Camaro Performers - July 2014 - Work Group Solutions

Transcription

THE HISTORY OF IROC RACING!
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CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURE
56
The IROC Series
Looking Back at the International Race of Champions
TECH
34
Fuelish Pleasure
Two Ways to Keep Your LS Engine From Going Lean
48
Recovery Plan
New Seat Covers to Give Your Classic Camaro
a Modern Vibe
66
Coil-overture
A Coilover Conversion for Fourth-Gen Camaros
76
Less Revolutions = More Fun
An Overdrive Unit Adds Much-needed Driveability
to Our ’67
WON THE COVER:
Detroit Speed Inc. is well-known for building high-performance suspension products for classic muscle cars (mostly Chevy, but they now have early Mustangs
covered, too), but they’ve recently engineered performance suspension products for the fifth-gen Camaro as well. To extensively test these new parts, they went
and built one of the most intimidating ’12 street-driven Camaros in existence. Check out the full feature starting on page 28.
Photo by Robert McGaffin
•
4
camaroperformers.com II July 2014
DEPARTMENTS
06
Firing Up
18
What a Drag!
10
Firing Back
News
You Need to Know
16
82
Camaro Big-block Mystery Solved
20
You Said it ...
14
Resto Shop
Tony’s Garage
Stuff You Need
86
He’s Here to Help
26
Straight Line Spotlight
The Baddest Drag Racing Camaros
Parts Bin
Readers’ Rides
It’s All About You
90
One Last Turn
The Witch Hunt
F-Body Garage
Camaros in Progress
CAMARO PERFORMERS (USPS # 025-147)(ISSN # 1944-8589), Volume 11, Number 06, is published nine times a year in Jan., Feb., Apr., May, Jun., Jul., Sep., Oct., and Dec. by Source Interlink
Media, LLC, 261 Madison Ave., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016. Copyright © 2014 by Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. All Rights Reserved. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5);
NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Camaro Performers, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Printed in the USA. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY,
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$18.00 per year (for surface mail postage). Payment in advance, U.S. funds only.
July 2014 II Camaro Performers Magazine
5
FIRING UP
Nick Licata [email protected]
What a Drag!
•Being that you read this magazine, or at least look at
the pictures, I take it for granted that you either own or have an
interest in Camaros. And being that much of what we cover in Camaro
Performers magazine, on camaroperformers.com, and on all of our social
media sites, is performance based, I would then conclude that you have
been down a dragstrip, on an autocross, or a road course at least once
in your life, either as a driver or passenger. With that said; if you have
yet to partake in any of those activities, I’m sure one or hopefully all of
them rate very high up on your bucket list. I’m fortunate to have done
them all and even had some professional training in road course and
autocross driving. And after every session, I leave a much better driver
than when I arrived. You can never know too much about hitting the
braking zone just right, proper apex entry and exit, and driving the
quickest line. I mean, there is just so much to learn about road racing,
it’s hard to take it all in even throughout a three-day course.
Now, I’ve been down a dragstrip quite a few times and I thought I was pretty good.
There’s really not much to it, right? You do a burnout (the really fun part), stage your
car, step on the gas, try to cut a good light, and make your way down the quarter-mile.
What’s so hard about that?
Well, that’s exactly what I thought before being offered the opportunity to take the
Dragster Adventure Challenge Program at Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School held at
the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, California, along with about 20 of my peers. As it
turns out, there’s a lot more to drag racing than I had previously known. Frank’s course
starts off with about an hour of classroom instruction, in which he talks about the intricacies of staging and driving the dragsters, and he even touched on the proper way to
do a burnout (again, my favorite part). Frank then dives into the mental aspect of where
you need to be long before you strap into a car, whether it’s your 13-second street car
or, as in our case, one of the school’s 10-second dragsters. Instruction then moves onto
the Christmas Tree and where you need to focus once you’ve (properly) staged the car,
when to mash the pedal in order to cut the quickest light, and where to look once
you’ve launched the car and are heading down the track.
Due to space constraints, I’m only able to scratch the surface of what goes into properly preparing yourself before hitting the track, but the knowledge I gained about drag
racing that day will make me a much better driver the next time I hit the quarter-mile.
On top of everything I learned throughout the course, I have to say that it was just
about the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel of any car. There’s just something cool
about going down a quarter-mile in 10.5 seconds at 130 mph while sitting just inches
from the ground.
It’s safe to say, I’m totally sucked in and am looking forward to taking the Super Comp
course to get my NHRA competition license good to 7.50 seconds. And that license will
also cover driving a new COPO Camaro. I’m just sayin.’
Frank Hawley’s drag racing schools take place at various tracks
throughout the country. Go to frankhawley.com to see the course
schedule. In fact, if you’ve taken one of his courses or any other
form of a driving school, email me at [email protected]. I want
to hear about your experience.
You in?
During our classroom instruction, we were
treated to some extra words of encouragement from NHRA Funny Car pilots Robert
Hight (left) and Jack Beckman (center)
– both Frank Hawley Drag Racing School
alumni. In fact, Jack still works at the school
and is in charge of West Coast operations.
Frank continues teaching the course on
the starting line, demonstrating how the
Christmas Tree works and explaining the difference between shallow and deep staging.
Frank is also the official starter. He analyzes
your first run, which is only an eighth-mile
(half track). If everything looks good, he cuts
you loose and you are then allowed to make
a full quarter-mile run next time out.
Nick Licata, Editor
Here is the Frank Hawley Dragster Adventure Challenge
graduating class of April 2014.
Go to camaroperformers.com to see in-car video
6
MARY POZZI
11-TIME SCCA SOLO
NATIONAL CHAMPION
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EDITORIAL
Network Content Director Jim Campisano
Editor
Nick Licata
Managing Editor
Bill Klein
Contributing Editors
•Bruce Biegler •Grant Cox •Rob Fortier
•Tony Huntimer •Stephen Kim •Robert McGaffin
•Ro McGonegal •Mary Pozzi •Steven Rupp
•Chris Shelton •Jeff Smith •Chuck Vranas
Digital Production Editor
Christine Dang
ART DIRECTION & DESIGN
Art Directors
Danilo Silverio
David Wardrop
Archivist
Thomas Voehringer
ON THE WEB
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titanium or tool steel retainers, locks, seals & seats are included.
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FIRING BACK
You Said it ...
Letter of the Month
-Top Gun
Nick,
I got my May 2014 issue of Camaro Performers magazine in the
mail yesterday and hauled it off to work. I threw it in my helmet
bag, as I often do in case I have some down time in the jet—and
lo’ and behold, what do I see on the cover? TOP GUN! I fly with
those guys! Great dudes. American heroes, every one of them.
E.V. Aiello
Fallon, Nevada
p.s. Great mag. Keep up the good work. Oh, and not to worry;
I don’t read it while I’m actually flying.
-I’ll Take One for the Team
Nick,
I recently received my Road & Track and Hot Rod magazines; both had tests on the
new Z/28 Camaro. Now, I’m assuming shortly Camaro Performers will be next in line
for a test session with the best Camaro to date. So, I’m offering my services if you need
someone to autocross, road test, or drag race the Z/28. I’m your man. Heck, I’ll even
come out and detail it!
Keep up the great work.
Peace,
Anthony
•We appreciate
all the photos
we get from you
readers who bring
along an issue of
CP during your
travels, but this
gem just rocketed
to #1 on the
leader board!
Nice work, and
keep ’em coming.
Anthony,
We commend you for your willingness to go great lengths in taking one for the team.
You are on “the list” should a ’14 Z/28 show up at our office. Just remember to bring
a bucket, sponge, and some micro-fiber towels.
Ed.
-Treasure
Hello,
I saw the May 2014 issue’s Firing
Back section regarding third-gens being
“Trash or Treasure.” Some said they are
not worth the money; just junk and don’t
look good anyway. Given that, I’d like
to voice my opinion on the subject.
I think it would be hard for any person
building a car to really say that they
actually got all of the money out of their
10
cars that they put in. Most decent street
cars cost somewhere between $10-40K,
and the super high-end magazine cars
can cost between $50-100K.
Now, for the gearhead like me who doesn’t
have a lot of disposable income, I think the
third-gen is the car to go after. They are
very inexpensive and the cost to restore one
would be just as much as restoring a first-gen
(probably even less). When I say restore, I’m
referring to shiny new paint and nice interior.
Then comes the performance stuff. We
all should agree that the third-gen handles
much better than a stock first-gen. Given
that, I wouldn’t need to buy an aftermarket front and rear clip to have it keep up
with other cars on the road today, whereas
in a first- or second-gen, you do. By doing
an engine, trans, brakes, and rear axle
swap with a clean third-gen, you could
have a real badass street car.
With the general consensus being that
all third-gens are slow, my answer to that
is, if you can’t make a car fast with today’s
aftermarket products, then you probably
need to find another hobby!
I want a ’69 camaro, too, but I could
build a very nice third-gen for $10K – the
same price it would cost for a rusted-out
’69 roller!
And seriously, does everyone really
think third-gens don’t look good?
Jeremy Denzel
Ventura, California
CHECK US OUT 24/7 AT Ê
FACEBOOK.COM/
CAMAROPERFORMERS
@CAMAROPERFORM
@CAMAROPERFORMERS
ON INSTAGRAM
-Bottom Feeder
We recently posted a photo on our Facebook page featuring Tim Adams’ fourthgen Camaro being worked on by having
the engine removed from the bottom of
the car while the body was being held up
by an engine hoist. Many of our Facebook
followers thought this was irresponsible
and downright dangerous, while others
came to the rescue insisting everyone
relax, as this is the easiest way to remove
an engine from a fourth-gen. As is usually
the case with our Facebook page, there
were plenty of colorful comments that we
thought would be fun to share with our
magazine readers. We even had some guys
share photos of their car in the same pose.
Arnold Kidla: What’s the big deal???
It’s not like he raised it and dropped the
motor. I’m sure he just raised the body
Dan Mareck
Alvin Oliveri
-More From Facebook
We like stirring things up a little, so again using our Facebook page, we asked the
question: Is it cooler to run 9.0 e.t.’s in a manual car or go 8.0 e.t.’s in a Camaro equipped
with an automatic?
With approximately 140 responses, this one seemed to be split down the middle.
Here are just a few.
Chris Diehlman
after removing all bolts, nuts, etc.,
and just rolled the engine out.
Think outside the garage.
Gary J. Morgan: when ya can’t raise
the bridge, ya gotta lower the water.
Jose Francisco Sanchez: Loose nut
behind the wheel.
Andy Norton: These people are the real
deal, not the millionaires who have it all
done and brag about having a cool car.
Bravo to the backyard mechanic!!
James Sink: Nothing to see here,
just doing a tune-up.
Danny Danovo Rudd: The average
redneck at work.
Charlie Miller: I swapped three motors
in the same fashion. Who needs a lift?
Zach Turnmeyer: 9.0 grabbing gears
Flip Lsx: 8s. Winning is more satisfying than bitching about losing to an auto car.
Matthew Lantz: Goin 9.0s bustin knuckles
Todd Shaffer: Real drivers use manual!
Chevy Mann: Automatic. Everytime
David Knoles: Manual transmission for road course.
Automatic transmission for drag racing.
Techdeth Head: I build automatics, so duh!
Patrick Garcia: 9 with stick...actually have to know
how to drive!
Joshua O’Brien: 8.0 of course.
DROP US A
LINE-WE READ
EVERYTHING
EMAIL US AT:
[email protected]
Better ET’s At
The Track &
More Fun
On The
Street
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THENEWS
Event
2014 LS FEST
•Holley is pleased to announce
September 5-7, 2014 as the official dates
for the 5th Annual Holley LS Fest. Once
again, Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling
Green, Kentucky, will host the largest all-LS
celebration in the country. 2013 saw record
numbers of both participants and spectators, and there was already excitement in
the air about 2014 being the 5th anniversary of the event.
The Holley LS Fest continues to be the
only event in America where you can
bring your custom LS-powered vehicle
and participate in autocross, drag racing,
dyno challenge, engine swap challenge,
show-n-shine, the 3S Challenge, countryside cruise, drifting, and
more. All of these performance disciplines can be enjoyed in one
venue over the course of the three-day event.
There are two ways to keep up to date on the 2014 Holley LS
Fest: log on to lsfest.com or head on over to the Holley LS Fest
Facebook page (facebook.com/lsfest).
Big Screen
BUMBLEBEE RETURNS
(© General Motors)
•Chevrolet and a Camaro that converts into the iconic
Bumblebee will once again turn heads when the Transformers
movie franchise returns to screens around the globe in the upcoming Transformers: Age of Extinction from director Michael Bay, in
theaters June 27.
The fifth-generation Camaro converted into Bumblebee in the
2007 film Transformers, the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the
14
Fallen, and the 2011 film Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The latest edition features two Camaros specifically built for the film, one
a heavily modified vintage ’67 Camaro SS and the other a futuristic
concept Camaro.
“The Transformers movies have been a great partnership for
Chevrolet by allowing us to introduce our vehicles to new fans,
young and old, around the world,” said Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer, Global Chevrolet. “Now for the fourth time, you’ll
see a Camaro as a heroic Autobot – a fitting role for one of the stars
of Chevrolet’s lineup.”
Said LeeAnne Stables, executive vice president of Worldwide
Marketing Partnerships for Paramount Pictures: “The Chevrolet
partnership with this iconic Michael Bay movie franchise has
become one of the longest-running and most innovative moviebrand relationships in film history. This new Chevy campaign will
definitely bring new and exciting elements to a global audience of
Transformers movie fans around the world.”
In addition to providing vehicles for the production, General
Motors’ locations for filming included GM Design at the Warren
Technical Center, the Milford Proving Ground, and the Lansing
Grand River Assembly plant.
Put the Hammer Down.
You don’t cut corners or accept compromises.
Use the best parts.
Trick Flow GenX® 255 square port cylinder heads can significantly
increase the performance of your GM LS-powered hot rod. Highlights include
LS3-shaped CNC Competition Ported runners, CNC-profiled combustion chambers, 12° valve angles,
coolant holes that work with all LS head gaskets and engine blocks, and your choice of standard
or 6-bolt mounting patterns—all engineered, machined, assembled, durability tested, and dyno proven
in the USA to help your car stay ahead of the pack.
Dyno Results
Airflow Results
GenX 255 Square Port
GenX 255 Square Port
Lift Value
®
Test Engine: GM 6.2L LS3 short block with 10.43:1 compression, Trick Flow GenX 255
square port cylinder heads (TFS-3261T002-C01), Trick Flow Track Max® hydraulic roller
cam (TFS-32603001), stock L92 intake with 90mm throttle body, Kooks headers with
17⁄ 8" primaries, and dual exhaust with 3" Flowmaster mufflers.
Intake Flow CFM
Exhaust Flow CFM
.100"
71
59
.200"
146
113
.300"
231
171
.400"
294
215
.500"
334
240
.600"
363
252
.700"
382
258
Tests conducted at 28" of water (pressure).
Bore size: 4.065"; exhaust with 17⁄8" pipe.
To view more airflow charts, go to TrickFlow.com and type the part number
you want to see into the Search box and then click “Search.”
Some parts are not legal for use in California or other states with similar laws/regulations. Please check your state and/or local laws/regulations.
1407CFTF
F-BODY GARAGE
Nick Licata [email protected]
Date Night
•It’s a cold hard fact that projects involving classic Camaros commonly carry hidden secrets that lay quietly beneath that thick layer
paint and clearcoat. And once you start digging in to add a little personal
flavor here and there, the car has a tendency to take on a life of its own.
Such was the case with this ’69 being built at Holohan’s Hot Rod Shop in
Mooresville, North Carolina.
Dan Holohan gives us the lowdown. “The car started out as a project
in which I’d help my good friend Jon White install a DSE suspension
system and a set of mini-tubs in his garage a couple nights a week after
work hours. We even joked and called it ‘date night’ when we would get
together to work on the car. Now, it’s not uncommon for cars like this to
need all new sheetmetal, and this Camaro was no exception, but I noticed
that the entire roof panel had been cut off and replaced with a donor roof.
And not just the skin; it had been cut right through the A-pillar—inner
structure and all.”
With the extra sheetmetal work required, the car moved over to Dan’s
shop, with the agreement that Jon still help out a couple nights a week
and keep “date night” intact. Done deal.
