Spartan Garage students to raffle restomodded Camaro
A Central New York teacher and his students are raffling off a restomod project car to raise money for their high school’s automotive technology program.
The car, built by the East Syracuse Minoa Central High School’s “Spartan Garage” (named for the school mascot) is a 1967 Camaro powered by a 327 with a four-speed transmission. It boasts (non original) Rally Sport trim, a cowl induction hood, aftermarket wheels, rally stripes, Old Air Products air conditioning and more.
The Camaro was purchased in Winchester, Virginia, and selected in recognition of the F-body’s 50th anniversary. This is an annual program at ESM High and this Camaro is the 12th project car built by the school’s technology students, with support from their instructor Ryan J. Beckley as well as community partners.
“People love the color—high octane red with black stripes—and they’re surprised we kept the manual (transmission),” said ESM High School senior Tim Shane. “And they really like the digital gauges that are backlit red.” Shane plans to attend Morrisville State College in Morrisville, New York, where he will major in Automotive Technology. He already has a head start with college credits from his high school automotive classes as well as hands-on experience in class and from his internship at a local business.
All of ESM High School’s automotive classes are designed to be at least 50 percent hands-on and students get under the hoods of the project cars and get involved. However, most of the work on the annual raffle vehicle is done outside of class.
“I like seeing what happens when you put all the work into it—you start out with nothing and it becomes something you can be proud of,” said senior Ryan Hargraves, who is planning to enlist in the United States Army to learn diesel mechanics.
The Camaro’s show-quality finish was applied in the body shop at East Syracuse Chevrolet, where virtually all of the Spartan Garage builds have been painted.
“We like to participate with the school. The project helps kids get into the business and it’s a way for us to show what the body shop can do,” said Lee Walters, the body shop manager at East Syracuse Chevrolet. “Not every kid will like working with cars—it’s like planting a seed and hoping it grows.”
The paint and body supplies used on the Camaro were provided by Saves Auto Body Supply in Syracuse.
“It’s a great partnership and we’re very happy to participate,” said Pat Sweeney, Owner of Saves Auto Body Supply. Sweeny has provided the paint and body work materials for a number of years.
The drawing for the car is scheduled for July 16. Raffle ticket information is available on the Spartan Garage’s website at SpartanGarage.org or by contacting technology teacher Ryan Beckley at [email protected] or 315-434-3313.
To order by mail, raffle tickets are $10 each, 3 for $25 or 15 for $100. Make checks payable to ESM Spartan Garage Booster Club or “ESM SGBC” and mail to: East Syracuse Minoa CHS, Attn: Spartan Garage Car Raffle, c/o Ryan J. Beckley, 6400 Fremont Road, East Syracuse, N.Y. 13057.