How to Restore A Camaro Part 1

This article will attempt to show you the beginning stages of the restoration of a camaro, starting with removing the bumper.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Wrenches
• Ratchets
• Screw Drivers
• WD 40
• Boxes to label and store what you take off of the car.

1. Remove the grille: Usually after you remove the grille, you gain a lot of elbow room, a much needed commodity when restoring a car, it gives you the room that need to wield the wrenches and other tools that you need to do the job. On all first-generation Camaro’s, grille removal facilitated by first removing the bumper. On 1967-68 models, however, you must first remove the headlamp bezels and disconnect the parking lamp wiring leads on the back of the lamps on non-RS cars.
2. Knowing The Car: Some of the fasteners are aluminum pop rivets which must be drilled out, then replaced with new ones later, or nuts and bolts. Other fasteners are nuts and bolts, so you’ll have to have to get a wrench down inside the valence panel to loosen them.
   
   Keep in mind that some of the nuts used on 1967-69 models to retain the grille are not clip nuts. Therefore they’ll spin if you try to loosen them with out a wrench on the back. On first- generation Rally Sport models, you’ll also have to contend with headlight doors and linkage, headlight motors or actuators, hoses and wiring.
3. Different Years:
   On 1970-81 models removing the grille is a simple matter of finding the hex nuts that hold the grille in place and removing them, (remember that 1974-81 models have two grilles, one above and one below the bumper).
   
   On 1970-73 Rally Sport models, also unbolt the urethane grille surround from the header panel, valence and hood catch support and remove the grille surround. Note: you may later want to re-install the grille surround, before the car is painted to insure a good paint match.
   
   1967 Models- On models without the RS option, the grille is attached to the header panel with screws accessible from the inside panel. The bottom of the grille is attached to the valence panel with one screw in the center plus eight rivets. The rivets are accessible for drilling through the valence panel vents, the 1967 models use nuts to retain the grille.

Tips & Warnings

• This article will cover the basics of removing the grille and bumper from a first or second generation camaro.
• When removing the grille from any camaro, if the grille doesn't come out after you loosten it, look for more screws, pop revits, or the like, something is still holding the grille in the car.