Motivation will come by way of a 655hp Mast Motorsports 427 LS7,
which will exhale through a set of Ultimate Headers and custom HHRS
3-inch exhaust and Flowmaster mufflers. A Tremec T-56 will handle
shifting duties, while a Detroit Speed Inc. subframe and QUADRALink
suspension system will take aim at conquering all corners and apexes.
Billet Specialties Boost wheels and BFG KDW rubber will reside on all
four corners.
Dakota Digital VHX gauges will keep Jon informed on engine vitals,
16
and a Vintage Air SureFit A/C system will keep the
occupants cool while secured in a pair of comfy Corbeau
Sport Seats.
Semi-tucked bumpers, rocker lip extensions, recessed
emblems, and new HHRS chin spoiler are on tap for the
exterior modifications, while the new sheetmetal will be
doused in Porsche Liquid Silver with charcoal “massaged”
DX1 stripes.
Dan pointed out that throughout all the trials and tribulations of a long-term project like this, the car usually takes
on a name. “Date night is a term we commonly used, so the
name just stuck. In fact, Jon liked it so much that he got
“DATENITE” personalized plates.
Dan joked that when people see the plates while Jon and
his wife are cruising the ’69 they’ll think “awe, that’s so
sweet.”
If they only knew ...
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RESTO SHOP
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Tony Huntimer [email protected]
If the original block stampings had been
machined off, the MV mystery may have
never been solved.
This document is a
to protect Yenko owpiece of history. The car data has be
en trimmed
ners.
Camaro Big-block Mystery Solved
•Engine blocks are stamped with
a decent amount of data about the car or
truck it was born with from the factory.
Pertaining to the first-gen Camaro VIN
stamped on the block, you get a “1”
followed by the last eight digits of the
VIN (as shown - 18N412520).
The engine data stamp (T0223MV in
our example) can be broken down as
follows: The first letter is the engine
assembly plant (T = Tonawanda, New
York), the next four digits are the month
and day of manufacture (02 = February,
23 = 23rd day of month), and finally the
application suffix code (MV = 396 cid/375
hp/manual transmission).
Historically, for the 1968 model year, the
MV suffix has been assumed to have been
strictly reserved for “dealer converted”
427 engines, but was inconclusive. Recent
data supplied by Brian Henderson of
Super Car Workshop has shed some new
light on the MV engine suffix code.
Brian was researching a ’68 Yenko COPO
Camaro and ran across a factory data sheet
sent from Yenko to Vince Piggins back on
June 5th, 1968. It shows the VINs of the
first ’68 COPO Camaros sold to different
dealers. One of those VINs is stamped in
the four-bolt 396ci block belonging to
Yenko Supercar YS-8006 COPO Camaro,
which is also stamped with the MV suffix
code. Since the ’68 big-block MV code
is specific only to the ’68 Yenko COPO
Camaros and the block is a standard-bore
396, it is believed that this engine was
installed at the factory by GM in the
handful of rare COPOs. Non COPOs would
have received the MQ suffix code engine.
Since most MV blocks were removed by
Yenko and listed for sale in the Pittsburgh
Press, very few exist today. Rumor has it
that many were installed in work trucks.
The MV short-block would have been
exchanged for a 427ci/425hp short-block
at Yenko using the top end of
the MV engine for the conversion. Very few ’68 COPO Yenkos
were sold without the conversion
to a 427. No ’68 Camaros were
Putting a Stop to Leaky Lines
•Stop disconnected fluid lines from leaking all over you and your
shop’s floor with Eastwood’s Fluid Line Stopper Set plugs. These springloaded line stoppers retail for $29.99 and are great for keeping fluid in the
lines as you work on your Camaro. For more information or to order up a
set of stoppers go to eastwood.com/CP714 or call them at 800.343.9353.
18
produced from the factory equipped
with an automatic transmission and solid
lifters. That distinction is reserved for the
very rare ’68 Gibb 396ci/375hp Novas,
of which only 50 where produced. The
’68 COPO program paved the way for the
factory-installed MN and MO 427 ’69
Camaros. Additional information on these
cars can be found at Charley Lillard’s
Super Car Registry at www.yenko.
net. You can follow along with several
’68 Yenko Camaro and Fred Gibb Nova
restorations, along with many other rare
Chevrolets, at the Super Car Workshop
Facebook page.
Special thanks to Brian Henderson for
his help with information and images.
If your ’68 Camaro block has an MV
engine suffix code, please contact us at
[email protected].
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TONY’S GARAGE
ALWAYS
OPEN
Tony Huntimer [email protected]
Q. Hi Tony.
First, let me say I love your column a
usually look at it before any other featu
in the magazine. I have a ’69 Camaro
with a stock 350, stock intake manifold
and a four-barrel carburetor. The car h
stock exhaust manifolds and a chamber
exhaust system. I’m interested in upgra
ing the engine and would like your adv
on what makes sense as I start, and also
in what order to do things. I’d like to
add long-tube headers but rarely see
anything in your magazine (except
for last month) about a chambered
exhaust system. Are they compatible? Also, I’d like to upgrade the mani
and carb to something like an Edelbroc
Air-Gap and a Holley carb. Finally, I’d
like to have a little more performance o
ented cam. What order should I do these
upgrades? Eventually, I’d like A/C and a
front drive system, too. I’m not racing or
autocrossing the car. I’m just looking for
things to make it a little cooler with a little
more power and better sound.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Mark D.
Via email
A. Mark,
Thanks for the kind words.
Since you’re asking where I would start,
I assume you’re going to do this in stages.
Anytime you install a freer flowing exhaust
system, you will need to adjust the carburetor to make up for the increase of airflow,
for the best possible performance. This is
one of the reasons I would probably install
the headers first.
With some basic and typical modifications performed by your local exhaust shop
to your chambered exhaust system, it will
work with any type of header or exhaust
manifold setup. They will cut the system
back to the proper length and install some
flanged reducers to adapt the header collectors to the 2.125-inch chambered system.
Are you dead-set on running full-length
headers? There are mid-length headers
out there that don’t hang down as much.
VHedman Hedders (from left to right): ’67- 81 Camaro super
short tube headers PN 68396 (uncoated, PN 68390), ’67- 69
Camaro long-tube headers PN 66003 (uncoated, PN 65003),
’67- 81 Camaro mid-length Elite Heavy Duty headers PN 68608
(uncoated, PN 68600).
Photo courtesy of Hedman Hedders
Camaros that sit a little lower than stock
ride height benefit from these mid-length
headers and can get plenty of performance
gains from them.
When you’re ready for carb and intake
manifold, it’s a good idea to pick the ones
you want to run in the long run and consider
installing a high-performance camshaft
at the same time. This will save money
later on. If you choose a carb and intake
that work with a low/stock performance
camshaft and you decide to upgrade the
camshaft to a higher performance level,
you’re going to end up buying a second carb
and intake manifold. If you can swing it, do
all three at the same time.
Just in case you’re new to the hobby,
each intake manifold is rated for optimum
performance within a specified rpm range.
That range is determined by your end goal
performance. Be it mild performance, street/
strip, Pro Touring, drag racing, etc., be realistic when choosing what you want. Don’t
shoot for the stars and get something you
won’t be happy with. Once you’ve decided on
a performance level, you’re ready to choose
an intake manifold. For best performance, a
(Note, this letter originally appeared in Tony’s Garage in the Dec, ’13
issue. – Ed.)
Q. Tony,
Back in the day, I bought a new ’78 Z28 with a 350 and a fourspeed. Since the day I drove it off the lot it has had a bad vibration starting around 75 mph and gets worse all the way up to 90
mph, where the vibration doesn’t get any worse or better. The
dealer changed the harmonic damper, rebalanced the tires, and
20
carburetor and camshaft need to be matched
to the intake manifold. A mild street
Camaro can deliver plenty of power from
an Edelbrock 650 carb, Performer intake
manifold, and Performer cam and lifter
kit. If you’re looking for more power, choose
a Performer RPM intake manifold and a
larger carburetor from Edelbrock or Holley
to match. Then choose a cam and kit from
Edelbrock or COMP Cams. Both companies
have excellent tech support to help you get
the right parts for the best performance.
If you haven’t yet looked into front drive
systems, make sure that you choose one that
allows an easy upgrade that includes an A/C
compressor. I’ve always been a big fan of the
Vintage Air FrontRunner system. To make
sure everything lines up correctly, it includes
a water pump and alternator, along with
everything else you’ll need. Other kits that
don’t include the water pump and alternator
are just leaving too much room for possible
fitment issues. You can always install a
FrontRunner with an A/C pump and run it
without hooking it up until you’re ready, just
as long as you keep the caps in place until
you’re ready to hook it up.
may have changed out the flywheel.
None of these fixes worked. Over the years, I have replaced
tires and rims, had the engine rebuilt (balanced and blueprinted)
with 9:1 pistons and a mild Isky hydraulic cam. I have also had a
new driveline built with a larger diameter tube. The engine runs
like a sewing machine up to 5,500 rpm in Neutral. No vibrations.
The only way I can describe the vibration is that it is related to
the speed of the car and is a very tight or short-wave type of
vibration. If the shifter is against the rear stop, the vibrations
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6UJLHNHPU9/:OHZYLKLÄULK[OLWLYMVYTHUJLL_WLJ[H[PVUZVM3:LUNPULZ^P[OULÎVS[VUYLJ[HUNSLWVY[J`SPUKLYOLHKZ
MVYZ[YLL[YHJL]LOPJSLZ;OL7YV,SP[L3:*`SPUKLY/LHKZHYLOPNOWLYMVYTHUJL3:Z[`SLOLHKZ[OH[MLH[\YLYHPZLK
PU[HRLY\UULYZMVYLUOHUJLKZ[YHPNO[SPULVMZPNO[HPYÅV^[V[OLJ`SPUKLY`L[[OL`YL[HPUÄ[TLU[^P[OZ[VJRHUKHM[LYTHYRL[3:
PU[HRLZHUK]HS]L[YHPUZL[\WZ6[OLYKLZPNUMLH[\YLZPUJS\KL*5*THJOPULKY\UULYZ[OPJRKLJRZ\YMHJLYLPUMVYJLK
YVJRLYHYTYHPSZPTWYV]LKJSHTWPUN^P[OHIVS[KLZPNUHSZV^VYRZ^P[OIVS[HUKLUOHUJLKÅV^^H[LYQHJRL[Z(]HPSHISL
IHYLVYM\SS`HZZLTISLK^P[OWYLTP\T*647*HTZ]HS]L[YHPUJVTWVULU[Z[OLZLOLHKZHYLJVTWH[PISL^P[O
6,4.43:ISVJRZ.43:?ISVJRZHUK9/:3:9HJL)SVJRZ
Application
Stock or modified GM LS 5.7-6.0L blocks,
even fits 3.900" bore
Hardcore street/race engines with
moderately large cubic inches
Larger cubic inch, boosted race &
454-502c.i. street engines
P-Port version of #54503
(unfinished runners, no valve job)
P-Port version of #54501
(unfinished runners, no valve job)
Bare Head
Part #
54503
Spark
Plugs
66cc
Valve Size
In.
Ex.
2.100"
1.575"
(8mm)
(8mm)
1.615"
(8mm)
Angle
Runner Chamber
Size
Size
266cc
Angle
54501
291cc
69cc
2.200"
(8mm)
54504
307cc
69cc
2.250"
(5/16")
1.615"
(8mm)
Angle
54502
-
-
-
-
Angle
54500
-
-
-
Angle
5V^(]HPSHISL-VY
:[VJR)VYL3,UNPULZ
2!#).'(%!$3%26)#%#/-s1.877.776.4323
Q
*Available fully assembled with COMP Cams® valve train parts and choice of
Titanium, Tool Steel or Steel valve spring retainers.
TONY’S GARAGE
are transmitted to the shifter. If I move the shifter off the rear
stop, the vibration goes away from the shifter, but is still present.
There’s no vibration in the steering mechanism. I have not done
anything with the rearend as far as troubleshooting. The car has
never been wrecked, raced, or excessively abused. Any suggestions as what I may try next to troubleshoot this problem.
Thanks for your help.
Bill Pedersen
Via email
A. Bill,
WOW! It sounds like you’ve been pulling your hair out for a while
trying to find this vibration issue.
One of my first thoughts was that the driveshaft may be out of
phase (universal joints clocked 90 degrees off of each other). Properly
phased universal joints are in the same clocked position in the front
and the rear. Universal joints out of phase are not a common occurrence, but it has happened. Since you said that you’ve replaced it
already, that turned into a fleeting thought. It truly sounds like it has
to be in your rearend. Not the one you sit on. I’m referring to the one
mounted to your leaf springs.
Have you attempted to check how “true” your axles are by using
a dial indicator with the brake drums removed? An axle could have
been machined improperly from the factory. An axle could be slightly
bent. I used to work at GM, and I’ve seen some cars get seriously
abused before they end up on the lot of a dealership. A Teamster or
a truck driver could have taken your car for a joyride and hit a curb
before you received the keys to your brand-new pride and joy back in
1978. Most likely you would have noticed the brake shoes on one side
wearing more than the other. It doesn’t take much to cause a vibration like the one you’re experiencing.
If you haven’t already, check the pinion yoke on the rearend to see
if it may have been machined slightly off-center. If the pinion yoke
universal joint cups are improperly machined, the driveshaft could
be whipping around and cause the car to shake at higher speeds. You
would probably need to measure the runout of the rear of the driveshaft with a dial indicator with the car up on jackstands. This would
allow you to rotate the driveshaft.
If the problem increases or decreases while accelerating or decelerating in the trouble range, you may have pinion angle problems.
Also, check the angles of the driveshaft. Changing the ride height of
your car can change your pinion angles and cause unwanted drivetrain vibrations. Since you’ve had this problem since you purchased
the car, pinion angles are probably not your issue but still worth
a look. You can measure the angle of your crankshaft/transmission output shaft as well as your differential pinion angles with a
basic angle gauge. For best results, the car should be level (easiest
to accomplish on a drive-on rack). A production leaf spring car
should have about 3 degrees down on the transmission output shaft
and about 3 degrees up on the differential pinion angle. These add
up to 6 degrees of difference. Seven degrees is about the maximum
for long universal joint life. Three down and three up should get
you a pretty smooth ride. If you’re way off of these measurements,
you can get some angle shims to adjust the pinion angle or you’ll
have to figure out a way to shim the transmission mount to get it
within spec. If your car was a moderate- to-high-performance Pro
Touring leaf spring car, you can adjust the differential pinion angle
to as much as 3 degrees down before you may start noticing chassis
vibrations. The variation from stock and high-performance angles
has to do with combating the amount of leaf spring wrap-up from
applied power/torque.
Good luck!
Mystery Vibration, Part 2 …
Q. Tony,
I had the driveline shop technician take the Camaro for testdrive yesterday. He thinks there is a slight vibration from the
engine, which could be felt up through the shifter. He recommended a fluid-type harmonic damper. He also mentioned about
having a new pressure plate/clutch/flywheel assembly that has
been balanced as a unit. While the car was on the lift, we ran
it in First gear. The driveline and pinion yoke looked good.
No noticeable problems. However, the passenger rear brake
drum did have some noticeable vertical (up and down) motion.
Possibly a bent axleshaft. He also said to keep my hand off the
shifter while driving. I wouldn’t notice the vibration as much
and, more importantly, holding the shifter back against the
stop puts pressure on the shifting forks, wearing them out.
Who knew?
I’m not familiar with the fluid-type damper. Any comments?
Thanks,
Bill Pedersen
Via email
A. Bill,
I’ve never personally had experience with fluid-type dampers. The few engine builders I trust have all steered me to nonfluid-type dampers from reputable manufacturers. For that reason,
I’ve only used conventional dampers from the factory on my stock engines,
and from TCI or BHJ Dynamics on my performance engines.
Your mechanic was on the ball about keeping your hand off the shifter.
He’s correct that you will prematurely wear out shift forks and sliders. I
would have mentioned it, but when it comes to manual transmissions, I
assumed everyone knew to keep their hand off the shifter and their foot off
VTCI makes one of my preferred higher-quality
dampers.
the clutch pedal unless they were shifting.
Have that questionable brake drum and axle checked. I
really hope you find the culprit. Good luck!
