Muscle cars have been around for 60 years, and yet there are still a few “household name” models that continue to capture the attention of even the youngest enthusiasts. The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro has to be one of the most popular cars ever produced – the look, the feel, the power offerings – it seems the Camaro had, and still has, it all.
Of course, as gearheads and horsepower junkies we like to make fast things, faster, and our 1st Gen Camaro projects have definitely evolved over the past 30 years. When nitrous became popular, it was a sure bet that at most any track or cruise
night you could find a solid gathering of big inch, carbureted, nitrous huffing Camaros, but any other type of power adder combination was a rare find. While, with advancements in nitrous technology, these combos are still popular, the availability and streetability of boost has intrigued a younger generation.
Since Richard was a kid, he’s helped his dad mess around with cars and if he could tear it down, make it faster, and race it, he would. Disher wanted his 1968 Chevy Camaro SS to be streetable and capable of producing single-digit quarter-mile times (don’t we all Richard), and once he found the suitable car, set out to
If Richard Disher’s Camaro looks stock (ok, aside from the wheels, parachute and cowl hood), that’s exactly the way he planned it! Almost every panel on the car is OEM GM 1968 steel and it weighs 3,500lbs!
...if he could tear it down, make it faster, and race it, he would...
As much of the factory gear as possible has been retained inside the Camaro, too, including the factory rear seat, heater and even the wood steering wheel! An owner installed cage protects the driver and passengers, race seats were added along with a fire system and in-dash DVD stereo. A FuelTech digital dash replaces the stock gauges to provide more information than GM could have ever dreamed of back in 1968.
Here is where any hint of factory ends, aside from the small block Chevy platform. That’s right, Disher chose to mash old school with new school in his 2000 horsepower turbocharged, fuel injected small block build. The Dart Iron Eagle block boasts JE pistons, a Bryant billet crankshaft, GRP rods and heads are Brodix CNC ported with Jesel shaft rockers.
build a universal combination to achieve those goals. The journey of his SS began with a simple shell; “In 2004 I bought the car as a primered shell with no doors or front end and no seats,” Disher explained. “... just a rusty looking pile of metal. I worked on it day and night for over 7 months to make it a halfway decent looking roller and to try to find an engine and transmission for it. I spent every spare dime I had on the car and every weekend I was off, I was working on it. It evolved from there, and is still evolving today.”
Along with banging off serious ETs on the Strip, the primary goal was to cruise dependably on the street, and Disher surprisingly found that, thanks to modern technology, he could use an old school small block Chevy platform to make that happen. Engine builder Justin Hawes started with a machined Dart Iron Eagle block and filled it with a Bryant billet crank, GRP
rods, and JE pistons, giving the short block a final cubic inch of 406. Brodix CNC ported heads were equipped with Jesel rocker arms and Pac Racing springs, and intake manifold wise, Disher stayed away from the more exotic choices and went with a typical small block Chevy air-gap style intake with custom elbow, Wilson throttle body and custom piping.
These days, the key to any excellent performing engine comes down to engine man-
agement. A FuelTech FT600 and FT Spark provide all the tools needed to help in that department, and his tuners get the Camaro down the track and on the street, dependably. Another critical element in any high horsepower street-friendly car is the proper turbo. Jose Zayaz of Forced Inductions got Richard set up on a Gen 3 GTR. The hot and cold side piping systems are BTR Racing built and fit nicely inside the engine bay. A cable-driven Waterman pump
No fuel cell here, instead Disher uses the factory tank, after all, it is a street car. The rear suspension is still leaf sprung and boasts Calvert split springs and Caltrac bars along with an anti-roll bar and race shocks that suspend a Moser fabricated 9-inch housing filled with a Strange center section, 3.89 gears and Moser 40-spline axles.
provides fuel to large Billet Atomizer injectors., There’s no fuel cell here though; instead fuel comes from the factory tank.
We’re talking a full weight street driven strip brawler here, so the parts from the engine back better be up to the task or there’ll be scattered everywhere! Richard built his Powerglide using some trade secrets and a 1.69 gearset; Dusty Bradford at PTC Convertors hand-built the torque convertor, and a Moser Fab 9 inch with Strange HD center section, 3.89 gears and Moser 40 spline axle shafts sit inside the housing, providing extreme strength for the job at hand. Surprisingly, nothing underneath got cut up, meaning the rear suspension is still leaf sprung. Calvert split leaves with Caltracs and a Racecraft anti-roll bar keeps the back end planted while TRZ front tubular a-arms replace stamped units, and Mencer Motorsports shocks reside on all four corners. Getting the more than 3,000lb classic stopped are four-piston Strange Engineering drag brakes.
