When David Shankin purchased his 1969 Camaro RS SS convertible in the Florida Keys back in 1991, he had no idea that the thunderstorm he encountered on the way home was just the beginning of the difficult 15-year journey he’d embarked on to get the car in working order.

“I encountered a typical Florida thunderstorm [and] discovered that the front seal on the convertible top leaked, resulting in a river of water pouring onto my lap and exiting through the rusted-out floorboards,” said Shankin. “[This incident] began what turned into a 15-year expedition.”

The car was in need of a complete restoration. Shankin knew he had a tough road ahead of him if he wanted to eventually have the car of his dreams, but had no idea how tough until he started to restore the engine.

“I began by pulling the engine, only to find that a worn-out timing chain had created a hole in the exterior cover,” he said.

Fortunately for Shankin, things with the restoration got better. With the help of many friends and local shops, Shankin began the exhaustive build, giving the car a brand-new suspension system, a Baer brake track system, and a customized and amped-up factory LT1 engine.

The car is powered by a factory fuel-injected LT1 motor with factory accessories and shorty headers.

Shankin made many modifications to the body and exterior to give the car a smooth look. The RS hideaway headlights were converted so that they could open and close electronically. The front parking lights were converted to running lights and now feature built-in turn signals. Shankin removed the car’s windshield wipers, and the dash speaker grille was removed and smoothed out. He finished it off by welding up the rear tail panel seams and smoothing them out, and adding shaved door handles.

Shankin was also able to achieve a smooth look under the hood. All of the excess holes and seams in the firewall, as well as the core support and wheel wells, were welded up, smoothed, finished and painted to match the car’s body color.

For the inside of the car, Shankin enlisted the help of Erik Demonbreun of Automotive Soft Trim in Belleview, Florida. Demonbreun used a 1969 Nova dash and pad with a Covan dash insert. The car’s front bucket seats came from a late-model Firebird. Demonbreun modified the headrests to make them more comfortable. The factory rear seat was redesigned to match the rest of the car and custom-built armrests with speaker pod combos were installed. Rear speaker pods were built to match the system’s tweeters and JBL 6-½-inch speakers were flush-mounted into the rear panels.

“I was leery about the pods as I had never built any fiberglass pods before,” said Demonbreun. “At the time I shared [garage] space with a car stereo shop so I had plenty of inspiration and people to help [me] in case I got in trouble. I actually woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed a pen and paper and sketched out the speaker pods and door panel inserts.”

The car’s interior was completely restored by Erik Demonbreun of Automotive Soft Trim in Belleview, Florida.

The car’s custom convertible top boot was built using the Ultra Leather that Demonbreun used for the interior.

“This project inspired me to build more of these types of interiors,” said Demonbreun. “It was really fun getting to work with [Shankin] and share our creativity.”

Shankin’s Camaro has come a long way since the day back in 1991 when he was broken down and flooded on the side of the road.

“A week after finishing the car, I took it on the Hot Rod Power Tour,” said Shankin. “Completing the long haul of 2,400 miles, the car performed flawlessly, adding yet another memorable experience.”

Despite the various setbacks, Shankin said all of the hard work on the Camaro was worth it.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed [building] this car from start to finish and continue to make memories that will last a lifetime,” he said.

Stat Sheet

Car:  1969 Chevy Camaro RS SS convertible

Owner:  David Shankin

Builder:  David Shankin, with help from various shops

Location:  Ocala, Florida

Interior:  The car’s interior was completely restored by Erik Demonbreun of Automotive Soft Trim in Belleview, Florida. The interior includes front bucket seats from a late-model Firebird, modified seat headrests and a rear factory seat that was redesigned to match the rest of the car’s interior. Ultra Leather and Ultra Suede were used throughout the car’s interior.

Audio:  The car features a custom-built armrest/speaker pod combo that uses JBL 6-1⁄2-inch speakers. The speakers are flush-mounted in the rear panels and the rear pods were built to match the car’s tweeters.

Body & Paint:  The frame was notched to make room for the car’s air conditioning compressor. The front suspension has tall drop spindles with QA1 coil overs and upper tubular control arms from Control Freak Suspensions. Detroit Speed’s 3-inch drop leaf springs with QA1 adjustable shocks and a 9-inch rear with a 4.11 posi were used for the rear. The car was painted using Sikkens “Chevy Bright Red” paint.

Powertrain:  The car’s engine is a factory fuel-injected LT1 motor with factory accessories and shorty headers that are attached to a dual 2-1⁄2-inch Flowmaster exhaust system with polished stainless tips. Also under the hood is a factory T56 manual six-speed transmission with a hydraulic clutch. All excess holes and seams in the firewall, core support and wheel wells were welded, smoothed and painted to match the body color. All of the car’s wiring and hoses were routed so that they remain as hidden as possible.

Tires & Wheels:  The car sits on top of Sumitomo HTR+ tires in sizes 245/4017 (front) and 275/4017 (rear).American Racing’s Torq-Thrust D wheels with polished lips and custom-made flat polished center caps were used in sizes 17- x 8 inches with 4 1⁄4 inches backspacing (front) and 17 x 9 1⁄2 inches with 5 1⁄2 inches backspacing (rear). The Camaro features a Baer Brakes track system with 13-inch vented and drilled rotors with Hydro Boost power brakes.

Other Features:  The car’s Auto Meter gauges are nestled inside a Nova dash panel. The car’s windshield wipers and dash speaker grille were removed and the holes were smoothed out.

Tags: 1960s & 1970s Muscle Cars, Camaros, Featured Vehicle, Muscle Cars