•GOT A BURNING TECH QUESTION? EMAIL TONY HUNTIMER AT [email protected]
22
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SPOTLIGHT
Bruce Biegler [email protected]
Cutting-edge Carolina Camaro
•The husband and wife team of Dave and Sue Morris have
debuted their new and truly impressive ’69 Camaro to do battle
in the NHRA Super Gas and IHRA Super Rod 9.90 wars this
season. The stunning-looking piece, which features a great
design scheme and paint application by Glenn Eckat
(The Paintin’ Place, Mohnton, Pennsylvania) is in fact the
very first next-generation ’69 Camaro roadster to be conceived
and built by Jim Hughes and the reputed shop Don Davis
Race Cars. The car features a 585ci big-block Chevy by Carroll
Hine (WideOpen Technologies, Douglasville, Pennsylvania)
and a Hughes transmission and converter assembled by
Kevin Kleinweber to transfer power. Based out of York, South
Carolina, the team’s primary sponsorship comes courtesy
of Lou and Shirley Nislar.
Tampa-based Test of Time
•Yet another example of the resiliency of the Chevy
Camaro within drag racing circles comes from Florida’s
Mike Pearson. Mike has been running the same ’68 Camaro
SS since way back in 1978. Over the years his machine has
morphed while seeing action, as well as being a popular fan
attraction, within NHRA, IHRA, and Southern Stock/Super
Stock Association circuit events. Fully self-maintained, Mike
did all of the assembly and does all of the servicing to his
car, which currently runs SS/HA with a 350ci engine rated
by the NHRA at 317 hp. Mike’s Camaro features cylinder
heads by Dave Layer, flat-top pistons by Patterson Racing,
Crower rods, and a Powerglide transmission behind an ATI
torque converter. Pearson’s Camaro is regarded as a real flyer
in the class as evidenced by his career best 9.92 e.t., which came earlier this season during NHRA’s Gatornationals. Mike is employed
as a superintendent at Hawkins Construction Inc., and spends his racing weekends accompanied by his fiancé, Debbie Vance.
26
Black Tracking Camaro
•Since taking delivery of his Jerry Bickel-built ’68 Camaro
early in 2013, Utah’s Ed Olpin has certainly been on a tear.
Powered by a naturally aspirated 632ci Steve Schmidt powerplant, and running within NHRA’s Top Sportsman class, Olpin’s
machine has proven itself to be one of the best in class overall
within NHRA’s Lucas Oil Division 5. Year one with his car
produced an NHRA divisional event win and the overall Top
Sportsman championship at his home track of Rocky Mountain
Raceway in Salt Lake City, plus a runner-up finish during
the highly prestigious Jegs Pacific Sportsnationals race.
Then, early in 2014 Ed wheeled his Camaro to what so far has
to be arguably his biggest career win when he took the Top
Sportsman title during NHRA’s national event race in Phoenix
this past February. Ed’s great success is also a credit to his crew,
which includes his son Eddie and support staff Ryan Hanson
and Grady Johnson.
An Intriguing Invader
•I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, for NHRA’s Professional
drag racing categories to grow and prosper, there needs to be
more international participation. And in that department, there
is a fresh new face emerging. Australian Shane Tucker debuted a
brand-new and potential-ridden ’14 Chevy Camaro within NHRA’s
Pro Stock wars earlier this season. While Tucker’s planned 2014
NHRA circuit racing schedule will be somewhat sporadic due to
business demands back home in Queensland, his new Camaro is,
without question, a super serious effort. The Camaro was expertly
built by Jerry Bickel and Shane. Shane, used to racing in the
400ci Pro Stock class in his home country, is making some driving
adjustments to find success with the NHRA’s 500ci Pro Stockers.
He’s also employed the high-end engine leasing services of North
Carolina’s Victor Cagnazzi. Shane and his promising team will fund
their ongoing U.S. racing invasion using their very own company,
Auzmet Architectural as their primary sponsor.
27
feature
WHITE MO
Kyle Tucker’s Bad-ass, “Street-Legal” ’12 Camaro
By Nick Licata | Photographs by Robert McGaffin
W
ith the rebirth of the Camaro hitting the streets in April
2009, the fifth generation of GM’s most popular muscle
car was an easy target for the aftermarket to load their
guns with numerous performance and styling upgrades.
While many took shots, some were successful – some, not so much.
The attractive, yet aggressive body style and industry-familiar LS
powerplant made for ripe pickin’s. And while the factory, consumergrade suspension is decent, there’s room for improvement. Unfortunately,
the rat race to be the first to market with product only increased the
chances of compromised quality.
28
With Detroit Speed Inc. specializing
in aftermarket performance suspension
products, the company’s owners, Kyle and
Stacy Tucker, just sort of stood back and
waited for the proverbial smoke to clear
before attacking Chevy’s re-entry into the
muscle car world. They made absolutely
sure the market was there before a
single control arm was engineered.
Fortunately, the sales numbers proved the
late-model Camaro to have real staying
power, so DSE’s engineering team got
ONSTER
busy developing parts designed to turn
a decent performing Camaro into a great
performing muscle car.
Kyle picked up this ’12 2SS Camaro,
formerly a BFGoodrich test car used
to help launch the COMP2 tire. The car
had been hammered on road course
demos all over the country. With only
2,200 miles (admittedly very hard miles)
on the odometer, Kyle purchased it with
the intention of using it as a test mule
for DSE product development.
“When I saw the GM SSX concept car
designed by David Ross and built by
Pratt & Miller, it influenced me to take
this build in a similar direction,” tells
Kyle. “I also told the folks at BFG that
I would continue to keep up with the
tire-shredding abuse it had seen while
in their hands.”
Promise kept.
Kyle and the DSE crew baseline tested
the car before bolting on prototype suspension parts, but early product testing
revealed that they needed more car to
punish and develop the parts correctly.
Kyle: “With some initial testing done,
we made good progress but decided to put
a more aggressive plan into place. If something wasn’t functional, it came off the car.
If it weighed a lot, we cut it off the car.
The intention was to build this Camaro as a
no-nonsense, barely street-legal, race-ready
hot rod. We were making good headway
and having tremendous success with
the new parts, but we needed a way to
29
White Monster
condense testing. That’s when we decided
to enter the car in the One Lap of America.
We couldn’t think of a better way to get
a good amount of seat time, cover tons of
street miles, and get it out on road courses
all over the country.”
So, the driving duo of Kyle Tucker and
DSE engineer Ryan Mathews grabbed
the Camaro, hit the road, and tallied up
4,000 road miles and 20 track events in
just eight days, all on a fresh build with
prototype suspension parts. Talk about
a “shakedown run.” Their enthusiasm
for the unknown turned out to be a great
experience for two reasons: they learned
a lot about the integrity and functionality
of the new parts, and those guys had more
fun in eight days than most experience
in eight years.
On top of gathering up useful data, the
duo took Second place in the SSGT2 Big
Bore class. Not bad for a car built in just
80 days.
The method to Kyle’s madness started
with a 7.14L aluminum RHS block. MAST
Motorsports machined the LS7 to 436 ci—
4.165-inch bores with a 4-inch stroke.
Hanging from a Callies DragonSlayer crank
are Callies HD I-beam rods armed with
Diamond Racing 12:1 pistons. MAST 305
LS7 aluminum heads cap the madness
via ARP fasteners. With cam specs under
wraps, provided information concluded
a COMP solid roller provides optimum
performance for the car’s street/track
personality.
A custom DSE air cleaner housing
fronted with a K&N element connects
to a Harrop Hurricane LS7 ITB intake
manifold. With twin Squash Performance
fuel pumps, along with FAST 39 lb/hr fuel
injectors, the thirsty MAST production
stays quenched with plenty of swill.
A C&R Racing oil cooler and aluminum
radiator keep engine temps in check,
while heat and fumes escape through
a set of Jet-Hot–coated Stainless Works
1 7⁄8-inch headers. A Stainless Works
3-inch crossover pipe and chambered
exhaust system attempt to dampen the
fury exhibited by engine’s 700 horsepower
and 650 lb-ft of torque.
Shifting duties are handled by Rockland
Standard Gear direct shift six-speed
transmission and a Centerforce twindisc DYAD clutch. Campbell Gear Tech
(Mooresville, North Carolina) assembled
the HammerHead rearend stuffed with
a Truetrac and 4.33 gears.
With the horsepower department
covered, the obvious in-house suspension
parts would consist of product developed
by the DSE engineers. Up front, GM
spindles work in conjunction with DSE
coilover struts and springs, which are
damped by adjustable JRI cartridges. DSE
camber plates, antiroll bar with aluminum endlinks, and caster kit complete the
ensemble. Out back, the recurring “adjustable” theme continues with DSE adjustable lower control arms, trailing arms, toe
links, and antiroll bar with endlinks. The
collaboration works gracefully with the
adjustable JRI shocks to ensure maximum
lateral adhesion to the road.
Baer 6R calipers and 15-inch rotors
reside on all four corners and rest behind
a quad grouping of flat-black 20-inch GM
ZL1 wheels wrapped in BFG Rival rubber
(285/35-20 front, 315/35-20 rear).
It’s no secret that weight is an issue
with the fifth-gen Camaro, especially for
those looking to scavenge all available
performance. With that said, the DSE
crew gutted the cushy SS interior in
favor of race-only necessities. A custombuilt DSE rollcage and a set of black
Sparco Evo seats and Schroth six-point
harnesses populate the now-seemingly
cavernous cockpit. The race-inspired
theme continues by way of the DSE
aluminum door and side panels, carbonfiber false floors, shifter, and Sparco
383 steering wheel. The factory GM
quarter-windows and rear glass were
replaced with 5-Star Lexan. An Auto
Meter LCD Race Dash and a bevy of
switches populate the custom-built
carbon-fiber dash panel. A Vintage
Air Gen II heater/defroster keeps the
windshield free of moisture.
Michael Neighbors and Ted Dobkowski
took over the exterior and massaged the
body before dousing the fifth-gen in a
ghostly shade of PPG GM White offset by
the black-wrapped hood and solid roof
panel. Stylish yet functional performance
nuances include a front splitter kit and
rocker panels borrowed from a fifth-gen
1LE. Less subtle yet more functional is
the Crawford Composites Grand-AM rear
wing protruding through the Seibon
carbon-fiber decklid. A Pratt & Miller
rear wing mount and brackets bolt it to
the frame.
Reflecting on the build, Kyle coyly
admits, “If I had the chance to do it all
over again, the only thing I’d do different
is start building it 80 days sooner so we
would have had twice as long to build it.
The guys at the shop worked on it mostly
after hours so we didn’t disrupt our dayto-day business, but we really had a blast
31
White Monster
putting this car together. We definitely have the best people
in the industry.”
Once all was said and done, DSE took a basic ’12 Camaro SS and
transformed it into a no-nonsense, Trans-Am–style, late-model
hot rod built to perform at the highest level at any road course or
autocross, yet still able get away with driving on the street when
necessary. With that said, this Camaro is an absolute monster,
or as Kyle calls it, The White Monster…
Kyle wanted to personally send a shout-out to the amazing
cast who helped make this build happen.
Stacy Tucker .......................................................................................... Co-Owner
Mark McDonald .................................................................................Fabricator
Matt Butts ......................................................................Fabricator/Assembly
Ryan Mathews ................................Engineer and Project Manager
Michael Neighbors ...........................................................Body and Paint
Ted Dobkowski .......................................................................Body and Paint
Andy Stapp ..............................................................................................Fabricator
Jay Lesar .............................................................................................................. Wiring
Chad Tomlinson ................................................................................... Machinist
Gary Bohanick ........................................................................................Graphics
Cody Vaughn .........................................................................................Fabricator
32
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By Nick Licata
•In the previous issue (June ’14), we continued to show our never-ending appetite for more horsepower and built a stroked LS3 for our fourth-gen project, Black
Betty. Everything was going fine until we took the car to Westech Performance in
Mira Loma, California, for a tune and some dyno pulls so we could truly enjoy the
fruits of our labor. Unfortunately, low fuel pressure starting at about 4,000 rpm drove
us to abort the dyno session until we could figure out the problem. Mathematical
calculations showed the stock fuel injectors should have been able to supply plenty
of fuel for the amount of horsepower we were making. Taking this into account, we
turned our focus to the fuel pump. Black Betty is now 13 years old, an age that furthered our belief that a tired fuel pump was the culprit. We figured that since it was
time for a replacement, we might as well upgrade it while we’re in there.
We put in a call in to the folks at Aeromotive and told them about our fuel delivery
woes and approximately how much horsepower our engine makes. They suggested
we go with the Stealth 340 fuel pump (PN 11169 – GM Inlet, $180). The Stealth 340 is
an in-tank pump that offers superior flow throughout a wide range of pressure, at 40
psi it delivers more than 340 lph (liters per hour), which is quite a bit more than our
stock GM pump was able dish out, even working to its full potential.
We were confident the new pump, with its increase in fuel flow, would easily cover
the needs of Betty’s current horsepower level. However, if we ever plan to “up” the
horsepower even more (you know we will), we got in touch with our friends at FAST
to improve our game in the fuel injector department just to be on the safe side. The
stock LS3 injectors are rated at 41 lb/hr. We told the tech gurus at FAST how much
power we were making and they suggested we go with a set of their 50 lb/hr injectors (PN 30507-8, $400). They’ll offer more than enough fuel for our car’s power
34
output, and we felt it was money well
spent. As the saying goes, “an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
So we headed over to Don Lee Auto in
Rancho Cucamonga, California, to install
the new fuel pump. Now, you can do this
one of two ways: drop the rearend, suspension, and exhaust to get the fuel tank
out; or you can go the easy route and cut
a hole in the trunk above where the fuel
pump is located. Being the hot rodders
we are, we did it the easy way and cut
a hole in the trunk. The benefit of doing
this is that we now have an easy access
point should we have to do any maintenance on the fuel pump ever again.
As a side note, we waited to install
the larger-capacity fuel injectors until
we got to Westech Performance. Due to
the fact that Betty was carrying a tune
that was fine for the smaller injectors.
With the larger injectors’ ability to flow
more fuel, we didn’t want to risk fouling
the spark plugs.
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tune engine placement for optimal clearance and
Starting at 499/kit
fit. Includes POLYPLUS™ mounts.
POWER
BRAKE BOOSTERS
Available for most popular applications.
Plain Booster Combos - Starting at
Chrome Booster Combos - Starting at
Master Cylinders & Prop Valve - Starting at
199/kit
399/kit
139/kit
$
$
$
Available for most
popular front and
rear applications.
Pro-Touring options
also available.
Starting at $129/kit Starting at - Front
WILWOOD CALIPERS
& MASTER CYLINDERS
Sold separately or an upgrade to any kit.
NEW BILLET MOUNTS
NOW AVAILABLE
SWAY BAR
KITS
149/ea
Rear - $139/ea
SHOCK ABSORBERS
CPP carries
RideTech, RCD,
QA1, and our
own "Black
Magic" nitrogen
gas shocks.
$
39/ea
$
CALTRACS
TRACTION BARS
Calipers - upgrade - Starting at $199/ea For your Nova or Camaro, this system is made
Master Cylinders - Starting at $259/ea to out perform.
CLASSIC PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS, INC. 800-823-1299
378 E. Orangethorpe Avenue | Placentia, CA 92870
www.classicperform.com
(714) 522-2000
Fax: (714) 522-2500
Prices subject to change without notice. Please note that kits and prices may vary between certain applications.
290 PAGE
CATALOG
AVAILABLE
NOW!
TECH
01
02
03
04
05
06
08
07
The Aeromotive 340 Stealth fuel
01
pump kit comes with everything
needed to make the install smooth. Keep in
mind that this is referred to as a universal
kit, so we had to make a minor modification to the factory plastic fuel sump. We’ll
get into that in a minute.
To get to the fuel pump in an ’01
Camaro you can either lower
the rearend, loosen the suspension, and
remove part of the exhaust—all of which
is a royal pain in the butt—or, if you’re not
worried about keeping things original (ours
is far from factory fresh), you can cut out
a hole in the top of the trunk area. Don
Lee Auto’s Rick Galloway had previously
done this modification on a ’99 Camaro,
so using that as a mental template, he
measured and marked off a 12.5x7.5inch rectangle centered about 5.5 inches
from the rear of the raised trunk area.
02
not to drill too deep and accidentally
puncture the tank. Now, the guys here
have done this before so they used a
cutoff wheel but made sure to go very
slow and shallow while cutting the opening. Using snips may be the smart move
if you’re doing this in your garage or
driveway. Unfortunately, the fuel pump
in an ’01 Camaro is in a slightly different
location than in a ’99, so the cut had to
go all the way to the rear of the raised
trunk area surface.
