Automotive | Long Lake Camp Adventures

Automotive

Work on Classic Cars!

Our American Muscle automotive camp program is the only one of its kind in the world! We teach campers to restore and beef up real classic American Hot Rods! From oil changes to complete engine swaps we do it all. We have a growing fleet of project cars ranging from the 1950’s up through the 90’s. Including a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner, a 1953 Chevy Pick-up, Two 1970’s Buick Skylarks, a Ford Ranchero, Turbocharged BMW 3 series and a 1991 Off-Roading monster Jeep Wrangler!

Highlights

ATV Rides
Repair Shop
Restoration
Car Builds
Mechanics
Oil Changes
Engines
Auto Painting

ATV & Off-Roading

Before we get to the restoration projects I want to tell you about the off-roading beast called the Mangler. This is a 1991 Jeep Wrangler and our campers love riding in it through the woods (with our mechanics driving). Campers adore getting stuck in huge puddles or climbing embankments and using the winch when needed. This summer the Mangler will need some maintenance and a few upgrades to the suspension.

Engine Repair

Campers also have the opportunity to learn about the general upkeep required to maintain a healthy vehicle: from changing oil and tires to checking and refilling fluids and minor quick fixes. In Long Lake Camp Adventures style we learn these important jobs on an awesome 1971 Buick Skylark! While she might be considered a “backyard beater” she is loud, fast and a real head-turner.

Muscle Cars

This program all started with restoring a true classic American muscle car: A 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner! When we first picked up this car, it did not run and looked awful! After a few summers, we had her purring and it even passed a New York State inspection! Each year we tackled a different part of the car whether it was the body, the engine or the interior. The Roadrunner is now at my good friend’s body shop getting an amazing paint job. It will be our mission this summer to put the car back together once the paint sets.

About The Automotive Program

Below is a picture of the project we started last summer. This Rat Rod will hopefully be on the road by the end of the next season. On top of the physical work, the campers helped design the look, stance, and drivetrain. Our 1929 Ford T-Bucket is one of a kind, join us this summer and help us finish this awesome ride. After this project is finished we begin on our turbocharged 325is BMW drifting car and the 1972 Buick Skylark GSX! Whether we are rewiring a whole car or sandblasting a quarter panel our campers are doing all the work alongside our mechanics. Once one project is finished we start on the next but not before we go cruising in the classics and off-roading in the Jeeps! Come join us this summer and join the gearheads!

Campers in all sessions with a passion for engines join our 2 mechanics in the automotive workshop, learning the ins and outs of how a vehicle actually works, which parts do what and how they all come together.

Last summer we started our most in-depth build to date, a 1929 Ford T-Bucket from the frame up! Campers drilled every hole and welded each mount on the frame. They ran every brake line and gas line and cranked every nut and bolt needed to build a car. There was not one part on the frame when we started this project. By the end of the summer, we got the engine to turn over and it was the most exciting and rewarding noise ever for the campers who built it.

This summer we will be getting the hot rod street- and strip- ready and we need your help! Campers will help us create our own custom interior, work with our blacksmith to design and build a custom grill to protect the engine, complete the ignition system, wire up all gauges and design the lighting for the car including headlights, tail lights and blinkers. I would really like to add rally-style fog lights and finally everyone’s favorite part…test-driving this beauty!

In addition to the Hot Rod project, we have many other projects going on as well, such as turbocharging a 1995 BMW 3 series. This awesome car is the answer to our campers’ demands for a Fast and Furious type project. She will be a super powerful drift car once we are finished. In 2018 campers will be plumbing the Turbocharger and intercooler plus installing a hydraulic e-brake and slamming it to the ground with an all-new suspension system.

These projects take a lot of time. Campers really get connected to each project and cannot wait to return the following summer to finish what they started. While learning mechanics, campers also learn patience, the importance of coming up with a plan and not rushing into a job; measure twice cut (or drill) once!

Our mechanics’ passion and knowledge of engines, mechanics, maintenance, and construction are second-to-none. They live and breathe motor vehicles and want to share their passion with children who love all things mechanical.

All of this and Automotive is still just ONE of the countless activities you can take part in here at Long Lake Camp Adventures!