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Post Info TOPIC: "Body in White" new Camaro shell info
bowtie


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"Body in White" new Camaro shell info
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For anyone who's not familiar with the term, a "Body in White" car is a non-VINable bare sheetmetal shell of a car that is used for racing or show only. It cannot ever be titled as a kit car or reconstruction/salvage. The term goes back to when the cars were left in a light grey/white primer before being shipped. Sometimes it was actually from the bare metal having been dipped and a coating being left on it.

The car itself actually is a factory shell, essentially the structure underneath with exterior sheetmetal attached but nothing else. Similar to what is available from Dynacorn on the older cars, but you also get doors, hood, trunk, fenders. No windshield, no wiring, no interior. These cars came down the line and for whatever reason did not pass quality inspection after going through paint. Generally, dings, scratches, paint/sprayer malfunctions, etc are the cause. Since GM can't really sell a repaired one as new, they get pulled off the line and resold to race teams, show car/display builders, or private parties. You don't get to choose the color, but they are pretty straight forward repairs which would be done before a custom paint anyway.

The "car" comes shipped via Semi on a long pallet. You're looking at basically putting it right onto a rotissere or suspended by a hoist so you can attach suspension and rolling gear to it. Cost??? Looking about $8,000-$9,000. Availabillity is hit and miss since they can't plan on one not passing inspection. They don't pull one off the line.

I had a guy asking about one earlier this week and did some research. Sounds like a good deal if you're going to completely build one anyway. There's lots of aftermarket support for them all the way from suspension to interior to additional body mods.

Even though I've done GM Performance Stuff for years, this was new to me so I called Nickey Fowler at Scoggin Dickey for a little insight.

Here's how it would look whren you get it:



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Bryan-NW 'burbs
1972 Malibu
Vaguely stock appearing, and the opposite of restored.
1999 std bore 5.7, Vortec heads, Holley Stealth Ram, GM cam
700R4, Viking coilovers, 12 bolt 4.10 posi, and a whole bunch more
Chris R


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First I have ever heard of this. I can see it 40 years from now. Barn find, NOS body shell.



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Chris - Ramsey, MN.

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bowtie


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They ahve had some version of it for a while. The older Performance Parts catalogs actually had panels listed and stuff. MOPAR has also been doing it in the past several years with the new retro body Charger 2 door I believe.

I like the idea. Assuming you still only use it for drag or road racing (off track use), pick one up and hit the salvage yard to buy a CTS Cadillac. They share platforms so many of the underpinnings are the same. Then have a place fab up a custom interior and paint. You'd still have to buy things like the bumper fascias, grille, lighting, etc, but I found a complete parts guide for a Body in White purchaser for anything else they needed from GM. Still would be far more than buying a car outright, though.

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Bryan-NW 'burbs
1972 Malibu
Vaguely stock appearing, and the opposite of restored.
1999 std bore 5.7, Vortec heads, Holley Stealth Ram, GM cam
700R4, Viking coilovers, 12 bolt 4.10 posi, and a whole bunch more
Pushrod


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i believe ford does it with the mustang and dodge also does it with the challenger. i didnt realize they cant repair a car with paint issues and sell it as new, but it does make sense. wonder if thay do it with other vehicles such as a 1500 pick-up cab and the like?



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Craig S - Shakopee Mn
Lost in the 60s


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8k for a bare shell that you can't title seems rather high. I would think GM would be happy with 2-3k instead of scrapping it. I guess if there are people willing to spend that, the price won't come down.



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Mitch D.   River Falls, WI

Lifetime member of the "Cars apart Club"

1966 Chevelle SS 396 M20

1970 Chevelle SS 396 M20

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bowtie


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If you add up the hood, doors, fenders, and trunk lid I think you'll top $2,000. This is essentially an alternative to buying a wreck and fixing it. I know there's a Dodge on the north side of the cities that was one of the first in a limited run of thier kind, Even the rear end was just a prop for shipping and sitting on. The camaro isn't even that complete.

Also, in general, this isn't the normal buyer. This is a sponsored team who can afford the huge cash outlay to essentially build a full on custom car, plus haul it everywhere.

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Bryan-NW 'burbs
1972 Malibu
Vaguely stock appearing, and the opposite of restored.
1999 std bore 5.7, Vortec heads, Holley Stealth Ram, GM cam
700R4, Viking coilovers, 12 bolt 4.10 posi, and a whole bunch more
John D


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Good Business Tactics... Take what is now (for whatever reason) essentially scrap metal with a few thousand dollars of production costs tied up in it, and recover the costs plus a little profit thumbsup



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John D. - St. Louis Park, MN.

1965 El Camino - LT-1, 4L60e, 4wh discs, SC&C susp.
2013 F-150 Platinum - Twin Turbo 3.5

2018 Factory Five MkIV Roadster build thread
Derek69SS


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Here's a Camaro race car build starting with a complete car. http://www.carriagehousecustoms.com/CHCA/2010-SS1/2010-SS1.html

I wonder if it would have been cheaper to start with a "Body in White" though... probably depends on class rules and how much factory equipment you're required to run.



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Derek Kiefer - Mantorville, MN

69 Malibu Pro-Touring stroker LS1-383/T56 - 69 SS396-325/3spd project
Dave Seitz


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Back in the 80s at a shop I was at they were doing some work on a guys "Showrrom Stock" racecar. The best way to describe it is BULL$HIT the car this guy brought in to have paint and other work done to was worked over on every angle you could imagine. The car came in near last place due to not enough powercompared to others in his class. That year some of the cars busted in SRS had minor violations of AC controls used as boost controlers on the turbo cars, hidden NOS bottles in the dash. Since extrude hone had come out nearly every car had been extrudehoned in every way shape and form.


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Dave Seitz


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Just saw on the Scoggin Dickey web site they show an orange body in white for $6999.99


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bowtie


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Pretty sure they don't have any right now after talking to Nickey from there last week, and I know GM is out. That's a pre-order price I'm sure since nobody has that kind of space to store them in hopes of selling one. Still need to get it shipped from TX to here on a BIG pallet if you ordered it from them. Shipping to me from GM is covered.

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Bryan-NW 'burbs
1972 Malibu
Vaguely stock appearing, and the opposite of restored.
1999 std bore 5.7, Vortec heads, Holley Stealth Ram, GM cam
700R4, Viking coilovers, 12 bolt 4.10 posi, and a whole bunch more
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