Before removing the fuel lines and
04
pump, Rick cleaned off the dust
from the top of the pump with compressed
air so as to not get any dirt or debris in the
fuel tank upon pump removal.
With a flathead screwdriver and
05
hammer, he nudged the retaining
ring counterclockwise to loosen the pump
assembly from the tank.
With a drill and a 1⁄4-inch bit,
Rick made starting holes on all
four corners. It’s important to be careful
03
36
06
Once loosened, he was able to
remove the fuel lines and unclip
09
the sending unit from the top of the
pump assembly.
With that done, Rick was able to
07
remove the fuel pump. Be careful
lifting the pump assembly out of the tank,
as the sump will be full of fuel.
With the pump providing over 13
08
years of service, you can see here
how much debris accumulated in the filter
screen. Ours was also folded in half.
The main issue we had was that
09
the internal fuel line had a pinhole
(arrow), which caused inadequate fuel
pressure at high rpm. This also caused hard
starting, as the fuel system was not able to
retain pressure once the car was turned off.
TECH
11
12
10
13
14
15
16
17
18
on, Rick removed the factory housing. This will ensure the pickup point
about 2 inches from the top of the pump
10 Moving
fuel pump from the assembly.
of the pump will reach the bottom of the
assembly.
fuel tank.
Installing the new Aeromotive 340
He then crimped the new wiring in
11
pump required a cut to be made at the
Being the Stealth 340 is a universal
16
with the old. The red Aeromotivebottom of the factory rubber pump housing 13 pump, a simple modification had to
supplied wire goes to the factory gray wire
in order for the new pump to come through be made to the factory sump. This entailed (power) and both black wires (ground) go
the bottom. Hang tight. This will make
sense in a second.
Rick then took a measurement
from the top to the bottom of the
fuel tank to determine how far the fuel
pump will need to stick out of the sump.
He then matched it up with the top of the
fuel pump assembly to the bottom of the
Aeromotive pump. Here you can see how
much the pump sticks out of the rubber
12
38
drilling 1⁄2-inch holes in the side and bottom of the sump to ensure plenty of fuel
reaches the pump.
With the factory pump and wiring
14
removed, the Aeromotive-supplied
wiring harness clips to the top of the
together.
5
Although Aeromotive supplied a ⁄ 17
inch rubber fuel line in the kit, it was
a little too short for our application, so we
used comparable fuel line cut to the necessary length.
new pump.
15
At this point, Rick cut the factory
black (ground) and gray (power) wires
16
how it looks properly
18 Here’s
assembled.
VHX SERIES
DIRECT-FIT
1967-89 CAMARO APPLICATIONS
1967-68
1969
1970-81
1982-89
CALL TOLL FREE
1.888.200.9338 FOR A FREE CATALOG!
WWW.DAKOTADIGITAL.COM/CP
TECH
19
20
21
The strainer screen was then
To cover up our new access hole, we
19 attached
to the bottom of the pump. 22 got a piece of black sign stock from
nearby Swifty Sign in Rancho Cucamonga.
Here’s the pump assembly all wired We cut it to our specs then drilled a couple
20
up and ready to go back in the
of small holes and used self-tapping screws
tank. The holes in the plastic sump will now to cover our tracks. Although not shown,
help ensure fuel makes it to the bottom of
the pump. Although fuel slosh is a slight
concern, we spoke with quite a few people
who have done this upgrade and they’ve
not experienced any issues.
The pump assembly goes back in the
21
same way it was removed. Only now
the fuel pump will be getting fuel from the
22
we later sealed the access panel with Dum
Dum tape to keep out moisture and dust.
We now have easy access should any other
issues arise with our fuel pump. If you don’t
mind cutting a panel in your trunk area,
this is the way to go. Our access hole looks
pretty good, and once the carpet goes
back down, there’s now way to tell we were
even there.
bottom of the tank and not the bottom of
the sump. All that was left to do was attach
the sending unit and reattach the fuel lines.
Back at Westech Performance
To address fuel delivery under the hood, we picked up a set of
FAST 50 lb/hr injectors to further ensure our stroked LS3 gets
plenty of swill. It never hurts to be on the safe side. Besides, you
never know when we’ll do something else to increase the power. It’s
just the kind of thing we’d do.
23
24
If you’ve ever tried to change injectors on a fourth-gen,
23
then you know what a pain it can be. To make life easy,
Westech Performance chassis dyno technician Eric Rhee pulled off
the fuel rail in order to plug in the new FAST injectors.
Before making any dyno pulls, Eric spent a good amount
24
of time dialing in the proper air/fuel mixture for the new
injectors. He also confirmed that the new fuel pump and injectors
offered plenty of fuel, so our worries of going lean are now a thing
of the past.
After a few pulls on the chassis dyno, and Eric making
25
numerous tweaks via his laptop, we ended up with a very
stout 496 hp at 5,952 rpm and 488 lb-ft of torque at 4,426
rpm. Did we want to hit 500 hp? Absolutely. And we could have
if we spent time fudging around with tire pressure and other
shenanigans, but we opted to keep it real. This car is now totally
streetable and very trackworthy. The next step is to get this thing
back out to some events and have some fun. And that’s what it’s
all about, right?
25
40
feature
THERE’S NO PL
Fate Made This ’67 Scott
Peterson’s First Car; The Skills
it Inspired Made it First-Rate
42
By Chris Shelton | Photographs by the Author
M
y first car. From an enthusiast’s perspective those three
words probably carry more weight than the million or
so others around them. Even if your first was a turkey,
chances are you’re still pretty fond of it. It meant you never had
to rely on anyone else to go somewhere. In fact, some peoples’
first car put them on their path, so to speak.
LACE LIKE G90
For our purposes, Scott Peterson’s path began in 1986 with a ’67
that started life with six cylinders and half as many speeds. “It
didn’t take long for me to pull the motor and transmission and put
in something bigger and better.” His weapons of choice: a built
327 and a T10. Rules of the day dictated Centerlines and Radial
T/As—a combination that got him through high school in style.
“Then I entered the mainstream,” he continues. Sadly, that meant
the Camaro sat on the sidelines. A dirt car Scott bought in the late’90s needed power so the 327 was liberated from the Camaro. Then
it sat some more. “But I refused to get rid of it.” Then, in 2004, the
mechanical interests kindled by the Camaro 18 years prior inspired
Scott once again. He and his wife, Julie, founded SDS Machining. But this shop doesn’t just machine parts; it makes
’em on a host of CNC-operated tools.
Inspired by his new toolbox’s potential, Scott did the same thing
you and I would: he started dreaming up parts. Reinvigorated, he
dusted off the thing that started him on his path. Only this time
he did all the things he never could’ve dreamt of before.
Wade Delco and Ryan Winkler with help from Dale Wickline,
Ryan Delco, and Dave Harris established the car’s racing theme
with a 10-point ’cage made from A513 seamless tubing. “We knew
the big-block we were having built would twist the car up, so a
rigid foundation was important,” he explains. Rather than finish
the chassis with universal production components, Scott employed
his resources to tailor it specifically for the application. “All of
the suspension was designed by Wade and Ryan and fabricated
by them or machined by the team here at SDS Machining,” he
indicates. The front package consists of tubular control arms,
knuckles, and steering arms designed to optimize the geometry.
A triangulated four-link system locates a 9-inch-style Moser
housing. RideTech’s Level Pro system and 1000- and 7000-series
43
There’s No Place Like G90
ShockWaves optimize the vertical spring
force for the ideal ride quality and stance
for any occasion. Antiroll bars and customfabricated endlinks optimize the lateral
spring force for ideal handling.
The 4.6-inch-bore Dart Big M block and
the 4 3⁄4-inch stroke Eagle crank swinging in it more than hint that this is no
ordinary engine. Nye’s Automotive in
Muncie, Indiana, made the most of every
one of the engine’s 632 cubic inches by
endowing it with an aggressive COMP
Cams mechanical-roller-tappet cam. It’s a
stick that boasts 313 and 322 advertised
duration, figures sufficient to cripple most
smaller performance engines at speeds just
short of their redline.
Engines as big as this one breathe deep,
as do the 385cc intake ports in the Brodix
Head Hunter cylinder heads. The flattop Diamond Racing pistons yield a 10:1
static compression ratio. Though he used
a Quick Fuel P-series 950-cfm carburetor
on an Edelbrock Victor manifold for the
time being, Scott equipped the 20-gallon
Fuel Safe cell with an Aeromotive in-tank
A1000 fuel pump in anticipation of a future
EFI system. The monster snorts through
44
2 3⁄8-inch headers, a 4-inch-diameter
exhaust, and oval mufflers fabricated by
the build team at SDS Machining. Despite
its pump-friendly nature, the engine
churns 804 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm and
a whopping 811 horsepower at 5,800.
One end of the engine drives a March
Ultra Drive system; the other, a Bowler
Performance torque converter and a 4L85E
gearbox built and modified for six-speed
operation by Mark Bowler. It shifts by two
means: stick by way of a TCI Outlaw shifter
and paddle by way of the paddle shifters.
Portland’s Driveline Specialties fabricated
the steel driveshaft. It spins a 3.70:1 gear
on a limited-slip carrier in the Moser housing. Speedway Engineering provided the
31-spline axleshafts. To give this juggernaut a chance to scrub speed, Scott chose
Wilwood’s 14-inch rotors and six-piston
calipers. He also used the company’s dualcircuit master cylinder, but took advantage
of his company toolbox to make the pedals.
Though extensive, the body modifications throughout the car don’t immediately reveal themselves. In fact, most owe
their existence to mechanical necessity.
For example, the four inches that Wade
Delco and Ryan Winkler extended the
rockers make the already low car appear
even lower, but that’s actually secondary. The original intent was to conceal the
4-inch-diameter exhaust system and give
it a means to exit the car through SDSmachined outlets in the rockers rather
than under them.
The fabricated front valance extends
lower than stock to match the rockers’ new
elevation and to support the machinedaluminum splitter. Extending the valance
an inch forward at the grille deepens the
opening and restores the nose’s profile.
The rear bumper and roll pan enjoyed the
same slap and tickle for consistency’s sake.
Delco and Winkler shot the BASF Glasurit
55 Line urethane base/clear in a color that a
cagey Scott calls G90 Metallic Gray.
Flush-mounted glass hardly bears mention anymore. This does. Rather than
conceal the gap between the body and
production glass with T-molding as others
do, Kevin Batey at Auto Glass Past and
Present in Vancouver, Washington, worked
with the SDS team to close up the gap with
custom glass, a fit typically exclusive to
modern cars. Partly to honor the aerospace
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contracts that made this build possible,
SDS had Advanced Precision Anodizing
in Troutdale, Oregon, finish the aluminum
throughout the car.
Prior to delivering the car to Jim Sanders
at Jim’s Custom Upholstery in Milwaukie,
Oregon, the SDS crew fabricated the interior panels and a steel dash from scratch.
It’s a laborious task made even more painstaking by accommodating the 10-point
’cage. The CAN bus architecture ISIS Power
uses in its Multiplex system organizes
electrical functions by modules installed
throughout the car. The company’s Touchmax panel groups all electrical controls
conveniently in the upper center console.
Jim Sanders, with help from Stayton
Peterson, Scott’s son, finished the fabricated dash and interior panels including the
Corbeau LG-1 Wide seats in black leather.
The ’cage mounts Schroth three-point harnesses front and rear. SDS machined the
dash insert but New Vintage crafted the
Red Line series gauges, among them a pressure gauge for the Top Shot nitrous system
should Scott wish to inflict another 200
horsepower upon the tires.
Back at SDS, the Camaro got a Vintage
Air climate control system and a host of
audio components, among them a Kenwood
DDX719 head unit, Kenwood amplifiers,
46
two Alpine SWR-T10 subwoofers, and two
sets of Hertz ESK 165L component drivers.
Not even the Forgeline ZX3P wheels
escaped the SDS touch. The company
machined them, submitted the centers to
anodizing for consistency’s sake, and laser
engraved the center caps with the G90 logo.
They measure 19x9 and 20x12 and wear
265/30-19 and 345/30-20 Michelin Pilot
Super Sport hides. With the last lug tightened he was done … done for now at least.
But we’re not quite yet done. Scott
extends a great deal of gratitude to his wife,
Julie, for her patience. “You can imagine
this build went over budget and took a lot
longer than anticipated,” he says. He also
praises the SDS crew, for without its help
he admits he never could’ve pulled this
off. “A business is only as successful as the
people, and we have great, talented, dedicated people,” he says.
Oh yeah, about the car’s name. “People
ask what G90 stands for,” Scott admits. “It’s
CNC machine code that represents absolute
position.” Translation: G90 represents the
reference point from which a CNC machine
bases all of its measurements and movements. It’s the machine’s home if you will,
the point from which it started its path and
it knows exactly where it stands in relation
to that point.
As a general rule, old cars take their
drivers back in time as they take them to
where they’re going. Scott Peterson’s first
car takes him more than back in time; it
takes him to a special place personally and
professionally: G90. You know … home.
450
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• Create 45-degree single, double & bubble brake flares
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• Use for brake lines, transmission cooler lines,
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TECH
GET IT
Ground Up
866.358.2277
ss396.com
TMI Products
800.624.7960
tmiproducts.com
Recovery Plan
New Seat Covers to Give Your Classic
Camaro a Modern Vibe
By Steven Rupp
•If a Camaro’s paint is all about eye candy for those outside the car, then the
interior must surely be for the driver and passengers. Even if the exterior of a classic
Camaro is nice, a shoddy interior can drag down the whole driving experience.
The good news is that the aftermarket makes it easy to restore your interior back
to better-than-new status. While reproductions of just about every interior trinket are
readily available, some companies are also churning out better-than-stock offerings.
One such aftermarket company is TMI Classic Automotive Interiors. They’ve been
producing high-quality interior restoration parts for years and are now delving into soft
parts with a custom look.
Rather than just making exact replicas of the parts that originally came in our
01
Our ’67 came to us with a factory
01
bench seat. Given this, we didn’t have
the original buckets. We searched about
and couldn’t find any decent cores to work
with so we ordered new seat frames from
Ground Up (PN ISA-67R, $299 each). The
frames worked out great since they were
new and free of any broken springs or
rust. They also came with all the hinges
and latches already installed. The cost was
somewhat offset by the $300 we got for
the original bench seat.
Camaros, TMI also focuses on making
parts that fit the OEM seat frames, but
have a more updated vibe. According to
TMI’s Waylon Krumrie, “We wanted the
stock seats to have a more modern style
but still be true to the car and not look
out of place.” Their new Sport-R seats
have aggressive race-seat inspired side
and thigh bolsters, French seams, and
suede side inserts. Since they utilize the
original factory seat frames, the overall
cost of having killer seats in your Camaro
are kept down. As for costs, the front seat
foam has an MSRP of $150 per seat, and
the covers pencil out for as little as $317
(front and rear kit). Also, in a time where it
seems that more and more replacement
parts are coming in from overseas, all of
TMI’s products are produced at their factory in Corona, California.
48
CHECK OUT THE NEW
LOOK FOR OUR
2010-13 CAMARO
E-FORCE SUPERCHARGERS
EO NUMBER D-215-83
STREET LEGAL SYSTEM MAKES UP TO 599 HP / 547 FT-LBS OF TORQUE
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eaton TVS® rotors – same rotors used on the Corvette ZR1
Self contained oil system with 100,000 mile service interval
Optional 5-year or 100,000 mile powertrain warranty available
Bolt on installation - fits under the stock hood with NO modifications
Designed, cast and made in the USA by Edelbrock
New top and coil cover design is also sold separately (#41144)
for all previous 2010-13 E-Force systems
Visit www.edelbrock.com/cp
Eaton and TVS are registered
trademarks of Eaton Corporation
FREE CATALOGS: 888-409-1552
TECH LINE: 1-800-416-8628 • 7AM-5PM PST, M-F.
©2014 Edelbrock, LLC
TECH
02
05
08
04
06
07
09
Before installing the new TMI foam,
02
we glued on a strip of some heavyduty felt. Back in the day they used burlap,
which you can still do, but the felt is a bit
nicer and can be found at any fabric store.
The replacement foam is made
in-house at TMI. The foam itself is
an exact match for the OEM stuff, but the
materials used are state-of-the-art polyurethane formulations that will resist breaking
down over time.
03
The TMI foam has metal anchors
04
called listing wires built into the
sections. As Dean Satterfield of TMI told
us, “This eases installation by allowing the
upholstery to be hog-ringed to the listing
wires in the foam rather than fight through
the foam to find a spring on the underside.
