So how exactly did the Camaro get its name? First off, it has been said that all car lines of the day were to start with the letter “C”. From there, Camaro was chosen from thousands of options and was initially said to mean “comrade” or “friend”, however, apparently when reporters asked various GM execs about the name they were told it was, “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.” Joe Muro likes the latter.
Joe started young, helping his dad with a 1968 Super Pro Camaro drag car. “My father taught me a lot about racing and the mechanics of the car which lead to me wanting to race my own,” explained Muro. “We purchased my 1970 Camaro back in March 2018, and after working on it for countless hours together, we finished it in September of that year. My racing career started the
very next spring, but it became a very difficult time due to the unexpected passing of my father in July that year,” he added somberly. Despite such a difficult time in his life, Joe decided to continue to race, knowing that is exactly what his dad would want.
Joe and his father found out about the Camaro through a friend, and purchased it shortly after. It was Hugger Orange with black stripes,
The big tire Z28 gets up nicely off the launch, just carrying the wheels out about 100 ft.
It’s hard to believe the split bumper Camaro was bright orange when Joe and his dad picked it up. Thanks to Donald Vescio and Rick Aiello the color change to dark gray metallic is seamless and gets a lot of attention. Plus, Joe admits that he likes the lower key look over the in-your-face orange.
had no engine or transmission and was basically a back-halved pro street shell. Joe, his dad and his uncle Ralph stripped the car down and worked every night and weekends for six and a half months to get it rebuilt, back under power and race ready. A 454 they purchased spun a bearing early on, so they decided to get a little more serious about power and shipped the motor out to RCR Performance where Rob Carpenter and Joe Fioravanti put together a 505-inch bullet that makes 740HP naturally aspirated. While the car was in pieces, Donald Vescio came to the rescue to give it a new look by removing all the rest of
With the support of family and friends Joe Muro has experienced success in drag racing. Check out the $$ amount on the big check for his win in Grand Bend’s 6.50 Index class. Not only did he win, he qualified #1 with a 6.501, backed it up with a perfect 6.500, and then took the win!
the parts and pieces and completing a total colour change. “Donald had the car done and assembled in 2 months and we get countless complements everywhere we go; we can’t thank him and his friend Joe enough.” Once the car was back in the hands of the Muro’s,
they installed the big block and ’Glide, plumbed and wired it, took care of all the loose ends and headed for the dragstrip.
The 505 started with a .100 over GM block. A 4.250 stroke Callies Compstar crankshaft, 6.385 inch Callies Compstar connecting rods
The interior is a mix of factory and race, but the Computech Data Maxx System with LCD dash is the center of attention. Custom upholstery and carpeting the rear tin work and tubs was completed by Jerry Vanbeek. By the way, the cage was updated to 8.50, so it sounds as though there may be more in store for the Camaro down the road.
A braced 9-inch is filled with goodies from Moser and suspended via a 4-link coilover setup. The battery and ballast (weight bars) ride in the trunk.
and Mahle pistons with Total Seal 1.5mm rings rotate inside. A Bullet roller cam with Crower lifters round out the short block. Heads are AFR 290cc Oval Ports with PAC springs, Comp 1.7 rockers and stud girdles. An Edelbrock Victor Jr. single plane intake with 4150 base was worked-over by Joe Fioravanti and capped with a Wilson billet spacer and Quick fuel 830 CFM carb.
A Competition Transmission Powerglide with aftermarket
SFI case, 1.80 straight cut gears and custom ATI converter back up the big block and transfer power rearward to a braced Ford 9” with Moser Engineering center section, 4.56 gears and their 40-spline axles.
Chassis wise, the car is backhalved and tubbed with a 4-link, diagonal bar and Afco Big Gun double adjustable coilovers.
A 740hp naturally aspirated RCR Performance and Joe Fioravanti Racing Engines built 505-inch BBC fills the original engine bay of the Camaro. A GM block was bored .100 over and filled with a Callies Compstar crankshaft, Compstar connecting rods and Mahle forged dome pistons with Total Seal 1.5mm rings. AFR 290cc Oval Port aluminum heads with PAC springs, Comp 1.7 rockers and stud girdles were used and an Edelbrock Victor Jr. single plane intake is topped by a Wilson billet spacer and Quick fuel 830 CFM carburetor.
It’s not hard to understand why the Camaro gets so many compliments, it just looks that good! Joe even gave our photographer a bit of show on the street during the photoshoot. Check out the weight transfer and hook!
The stock floor remains along with the factory front subframe and suspension where Lakewood 90/10 drag shocks and Santhuff 225lb racing springs were used to aid in launching and controlling the Camaro. An 8.50 NHRA certified cage was added to protect the driver. Race seats and a mix of factory and race parts round out the interior, but the slick Computech Data Maxx System, including their digital dash, is what gets
most of the attention.
The steel body was finished in Dark Grey Metallic with original Z28 stripes, and the rear quarters were stretched 6 inches to fit those sizeable 15x15 Keizer Full House blacked-out single beadlocked rear wheels wrapped in 13.5x31 sticky Mickeys.
A one-off Sunoco hood was worked and painted by Rick Aiello.
After a tough first year, Joe
...and... he’s gone!
