Earl Guynes was a young car guy when he purchased a 1967 Camaro for 500 bucks about 45 years ago.
The car needed work and was rebuilt with a little help from first-generation donor cars because Earl was on a very tight car guy budget.
In 1983, Earl was a young husband en route to fatherhood and decided to sell his car for “diaper money” in his words, because he had a baby boy on the way.
Jim Sutherland
That son was named Jared, and he became part of an amazing car guy story with a happy ending when Jared surprised his dad with the same car as a gift for his 65th birthday.
Jared began his search for his dad’s long-lost Camaro a few years ago and discovered it “nearly in Oklahoma”, in his words. The old pony car was not in good shape and required plenty of work before Jared would be able to give it back to his dad as a surprise gift and pay Earl back for his baby diaper investment.
The restoration process took 2 years because Jared wanted the Camaro to be better than the car during his father’s first ownership when it was a “Frankenstein car” (Jared’s description) because of the large number of random first-gen Camaro parts in it. It was not an easy process because Jared lives in a small Texas community where everybody knows everybody, consequently a secret is difficult to keep under wraps, particularly when it comes to a vintage vehicle with a strong family link.
Initially, Jared’s wife and sister were the only ones who knew about the Camaro but since it required plenty of work and parts, he was forced to include other people in the secret project. It was a difficult process because his dad Earl was also the local expert (affectionately known as Mr. Earl) when it came to first-gen Camaros, but he was not an option for Jared.
Nothing came easy for Jared during the restoration process because he chose to do a rotisserie rebuild on his dad’s Camaro and make it much better than its days with his dad when it was a car in primer. Jared decided to stick with the Camaro’s 350 small block transplant because his dad never owned the car with its factory small block.
Jared also wanted to use an old school carburetor system because he wanted to maintain its period-correct vibe, a concept that included the outdated fuel delivery system used by his dad when he owned the car. The fact that Earl really knows how to work carbs and is very comfortable with them made it a no-brainer for Jared.
Jared learned very quickly that a car restoration is a complicated process and will take much longer to reach the end of the project. He described it as “One more thing, then one more thing, then one more thing…etc.”; a grim experience felt by every car guy during a major build.
Jared set a deadline to reunite his dad with his beloved Camaro on his father’s 65th birthday, even though a distributor problem arose less than a day from the celebration deadline. The festivities were already planned, and the two guests of honor had to be at it. Somehow Jared was able to get the Camaro fired up for the event, despite some incredible misadventures along the way.
Jared was very aware of his dad’s deep attachment to the car, even though Earl never complained about the loss. His father used to get excited whenever he saw one and talked about his ’67 Camaro in reverential terms every time. Earl’s reaction was not lost on Jared and, even though he was a kid, Jared wanted to reunite his father with the Camaro when he was older and had money.
Many years later, the dream came true for father and son as a surprise gift on his car guy dad’s 65th birthday. It was an impossible dream that came true for both men. Jared is a skilled communicator, so we decided to give him the final words:
“ I’ve only seen my dad cry two times in my entire life. Dad only smiles, laughs and selflessly gives his best effort in the service of others. Tonight I saw him cry a third time, as he realized the car in parking lot that looked just like his old one, was actually his after all. He was shocked. He threw his arms around me“.
“And it was one of the best moments of my entire life”.
I love you Dad. Thanks for the diaper money.
Jared Guynes
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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