ER SWAP! EZ 483HP LS3 - Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

ER SWAP! EZ 483HP LS3
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MAY 2012 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 4
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OUR TEMPLATE FOR THE ULTIMATE 5TH-GEN
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INTERIOR
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2ND-GEN SEATS DASH
STEERING COLUMN.
SPECTACULAR GATHERING
ZL 1S, COPOS, YENICOS, AND MORE AT
CAMARO PERFORMERS MAGAZINE MAY 2012
FEATURES
WHAT IT WAS LIKE
Jimmy Jackson and the Bad '68
CP/28
Our first fifth-gen project is a wrap and
the results were worth all the hard work
72
DOUBLE BOOSTED
Greg Edwards' twin-turbo
track fiend/street machine
TECH
42
SETTING UP THE OFFICE
Project Orange Krate gets a fresh dash,
instruments, steering, shifter, and seats
62
78
RETROFIT REVOLUTION
Project Black Betty gets an LS3 crate engine
BOLT ON AND GO, PART 2
We complete the suspension, brake, and steering
upgrades on this '67; then hit the test track
EVENTS
58
CAMARO TIME WARP
A collection of the rarest Camaros ever
converge at the Muscle Car and Corvette
Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois
CAMARO PERFORMERS (LISPS # 025-147)(ISSN # 1944-8589),
Volume 09, Number 04, 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 2012 by Source Interlink Magazines, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing
offices. Single copy price is 55.99. SUBSCRIPTIONS: U.S. and U.S. Posessions $19.97 for 1 year (9 issues). Canadian orders add S9.00 per year and international orders add
$lam per year (for surface mail
postage). Payment in advance, U.S funds only. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Camaro Performers, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast FL 32142-0235.
ON THE COVER:
It's been over two years in the making,
but we built one of the baddest fifthgens
on the road. Check out Project CP/2
8
beginning on page 52.
Robert McGaffin
DEPARTMENTS
06 FIRING UP
Straight talk on third gens
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10 I'M JUST SAYIN'
It's a wonderful life
12 FIRING BACK
You said it, we print it
14 NEWS
You need to know
22 F-BODY GARAGE
Camaros in progress
24 RESTO SHOP
Earn your stripes
26 TONY'S GARAGE
You have questions ...
30 CAMARO CONCEPTS
X Breed Camaro
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32 STRAIGHT-LINE SPOTLIGH
Quarter-mile CamarosChampionship Edition
T
88 PARTS BIN
Stuff you just gotta have
92 READERS' RIDES
It's all about Math
98 ONE GOOD TURN
Rules
Fe
AABOVE:
Every third week of Novmeber, the Mus
cle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN
at the Donald E. Stephens Convent
) held in Rosemont, Illinois,
ion
Grab a taste of the al and Yenko goodCenter brings out the rarest Camaros and muscle cars on the plan
et.
ness on page 58. Pho
to: Geoff Stunkard.
CAMARO TIME WARP
A collection of the rarest Camaros ever converge at the
Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois
>>If you are a fan of super - rare Camaro muscle cars, you often need
to search far and wide to view the truly spectacular: the COPOs, the ZL1s,
the supercars, and the big-point restored models. However, if you got the
memo, the place to be was the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
in Rosemont, Illinois (just a few minutes from O'Hare Airport in Chicago),
for the big MCACN (Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals) event. Held on
the third weekend in November, this has become the most important
show of the year for the blue jean millionaires of the car hobby, as well as
enthusiasts who already know they will always be shocked by what shows
up for the two-day temporary 500-plus car museum.
Long-time auto show administrator
Bob Ashton is the show's co-owner,
developer, and manager, and he uses a
vast network of personal connections
and business resources to draw cars from
collections nationwide, many of which
are rarely, if ever, seen by the public. The
show is held indoors on a Saturday and
Sunday schedule and harkens back to
the glory days of the large new car "auto
by Geoff
show" events. Vehicles are creatively
displayed in rings, in rows, in single
displays, and in small groupings, interspersed with various restoration shops
and businesses.
So, while the focus is on all sorts of
muscle cars—a row of Hemi 'Cuda convertibles, a circle of Shelby Cobras and
Mustangs, a collection of GTO's—the
2011 event played host to several groups
Stunkard I photographs by the author
A.An idea of just what sort of thing shows
up to the invitation-only MCACN event
was this '68. It was ordered new by Lud
Renner (now of San Jose, California)
back in 1968 from Baldwin Chevrolet in
Long Island. With a Motion Performanceinstalled L88 Phase III package and
raced on occasion, Lud still has it, and it's
unrestored. Mark Hassett owns the similar
'68 Phase III L88 beast behind it.
2012 Camany 211
A At the other end of this impressive collection of Alcoa-engined iron was the result of
"some things never change!' GM had the '12 ZL1 Camaro on display as well.