Richards’s next goal was to achieve a dependable street/strip car in a factory, all-steel, all-glass Camaro, with noth-
ing hacked up or stripped down. Looking at the straight body and beautiful Lemans Blue paint, it’s hard to tell it was once a rusty shell with no front end, but Richard went to great lengths to find original 1968 GM Camaro steel for the build. KJ Mattox did a fantastic job getting the panels prepared and laying down the factory color.
The Camaro rolls on Weld Racing 17 inch 2.0 Alumistars wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber up front and the polished look flows to the rear, except this time on a set of bead-locked Champion Champ 5 15 inch wheels wrapped in class legal 275 Mickey Thompson rubber. On the inside, it’s a trip back to the late 60s, and
The Camaro still has almost everything that it came with and I enjoy hearing people saying “thanks for not cutting up such a pretty car...”
Richard Disher(left)
Richard Disher’s Street/Strip 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS
Body & Paint:
1968 Lemans Metallic Blue paint done by KJ Mattox in Charleston SC. The car is still 3500lbs, all steel and glass, most of it still from 1968!
Chassis & Suspension/Modifications:
I wanted to keep the car a real street car, so no cutting anywhere to make wheels or tires fit. Owner installed Chris Alstons 1968 Camaro cage kit. TRZ front control arms, Menscer shocks all the way around. Rear is Calvert split leaf springs and Caltracs. Innovative Racecraft anti-roll bar.
Engine:
Dart Iron Eagle block 400+ci built by Justin Hawes in Appling, GA. Rotating Assembly is JE pistons, Bryant billet crankshaft, GRP rods.
Cylinder Heads:
Brodix CNC ported with Jesel shaft rockers and PAC springs.
Induction & Fuel Delivery:
EFI by Fueltech 600 and FT Spark. Cable drive Waterman fuel pump with Billet Atomizer injectors.
Power Adder:
Forced induction Gen 3 GTR turbo by Jose Zayas. Hot and cold side by BTR Racing in Barnwell SC, Bradley Bonnette.
Transmission:
Homebuilt Powerglide with 1.69 gearset, PTC converter from Dusty Bradford.
Rear:
Moser Fab 9-inch, Strange HD center section, 3.89 gear, 40 spline Moser axles.
Brakes:
Strange 4 piston brakes all the way around.
Tires & Wheels:
Champion beadlocks on rear and 17 inch Weld 2.0 Alumastars on the front.
Interior:
Factory 1968 steering wheel, 1968 rear seats and carpet, stock console hiding the air shifter. M&M 2 speed shifter, Kirkey front seats. Fireaide fire system in car and under hood. “Pioneer in dash dvd just in case I want to watch a movie while I ride around, and the factory heat still works.”
ET & MPH – Race only:
…let’s just say it’s been deep in the 4-second zone at 3500lbs and I still drive it everywhere around town.
Thanks To:
Justin Hawes for building me one hell of an engine to be able to take what I’ve done so far.
Matt Ryan for all the chassis add-ons I’ve wanted to do.
Dusty Bradford for the torque converter and Jose Zayas for this bad ass turbo.
John Mellon at Menscer for the shocks and my dumb ideas with them.
KJ Mattox for the paint and body to get this thing back pretty again.
Michael Bunton and Luis De Leon for the Fueltech and all the help.
Ziff Hudson, Jason Mote and Bryan “Lil Mo” Morris for all the tuning help and advice over the years.
Mike Rockefeller for always being my right hand guy...no matter where I’ve gone racing you’ve always been there to help.
Kevin Mullins for dyno time and advice.
C&K Machine for sponsoring me this year.
Last but not least, my parents for putting up with me always talking and having something to do with racing. And to all the ones that have ever told me I couldn’t do something with this car…well I’ve done that and more!
everything is there that should be, however, the factory dash didn’t make it; instead FuelTech’s FT600 digital display tells Richard far more about the car than Chevy could have dreamed of in 1968. Disher installed a cage from Chris Alston, a Fireaid suppression system is there for safety, and he sits in a race seat with harnesses. A Pioneer in-dash DVD player sits in front of the M&M 2-speed shifter for entertainment, because tunes are always good during an afternoon drive.
The factory heating unit also works; again, we are talking about a street car here. “The car still has almost everything that it came with and I enjoy people saying thanks for not cutting up such a pretty car,” Disher added.
So how does it stack up? While Disher is hesitant to give out specifics, let’s just say it’s made over 2000whp and has been deep into the 4-second 8th-mile range at 3500lbs! I’ve personally seen his Camaro hurt some feelings, and Rich-
ard loves the fact that most everyone underestimates it.
To this day, his fondest memory is giving his dad a ride in the completed Camaro, he explains; “Even though I’ve won a bunch of races in the past few years, the most memorable experience was taking my dad for a ride a few months after a heart surgery. The fastest thing he was ever in was a 1967 4-speed Camaro, and that was 30 years ago. On that pass we coasted to a 4.92!” RPM
