tarting a vintage muscle car build from the ground up is a tall order—doing it for a second time is a next-level time suck that no one cares to deal with, but Lou Baltrusaitis did just that. With his ’69 Camaro ready to hit the body shop for final sanding and paint, Hurricane Sandy hit Lou’s place and filled the car with water. “Sadly, we had to take the car apart and completely redo it,” Lou states. “There was water throughout the whole house and unfortunately the car got it, too.”
It was a lot to take on, but Lou’s been into cars his whole life. With influence from his dad (a longtime hot rodder himself), Lou and his brothers grew up building and racing muscle cars back in their Brooklyn days. Although there was a lot of extra work, the rebuild meant more quality build time bonding with his son who was a huge help with the project.
Getting just the right stance and driving performance was a priority, so Lou dialed in Classic Performance Products (CPP) 2-inch drop spindles and utilized BMR control arms up front. QA1 Pro coilover shocks dampen the ride while a Hotchkis 1-inch steel sway bar keeps body roll in check. Out back, Lou went with Hotchkis 2-inch drop springs and kept with QA1 shocks for a solid, street performer. Global West subframe connectors tie it all together.
A set of Center Line split spoke wheels with black centers and polished outers give off an aggressive vibe that coincides with the car’s low-slung demeanor while providing the Nitto NT555s and adjacent Toyo Proxes a perfect venue for pavement gripping.
Within the build process, Hunter bought a ’10 Victory Red Camaro. The duo was so impressed with the tone, they had Bob at Procision Auto in Deer Park, New York, mimic the color and apply it to the ’69. Although Lou grafted and bolted in the fresh Goodmark sheetmetal, Bob took on the gapping, sanding, and more sanding prior to indulging the Camaro in the attractive red pigment. He then moved his gun onto the hardware and sprayed the fresh Ground Up bumpers in the corresponding red, broken up only by the black tail panel and door handles. Those second-gen Camaro bullet-style side mirrors are the only deviation from its original roots.
“Although, the build process alone was a memorable experience, on the car’s first outing we drove it to a local car show at Oak Beach, Long Island, and got a surprise visit from Chip Foose, who took a few laps around the car and gave us accolades on the build,” Lou states. “It doesn’t get much better than that and is something Hunter and I will always remember.”
Not even a historical hurricane could break the father and son bond of this project. In fact, it only made it stronger. That shows the immense power of hot rod building can do … especially a badass East Coast–flavored ’69 Camaro.
Vehicle: ’69 Chevy Camaro
Type: ’70 big-block
Displacement: 454 ci
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore: 4.25 inches
Stroke: 4.00 inches
Cylinder Heads: Cast iron
Rotating Assembly: Scat 6.135 crankshaft, Stock rods, TRW pistons, Clevite bearings, Hastings piston rings
Valvetrain: Comp valves and springs, Crane 1.7-inch rockers
Camshaft: Comp Magnum Cam Kit (0.550/0.550-inch lift, 244/244 deg. duration at 0.050)
Induction: Edelbrock RPM intake manifold, Holley 4150 770-cfm Street Avenger carburetor
Assembly: Lou Baltrusaitis
Machinework: S&K Speed (Lindhurst, NY)
Exhaust: Hooker Competition Headers, Pypes 2.5-inch stainless exhaust, Pypes Street Pro mufflers
Ancillaries: CVS Billet V pulley kit, Eddie Motorsports hood hinges, Cold Case aluminum radiator, Power Master alternator, MSD HEI, MSD plug wires
Output: 480 hp est.
Transmission: TREMEC TKX five-speed
Clutch: Ram Power Grip clutch, Ram steel flywheel, 11-inch disc,
Rear Axle: GM 12-bolt rearend, limited-slip differential, 3.55:1 gears, 30-spline axles
Front Suspension: CPP 2-inch dropped spindles, BMR control arms, QA1 adjustable shocks and springs
Subframe Connectors: Global West
Brakes: Wilwood 13-inch rotors with six-piston calipers front, Wilwood 13-inch rotors with four-piston calipers rear
Wheels: Centerline Split Spoke; 18×8 front, 18×10 rear
Tires: Nitto NT555; 225/40R18 front, Toyo Proxes 275/40R18 rear
Upholstery: Black Vinyl, ACC Molded black carpet
Seats: Pro Car Rally 1000 black vinyl
Steering: Stock column, black suede Driven steering wheel
Shifter: Lokar
Dash: TMI Sport Dash, Custom ABS insert
Instrumentation: Auto Meter Phantom
Head Unit: RetroSound
Front Speakers: RetroSound 4x9s
Rear Speakers: Kenwood 6x9s
Wiring: American Autowire
Bodywork: Lou Baltrusaitis and Bob at Precision Auto
Paint: GM Victory Red by Precision Auto
Paint Protection: Expel Fusion Plus ceramic coating by Impressive Auto Body (Oceanside, NY)
Hood: Goodmark steel
Fenders and Quarter-Panels: Goodmark
Side Mirrors: ’79 Camaro bullet
Grille: Ground Up
Bumpers: Ground Up
Headlights: LED Light Street
Taillights: Fesler