Image Credits: Sean Smyth of Smyth Photography

We’re always happy to hear about our reader’s rides, and sometimes, we think they’re special enough to show off to all of you. Although this car is not new, its fourth combination in seven years rests between the frame rails. Chicago native, grudge racer and car owner Jim Keith says he’s never satisfied. “I’m kind of a meticulous freak, and nothing’s ever finished on that car so it never ends – it drives me a little crazy, you know? I’m an engineer, so I have that disease going for me,” he laughs.

This beautiful ’68 Camaro was purchased in Ohio about eight years ago. Previously a Super Chevy Editor’s Choice show winner, the car was destined for even more.

“I drove out there to look at it, and it was pretty. It had a ZZ4 engine in it when I got it. I brought it back here and immediately tore it apart. At that point I put in a 408 small block that put it into the elevens. Over the next six years I’ve had a total of four combinations in it, and it’s been a grudge car here in the Chicago area for the last seven years. I’ve never flashed an ET on it, but it ended up running mid-nines at 3,300 pounds, with a naturally-aspirated 23-degree small-block Chevy engine in it. It was a heavy street car but did pretty well. Last year I decided it was time to do something different, so it got a new ProCharged small block and here we are,” said Keith.

When Jim first sent us a teaser photo of this car, we realized immediately that it was worthy of drool from the rest of you as well. No detail appears to have been ignored under the hood, inside, or outside this gorgeous machine. The ’68 Camaro’s stealth 8.50 roll cage was installed by a local chassis shop and was designed to be as invisible as possible from the outside of the car. The factory wheel housings have been tossed in favor of a set of mini-tubs, which will nicely cover a set of Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pro 275/60/15’s rolling on a sweet set of polished and bead-locked Billet Specialties Street Lites. The car still retains an all-steel GM body save for the Harwood 5-inch cowl hood, necessary to clear the inlet elbow atop the carburetor.

The engine’s no joke, either. A ProCharger F-2 supercharger is currently pumping 25 pounds of boost into the engine through a hidden-under-the-dash intercooler. The 400-cubic-incher was built by TNT Race Engines out of Gurnee, Illinois, and uses a Dart Iron Eagle block as the foundation. Keith selected a sweet Callies Magnum crankshaft and Callies Ultra rods to go along with custom Diamond pistons to complete the bulletproof short block, and induction chores are handled by a set of Brodix heads along with an Edelbrock Super Victor intake manifold, and one of CSU’s worked 950cfm blow-through carburetors.

A Comp Cams custom blower grind camshaft controls the timing events, critical in a supercharged application, while Hooker Super Comps handle the exhaust duties. MagnaFuel supplies the flow and MSD’s 7531 ignition box starts the fire, and the whole works rattled the dyno walls to the tune of 1250 horsepower with the current pulley pack. As Keith gets the car dialed in, the pulley sizes will be changed, more boost will be added, and ET’s will decrease.

The power is sent through a converter from Midwest Converter and one of Proformance Racing Transmissions‘ Turbo 400 models to the GM 10-bolt rearend. The housing is filled with Strange Engineering 3.73 gears, a set of 33-spline axles, and a Strange 33-spline spool. The front suspension has been modified with a set of Moroso springs and Calvert Racing shocks, while the rear of the car features Calvert Racing split mono-leafs, Cal-Trac bars, Zero Resistance Shackles, and Strange Engineering double-adjustable shocks. Strange brakes also adorn all four corners of the car to help bring it down at the end of the track. 

At this point in time, Jim’s mulling over his options for where to race it in the upcoming season. As the car does not have a 25.5 or better cage in it, he needs to add some bars to the existing framework to pass tech for the classes the car fits in with local sanctions Midwest Super Street Mafia and MDRA. Wherever he goes, crewmembers Jay Biondo, Joe Murray and Greg Zoetmulder will be on the scene to keep him rolling.

The longtime racer has competed in brackets and with the now-defunct IMSM for years but got tired of lifting at the finish line, thus the new direction. This beautiful car is a real driver and was designed to be that way from the start of the current undertaking. The stealth chute mount and cage, hidden chute receiver, intercooler under the dash – all designed so he could continue to drive the car on the street. 

“My wife Sheri tolerates my addiction – she doesn’t care or know what goes on with the racecar. My nine-year-old daughter Lauren comes to all of the car shows with me though – she’s one  of the reasons I worked so hard to keep the car a real street car. It was just recently finished up in this configuration and hasn’t made a pass yet. This car has been built to be a seven-second driver and if it doesn’t do that…maybe it’ll be up for sale and I’ll go in a different direction. I’ve had this car the longest out of any I’ve had over the years.”