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March 2020 Camaro of the Month: Rodney Gragg's 1970 Z/28

The TorqueNews/Camaros Unlimited Camaro of the Month for March 2020 is the big block-powered 1970 Z/28 clone shown here, owned by Rodney Gragg.

Over the past few years, TorqueNews works with the members from the Camaros Unlimited Facebook group to select our Camaro of the Month. The process begins with more than 43,000 members from the Camaros Unlimited Facebook page nominating their favorite Chevrolet Camaro owned by a fellow member of the page. Once five owners have been nominated, the voting begins and when the balloting closes – we have our Camaro of the Month.

For March 2020, the members chose this gorgeous 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 clone, owned by Rodney Gragg. We reached out to Gragg, who replied with information and an array of images of his monstrous big block muscle car. Below, you will find the story of his Camaro.

Rodney Gragg's 1970 Camaro Z/28 Rear and custom plateRodney Gragg’s 1970 Camaro Z/28
My car is a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 clone, having come from the factory as a base six-cylinder car. I’ve had the car for 1 year, bought it pretty much as it sits today. I’ve had several nice rides over the years, including Trans Ams, Corvettes, etc. I decided that I wanted to go back to an old school Hot Rod, so the search was on for about 6 months for an older Camaro. Then I found this one in Houston, Texas, so I hooked on to my trailer and left from northwest Arkansas to go see it and purchase car if I liked it, so of course I did.

Rodney Gragg's 1970 Camaro Z/28 Side in red

I named my car ROAD RAGE and here are the specs:
468-cubic inch big block Chevy V8 with custom built Dart aluminum heads, a Crane camshaft (600 lift, flat tappet), Eagle rods, Eagle crank, SRP pistons, Victor intake manifold, 7-quart oil pan, 850 Holley double pump carb and MSD ignition.

Rodney Gragg's 1970 Camaro Z/28 Engine

The engine made 651 horsepower on the dyno. Sending then power to the rear wheels is a Turbo 400 transmission with a Hughes 4,000 RPM stall convertor, a 12-bolt positrac rear differential and 3.73 gears.

Rodney Gragg's 1970 Camaro Z/28 Front in Red

I do plan on drag racing it a little this year to see what it will run.

Congratulations to Rodney Gragg and his 1970 Z/28 for winning the TorqueNews/Camaros Unlimited Camaro of the Month for March 2020. It looks great inside and out, and with that built big block, it is far more than just a show car.

Rodney Gragg's 1970 Camaro Z/28 Dash in Black

If you would like to participate in the Camaro of the Month program with your Chevy muscle car, click here to join Camaros Unlimited!

Patrick Rall is a professional writer and photographer with a passion for all things automotive. Patrick has been sharing his automotive expertise in automotive journalism from Detroit for more than a decade covering the Big Three. Having grown up in his father’s performance shop, he spent extensive time at the oval track and drag strip – both driving and wrenching on various types of vehicles. In addition to working as a writer, Patrick previously worked as an automotive technician before moving on to a business office position with a chain of dealerships, and this broad spectrum of experience in the industry allows him to offer a unique look on the automotive world. Follow Patrick on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

Comments

Jesse (not verified)    April 19, 2020 - 6:44PM

I was 16 when the 1970 1/2 Camaro came out. I remember seeing the first one in our local dealership. It was a light blue with hub caps that appeared to be "baby moon" inspired. The styling was so distinctive with no hint of the generation 1 Camaro. The Rally Sport option made the front end even more distinctive from the base model. Oh my, the memories.