This alone can save up to an hour per seat
as well as hand and wrist pain from pushing so hard.” The foam base was secured
to the frame at the four corners using
50
03
lengths of wire. These wires were pushed
through the foam (and the metal anchor
points) then wrapped around the seat base
and twisted.
For our Camaro, we decided to
05
roll with TMI’s Sport R covers. The
modern stitching and aggressive bolsters
will give our seats a very modern look. We
also opted for the suede insert panels and
accent grommets. TMI offers a ton of different material, stitching, and accent options.
MSRP for the complete kit (front foam and
front/rear covers) was $950, but the street
price at dealers like Ground Up, is just
under $800. Compared to having seats
custom-stitched, that’s a hell of a deal.
of the rods. Three rods were used for the
seat bottom.
This made for a much more
07
secure attachment point than just
hog-ringing the material to the anchors
in the foam.
The front seat can be somewhat
08
tricky to re-cover, so we would
recommend having a skilled upholstery
shop do the deed. Nonetheless, it can be
done if you take your time. One trick TMI
showed us to help get the new covers
over the foam was to use a sheet of thin
plastic in between the two. This helped
the new covers slide in place over the
seatbacks.
Heavy wire (you can use metal
06
coat hangers in a pinch) was cut
The seat cover was then pulled over
to length and slid into the seat covers at
09
the TMI foam and wrangled into
all the points where the covers would be
position. If you’re new to doing this, then it
tucked into the foam. We also made sure
there were no sharp edges on the ends
might take a couple of attempts to get it
on and aligned properly.
BAER
Pro+
•
•
•
•
•
•
Available in 13” and 14” rotors
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Made in the USA
www.BAER.com
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$3HU7URQL[3HUIRUPDQFH%UDQG
Starting @ $2,345
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Once aligned, the edges were
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brought over the seat frame. You can
also see how we used some heavy tape on
glue and secured around the edge of the
seat frame.
the seat edge to cover a few sharp spots.
At this point we needed to make few
14
holes to accommodate the seat latch,
The new TMI foam was secured to
seat bumper, and hinge pins. Remember,
18
the seatback with four wires, just
check twice and cut once.
like the seat bottom foam was. The seat
Around the bottom edge of the seat
11
cover there is a stiff plastic rail. This
rail was brought over the edge of the seat
frame and then rotated around, locking the
cover to the seat.
Lastly, we bolted on the new seat
sliders from Ground Up (PN IST1054, $99 pair). Nothing beats the look of
fresh parts.
15
here you can see how it looks
12 And
when locked into place.
Like the seat bottom, we started on
The very back edge on both corners
16
by wrapping the edge in
13 needed to be hit with some spray sometheheavyseatback
felt.
52
In addition to the spray glue, we
17
secured the felt with hog rings at the
four corners.
covers feature durable polyester crosslinked backing. TMI feels that polyester
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in the original and in some aftermarket
covers. It costs a little more but allows
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Heavy wires were inserted into the
channels in the covers. These were
hog-ringed to the anchors in the foam.
19
It took two attempts to get the
cover on straight and even, but it
wasn’t rocket science. Once in place, we
pulled it taut in preparation for hog-ringing
it to the frame.
20
The process was pretty simple. We
21
pulled the material tight and then
used hog rings to secure the edge of the
cover to anchor points in the seat frame.
One handy tool that you’re
22
unlikely to have is an upholstery
steamer. TMI used this to soften the
Camaro through the curves of a twisty road
or autocross track.
material and work out a few wrinkles in
the corners.
We also covered our back seat to
26
match. This process was as simple
as removing the old cover, positioning the
We had two new seatback covers
23
from Ground Up (PN ICI-1021, $60
pair) and we could have just installed
new one, and hog-ringing it to the factory
seat frame. TMI offers the rear cover for
standard, coupe, and convertible rear seats.
them as they came, but TMI decided to
wrap them in some matching black vinyl
for a more custom look. The extra material
didn’t come in the kit, but TMI does sell it
when requested.
Remember how we said TMI offers
27
a ton of seat options? Well, here are
just a few. In addition to houndstooth, you
The last step was to assemble the
24
seatback to the bottom and adjust
the latch. The whole process for the one
seat took under two hours.
The end result is a classic seat given
25
a modern makeover. As an added
bonus, the bolstering will keep us in place
much better when we decide to push our
54
can have a standard or deluxe style, suede
inserts, contrasting stitching, black or silver
grommets, and they will even do custom
orders. You can also see their new secondgen seat posed in the middle. These kits
are a great option for giving your Camaro
that custom look without breaking the
bank. In fact, although our optioned seats
had a price tag of $800, you can get their
standard Sport II kit (covers and foam) for
as little as $499.
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1967-68 Camaro Package Velocity Series Black (part no. CAM67VSB)
Velocity Series White
Awarded HRIA
Business of
the Year
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1.800.632.4029
www.classicinstruments.com
de in the USA
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Awarded NSRA
Manufacturer of
the Year
826 Moll Dr., Boyne City, MI 49712
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01
history
THE IROC SERIES
Looking Back at the International Race of Champions
By Nick Licata \ Photographs by Stock Car Racing Archive
panning the globe to bring you a constant variety of sports;
the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The human drama
of athletic competition … This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports.”
Through the magic of television, those famous words of legendary sports
announcer Jim McKay echoed throughout millions of households on Saturday
afternoons for 37 years. The popular sports show ran from 1961 to 1998 but
was most prominent throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Later years saw a decline
in viewership due to cable programming where ESPN eventually became the
premier sports channel.
“S
Growing up in the ’70s, we didn’t have
hundreds of cable channels (or even a
remote control, for that matter). With
basically three major networks to choose
from, and a few local channels, mainstream
sports like football and baseball took up
most of the sporting event airtime. So on
56
many Saturday afternoons we parked in
front of the television, turned on Wide
Worlds of Sports, and were treated to 90
minutes (time-delayed highlights mostly)
of non-mainstream sports like NASCAR,
NHRA, demolition derby, surfing, and the
Joie Chitwood Thrill Show. It was all good
stuff. It was then that I caught my first
International Race of Champions (IROC),
and it was awesome! There was nothing
like it. There was no other racing series
where you could watch NASCAR legends
Richard Petty and Bobby Allison go headto-head with Formula One heroes Emerson
Fittipaldi and Denis Hulme. Mix in IndyCar and F-1 champion Mario Andretti, and
you were treated to the best drivers in the
world trading paint with each other.
Now, I understand that to many younger
Camaro enthusiasts, IROC is merely an
option package developed for the Camaro
beginning in 1985. But the story on the
IROC series goes all the way back to 1973
when Roger Penske, Les Richter, and Mike
Phelps had the idea to put 12 of the world’s
03
04
02
05
06
The late Chris Economaki was synonymous with auto racing,
Bobby Unser returns the favor to A.J.
01
and here he is doing what he always did best: pre-race com- 04
mentary on the grid during IROC V, which was the 1978 season.
Mario Andretti gets a mirror full of Cale Yarborough,
IndyCar, Formula One, and NASCAR winner Mario
05
Bobby Allison, Alan Jones, Tom Sneva, and Neil Bonnett.
02
Andretti leads the way at Daytona. Mario was a regular
We’re not sure how, but were guessing a tire or some large
invitee in the early years of the IROC series and took the
06
piece of debris from another car made it’s way to Formula
championship in 1979.
One racer Ronnie Peterson’s windshield during IROC II. Looks like
Three-time Indy 500 winner and 1975 IROC champ
the right side of the front spoiler and grille got hit as well.
03
Bobby Unser gets a little nudge from four-time Indy
champ and two-time IROC champion A.J. Foyt.
greatest race car drivers in identically
prepared cars to compete on road courses
and NASCAR super tracks in a four-race
series. Richter was cautious to say that the
IROC series might not determine whom the
best driver in the world is, “but we sure go
a long way towards that goal.”
The first IROC season (1974), started on
October 27, 1973, consisted of four events
with racing done in Porsche Carrera
RSRs. The very next year, Chevrolet came
on board and Camaros were the IROC’s
weapon of choice.
The series ran continuously from 1974 to
1980, then, when the economy took a nosedive, it was suspended for three years and
then resumed in 1984. Once reborn, one
noticeable change was the introduction of
the third-gen Camaro into the series. The
Z28 was the launching pad for the IROC-Z
in 1985; a model that would last until 1990
when Chevrolet’s involvement with the
IROC series ended.
Tragedy struck following Race 1 of the
2001 IROC season when on February 18,
2001, Dale Earnhardt lost his life in the last
corner of the final lap of the Daytona 500.
In one instant, NASCAR lost its edge and
IROC lost a good chunk of its soul. Many
agree that NASCAR racing has never been
the same since, and although it’s still going
today, the IROC series ended in 2006.
The IROC series was a great idea that
brought many drivers together from various sanctioning bodies to see what these
guys were made of. Although some say the
NASCAR guys had an unfair advantage
due to the IROC cars being more similar
to their everyday race cars than what the
Indy and Formula One guys were used to,
but that didn’t deter its popularity among
racing fans, and it got European drivers
some great exposure in America.
As a youngster, I always wondered
why they never invited NHRA drag
racing champions like Don Prudhomme
or Don Garlits to mix it up in the turns.
But as I got older I realized those are two
totally different kinds of racing and the
straight-line guys had a lot to learn about
late-braking and apexes before racing
with experienced road racers. But the idea
wasn’t totally out of the question, as just
prior to the series’ demise, Funny Car pilot
Ron Capps did some testing in IROC cars
at Talladega and Chicagoland raceways.
It would have been neat to see a few drag
racers get into the action.
It’s hard to say if the IROC series will
ever come back, but it sure would be
cool to see 12 of today’s top race car
drivers strap in to identically prepared
fifth-gen Camaros and battle it out a few
times a year.
Special thanks to Circle Track magazine
Publisher Rob Fisher for digging through
the archives and coming up with these
fantastic images, most of which have never
been published until now.
57
The IROC Series
08
07
09
10
Unser comes up on Bobby Allison at Riverside
07 AlInternational
Raceway in what looks to be IROC II or III.
10 Ten out of 12 hitting the straight.
Johnny Rutherford goes a little too wide at Riverside.
Richard Petty and A.J. Foyt negotiate the “S” turns at
08
Riverside. Petty was known as The King of NASCAR, but an 11
IROC championship eluded him. His best finish was Fifth at IROC V.
Bobby Allison looks to escape unscathed during IROC VII
12
in 1980. The same cannot be said for Darrell Waltrip and
Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, and Brian Redman battle for posiMario Andretti.
09
tion at Riverside during IROC III’s 1976 season. Foyt took
home the championship that year.
11
58
12
13
Being who the racers are in this group, this looks like IROC
Here are two NASCAR guys in familiar territory. Rusty
13
XIII in 1989. You have A.J. Foyt, Scott Pruett, Dale Earnhardt, 16 Wallace and Dale Earnhardt had many battles in their regular
and up top is IROC XV champion Rusty Wallace.
“company cars,” and this IROC race was no different.
Rubbin’s racin,’ and this witness mark on Earnhardt’s
Here is another great matchup between a CART/F1 racer
14
Camaro proves that these guys are just as competitive in the 17 Emerson Fittipaldi and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt.
IROC world as they are in their native NASCAR country.
This looks to be IROC VIII, in which Earnhardt finished Ninth and
Two CART and two NASCAR guys. This is from IROC VIII.
The one and only year (1984) Cale Yarborough took the
series title.
15
Fittipaldi came in Eleventh for the season.
15
14
16
17
59
The IROC Series
IROC CHAMPIONS
Year Race
Winner
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Mark Donohue
Bobby Unser
A.J. Foyt
A.J. Foyt
Al Unser
Mario Andretti
Bobby Allison
Cale Yarborough
Harry Gant
Al Unser Jr.
Geoff Bodine
Al Unser Jr.
Terry Labonte
Dale Earnhardt
Rusty Wallace
Ricky Rudd
Davey Allison
Mark Martin
Dale Earnhardt
Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Mark Martin
Dale Earnhardt
Dale Earnhardt
Bobby Labonte
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
Matt Kenseth
Mark Martin
Tony Stewart
IROC 1
IROC II
IROC III
IROC IV
IROC V
IROC VI
IROC VII
IROC VIII
IROC IX
IROC X
IROC XI
IROC XII
IROC XIII
IROC XIV
IROC XV
IROC XVI
IROC XVII
IROC XVIII
IROC XIX
IROC XX
IROC XXI
IROC XXII
IROC XXIII
IROC XXIV
IROC XXV
IROC XXVI
IROC XXVII
IROC XXVIII
IROC XXIX
IROC XXX
18
20
18 Go time!
It’s hard to get used to Dale Earnhardt in
19
anything other than a black car, but in 1989 he
raced (at least once) this white Camaro. As a side note,
this was the final year of the Camaro in IROC racing. In
1990 the switch was made to the Dodge Daytona.
Tavis Highlander drew up this IROC fifth-gen
20
a few years ago, and he gave us a little taste
of what the series’ cars might have looked like if the
series was still going today.
19
60
feature
RESTO-MODMrs. Leclerc’s Second-Gen, Pt. II
By Rob Fortier
M
r. Leclerc—Edmond, Oklahoma’s Javier Leclerc to be
precise—is, without question,
a car guy. More specifically, he’s a Camaro
guy, through and through. Furthermore,
unlike many of his Bow Tie brethren, he
also has the great fortune of having a “car
girl” as his significant other. That would
be Mrs. Leclerc, aka Gwen.
It was a few years ago, as Javier was
finishing up a numbers-matching ’69
62
Camaro that Gwen laid her eyes on a ’73
Camaro, which also happened to share a
numbers-matching quality. A friend of the
family owned the second-gen, so being
the generous, loving husband he is, Javier
bought it as a Christmas gift for his wife.
Not long after the acquisition of the ’69,
Javier noticed it was a little lacking in
underhood machismo, so to speak—“the
D2 302 engine was not enough for me,”
he recalled. “So, I decided to buy another
’69 to build a full-blown Pro Touring
machine—with 700-plus horsepower—
instead of butchering up the all-original
Z/28.” So, what exactly does this have
to do with the missus’ Camaro?
“After a couple of years of driving my
monster ’69 Camaro, I noticed that Gwen’s
Z28 barely moved from the garage. She told
me she still loved the car, but didn’t have
time to drive it. After digging deeper into
the matter, I discovered that while having
a big garage full of cars—some Detroit
muscle and some exotics mixed in—she
didn’t feel that her Camaro was ‘exciting’
enough to drive,” Javier admitted.
Springboarding off his own decision to
double his pleasure by building a second
’69, that’s exactly what he did for Gwen in
order to re-inspire her driving pleasure.
“I started looking for another Gen II to
build for her … so she would get all the
attention in the world when she drove it.
-IFICATION
“A couple months into the hunt, I saw an
incredible ’73 on an open trailer heading
south on the opposite side of the highway.
I rushed to find an exit to turn around, but
it took me 10 minutes to finally get on the
southbound lanes. Took another 17 miles
to catch up and persuade the driver to pull
over.” Come to find out, the car wasn’t
for sale, but Javier convinced the driver/
owner, who at the time was relocating to
Texas, to call if he ever decided to sell.
Javier’s quest continued: “After eight
months of looking for a decent deal on a
car, the guy from Texas called. Once we
came to an agreement, he informed me
that the only way he’d sell me the car was
if I returned the trailer he used to haul it
down there to his dad. Done deal.”
With Gwen’s second second-gen in their
possession, the first order of business was
to liven up the Z28’s giddy-up, just as
Javier had set out to do with his number
two. That translated into a 600hp 502
replacing the factory big-block, which
coincidentally began smoking and running poorly upon the Leclerc’s first drive
of the ’73. After the heartbeat transplant
“…Gwen took it for a spin, and when she
returned, had a smile from ear to ear.”
While Javier may have succeeded in giving
his wife some new driving inspiration, the
saga of her latest Gen II is far from over.
“We are still planning to install Vintage
63
Resto-Mod-Ification
“GWEN TOOK IT FOR A SPIN, AND WHEN SHE
RETURNED, HAD A SMILE FROM EAR TO EAR.”
Air and redo the full interior as well as
install a 3-inch exhaust system to make
it breathe better. But for now, we have
the best of both worlds when it comes to
Camaros. I can’t take credit for building
this amazing car, but I now have a great
platform to work from,” Javier surmised.
