Wonderful afternoon view of this classic Seafrost Green 1968 Chevy Camaro SS 396 Orig Modified by Bill Thomas
What you’re looking at is a glimpse into Muscle Car history. This car was ordered as a true Super Sport 396, and then it was taken to Bill Thomas of Bill Thomas Races Cars in Anaheim, CA. There Mr. Thomas professionally prepped the 396 engine that was in this Camaro. This car has been in Muscle Car Review and is certified to have been built by Bill Thomas. In the paragraphs to follow we will give a brief description of the exterior, interior, and heartbeat of the Chevy
When restored by Troy, the previous owner, he had multiple conversations with Mr. Thomas as well as the original owner to ensure the restoration was kept to be as close to original as possible. The result is the beauty you see here today. The body is arguably one of the best we’ve ever seen on a Camaro. Looking down the sides you’ll see it’s straight as an arrow with near perfect gaps and fit of the doors. Everything is covered in the Seafrost Green Paint that’s accented by the Black. This is a base coat clear coat paint job that has the stripe buried and has been buffed and polished to a mirror finish that’s slick as a ribbon. This car does have the Rally Sport hidden headlight package along with front spoiler, and the bolt on fiberglass Stinger Hood. Every piece of Chrome and Stainless on this Camaro is either new or in like new condition except for the tail light bezels that have some light aging. All the glass is also in excellent condition along with the weather stripping and seals which appear to have been replaced at the time of the Resto. To finish off the look it’s sitting on a set of American Sandstones 15×8 on the rear and 14×7 up front with Mickey Thompson Tires.
Next, we will move on to the interior of this Camaro. On the inside, it’s kept like it would have been when it terrorized the roads in ’68. One of the first thing you’ll notice is the rare option of the Deluxe Interior with a Bench Seat. Both seat covers are in great condition along with the padding. Looking at the door panels they are in like new condition from the trim to the Power Windows Control. Yes, this car came with Power Windows and they’re all working. Next, you’ll notice the carpet and seal plates were replaced along with the headliner that has an excellent fit! As you sit down you’ll notice it has had the Stuart Warner gauges and Tach added which were supplied by Bill Thomas. Looking at the dash you’ll also the BTRC decal that was supplied by Mr. Thomas himself during restoration. All the dash trim and gauges are in excellent condition and working as they should.
Finally, we will get to the heartbeat of this Chevrolet. Under the hood of this car is what we are all looking forward to. It features the Matching Numbers 396 block which is rarity for a Bill Thomas car, because most of his builds had the 427 transplant. However, the original owner wanted to stay with the 396 and Mr. Thomas transformed Chevrolet’s 396 into a sleeper big block that could terrorize any 427 on the street in ’68. When restored Troy made sure to verify with Mr. Thomas to keep this car as close to what he original produced as possible. He used the original rectangle-port heads installed by Mr. Thomas in ’68. It’s set up with the Offenhauser Intake and Two Carter AFB Carbs, and a Comp Cams solid-lifter set up like what was used in ’68 was installed. The engine is mated to the Turbo 400 Trans and the 12 Bolt Posi Rear with Bill Thomas traction bars. For Exhaust, it has Coated Hooker Headers with dual pipes and the stock style dual muffler. This car comes with Power Steering and Power Brakes with disc on the front. All the brakes lines were replaced, along with the fuel lines and gas tank. Also, under the front the upper and lower control arm bushings, ball joints, and end link bushings were replaced. The floors look phenomenal in this Camaro and the Frame is equally impressive. Frame connectors had also been added and all the bushings are in excellent condition as well.
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