Since we last saw Tony Rose's...
Since we last saw Tony Rose's '68 Karma Camaro, Peter Newell and the team at Competition Specialties were busy removing…
•When walking up to a car parked at a show, nothing speaks louder than a killer stance and immaculate body lines. Spending extra time lining up the panels not only makes it look razor sharp, it also brings out the best in the final finish. Of course, looking good is only half of the ball game, 'cause if it doesn't handle worth a damn, you'll wish you had paid more attention earlier in the build. It's best to stick to a formula and set it up so it not only has seamless power, but that it also handles like it's on rails. Sure, straight-line performance of the '60s is cool, but effortlessly carving through a canyon is even cooler!
…the complete front-end assembly...
…the complete front-end assembly to prepare the car for a new life of cutting-edge handling, thanks to the Speed Tech Performance subframe.
When Tony Rose laid out his plans for the Karma Camaro, he knew exactly what he wanted his '68 to achieve in every department; from looks and stance, to performance, and braking, it had to be top notch. In order to give his car the handling it deserved, research led him to Speed Tech Performance. Their state-of-the-art-designed front subframe and suspension is a direct bolt-in unit requiring no modifications to the original car for installation. Constructed from heavy-duty rectangular steel, it is laser cut and jig-welded to exact specifications and weighs in at only 125 pounds. Their complete subframe kit includes custom-designed upper and lower tubular control arms, QA1 adjustable gas coilover shocks, billet aluminum upper shock mounts, and a solid chromoly heat-treated sway bar. Also featured in the kit are adjustable engine and transmission mounts, and a power rack-and-pinion system complete with steering arms. Tony decided to add ATS AFX spindles and billet steering arms to give the front end its final injection of performance.
Let's follow along as Peter Newell and his team at Competition Specialties in Walpole, Massachusetts, get busy installing the new front subframe and suspension as well as re-hanging all of the front end sheetmetal.

Tony contacted Speed Tech...

Tony contacted Speed Tech Performance for one of their complete subframe kits. Laser-cut and jig-welded, the stout new subframe also came with Speed Tech's custom high-clearance tubular upper and lower control arms, QA1 adjustable gas coilover shocks, and Unisteer power rack-and-pinion with steering arms. Tony then added the ATS AFX spindles to the mix. Not pictured are the billet aluminum upper shock mounts, adjustable engine mounts, sway bar, ATS billet steering arms, and installation hardware.

One of the many cool features...

One of the many cool features of the Speed Tech front subframe is its fully adjustable transmission mount. It gives the car owner the ability to accommodate all GM transmissions in addition to the Borg-Warner T56 and Tremec TKO.

Box-steel construction, combined...

Box-steel construction, combined with well-designed subframe to body mounts makes installation a breeze since everything is engineered to fit.

With the firewall area cleaned,...

With the firewall area cleaned, painted, and prepped, the team marked the outer two front locating points of the four mounting locations for the subframe parallel to where it will bolt to the body structure.

Instead of running the factory...

Instead of running the factory rubber body bushings, the team will replace them with aluminum bushings. These will add additional stiffness to the chassis.

This image not only lets you...

This image not only lets you see the aluminum body bushing in place on the outer subframe mount, it also lets you appreciate the quality welding that goes into every Speed Tech product.