As for that aforementioned “credit,”
the short list goes a little like this:
Absolute Motorsports handled the
Edelbrock-equipped 502 (which
features a Demon 850, MSD ignition, and Hedman/Spintech exhaust)
as well as the Moser 12-bolt Posi;
DC Transmissions took care of the
700-R4 overdrive; Ray Zaracki, Jr. is
64
responsible for spraying the PPG Slate
Gray Metallic (over his own bodywork);
and Distinct Customs gets the nod for
adding the current interior modifications.
Behind the Z28’s polished, Michelinwrapped 19- and 20-inch Huntingtons
are 11-inch Wilwood discs, the front
hung off Heidts 2-inch dropped spindles
and tubular control arms (mounted via
Heidts subframe connector). Additionally,
the ’73 has been outfitted with a complete
RideTech airbag system.
Tech Check
Owner: Gwen Leclerc, Edmond, Oklahoma
Vehicle: 1973 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
»Engine
Type: GM 502 by Absolute Motorsports
Displacement: 502 ci
Cylinder Heads: Edelbrock oval-port
Rotating Assembly: Eagle rods/crank,
SRP 10.5:1 pistons
Valvetrain: COMP Cams
Camshaft: COMP XR294
Induction: Edelbrock Performer intake,
Demon 850 carb
Ignition: MSD
Accessories: March serpentine, Powermaster
alternator, Carbon Components valve covers,
Moroso 6qt pan
Exhaust: Hedman (mid-length) headers,
Spintech mufflers, ceramic-coated exhaust
»Drivetrain
Transmission: GM 700-R4 overdrive by DC
Transmissions, TCI 2,800-stall converter
Rear Axle: Moser 12-bolt Posi,
3.73 limited-slip
»Chassis
Front Suspension: Heidts subframe
connector, tubular control arms, 2-inch
dropped spindles; RideTech ShockWaves
Rear Suspension: custom ladder bar w/
adjustable Panhard rod; RideTech ShockWaves
Brakes: Wilwood 11-inch discs
»Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Bonspeed Huntington;
19x8 front, 20x12 rear
Tires: Michelin PS2; 225/35-19 front,
335/35-20 rear
»Interior
Upholstery: updated by Distinct Customs
Material: black leather and suede
Seats: GM
Dash/console: stock
Instrumentation: Bonspeed Roulette
»Exterior
Paint/bodywork: Ray Zaracki, Jr.
Paint: PPG Slate Gray
Hood: stock
Bumpers: stock
65
TECH
GET IT
Thunder Valley Hot Rod Shop
641.572.0099
UMI Performance
814.343.6315
umiperformance.com
Viking Performance
800.236.6001
vikingperformance.com
Coil-overture
A Coilover Conversion for
Fourth-Gen Camaros
By Jeff Smith Photos by Bill Irwin
•There are lots of ways to arrive at a decent handling Camaro. One of the quickest
and most affordable ways is to start with one that already benefits from 40-odd years
of improved suspension geometry. So when Bill Irwin wanted to improve his autocross
skills, he decided that starting with an ’00 Camaro would get him further, quicker than
the massive improvements that a ’69 Camaro would demand. Once he was carving
the corners with his fourth-gen Camaro, the next move was to upgrade the shocks
and spring rates. Bill owns a small shop called Thunder Valley Hot Rod Shop in Thayer,
Iowa, and in the midst of his parts search, he discovered that Viking Performance not
only had what he was looking for but was just up the road in Lakeville, Minnesota. He
combined these shocks with a brand-new rear conversion kit from UMI Performance
that allowed him to install the rear coilovers without the need for fabrication or welding.
It was literally a bolt-in affair.
The upgrade process went something like this: Viking sells only double-adjustable
Bill Irwin ran his Camaro at several
Midwest autocross events during the
summer and decided that during its
winter hibernation, it would benefit from
a coilover conversion.
66
shocks, but their prices are still very affordable. The advantage to double-adjustable
shocks is the tuning that allows separate
modification of the compression adjustments from the rebound (expansion). We’ll
get into these advantages in the Shock
Tuning sidebar later in this story. But before
Bill could tune, he needed to install these
parts. So follow along as we work with
Viking and UMI Performance to install
coilover shocks and springs on all four
corners to yank this ’00 Camaro out of its
handling doldrums.
02
01
03
06
The buildup started with a complete
01
set of front and rear, double-adjustable, 2 ⁄ -inch diameter coilover shocks
rear ride height as a reference for after the
coilovers are installed.
from Viking Performance. The front kit is
a direct bolt-on arrangement, but the rear
required the custom mounts from UMI Performance. Bill also upgraded both front and
rear coilovers with the thrust bearing kit.
Viking shocks offer an adjustment range
of 19 separate clicks for both compression
and rebound.
Bill chose Viking’s heaviest 550
04
lb/in spring for the front of the
Camaro. This is a good starting point for a
1
04
2
The thrust bearing kit places these
02
Torrington bearings between the
adjusters and the bottom of the spring to
allow easier changes to ride height with
the spanner wrench. While this bearing
makes adjusting ride height much easier,
there is also evidence that it minimizes
binding of the spring to the shock under
compression.
street car, but there are several very quick
fourth-gen Camaros (including a very
quick one owned by CP editor Nick Licata)
running much higher front spring rates.
While stiffer rates do affect ride quality, this
can be softened by merely adjusting the
compression valving, so don’t be afraid to
increase the spring rate in the front.
Here is the left front upper mount
05
installed on the Viking coilover. The
master cylinder must be loosened enough
to access the upper chock mount bolts on
the driver-side, but this can be accomplished without removing the brake lines.
It’s a good idea to coat the threads
The lower mount merely bolts in
03
on the shock body with anti-seize
06
place, and all that’s left to do is
to prevent galling, since both the adjuster
mount the tires and wheels and set the
05
and the shock body are aluminum. This will
prevent seizing the adjuster to the shock
body, which can ruin your whole day. Now
is a good time to measure the front and
ride height. Remember that any ride height
modification has a direct effect on the
alignment, which will have to be reset.
67
TECH
07
08
09
Shock Tuning
10
11
The UMI upper mount offsets the
07
rear coilover from the OE coil spring
position yet still places the load in nearly
the same location.
Accessing the upper rear mount for
08
the coilover requires removing the
back seat plastic panel on both sides to
install and torque this connection.
This is the UMI lower rear shock
09
mount. Note that it does not rely on
a single shear location for the shock (and
the load), but adds a horizontal 3⁄8-inch
fastener slightly above the lower mount.
Bill had previously added a rear suspension
relocation mount that required a spacer for
this bolt that is provided in the UMI kit.
shows the location of both lower
10 This
fasteners that share the load.
Bill used 12-inch length, 150 lb/in
11
springs for the rear application. Here,
the final ride height has been set and
now he’s ready to take on those orange
autocross cones.
68
Shock absorbers—or more accurately—shock dampers are probably the least
understood component in a typical suspension. Spring rates, camber angles, and
soft-compound tires are fairly easy to understand, but shocks can be a bit intimidating to rookie tuners.
Let’s see if we can shed a little light on this black art. The shock absorber’s job
is to dampen the natural oscillations of a spring. We’ve all seen what happens to a
car with dead shocks. The valve settings in a non-adjustable shock will always be a
compromise for any vehicle. So by creating an adjustable shock, we can tune the car
for varying track conditions. And we can tell you that track conditions and different
courses demand plenty of tuning latitude.
A shock will dampen spring oscillation in two ways: in compression as the shock is
compressed (also called bump) and in expansion, what shock engineers call rebound.
Think of a shock as affecting the rate at which a spring compresses and expands
as the car negotiates a turn or bump. The spring’s job is to absorb bumps and keep
the body from collapsing over the tires. The shock’s job is to mediate, or affect, the
rate at which the spring does its job. Let’s take a look at what happens at the front
of the car when it enters a left-hand turn. The driver moves the wheel to the left, the
body immediately begins to collapse the right front spring while the left front spring
extends. The right front spring will eventually seek its natural position based on the
load applied. With a higher-rate front spring, the right front will compress slightly
while the left front will extend. The rate at which these springs move is determined
by the shock valving.
So let’s say that we have our Viking shocks set according to Viking’s starting
recommendations for the bump and rebound (at 10 and 8, respectively), and we’ve
pushed the Camaro through several more corner entries and exits to get a feel
for the handling. We’ll assume that it pushes, or understeers, on corner entry. This
can be because the shock and spring package is too stiff, or it could just as easily
understeer because the front suspension is too soft. For this discussion, let’s assume
it is too soft, so let’s increase the compression valving from 10 to 14 clicks and re-run
the autocross course. Upon return, let’s say the car responded with improved corner
entry feel and pulled off a better lap time.
What this tells us is that the car is probably under-sprung in the front. Let’s say
that the car responded with better lap times until we maxed out the adjustment
range on the compression side of the front shocks. This tells us we need a stiffer
spring in the front (or a combination of a stiffer front spring and a larger front sway
bar), which will allow us to bring the shock valving back to a mid-point adjustment.
This gives us room for further shock tuning without approaching the end points of
the shock valving. We also would still have plenty of room to soften the valving for
the ride home after the race.
We have not addressed rebound tuning or even the effect of rear suspension bump
and rebound tuning on the car because of space considerations. In addition, we only
addressed corner entry. Shock tuning also affects the car at the apex of the corner
and especially on corner exit. So you can see that there is much more to shock
tuning than just how the car rides cruising down the highway. But with the adjustment opportunities a set of double-adjustable shocks affords, you have the tools to
improve handling much easier and quicker than ever before.
PARTS LIST
Description
PN
Source
Price
Viking front coilover kit
A206-550
UMI Performance
$499.95
Viking thrust bearing kit
7995-102
UMI Performance
44.95
Viking spanner wrench
7995-101
UMI Performance
19.99
Viking rear coilover UMI kit
2046-150
UMI Performance
659.99
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feature
MIND CHA
When the Dude Selling the Camaro of Paul Stegall’s Dreams Backed
Out on the Deal, He Went on a Mission to Change His Mind Back
By Stephen Kim | Photographs by the author
H
ot rodding brings out the inner machismo in all of us, or does
it? From afar, all the grunting, chest-pounding, one-upmanship, and general Neanderthal emulation seems to confirm this
assessment. However, the hobby has a way of bringing out
man’s inner femininity as well. Going back and forth on whether to go
turbo or blower, vacillating between a five- or a six-speed manual, and
hanging on to stagnant project cars just because of emotional attachment
very much resembles overgeneralized, stereotypical female behavior. Paul
Stegall of Florence, Mississippi, channeled his inner female at an early
age. As a 14-year-old kid in 1986, he found the ’67 Camaro of his dreams,
took it on a testdrive with his dad, and was ready to fork over the money.
That’s when the seller suddenly decided to get in touch with his feminine
side by changing his mind and refusing to sell the car. Determined to buy
the car, Paul worked the owner for months hoping to change his mind
back. His efforts eventually paid off, and now he has an LS3-powered,
T-56-shifted, four-linked car of his dreams and 28 years worth of
memories to go along with it.
70
As the son of a responsible family man
who drove sensible family cars, Paul didn’t
grow up around project cars. Even so,
his old man managed to pass the car bug
down. So when Paul was almost old enough
to drive, his dad was more than willing
to tackle a father-and-son project car with
his boy, and for Paul it had to be a first-gen
Camaro. “The elementary school I went to
in the early-’80s was right next to a high
school, and a lot of the kids there drove
first-gen Camaros. Ever since then,
I always wanted a ’67 Camaro with hideaway headlights,” he explains. “My dad
called me from work one day and said he
found a Camaro for sale in the newspaper
for $2,500. I hopped on my bike to check
it out, and sitting in the driveway was a
red ’67 RS with Cragar S/S wheels. It was
love at first sight! My dad and I took it for
ANGER
a drive the next day, and I still remember
the smell of the interior and the sound of the
hopped-up 350 when the motor fired up.
It was the best ride of my life.”
That excitement soon turned to disappointment, but Paul didn’t let that ruin his
dreams. “When we came back from our
testdrive, the car owner had a funny look on
his face and said ‘I’m sorry, but I just don’t
think I can sell it.’ I was devastated, and
I must have ridden my bike by his house
a thousand times over the next couple of
months,” Paul recalls. “Whenever I saw the
car owner outside, I asked if he had changed
his mind. Finally, he called up my dad one
day and said he needed some money. We
hurried over there and bought the car before
he had a chance to change his mind again.
The car had a 350 small-block, a TH400
transmission, and a decent paintjob.”
71
Mind Changer
“THROUGHOUT THE BUILD, I KEPT TELLING
MYSELF SINCE I DID THIS, I HAVE TO DO THAT.”
Fast cars and teenage drivers often lead
to crunched sheetmetal, and after a close
encounter with a light pole, the Camaro
needed a new front end. Relying on
resourcefulness rather than a fat checkbook, the father-and-son duo decided to
fix it themselves. “During my junior year
of high school, my dad and I took a body
repair class at night to get the car ready
to paint. A fireman who worked with
my dad sprayed it candy apple red,” says
Paul. “We didn’t have a shop to work in,
so we spent a lot of days at the fire station
replacing the interior and trim. Those were
some great times with my dad. I worked
at a car wash all through high school, and
72
every dollar I made went into the car.
We swapped out the rearend, rebuilt the
trans, installed a high-stall converter and
a bigger cam, and it was ready to tear up
the streets.”
After high school, Paul started bracket
racing and promptly blew up the motor.
A fresh 400 small-block replaced the old
350, and the Camaro evolved into a race
car. Although it ran blistering 10.70-second
e.t.’s at the track, Paul and his wife were
starting to raise their kids so racing didn’t
seem as important anymore. “My daughter
loved sitting in the car and riding with
me in the pits as I warmed the car up,
but she always cried when she had to
get out before I made a pass. She just
didn’t understand, so in 2008 I decided to
build the Camaro as a car we could enjoy
together as a family,” Paul explains. “I ran
into Jamie Bush, a cruising buddy from
my high school days, at a local show. He
just finished building a ’55 Chevy for an
NBA player and the car blew me away.
I told him I was getting ready to tear my
car down to get it roadworthy again, and
the rest is history.”
As the build progressed, Jamie played
a pivotal role in the direction of the car.
Paul’s original plans called for updating
the suspension and restoring the stock
interior, but what he ended up with is an
73
Mind Changer
LS3 crate engine, a T-56 Magnum trans, a
Moser 9-inch rearend, a Heidts Pro G front
clip, a Detroit Speed Inc. four-link, and
Wilwood four-piston disc brakes. “I never
intended to go this far with the build, but
it just snowballed. The original front subframe had some damage, so it made sense
to go aftermarket. Then, after hearing a
friend’s LS3 with a cam, there was no going
back. Then if you go with an LS engine,
you have to get a manual trans. Jamie Bush
is a true artist, and he talked me into doing
it right the first time so I wouldn’t have any
regrets once the build was finished. Every
step of the build turned out so nice that it
was hard to skip out on anything. A wise
man once told me that price will soon be
forgotten, but the quality will remain.”
While anyone can bolt on off-the-shelf
parts, it’s often the custom fabrication of
a project that separates the studs from the
duds. Once again, Paul’s Camaro doesn’t
disappoint. One of the most noticeable
changes from stock is the custom front
valance with integrated ’69 Camaro running lights. To clean up the windshield
area, the wipers got deleted and the cowl
has been smoothed flat. Under the hood,
the inner fenders, firewall, and radiator
cover are all smoothed as well. Adding just
the right touch of bling are Marquez Design
LED taillights and parking lights and Ringbrothers hood hinges and door handles. It’s
all finished off in House of Kolor Candy Red
paint, and MHT Foose Nitrous wheels—
measuring 19x8 up front and 20x11 out
back—complement the aggressive stance.
Not surprisingly, no expense was spared
inside the cabin, either. Paul Atkins gets
credit for the trick custom fiberglass dash,
which houses retro Classic Instruments
gauges. After Jamie Bush built the custom
center console and door panels, he took
it all to Little Joe’s Upholstery (Pearl,
Mississippi) to have it covered in two-tone
leather. As expected, the Camaro’s interior
is packed with modern creature comforts
such as power windows, Vintage Air A/C,
and a Clarion stereo with GPS navigation.
