Camaro Hi-Performance: Restoration Services

Jerry,
I just read about your new NHRA D/Stock National Record. Running 10.45 @ 126.21 is incredible with a little 302 motor. You don’t just have the fastest 302 Z28 Stock Eliminator Camaro in the country! You’ve got the fastest one in the whole world (and being an old SCCA racer…I’m guessing that you know a little bit about driving too.)

Nice going!
Rich Sutliffe,’68 Z28

Jerry,

I can't think you enough for straightening out my distributors.
Originally, I made the wrong choice and sent my distributors to one of your competitors. When I received the 1111480 distributor back from your competitor my 1969 Z28 Camaro would barely run. I knew there was something wrong, and that is why I sent it to you along with other distributors that I own for other cars.

Since getting back the 1111480, I cannot believe the difference! All I can say is WOW! The car runs way better, the sound through the chambered pipes is even different. The response is better off idle. A big improvement.

I am also stunned about what you pointed out on the 1111266 distributor that was rebuilt by the same competitor. The fact that he used a piece of rubber vacuum hose as an advance bushing just blows me away. And then the issue of no grease in the distributor housing cavity, incorrect seal and missing felt washer under the point plate. I just can't believe all that you pointed out to me. Plus the incorrect weight springs and on and on and on. Thank you for taking the time to make my parts work correctly. I appreciate all that you do for us in the hobby. The fact that you continue to campaign a legal NHRA Stock Eliminator Z28 is all the proof I need to know that you're the best in the business!

After reading your customer feedback, I also see that you've straightened out other distributors for other customers who sent their parts to the wrong vendor, just like I did.

Thanks,
John Karvonen,
Allouez Automotive, Allouez, MI

Jerry,

For some time now Jerry has been proclaiming the "gospel" of how to extract maximum performance from 1st generation Z28 Camaro's with the 302. The little engine, although legendary also has a bad reputation as being a little sluggish in factory form. Based on personal conversations with Jerry, and following his threads on Camaros.org, I followed his advice ( and some personal empirical knowledge) to do several things to wake up my 302. Just a few things here: First- I kept the engine at 11:1 compression, I sent the carburetor and distributor to Jerry for a new appropriate advance curve and vacuum canister, and to have the carburetor set up by Jerry based on his experience. The stock -186 casting heads have a basic bowl blend, and valves unshrouded to the edge of the bore.
Finally, I did deviate from the mix with a new CROWER cam, P/N 00322, grind number 282SF. Specs are: lift exhaust- .528" gross, .504" intake, duration 248 Intake @.050 and 252 exhaust @ .050, on 112* lobe separation. I am running Hooker headers. I set the timing as he specified.

The Carb and distributor looked great, and more importantly to me work very well in this application, and I credit this work for helping the car to run so well. The difference is significant.

The car has the original M21 with a 2.20 first gear, and 4.11:1 rear gears. It flat runs great. From a dead start it moves easily, and from a roll can easily fry the E-70 15" tires. "Granny" shifting to 2nd and a little punch of the pedal- the engine comes right on, and will again easily break the tires loose. 3rd gear rubber is not a problem either!
And finally, no problems with 93 octane pump premium.

I must thank Jerry for his dedication to the Camaro hobby. My little 302 runs great, and its performance has exceeded my expectations ( and those of my friends) significantly. I have owned this 1969 Z28 since 1984, and after a long, long storage it is now running again, and is very enjoyable to drive- again with much credit going to Jerry MacNeish. Follow his formula for 302 success and I think you will be very happy.

Best,

Robert Willis,

Fort Worth, TX

Jerry, I received all the parts that I sent to you {intake, valve covers,distributor, water pump, alternator and brake booster] and words can not explain the quality of workmanship that you and your shop created. I am especially appreciative of you guys dealing with a Canadian like me that is so far away, but has a love of the 67-69 Z/28 Camaros, just like you guys. I am hoping in the future you can find me an original date code manifolds, so I can put one of your smog systems back on, and this will complete my 69 Z/28. Thanks again and every one here where I live can't believe that all those parts are 38 years old.

Denis Medeiros
British Columbia, Canada

Jerry, The Starter, Dist, & Carb for our 68 Z-28, look like NEW. They are perfect & you did it all for a very fair cost. I will be sending in more parts from our Z-28 for you to rebuild., Your efforts are the best we have ever seen. Thank You.

Louie & Kathie Sater Plainfield, Indiana

Jerry, I received the intake manifold you restored and I must say I expected alot, and I am happy to say your workmanship exceded my expectations. It is going to raise the bar for the rest of my cars restoration.

