Classic cars all have a story to tell. Some are pampered and loved; some are raced to great success; others suffer at the hands of owners who prioritise other aspects of life. When Ben Fink bought this ’68 Camaro, he soon discovered it fell into the latter category.

First published in the October 2025 issue of Street Machine

“I always had the urge to own an old muscle car, and making one really clean was the goal. I liked the ’68 Camaro because it was different to HQs, Toranas and other models from that era that are on the roads in Australia,” Ben begins. “I imported this Camaro from St Louis in the US, but I discovered once the car was sand-blasted that it had multiple dodgy repairs, rear-end crash damage, and a whole lot of hatchet marks all over.”

Not to be deterred, Ben did what any decent street machiner would do: he mucked in and bloody well fixed it. And he did it old-school, with the car on chassis stands in his garage. “When I started the build nearly five years ago, I had a baby on the way and made it a goal to have all the panelwork done before the due date, but that definitely wasn’t the case,” he laughs. “I was working most nights after work in the garage, drilling out spot welds and replacing almost every panel on the car, including adding new floors, roof, full quarters, front cowl and plenum, the boot, and every bolt-on panel.”

You wouldn’t go to all that trouble just to chuck a dunger engine between the chassis rails, and as the saying goes, nothing succeeds like excess. With that in mind, Ben’s choice of a 582ci Chevy big-block makes a tonne of sense – and even more torque.

Nyes Racing Engines in America built the monster-cube fatty, which thumps out a deliciously streetable 530rwhp and 774lb-ft. As the Camaro is designed to be a sweet streeter as opposed to a balls-out racer, this is just about perfect for Ben.

Based around a 9.8-inch standard-deck Merlin block, the bottom end features an Eagle crank and rod combo and JE forged slugs to keep it friendly on 98 pump fuel, while a Sig Erson hydraulic cam dishes the lope. The Dart Pro1 heads wear a Weiand Track Warrior intake manifold, topped by a Holley Sniper EFI throttlebody.

Under the F-body’s skin, Ben added a bunch of upgrades to ensure the chassis could handle all the big-inch rat motor could throw down. Viking coil-over struts hold the Camaro’s nose up, while Speedtech tube control arms replace the weedy stamped steel stockers. Down the back, the whole leaf-sprung rear end got biffed in favour of a Speedtech torque arm set-up, which promotes better ride and traction. A Panhard rod locates the built nine-inch diff, and adjustable coil-overs round out the handling package.

“I used my trade skill as a sheet metal fabricator and designer to fabricate quite a few items on the car,” says Ben. “I designed a new 110-litre fuel tank that tucks inside the boot to allow for a custom centre muffler and also help feed the 9.5-litre big-block. The headers use 2.25-inch primaries, and they were an absolute mission to fabricate and fit. The same goes for the dual three-inch exhaust; I made this lying under the car in the garage, and again, it was not fun.”

Once the structural meat of the car was sound, Ben chose to take the Camaro to Roman and the team at Imperial Bodyworx. “I met Roman quite a few years beforehand hanging around the local car scene,” Ben explains. “I contacted him and gave the rundown for what I was after: neat, straight-as, perfect gaps, and a clean look.” To fulfil that brief, the Imperial team went to town on the car, shaving the drip rails, flush-mounting the front and rear screens and the front trim, shaving the fuel filler, making custom cut-outs for the tailpipes, welding and smoothing panel joins, smoothing the firewall, and making the custom engine bay panelling. They then laid down the striking BMW Individual Dravit Grey paint, which throws traces of metallic gold, brown and red tones in direct light.

“Roman had the car for around a year and a half, and the finished product speaks for itself,” Ben enthuses. “The bodywork has a lot of small details we discussed that all blend perfectly to look like they’re factory, but better!”

Apart from the stout fat-block, arrow-straight bodywork and luscious grey paint, Ben’s Camaro also boasts an off-tap interior. Showcasing the award-winning skills of Brent Parker and his team at Brent Parker Motor Trimming, this is an old-school cabin with high-tech smarts. While it might appear like a stock interior subtly refreshed, there are details upon details hidden in plain sight, including a one-piece, dark brown suede headlining; TMI Products foam-bolstered seats with custom single-piece back patterns and CNC-machined emblems; a leather-wrapped, billet-steel steering wheel, pinch-weld deleted for a smoother finish; custom door cards, speaker pods and grilles; custom boot panelling to hide the battery and fuel tank; and plenty of CNC-machined and 3D-printed parts throughout.

“Brent’s whole team worked on this interior for around five weeks straight, just before MotorEx, to get the job done in time,” Ben says.

With the Camaro completely transformed, it was time for its big unveiling at Meguiar’s MotorEx 2025. “I didn’t think I’d come home with all the awards I got,” says Ben. These included a Superstars finalist spot; 3rd in both Bodywork and Paint; 2nd in Design & Execution; Top Interior; and Top Street Machine. The Camaro then backed up that incredible success with awards for Top Paintwork, Top Bodywork, Top Interior, and Top Coupe in the Modified Street Machine class at this year’s Sydney Hot Rod & Custom Auto Expo.

“The car was a massive achievement for everyone who worked on it, and I’m extremely happy with the end result,” Ben enthuses. “I’m sure there are a few minor things that I will be tweaking on the Camaro, but for now, it’s about getting some miles on it and getting it out on the street!

BEN FINK
1968 CHEVROLET CAMARO

THANKS
My wife Claudia and two baby boys; Brent Parker and team at Brent Parker Motor Trimming; Roman and team at Imperial Bodyworx; Chad at Motorsport Wiring; Matt at MK Raceworks; Moits Motorcars; Pontiworld for parts; Leon and team at MK Raceworks; all others who assisted with the build.