Since completing the build in early 2013,
Paul has taken the Camaro to a couple of
shows, but what he enjoys most is going
on long cruises with his family. In the
near future, he plans on installing bigger
brakes and taking a stab at autocrossing.
Somewhat predictably, Paul has received
many offers to buy the car in the 28 years
that he’s owned it, but he’s never even
considered parting ways with his Camaro.
“The best part of owning a classic car is the
time you get to spend with your friends
and family. This car is a part of me, and
selling it would be like selling a family
member,” he quips. Unlike the guy who
unsold it before he sold it, we don’t think
Paul is going to change his mind once, let
alone twice.
“CAR SHOWS ARE OK, BUT I
REALLY LOVE A GOOD SATURDAY
NIGHT CRUISE-IN.”
74
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TECH
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Gear Vendors
619.562.0060
gearvendors.com
TCI Auto
888.776.9824
tciauto.com
Less Revolutions =
More
Fun
An Overdrive Unit Adds Much-needed Driveability to
Our ’67
By Steven Rupp
•GM’s line of Turbo-Hydramatic transmissions were some of the stoutest pieces
ever fielded behind small- and big-block Chevy engines. But the TH350 and TH400
three-speed versions (and their two-speed Powerglide cousin) fall short when it comes
to highway cruising. The reason for this is the conspicuous lack of an overdrive gear.
Back in the late-’60s gas was cheap and highway cruising speeds were lower. Also,
GM was more concerned with keeping warranty claims down than with fuel economy.
Given this, our vintage Camaros were stuck with a final transmission drive ratio of 1:1.
These days some people think the best way to fix this is to swap in a more modern
overdrive (OD) transmission, but there can be downsides to this plan. Older OD transmissions, like the 700-R4, can require trans tunnel modifications and aren’t nearly as robust
as their non-overdrive brethren. Also, many guys with classic cars are hesitant to yank
out their numbers-matching transmissions and want to keep their rides whole.
Gear Vendors has a way to let you possess the proverbial cake and dine on it as
well. Their overdrive unit bolts onto the back of your existing non-overdrive transmission (including manual versions). The system is easily reversible and doesn’t require any
modifications to the transmission tunnel. As Gear Vendor’s Rick Johnson told us, “It’s
also important to some, and cool for all, that from a collector standpoint, the correct
three-speed auto is retained in the car. Gear Vendors installs in most cars with no modifications, so the car is actually worth more with this trans combo than with a late-model
overdrive trans swap. If you look on eBay you’ll find 10-plus-year-old Gear Vendors sell
for right around what they sold for as new. We explain to people that it doesn’t really cost
you anything to buy a Gear Vendors overdrive because it adds so much performance and
saves fuel. Also, the whole engine, valvetrain, and accessories all get to slow down and
last longer. If you ever sell the car, the single biggest item a buyer is willing to pay more
01
76
for will be our overdrive unit.”
Johnson went on to explain, “Imagine
you have a 3.55 rear gear. When you take
off in First, you have around 8.80 torque
multiplication (engine turns 8.8 revs for
every tire turn). If you shift to Second it
drops way down to just 5.30 multiplication,
which is as tall as many drag cars are in
high gear, and you’re only in Second. By
using the unit to split gears, you can go to
First Overdrive and your multiplier will be
about 6.85, which is the same or better
than a guy with 4.56 rear in Second gear.
So, even under half throttle your car will
perform better since you now have a closeratio transmission. Now when you shift to
Second, and turn off the Overdrive, the
ratio is much closer and the torque converter stays hooked and the engine rpm
stays up in the powerband. This ratio splitting is exactly what all the new automatic
OE transmissions, that have five or more
gears, are doing. If you take two overdrive
gears and two underdrive gears, you can
make six, seven, eight, or nine ratios. Your
classic three-speed has two underdrive
gears and one direct drive, so a Gear
Vendors, due to the ability to split gears, is
going to give you a total of six gears.”
But, the main benefit is how the unit
applies overdrive to the top gear. With a
final overdrive ratio of 0.778:1, your Camaro
will go 28.6 percent faster down the highway than it would without the overdrive.
To find out how much it will drop your rpm,
just take 0.778 and multiply it by the rpm.
For example, if you’re turning 3,500 rpm,
and click the Gear Vendors on, the rpm will
drop by 777. Gear Vendors feels this is the
perfect amount to stay in the powerband
and still get better fuel economy. You end
up with what amounts to Fifth gear in a
typical manual transmission. This gives
you the lion’s share of economy without all
the problems associated with trying to eke
out another 2 percent mpg. To us, the cool
02
03
04
05
06
This was the starting point. Our
01
’67 cruiser has been rockin’ a 383
stroker small-block backed up by a TCI
of the TCI TH350 transmission. It was held
on by four bolts.
TH350 trans. It’s a great combination, but
with 3.50 gears in the differential, cruising
down the highway is a pain without an
overdrive gear.
This was the result. On the TH350
04
we didn’t even have to support the
trans or remove the transmission mount.
The Gear Vendors kit comes pretty
complete. The Standard TH350 kit
for our Camaro was part number 3D0351,
and the Short kit we ended up using was
part number 3D0353. Each kit is configured for that specific application by Gear
Vendors at the time of ordering.
02
Here’s the standard-length alumi05
num Gear Vendors adapter. It bolts
on to replace the rear housing we just
removed.
As you can see, there is plenty of
06
clearance in our stock transmission
tunnel. There is a certain way it needed
03
to be clocked, so we consulted the highly
detailed instruction manual and bolted it to
the back of our TH350.
side benefit is being able to treat our old
TH350 like a close-ratio manual. But, the
real benefit is the ability to cruise down the
highway, comfortably, at over 70 mph. After
spending some time in our ’67, we believe
Gear Vendors’ claims of a 25 percent
improvement in economy. Also, after some
practice, we were using the shift-knobmounted switch to split gears like a pro.
We could see how this would really be of
benefit on an autocross or road course, or
even a mountain road for that matter.
After pulling the driveshaft, we
removed the speedometer gear,
and then pulled the rear housing off the tail
TECH
09
07
08
WINNING STARTS
IN THE GARAGE
10
All The Horsepower In The World Won’t Get
You To The Finish Line If Your Electrical System
Is Not Up To The Job.
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Professional Quality And American
Made Dependability Every Time.
11
The kit includes a steel coupler
07
that mates the output shaft of the
transmission to the input shaft of the Gear
Vendors overdrive.
With the green gasket in place, we
08
used a straightedge to see if any
shims would be needed in the coupler.
Turned out we needed just one.
To get the main overdrive unit
09
in place, we had to unbolt our
Dynomax exhaust system from our Hooker
headers. This allowed the system to drop
down a few inches, giving us the needed
clearance.
This is the main player in the Gear
10
Vendors kit. The units carry a full
two-year warranty (even if you’re racing).
All New 2014 Catalog Online At:
painlessperformance .com
American Made
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PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
Find Your Dealer 800.54.WIRES
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And to lessen downtime, send back your
core and they’ll send you a replacement.
Even after the initial full warranty, the units
are covered by a “limited lifetime” warranty.
If one does go bad, even out of warranty,
Gear Vendors will replace it for one-third
the cost of a new kit. In short, they stand
behind their product.
here you can see the unit installed
11 And
in the car.
problem we had now was that
12 The
the X-pipe on our existing exhaust
12
15
16
13
14
system was hitting the overdrive unit. One
option would have been to modify our
stainless pipes, but Gear Vendors had a
better idea.
They offer several different lengths of
13
adapters for the TH350. On the left
is the standard-length version. It’s great
if you have a non-X-pipe exhaust system,
stock exhaust, or are going to do a custom
system later. The adapter on the right is
2.5 inches shorter, but it requires modifying
the output shaft on the TH350. There is an
even shorter adapter, but it requires replacing the output shaft on the TH350. All of
the units have their own unique coupler.
THE MOST POWER PER POUND OF BOOST
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After doing some calculations, we
14
decided the medium-length adapter
would give us the necessary clearance.
It required lopping off 2.5 inches from
the output shaft of the transmission. We
measured twice and then marked the shaft
with a zip tie.
The output shaft steel is fairly soft, so
15
we able to easily trim it down with a
cutoff wheel.
11.49 @ 123 mph,
7.5 psi, pump gas,
otherwise stock LS3
new, shorter adapter was then
16 The
bolted to the TH350 transmission.
INVENTED, ENGINEERED
(913) 338-2886 • www.procharger.com
AND MADE IN THE USA
TECH
19
17
18
20
21
Just like before, we then installed the
17
coupler and used a straightedge to
see if any shims would be needed. In our
case, the careful measuring paid off and we
didn’t need any.
We then installed the Gear Vendors
18
overdrive and secured it using the
supplied fasteners.
As you can see here, there was plenty
19
of room around the unit in our trans
tunnel. This is one reason why the system
is so popular with the restoration guys
who don’t want to hack up their factory
sheetmetal. To double-check fitment before
buying the kit, call Gear Vendors and they
will send you a file so you can print out a
paper template.
With the mechanical parts installed,
20
it was time for the electronics. The
kit came with a brain box, foot-activated
switch, speedometer gear, and a gizmo for
converting the speedo revolutions to an
electronic signal.
The speedometer gear was selected
21
based on our rear gears and tire
height.
For our early Camaro application,
22
the kit included this 90-degree
speedo fitting, which is needed due to the
close proximity of the trans tunnel wall.
22
26
25
®
23
n
o
i
t
!
u
l
e
o
c
v
E excellen
of
®
24
A short cable was attached to the
23
rpm signal generator. Normally
we would have attached our mechanical
speedo cable to the rpm singal generator,
but we have a Dakota Digital dash, so we
screwed on our exhisting signal generator
for the Dakota Digital speedometer.
Our ’67 is currently gutted, so we
24
attached the unit to the floor using
Velcro directly behind our pedals. Once carpet gets put in, it won’t be seen yet will still
be easily accessible. Wiring the system was
easy since the cables were color coded.
We also had to send our existing
25
driveshaft out to be shortened.
The instructions detailed how to measure,
based on your transmission and rearend,
so that the driveshaft will end up being the
right length.
®
As you can see, the 2.5-inch shorter
adapter fit perfectly and cleared
our exhust system. After re-calibrating the
speedometer, we hit the road. We loved the
unit and how we were able to drive with
the traffic flow (about 70 mph) without
feeling that our 383 was revving itself to
death. After running though half a tank
of fuel we found that our ’67 was getting
about 23 percent better mileage. Lastly, we
hit our favorite twisty road and tried out
gear splitting. It took some practice to get
our timing down in regards to shifting, but
eventually we were as smooth as silk.
26
Goolsby Edition
12 Volt Door Handles
67-69 Curved Camaro/Firebird
Brake/Clutch Pedal Pads
s,/+!2#/©,OKAR)NC
Drive-By-Wire Electronic
Throttle Control Pedal
Assembly
e®
Simpl
&
n
i
y... Pla
Quali t
Photo courtesy of John Jackson of
.OTSTOCKPHOTOGRAPHYCOM
PARTSBIN
❱❱Under Pressure
•The engineers at FAST have developed a complete
plug-and-play electronic fuel pressure sensor kit for
use with their XFI or other suitable EFI system. The
new Electronic Fuel Pressure Kit from FAST serves
three functions. First, it provides electronic fuel
pressure measurement capability in an easy and
affordable kit. Second, the kit offers OEM reliability by
including a GM OEM sensor designed to function and
remain durable in the engine compartment. And lastly,
the kit provides a complete plug-and-play solution by
including a billet aluminum mounting block, spacer, and
mounting hardware for easy connection to fuel lines.
More information is available by calling 877.334.8355
or on the Internet at fuelairspark.com.
❱❱Up in A-Arms
•Improve the handling and front end stability of your ’67- 69 Camaro with
a set of Pro Touring upper A-arms from BMR Suspension. Manufactured
from 1.25-inch DOM tubing and laser-cut 3⁄16-inch mounting plates, these
arms feature low-deflection and internally fluted Delrin bushings
with easy-to-access grease fittings. They also feature taller
ball joints for an improved camber curve, two additional
degrees of positive caster for increased high-speed
stability and increased camber gain while turning,
and shorter A-arm tube lengths for a smaller shim
stack on lowered vehicles. For more information
visit bmrsuspension.com or call them
at 813.986.9302.
❱❱Bring the Heat
•The DYAD Drive System DFX Multi-Disc Clutch
by Centerforce, is now available for ’97- 11 Chevrolet
Camaros. The DYAD DFX is a direct bolt-in OE replacement with a higher holding capacity system using discs
similar to the DFX series clutches. These units are
capable of withstanding more heat than clutches manufactured with organic material. Today’s technology has
allowed for engine torque to exceed unprecedented levels
and still be daily drivers. Drivers need a clutch that can
offer positive engagement, quiet operation, light pedal,
and high-end holding capacity. The DYAD DFX offers that
and more. Call Centerforce at 928.771.8422 for more
information, or visit them online at centerforce.com.
82
❱❱Take a Seat
•Exterior styling is usually the first thing that wins the favor
of enthusiasts. However, when it comes to owning and driving
the car, the interior is more important—especially the seats.
As a car ages, the seat foam gradually disintegrates, turning into dust. To address this problem, Classic Industries now
offers OER original-style front and rear seat foam for ’82- 92
Camaros. Replacing the seat foam not only offers you a more
comfortable place to sit, but also makes for a better appearance when replacing your upholstery. These seat foams can
be ordered online 24 hours a day at classicindustries.com
or by calling 866.656.1707.
❱❱Billet Reservoir
•In recent years, GM Type II power steering pumps have become the go-to units for performance aftermarket power steering, but the reservoir’s industrial look is a less-than-attractive
addition to your Camaro … until now. Eddie Motorsports has recently released a new billet
aluminum clip-on power steering reservoir for GM Type II pumps. Machined from a solid
chunk of 6061 T6 aluminum, these reservoirs are a direct replacement for the inferior plastic
tanks. The billet reservoir is internally baffled and includes an attractive, race-inspired, vented
notched-grip cap, and also includes an aluminum -6 AN return fitting. The reservoir can be
purchased with a raw machined or highly polished finish, as well as a variety of Fusioncoated
colors. Prices start at $225. Visit Eddie Motorsports on the web at eddiemotorsports.com
or call 888.813.1293.
❱❱Classic LS Adapter
•Classic Performance Products has a brandnew LS engine adapter bracket kit to help get an
LS-based engine into your classic. Their adapter
kits allow the engine to move from 1⁄2 inch
rearward (great for oil pan to crossmember
clearance) to up to 2 1⁄2 inches forward (for
low-mounted accessories like an A/C compressor) allowing for a completely custom range of
positions. CPP’s exclusively designed no-weld
brackets are CNC-laser-cut steel and feature
a durable black powdercoat finish. Kits include
Polyplus engine mounts and start at $129. Call
800.823.1299 or go to classicperform.com
for more information.
❱❱Improved Exhaust Cutouts
•The original Doug’s Headers has announced
a new and improved version of their popular
all-stainless-steel construction electric exhaust
cutouts in 2 1⁄2-inch and 3-inch diameters. The engineers at Doug’s have taken their famous electric
exhaust cutouts and dramatically decreased the
size for more versatile installations while lowering
the price as well. Unlike butterfly style cutouts, the
Doug’s cutouts don’t have the leaky gasket sound.
A pre-wired harness with an illuminated rocker
switch is supplied for easy installation. Doug’s cutouts are available in singles or pairs, and also come
in complete kits with Y-pipes for easy installation.
Call Doug’s Headers at 909.599.5955 for more
information or simply go to pertronix.com.
❱❱Premium Solid Roller Lifters
•COMP Cams Sportsman solid roller lifters are premiumquality, high-value components designed for Sportsman and
Professional racing, as well as high-end street machines.
These lifters are designed to be a premium, re-buildable
upgrade over COMP’s Endure-X lifters and a value
alternative to the Elite Race option. They are offered in
two configurations: a traditional needle bearing axle/wheel
design or an optional bronze bushing axle/wheel setup. They are available for big- and small-block
Chevys, and come in pairs or full sets of 16. Additional information can be had at compcams.com
or by calling 800.999.0853.
