1967 RS/SS Camaro

Owned by Steve & Reg Rommel of Campbell River, BC

The Rommel’s have owned this Camaro since around 1994.  Steve bought it from a friend who’d had the car painted in 1988-89 and it has not been painted since.  Around 2000 they built a new motor (800 hp 509 bbc) in order to compete in the Canadian Pro Street Association.  They won the Real Street championship back to back in 2002 and 2003.  Real Street was a heads up pro tree class for cars with stock suspension and 10” d.o.t. tires.  In 2004 they stopped the heads up racing and detuned the motor for more street use (became a 515 bbc) and went back to bracket racing.  In 2008 they sold the 515 bbc and built the motor the car currently has.

Current Specs:

1967 RS/SS Camaro all stock, except fiberglass hood

Race weight is 3400 lbs with driver

Motor is a nitrous injected all aluminum 540 bbc, pump gas 10.4-1 compression ratio, Dart block and Dart 355 cnc’d Pro 1 heads, .750” lift solid roller cam 272/280 @ .050 114 lobe separation, ported Edelbrock Victor intake with a 1150 cfm Pro systems dominator carb.

Motor makes around 800 hp @ 7100 rpm and around 1050 hp with the current jets in the nitrous system.

The transmission is a highly modified TH400 with Coan internals and a Griner 1+2 valve body, trans brake works in first and second gear with this valve body. The torque converter is a 4000 stall TCS 9” unit.

The rear suspension consists of Calvert Racing split mono leaf springs and Cal trac bars, Qa1 double adjustable shocks, original 12 bolt differential with 33 spline Moser axles and spool with Richmond 3.90 gears.  Wheels are Billet Specialties Street Lights with double bead locks on the rear, running Mickey Thompson ET Street Pro p275/60r15 tires.

The front suspension consists of upper and lower tubular control arms from TRZ Motorsports, Smith Racecraft rack and pinion kit, Moroso trick springs and Viking double adjustable shocks.

The car races at Mission Raceway and the best times with the current specs are:

-best motor only ¼ mile pass 9.63@ 141.11 mph

-best ¼ mile pass on nitrous 8.83 @ 155.73 mph

Datsun 280Z

Spotted this beautiful Datsun 280Z at the Nanaimo Dairy Queen last night. Really nice folks who came out of the drive-thru and parked so I could get some pictures of their car.Classic Import from the 1970's,

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Campbell River’s Legendary Heavy Chevy

The Heavy Chevy was a fixture at Van Isle Dragways from around 1967 to 1972. It was owned by Greg Baxandall and was a member of the Posi-tracks Racing Team based out of Campbell River.  The Heavy Chevy was often seen around Campbell River in the late 1970’s, occasionally racing at Menzies Bay.  The Heavy Chevy has since been restored and can still be spotted around Campbell River to this day.

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Barry's 1969 Acadian SS

A special highlight for me from the 2014 Show N Shine season was meeting up with my friend Barry in Duncan before the Beverly Corners Show N Shine. Barry let me take his beautiful 1969 Acadian SS for a burn around town. I absolutely love Barry’s car; I have been taking pictures of it for several years and it was a privilege to finally get behind the wheel.  It is one of the nicest Acadians on the island, in my opinion. Thank you to Barry for providing me with such a great highlight to the 2014 season! 

Dan

Ellie Made My Day......

Without a doubt the highlight of my 2015 Show N Shine season was when i was taking pictures at the 2015 Shriners Show N Shine on the beach in Parksville when Ellie & Roger were wheeling into the show and Ellie stopped in her Rod, Jumped out and said “You can drive it in” .........later you would have needed a hammer & chisel to take the smile off my face! Thank-you Ellie for giving me the best Show N Shine highlight ever! Made my Summer for sure!

 Dan