The car David found was hanging out in the owner’s back yard for some time. It was someone else’s project that never really got off the ground, but he was ready, willing, and able to pick up where they left off. “I will admit that I have never been mechanically inclined,” David says. “So, that left me in a position to find a local shop to help build the car for me. I found someone who only restores first-gen Camaros, so after we hauled my ’68 to his shop, we got started with some basic requests. To make a long story short, I left this guy after only six months. He cut so many corners, and my vision for the car was quickly changing to something he was not going to be able to meet anyway.”

Enter Mikey Dascoli at Driven Speed Shop in Mesa, Arizona. “From the moment my wife and I walked into his shop, we knew he was the guy,” David recounts. “His shop was spotless, and we could tell he had an impressive attention to detail. [Dascoli] has truly built something special with Driven, and we were excited to partner with him.”

Dascoli analyzed the car’s current condition and found a way to make up for the time David had lost at the other shop. The first major addition was to scrap the car’s factory frame and replace it with a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis. This first step would be huge in increasing the Camaro’s feel and performance exponentially right from the start. Once Dascoli had the frame in his shop, he began bolting up a stainless steel 19-gallon fuel cell and front and rear Wilwood brakes before turning the chassis into a full roller with staggered Forgeline wheels and fresh Michelin Pilot Sport rubber.

With the 1968’s foundation well taken care of, the next big decision was to assemble a solid drivetrain for the car. To remove any guesswork from the situation, Dascoli suggested going with a brand-new GM crate engine and trans combo, and David couldn’t agree more. So, they placed an order for an LS7 427 that Dascoli upgraded with a Holley mid-mount drive system and a Terminator X Max fuel-injection system. A Ron Davis aluminum radiator was also selected, as were valve covers and an intake manifold from Shaun’s Custom Alloy that matches its look perfectly. Next, a set of Ultimate Headers was mounted, along with a custom 3-inch exhaust system that expels spent fumes through a set of Borla ProXS mufflers. The 4L75E auto transmission the guys picked would allow easy, breezy cruising, which David was looking forward to, but there was still more work to be done.

Dascoli and his Driven team are also experts in the fabrication and finish departments, so David’s expectation from them was as high as ever going into the next phase of the project. The entire body was massaged and straightened before the crew custom-fabbed a front lower valance, a rear diffuser, and a rear spoiler for the exterior, as well as a presentable engine bay that would soon wow the crowds. PPG Supersonic Gray was the color of choice, and once the paint dried the car was adorned with a new custom billet grille, Holley RetroBright headlights, Ringbrothers outer mirrors, Eddie Motorsports door handles, and Fesler flush-mounted glass.