Sincere thanks, Tom Bartolini

Jerry, Thanks for the info. I have been driving the car, and it is running great! You've been great to work with, and the 1112000 distributor you sold me has exceed my expectations.

Dean Bertoldi, Wallingford, CT

Corvette Forum

Thanks again, Roy Brotherhood

Jerry, Just a short note to let you know I attended Super Chevy at Maple Grove with my 68 Butternut RS Z/28 on July 23 and won an editors choice award. Just another testimonial to the outstanding work you perform. Thanks Again!

Take Care, Michael Williams Middletown,DE

Jerry, Well, endeavor number two completed! The journey took us through several unexpected obstacles however, the end result was fantastic. The drive train rebuild and engine bay restoration you performed on my Butternut Yellow 68 Z/28 is nothing short of outstanding not to mention the engine performance is absolutely exceptional. I truly appreciate your friendship and your plausible attitude throughout all of the work you have performed for me despite any unusual circumstances you were faced with. Trust and integrity are two words synonymous with your character. Thank you very much for all your hard work and I'm looking forward to number three.

Michael Williams Middletown, DE.

Jerry, Everything arrived fine. Once again, the work you performed was perfect. I can't believe how nice the steering box turned out. It sure was rough when I sent it to you. Thanks again for all the great work that you do. You are the only one that I trust with my parts.

Bruce Whitfield, Butte, MT

Jerry, I just installed the valve covers and aluminum intake manifold you reskinned on my '59 Corvette. What a great job! They make the entire engine compartment look the car just came off the showroom floor in 1959. Count me in as a very satisfied customer, and I will recommend your services any time I see old gray aluminum components in anybodies otherwise pristine car.

Jim Kay, Omaha

Jerry, I just wanted to thank you again for the wonderful job you did restoring the exhaust manifolds, power brake booster, master cylinder and manual steering box for my '69 Z/28. Also, the smog system you built for me is outstanding! I had some concerns sending all these pieces cross country but happily everything arrived at your shop intact. Once the parts were restored, you and your crew did a marvelous job individually wrapping and packaging the parts for return shipment. Everything arrived in perfect condition. Better yet, everything looks great installed on the car. All of your recommendations in our conversations during the restoration process were right on target. Very well done!

Everett Mastrich, West Linn, OR

Jerry, In these times when vendors don't do as they advertise, and exaggerate their capabilities, it is really a pleasure and a surprise to receive my parts back, just as promised, and just as you described how they would look. Virtually undetectable that a repair had been made. I am very impressed by the workmanship performed by your company and its staff, and I hope you will pass along this recognition by a customer. Your guys may not realize how much their effort is appreciated. If you customers would ever like a testimonial or reference, just feel free to use my name.

Barry Baker, LaGrange, IL

Jerry, When I first saw your web site with the type of restoration you did, I was indeed impressed. I was very hesitant on sending my rear axle to you because in today's world we all know you get what you pay for. I feared my number's matching rear that had twisted cracked; re-welded leaking axle tubes would have cost a mint to get restored by someone like you. Boy, did you prove me wrong! Words cannot express my appreciation and satisfaction with the rear that you restored for me. You even saved me on shipping costs! You are a true asset to the Camaro community. I would recommend your services to anyone with a First Generation Camaro.

Rick Dunn, Wilmington, NC

Jerry, After installing the distributor and carburetor you rebuilt and restored for our Chevelle last year, we ran our fastest mph ever at the Factory Stock Drags, 111.85. Of 118 cars present only four ran higher mph. Thanks for your expertise and help.

Benoit Holloway, Jr. Marion, LA

Jerry, I want to thank you for the 4053 Holley carburetor you did for my stock eliminator race car. When I took it out of the box my first thought was this thing is way to nice to put on a racecar. To take a 35-year-old carburetor and make it look new like you do is amazing. I just hoped it worked as well as it looked. Two years later I have tried some well-known carburetor builders Carbs, and could not find any better performance. We seem to always go back to your Carb, when it comes down to a point's race or national event. Its dependable, consistent and works well. Thanks for all the help with the car.

Randy & Bob Wells,
67 Camaro 302 C.I. NHRA E/S 5034
Best ET to Date 11.07 @ 118.9 MPH

Jerry, Distributor received.....everything is perfect! Excellent work. Thanks for everything.