83
PARTSBIN
❱❱New Finish Wheels
•The folks at Mickey Thompson are at it again with the development of
several new finish options for the popular Street Comp SC-5 wheel. Choose
the original gloss black/machined, the flat black, or the hypersilver/machined
finish. A perfect complement to the Street Comp ultra-high performance tire,
the Street Comp SC-5 wheel is lightweight and is available in 12 popular
17-, 18-, and 20-inch sizes in each finish. Specially engineered for late-model
muscle cars like the ’10- 14 Camaro LS, LT, RS, and SS in offsets that
deliver better fit and a wider vehicle stance, the Street Comp SC-5
is the foundation for Mickey Thompson’s Enhanced Stance System
(ESS). For more information visit mickeythompsontires.com or
call 877.337.9866.
❱❱Rocket Launcher
•McLeod is proud to reintroduce its world famous Line
Launch System. With the McLeod Line Launch, you depress
the clutch pedal to the desired position for release and then
by activating a switch you lock the clutch in place. Simply let
the switch go to release the clutch and launch the car for a
quicker reaction time. For cars equipped with an existing roll
control device, McLeod’s new Two
Stage Button is available. Using
their Two Stage Button in conjunction with the Line Launch
and your existing roll control
device, you can release
both the brake and
clutch at the same time.
“Products like the Line
Launch give McLeod
drag racing stick
shift customers
the competitive
edge they need
at the track,”
says Paul Lee,
NHRA Funny Car
Driver and McLeod
Racing owner. For more information visit
mcleodracing.com or call 714.630.5129.
❱❱LS Beast in a Box
•Derived from customer requests, Pace Performance
delivers the popular LS3 in a new muscle car swap-ready
crate engine. Pace replaces the production oil pan with
a low-profile pan and has deleted the water pump and
balancer to make room for the user’s own serpentine
drive system. Pace indexes and drills the crankshaft for
pin/keyway that’s needed for the use of an ATI balancer.
Pace then installs the HeatShield Products I-M Shield
intake manifold heat barrier for consistent intake air
temps, while the rocker arms get beefed up with HD roller
trunnions. For more information call Pace Performance
at 888.748.4655 or visit paceperformance.com.
❱❱EZ Custom Exhaust
•Hooker Headers’ new Builder Series is designed to help header fabricators build their own custom exhaust systems.
For GM LS engines, Hooker offers both 3⁄8-inch mild steel and investment-cast stainless steel, warp-resistant flanges.
Proprietary 304 stainless steel merge collector with Hooker’s revolutionary internal attenuation spear is perfect for not
only LS engine builders but also a wide range of engine applications. Fabricators will appreciate the 1⁄2-inch diameter 304
rust-resistant stainless steel, barbed hanger rods in 2 and 10 packs, compatible 1⁄2-inch rubber isolators, and 2 1⁄2- and
3-inch stainless steel band clamps to ensure a leak-free seal. For more information call 270.781.9741 or click on over
to hookerheaders.com.
84
HARBOR FREIGHT
500 Stores
Nationwide
LIFETIME
WARRANTY
QUALITY TOOLS AT RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICES
FACTORY DIRECT SAVINGS
How does Harbor Freight sell great quality
tools at the lowest prices? We buy direct
from the same factories who supply the
expensive brands and pass the savings
on to you. It’s just that simple! Come in
and see for yourself why over 25 million
satisfied customers and leading automotive
and consumer magazines keep talking
about our great quality and unbeatable
prices. Visit one of our 500 Stores
Nationwide and use this 20% Off Coupon
on one of over 7,000 products*, plus
pick up a Free 6 Piece Screwdriver Set,
a $4.99 value.
• We Will Beat Any Competitor’s Price
Within 1 Year Of Purchase
• No Hassle Return Policy
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Item 47770 shown
4
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CABINET
Item 68893
shown
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$110
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LOT NO.
68893/62144
18999
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1/4" DRIVE
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LOT NO. 2696/61277
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2 HP (63 CC)
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If You Buy Tools Anywhere Else,
You're Throwing Your Money Away
READERS’ RIDES
By Steven Rupp and Nick Licata
Terrific Trade
•It’s been over 20 years since
Troy McClean traded his ’88
Mustang for this ’91 Z28. “I’ve
owned it since I was 20 years
old, and now in my mid-40s,
I still get chills when I start it
up,” shared Troy.
To increase performance, quite
a few bolt-ons have taken up residence over that time. Upgrades
include a set of Hooker headers,
high-flow cats, Flowmaster
American Thunder exhaust, a
ported Holley throttle body, and
a functional ram-air hood.
Cosmetic improvements
Ex Cruiser
•This ’01 Z28 started out life as a
North Carolina patrol car, but these
days it spends its time putting a
smile on Anthony Tompkins’ mug.
The engine was upgraded with a
92mm FAST intake and throttle
body, and for lower e.t.’s, Anthony
strapped on a nitrous system. The
engine’s internals are stock, but
1 7⁄8-inch long-tubes were added to
cut down on restrictions and free up
a few more ponies. Backing up the
LS is a built TH350 trans, and soon
the rearend will be upgraded to a
12-bolt with 4.11 gears. With a TCI
line-lock, the Camaro has been in the
low 7s (eighth-mile) on a 100-shot,
and Anthony has plans of being in
the 6s very soon.
86
include a leather interior out of
a fourth-gen Camaro along with
new carpet. American Racing
wheels, all-new clear lighting,
and stainless steel badging dress
up the exterior.
Although his 9-year-old son
Riley has been eying it quite
heavily lately, Troy still has a
few good years left of driving
it himself before the keys get
handed down.
“When I finally do pass the
car over to my son, it will be one
of the proudest moments of my
life,” stated Troy.
6 seconds, 8 Champions
THE MODERN WARRIOR
IN SHOCK & SPRING
TECHNOLOGY
OVERDRIVE
5 days 5 tracks
Tom Bailey Sick Seconds
1200 miles
Unlimited Champion 6.8336 et @ 213.944 avg
8 class champions run
Gear Vendors Overdrives
DOUBLE DOWN FOR
PERFORMANCE
WITH VIKING
WARRIOR DOUBLE
ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS
Mike Roy
Rick Prospero
Chisolm/Stasiak
Mike Burroughs
Eddie Miller
Jon Wischman
DOUBLE ADJUSTABLE
SHOCK/SPRING KITS
STARTING AT $524.95 MSRP!
Ideal for drag racing, auto cross, street
performance, daily drivers and more –
these shocks do it all!
Curt Johnson
If you want overdrive - run the only overdrive
that will handle abuse and racing.
GEAR VENDORS
Curt Johnson
UNDER/OVERDRIVE
Call 800-999-9555 for information or visit www.gearvendors.com
• Easy bolt-in kits
• 19 positions each of independent
compression and rebound adjustment
• Two year warranty on shocks. Double
the warranty of most manufacturers!
• Stock mount and custom mount
available in smooth body and coil-over
designs. Individual shock prices start at
only $164.95 for a double adjustable!
• Ultra-lightweight, high travel springs.
Conical and 2 ½” I.D. coil-over springs
available. Lifetime guaranteed to remain
within 2% of original free height and rate.
• Made in the U.S.A.
TOTAL VEHICLE PACKAGES
AVAILABLE.
CALL TO INQUIRE.
Chris King
President
Viking Performance, Inc.
™
READERS’ RIDES
American Style
•Adam Martin was cruising along in a ’12 MazdaSpeed3 hatchback when he started
getting the urge to drive something with more horsepower and guts. While visiting a
Chevrolet dealership in Corpus Christi, Texas, a ZL1 Camaro caught his eye. Not long after,
the Mazda was history and a new Camaro took up residence in his garage.
Adam got busy with numerous performance upgrades, which include a Phastek Z11
Supercharger, Lingenfelter CNC ported and polished heads, Lingenfelter G11 camshaft
by COMP, Lingenfelter 2.55-inch press-on supercharger pulley, LS9 solid supercharger
coupling, FAST injectors, Stainless Power 1 7⁄8-inch headers with 3-inch catted pipes, and
much more.
A Pedders Suspension lowering kit, along with Stance SC5 wheels (20x10.5) on all four
corners wrapped in Goodyear rubber set the exterior tone of the late-model beast. The
APR carbon-fiber front splitter, Oracle SMD ghosted side marker kit, Rapid Fire LED taillights, and Showstopper ZL1 rock guards are the icing the proverbial cake.
Photo by Aaron Ramos Photos
FOR ANY CAR OR TRUCK
WITH A GM LS ENGINE!
Late models • Engine swaps
SEPTEMBER 5-7, 2014
BEECH BEND PARK • BOWLING GREEN, KY
DRAG RACING
AUTOCROSS
3S CHALLENGE
ENGINE SWAP CHALLENGE
DRIFTING
DYNO CHALLENGE
SHOW & SHINE
CONTRYSIDE CRUISE
Time Capsule
•There are many hard-core Camaro types who wouldn’t even consider driving an
all-original, numbers-matching vintage Camaro for fear of devaluing the ride. South
Carolina’s, Craig Stripling is not one of those guys. He shared with us his beautiful
’68 SS/RS that he proudly touts as a daily driver.
This head-turner has all the original parts including the 295hp 350, four-speed trans,
factory wood steering wheel, deluxe seats, tilt steering, power steering, power brakes, and
stock drivetrain.
“I’m the third owner, and although this classic Camaro is a time capsule, the only real
modification is the cowl hood and Z/28 striping,” said Craig. “And I keep the original hood
hanging on the wall of my garage/man cave.”
Photo by Dean Wingard
SCAN HERE
WITH YOUR
SMARTPHONE
& SEE LSFEST 2013
VIDEOS!
holleylsfest.com
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.
•Submit readers’ rides photos and information to [email protected]
877-596-3842
www.tanksinc.com
1967-1968
Autocross ready! Extra large
internal fuel tray to prevent fuel
pump starvation.
1969
Coated galvanized steel then
Powder Coated Silver. Fuel pump
and sender is recessed in the
tank for easy installation with no
PRGL¿FDWLRQQHHGHGWR\RXUFDU
ADVERTISER INDEX
AUTORAD RADIATORS
87
BAER RACING
51
CAMARO CENTRAL
53
CENTERFORCE CLUTCHES
39
CLASSIC INDUSTRIES
17
CLASSIC INSTRUMENTS
55
CLASSIC PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
35
COMPETITION CAMS INC
9
CORBEAU USA
41
DAKOTA DIGITAL
39
DETROIT SPEED ENGINEERING INC
21
EASTWOOD COMPANY, THE
47
EBC BRAKES USA INC
45
ECKLERS INDUSTRIES INC
61
EDDIE MOTORSPORTS
23
EDELBROCK CORP
49
ENERGY SUSPENSION
80
ENTROPY RADIATOR CORPORATION
53
FALKEN TIRE
CV4
FAST/FUEL AIR SPARK TECH
45
FIREWHEEL CLASSICS
69
GEAR VENDORS
87
GROUND UP RESTORATIONS
CV3
HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS
85
HAWKS THIRD GEN PARTS
89
HOOKER HEADERS
41
JBA PERFORMANCE EXHAUST
51
LOKAR PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
81
LS FEST
88
MACKIN INDUSTRIES
13
MAHLE MOTORSPORTS INC
55
MAST MOTORSPORTS
69
MICKEY THOMPSON TIRES
33
NATIONAL PARTS DEPOT
CV2-3
OPTIMA BATTERIES
7
PACE PERFORMANCE
75
PACIFIC WESTERN DESIGN
89
PAINLESS PERFORMANCE PARTS
78
24-25
PRO MEDIA
PROCHARGER
79
QA1 PRECISION PRODUCTS
75
QUARTER MASTER
23
RACING HEAD SERVICES
21
ROADSTER SHOP
61
SCARALLO
49
SCT PERFORMANCE LLC
69
SEIBON INTERNATIONAL
37
STAINLESS WORKS
75
TANKS INC
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89
ONE GOOD TURN
Mary Pozzi [email protected]
The Witch Hunt
•By the time you’re reading this, the first half of the Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) season will be done and put to bed. About half of November’s “Ultimates of the Ultimate” will have been selected for the grand finale. And when all
is said and done, about a million autocross, braking challenge, and track laps will
have been driven on some really cool racetracks throughout the grand old U.S. of A.
While I won’t be making any treks beyond California or Oregon for USCA events, I
had a birds-eye view of all the goings-on for the opening splash held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and, yes, there is a story to tell.
While billed as a competition for street
cars, we’ve seen some “not so street”
stuff show up in the past. To make sure
all the players could walk the walk, Jimi
Day (USCA’s Grand Poobah) told me to
devise a road rally that would prove
them such, rattle undercarriages and
dental fillings, make bladders scream for
mercy, and increase fluidity in forming
chains of four-letter words. If they made
it to the end each car was 1) given a
sticker that gave you cred for driving it
on such roads, and 2) you got a hot dog.
I did as asked and as a peace offering I
mostly chose roads that offered worldclass scenery and some stopping points.
I figure I did OK as no one ended up in
Seattle and everyone found their way to
the host hotel for dogs and beverages.
Finishing the social stuff on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday were reserved for
competition, and lots of it. I don’t have
the event numbers, but I do know that
by the end of Sunday no one was begging for more track time, and I wonder just how many gallons of fuel was
burned for the enjoyment of those two
days. For each track session the number
of cars seemed to dwindle and by the
end of Sunday there were two ... yes,
TWO cars that staggered past the grid
marshals, panting their little exhausts
off, and went up and over turn 1. Saturday’s autocross and braking challenges
probably offered up at least 20-plus runs
per entrant on EACH course. However,
the best competition couldn’t be found
on the track or any of the pyloned
events, it was found in a secondary
event called “Dodge the Sound Witch.”
See, sound is huge at Mazda Raceway.
It’s been that way for almost 40 years
and started when some neighbors that
built really expensive houses complained to the county powers-that-be
that race cars, while kinda cool, are also
kinda noisy (betcha they really loved
90
the Can-Am and Trans-Am days). Since
that original gripe was cast, sound
restrictions followed and original dB
limits of oh, say 100 dropped like a
proverbial stone to today’s 90. Yes, nine
zero! Hell, an ant can fart that loud. And
USCA, bless their hearts, had “bought”
92 to help everyone out.
That said, no one who attended
USCA Laguna Seca should complain
as everyone was warned well ahead of
time. In fact, the facility even allowed
three cars to do “drive-bys” around
Turn 5 to check the Pro Touring car’s
sound a couple of months before the
event. Forums were educated, threads
started, links posted, and advice given
on the various methods, ways, and
means to reduce exhaust noise for the
dreaded “Will I make a sound?” Laguna
event. Some barriers were even put on
the track between Turns 5 and 6 for
Sunday’s track sessions to slow the cars,
and theoretically reduce exhaust noise.
Sounds good, right?
It was ... until we started autocrossing and speed-stopping in the paddock
on Saturday. And as Mazda Raceway is
a county park, it’s also multi-use. That
same day, a 5K “Run or Dye” event
was being held, and as it was their first
time there, some of the county supervisors showed up. Once the first car hit
the autocross, the supervisors’ attention changed from dye turning people
into human Easter eggs towards us! We
were toast.
A little known fact is that the park
has a portable sound meter. It’s brought
out to rein in special offenders ... us,
and from then on it was game on! There
were threats of run times being disallowed and “three strikes and you’re out”
if you exceeded the sound limit. (In a
boost for the local economy, I know for
a fact that every local Home Depot and
Lowes were picked clean of steel mesh
pot scrubbers, 3-inch hose clamps, and
screen in attempts to make rudimentary
exhaust “silencers” for Sunday’s sessions.) Saturday was filled with stealth
and sneakery with all cell phones on
full kill. USCA lookouts were strategically placed watching and waiting,
texting, and reporting on any Witch
movement. When she’d walk away, two
or three engines fired up, cars jockeyed
for position, all to make a run or two
before she’d magically reappear with the
dreaded meter set on nuke. As the braking challenge and autocross were separated by a lane, at times it was Witch
Ping-Pong as she’d dart from one side to
the other, meter wand waving and spitting out huge sound numbers that were
dutifully recorded. A lengthy Witch
potty break brought out a flurry of runs
... locking her in was briefly considered.
One of the ideas bandied about was to
offer her a Friday Night Special hot dog.
On Sunday, Mazda Raceway looked
like a cotton field, except the little puffs
weren’t cotton, they were, in fact, little
pills of steel wool. They were everywhere. All the “home improvement
store silencers” didn’t exactly work as
planned. Oh well, A for effort anyway.
So who won? It was a toss-up between
James Shipka’s One Lap Camaro and the
Lingenfelter fifth-gen. And I’ve got just
the trophy for this ...
®

Camaro Performers - July 2014 - Work Group Solutions

Transcription

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