1970 Camaro SS350, Tuxedo Black (Ertl)

This one came with Cragar mags and white letter tires. Since I like my muscle original, I had to find a way to rectify that situation. My buddy Randy posted a picture on line showing a wheel swap he had done on his copy using the dog dish wheels from a 69 COPO Camaro. They looked great and were just like the plain caps included with the SS350 package in 1970. In keeping with the stripper look, I didn't include the roof rail, door and hood edge trim which was optional on the 70's. It was quite tough for me to NOT add that chrome, especially since chrome looks so great on black cars! The SS badge on the grill looks kind of cheesy, but at least Ertl got it the right size and in the right spot.

The second generation Camaro doesn't have much chrome even when fully decked out. The early versions of this body style sure look lean, mean and classic. The small rear spoiler looks good too instead of the larger one Chevrolet added in later years.

The engine is the same one found in the Z/28 models which is completely wrong for the SS350. I've swapped out the air cleaner (all black, dual snorkel, WRONG) for a single snorkel unit with a chrome lid and black base. I believe the valve covers should be cast metal, but until I can confirm this I'll leave them chrome. For all I know at this point, maybe they should be engine orange or maybe they should be smooth chrome steel. The SS350 is not well documented in the books I have. The engine decal was returned to the new air cleaner even though it reads wrong (the 370hp engine was only available in the Z/28). The correct decal for the SS350 looks the same, it just reads a lower horsepower rating.

The interior doesn't have much chrome to add but I painted a few knobs, the shifter knob and the steering wheel trim. I also found a good color to paint the screw nubs with to make them blend into the carpet a bit.

I didn't do any chassis detailing on this one yet so here is a close up of the new wheels. I did manage to detail the hubcaps to represent the black paint around the rim and in the bowtie emblem.