Jim Nolton - 71 SS Chevelle, 454 71 El Camino, 400

Jerry, Thanks much for getting my car to run right! I had a "strange" noise coming from my 4-speed transmission. It had over 100K miles on it, and although it was rebuilt once before (about 20 years ago), it was clear that the last guy didn't know what he was doing. The tail shaft housing was broken and spot welded together and I was lucky that it stayed together for as long as it did. The "strange" noise was caused by an internal part that broke in half and was rattling around in the bottom of the case. You fixed that, along with many other "minor" problems, and did a "super job" rebuilding the transmission. When I got it back it looked like a brand new transmission. The only way I could tell it was mine was by its "numbers". It now works as good as new and is rock solid, even under very aggressive shifting. I had another problem, causing my car to not run "right". It was running much slower than usual, and developed a bad habit of bogging down at every gear-shift. I took it to two other repair shops, and after many dollars and various "tune-ups", the car still had the same bogging problem every time I shifted. When I described the problem to you over the phone, you immediately focused-in on the distributor. You rebuilt my distributor and found that the vacuum advance wasn't working until the car reached 5500 rpm, that the centrifugal advance wasn't working at all, and that there were some bushings that had worn out completely. After the distributor rebuild, my car had its old "pep" back! I took it to the track and posted ETs that were a full second quicker in the quarter mile. I also posted consistent times and won a first in class trophy at a drag race event. Thank you very much for getting my car back to its old self again!

Charlie Geis - Highland, MD

Dear Jerry, Just a short note to let you know how much I appreciate the outstanding job you have done restoring and detailing the engine bay on my 68 Z/28. The knowledge and integrity you possess with first generation Camaros (especially Z/28's) is unsurpassed. The car looks fantastic and performs even better. I think the nickname given to it " Happy Car" is going to stick. Thank you for your friendship and all the advice you have provided over the past year. I look foreward to our future endeavors.

Michael Williams - Middletown, Delaware

Jerry, Thanks a million for getting my '69 Z/28 1111480 distributor straightened out! Considering what I paid for it from one of your competitors in Pennsylvania, it should have been perfect! When I first bought this 480 distributor and installed it in the car, it wouldn't idle, pinged real bad, and had no throttle response. After conversations with you, I knew you were the expert needed to fix it! And when I looked at the before and after calibration data sheet that you supplied, it all made sense why the car didn't run right! Point float at 5800 rpm, a worn out mechanical advance weight that was sticking causing too much initial advance! Camaro Hi Performance is the 'Definitive' place for distributor restoration! Thanks!

Bob Whiting - Concord, Ohio

Jerry, Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you on such an awesome job on my 69 Z/28 intake manifold. I was told by a local shop it could be repaired but would never look the same. I couldn't believe how it turned out. You can't tell were the intake was repaired. It's nice to know there are still people out there that take pride in their work and produce quality workmanship. Again thanks for the repair and reskin on my intake.

Jessie Jenkins, San Jose, Ca

Jerry, Just a quick note to let you know how much I appreciated your work. I knew I made the right decision, sending my original 1968 302 Z/28 engine across the country, and I mean across the entire country (Puyallup, Washington to Eldersburg, Maryland) to have it rebuilt, balanced, and blueprinted! The smog system supplied by Camaro Hi-Performance looks great, as does the intake manifold (reskinned) and carburetor (rebuilt and replated). Thanks for all the information and advice you shared during the process. I would not hesitate to use your services again or to call for advice.

Bill Hilton, Puyallup, Washington

Jerry, Thank you for repairing and blueprinting the so-called "restored" 266 distributor that I purchased at great expense from a competitor of yours. Your advice and workmanship have been faultless throughout my restoration experience, dating all the way back to inspecting and authenticating the car on my behalf.

Denis Gilbert, Kenmore, WA

Gentleman, With great thanks to Jerry MacNeish and Camaro Hi-Performance, I was able to completely authenticate the partial VIN stamping on the 396 engine block this morning. The transmission contained an identical partial VIN stamp with the transposed L and 7. Jerry is a master at this craft and worthy of all the praise we can give him. Great thanks to all for their interest, and thanks to him for his patience.

Judd Bradbury, Dallas, TX

Jerry, Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that the horns are great! Look and operate as new. If someone wants pictures or a reference on the job you did I would be happy to do so. Thanks,

Dana Wendel, Albany, OR

Jerry, Thanks so much for the wonderful work on my aluminum GM hi-rise big block intake manifold. It came out exactly as you said it would, "like new". I can't even tell where it was cracked. Keep up the good work!

Kelly Gorham, Grapevine, Texas

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