altered to accept the motor, and the trunk floor was narrowed three-and-a-half inches on both sides to account for the rather large rear tires that would be required.
On top of the major changes, small intricacies were also added, as the door handles were smoothed out with latches from a Buick Riviera, large marker lights were replaced with smaller units, and the bumpers were shrunk about 10 percent to hug the body a little more. Neither man thought a multi-coloured paint job was the right choice, so they went with a straight silver with standard black racing stripes.
Inside, Joey went in a slightly different direction to custom building a new interior, and complemented the car by installing a centre console, seats and door panels from a ‘96 Corvette. The dash was retained, refreshed with modern instrumentation, while the standard radio was replaced with all manner of technical wizardry. From navigation to DVD, radar jamming, satellite radio and a top-level sound system, if you can dream of it, chances are its in this car.
In all, the car took 18 months to build. As one of Joey’s showcase builds, the partnership he built with Gerry was strong enough to ensure the car left the shop as a show winner. Gerry allowed Joey the time to make sure everything was done right, a perfect build in Joey’s mind. He was able to spend the time required to make all the little details right, a trait required to build a show winner. The car turned out perfect for Gerry, but in a sense, it is every bit as much Joey’s, as he has developed a sentimental relationship with the car he’s worked so hard on. It’s a relationship that will live on in both the car itself and the constant tinkering that car guys just can’t help but do.
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