By Chuck Vranas Photography by The Author

here comes a moment in every buildup where you need to address the status of the body. Many times it can be when all of the mechanical and chassis fabrication upgrades are finally completed. It’s always good to have a plan of action regardless of whether you’re going from ground-zero or taking it on in steps to reach your goals. Regular readers of All Chevy Performance will recognize the ’71 Camaro laid out across our pages as having started its journey as a picked-down shell that was totally bare bones and barely a roller. It’s certainly come a long way through past articles addressing the suspension, brakes, LS driveline, cooling, and exhaust.

We recently followed up at Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, where shop owner Pat O’Brien was preparing to move forward on the next step of addressing the body. Seeing that the car was void of any front sheetmetal, it was a perfect time to look into options and address ideas of how he would like the styling of the car to look. O’Brien contacted Auto Metal Direct (AMD) to check out their vast catalog of sheetmetal components as well as everything needed to complete the full assembly of the front end. Any particular needs for your restoration project, from body components to glass, electrical, trim, and everything else you could imagine, they’ve got it covered.

When it came to the front end, there were numerous choices available, from standard front sheetmetal, including the fenders, valance, header panel, and one-piece bumper with grille, to the Rally Sport version incorporating turn signals in the header panel as well as offering split bumpers and an Endura nose. Here, the decision was made to incorporate the standard front end sheetmetal accented by a 2-inch raised cowl hood. To complete the installation, AMD included a complete Master Body Hardware Kit (PN H-70FB-S, 368 pcs) as well as all related brackets, rubber components, shims, latches, plastic components, and filler panels. Taking on a job like this it’s important to have help, especially when it comes to panel fitment, alignment, and hood installation.

Bringing it to the next level regarding underhood components, a call to Eddie Motorsports raised the bar with a set of their CNC-machined billet hood hinges crafted in the USA from high-quality 6061-T6 billet aluminum. The stunning hinges feature stainless steel nitrogen-filled gas struts with sealed bearings for flawless hood operation and are available in varying strengths to accommodate all types of hoods, from standard steel to fiberglass and even carbon fiber. They’re available in a machined or polished finish as well as a myriad of custom Fusioncoat colors and arrive ready to install with all the needed stainless steel mounting hardware.

Finally, Rocket Racing proves that performance and stunning looks don’t have to break the bank with their flow-forged aluminum one-piece wheels, which are available in a number of different sizes and offset combinations for most popular applications. Here, the Attack-Series wheels feature a generous caliper clearance design along with a crisp machined face and rim with titanium color accents and a clearcoat for protection while a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} Series tires ensure excellent handling.

Seeing the car with its new front end sheetmetal and wicked rollers easily raises a pulse rate as the build moves closer to the street every day.

2. It’s always good to have help when test-fitting a fender in place to the body. Here, Pat O’Brien of Procision Industries (right) was assisted by team member Carl Pietro for the initial lineup.

4. Next, the fender was loosely secured to the inner fenders while checking for proper fitment using a ½-inch socket.

6. Next, the rear of the fender was loosely secured to the firewall and top of the cowl using body bolts and a ⁹⁄₁₆-inch socket. Follow by starting the alignment of the fender to the door using the provided shims to set the gap.

8. U-Nuts were then set in place on the valance panel where required to prepare it for installation.

10. Using the body bolts from the kit, the valance panel was aligned to the fender bottoms and secured using a ½-inch socket and wrench.

12. Using hardware from the master body kit, the header panel is loosely bolted into place on numerous planes using a ½-inch wrench and socket. Make sure to allow room for the inclusion of the filler panels and bumper brackets to follow as well as finessing the fitment.

13. Here you can see the filler panel and outer bumper bracket that will be layered and installed in the area between the valance and header panel.

15. Next, to prepare the grille for installation, the retainer clips were installed to all the mounting points.

17. The fresh standard replacement egg crate–styled grille from AMD was then installed to the six mounting points using the provided screws.

19. The new bumper was then installed to the inner and outer bumper brackets using fresh hardware and a ½-inch wrench and socket.

21. Once lowered into place, the assembly was secured using the provided 12-point bolts and ⁷⁄₁₆-inch 12-point wrench and socket.

23. To keep debris from entering the cowl area, a new reproduction OER replacement cowl vent screen was snapped into place and secured.

25. The installation process requires two people to complete it safely, especially when mounting the hood in place to secure it to the new hinges. From here the hood is adjustable from four points on each side to ensure proper fitment and alignment.

26. Before installing the stainless steel gas hood struts in place, apply a small amount of grease to the ball studs on the hinge. Follow by removing the wire keeper from each socket end of the strut. You can then mount the strut in place making sure to have the shaft side down (“body” end up).

28. Next, one of the most important parts of the front sheetmetal installation is the hood safety latch. This reproduction preassembled unit sourced through AMD includes the lock plate, pilot bolt, spring, retainer, and jam nut. Installation was a snap.

29-31. To complete the job, front and rear hood adjusters as well as hood side bumpers help complete the proper alignment of the hood.

32. There’s nothing better than a set of ultra-cool wheels to bring the performance to the pavement with a set of Rocket Racing Attack-Series lightweight one-piece performance wheels matched to Continental ExtremeContact DWS^{06 Plus} Series rubber for plenty of grip and great looks once it hits the street.