ZL1 Camaros have not been in this
sort of abundance since being built at
Norwood in batches back in 1969. If you
own one and weren't here .. well, sucks
to be you, because this was the most
important reunion of these cars ever
put together. Leading the pack is ZL1
#1 once raced by Dick Harrell, now
owned by Joe Zrostlik. And the ZL1 next
to it is one that Ken Barnhart bought
new, raced, and still owns today!
ANot everyone has a love affair with cubic inches. If you like your Camaro a little more
corner-friendly, we would have to say taking Rich Gregory's Z/28 would be the way to
go. Mr. Gregory's Daytona Yellow example has the RS package and many other options
and was one of the most copular cars at the event
11I•Noted Sportsman drag racerJeff Dickey of Missouri brought in what he termed
was his"COPO daily driver'This factory L72powered car was repatriated from Sweden
several years ago; it was in rough shape,
and the dash was rotted out However,
since the original 427 engine, trans, and
body were all intact GM of Sweden verified
it and installed a new, authorized VIN tag
inside the door frame prior to its resale. It
has been in Sweden since 1976. Due to a
scarcity of replacement parts across the
pond, many original COPO details remained
intact on this car. Jeff admits that it is a lot
of fun to have a COPO Camaro he can drive
to shows if he wants to,
and single Camaros. Most notable was not
one, not 10, but 18 ZL1 Camaros found in
the CARS1 Inc-sponsored row, ranging
from the first ex-Dick Harrell drag car,
now owned by Joe Zrostlik, to versions
in every color that was available. Several
were on public display for the first time in
years, as were a second row of L72 COPO
packages nearby.
Then there was the Baldwin-Motion
Madness area filled with a variety of
authenticated classic Chevrolets from the
legendary New York dealership. One '69
RS Camaro was still sticker-priced at just
under 10K (though not for sale today at
that amount!), while another was still in
the original owner's possession. Yenko and
Nickey models were also on display.
It was not just first-gen cars, either. An
area was set aside for a row of '70 L78 bigblocks, while scattered around the huge
confines of the building were various restorations, modifieds, drag cars, showstoppers,
and more. With so much emphasis on the
latest Camaros at SEMA this year, several
show cars featuring the latest body designs
were also on hand.
With final details still in the works for
the 2012 show, we do know it will be held
on November 17-18. And there's no doubt
it will be a great one, as Ashton and his
crew have managed to surpass themselves
supremely every season. We have heard
some cool stuff will be on hand for the
45th anniversary of the '67 Camaro. Having now witnessed it firsthand, we can
definitely repeat those old race ads from
the Chicago AM hit music great WLS...
"BE THERE!"
GO TO IT
MCACN (MUSCLE CAR AND
CORVETTE NATIONALS)
MCACN.COM
APerhaps Chevelle expert Chuck Hansen is out of his comfort zone as he examines
details on the '68 Yenko Camaro YS 8011. The car came out of the California desert
some years ago. The visible TLC was done by Musclecar Restoration & Design in Pleasant Point, Illinois. The end result was stunning, and the display also portrays the auto
show flavor of the event.
AThe base price on this green Camaro from Baldwin Chevrolet
was $2,794; by the time Roberto lrigoyen of Mexico's Chihuahua Province was done having Joel Rosen and the Motion team
play with it (adding a full Phase III change plus many factory options), that number had ballooned to $9,330, complete with tow
tabs, freewheeling hubs, and special paint Irigoyen's wife, the
daughter of the province's governor, was given his '68 Motion
Chevelle, but not until the young man had driven that black 427
beast back to Long Island to flat-tow his new Camaro home! At
the 2011 MCACN event, the two (cars, that is) were united for
the first time since their glory years, with the Camaro coming
from Jim Lynch of Idaho and the Chevelle courtesy of Mark
Murphy of Arizona.
,Surrounded by a couple of drag
car tributes, Bill Jenkins had a line of
autograph seekers and well-wishers at
his table. When asked if he had seen the
string of ZL1s resting close by, he was
quick to inform this writer that the '69
aluminum big-blocks, whether for the
ZL1 or Can-Am programs, were "garbage"
when it came to racing. When his group
of well-poured '67 aluminum examples
were used up, Jenkins made due with
some of the later 430 Can-Am engines
but finished out the big-block Vega match
racing years with a series of good iron
blocks; they were from that same 1967era Can-Am foundry work as well.
AThis '69 COPO was not in a row with the others; it was up
in the car corral area being offered by Patrick Krook and the
showyourauto.com vehicle brokerage firm. This is the only
known example finished in Daytona Yellow with a white interior
color combination. Authenticated by expert Jerry MacNeish, options on the GM of Canada machine include rarities like auxiliary
gauges, console, spoiler package, and Rally wheels. We didn't ask
the price.
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ASecond-gen fans were not forgotten, as this row of '701/2 Camaros all share one thing in common: a high-compression L78
396 engine under the hood. Only about 600 were built—reportedly all four-speeds—and filled with some of the best performance hardware available off the assembly line at that time.
The package disappeared forever with the '71 model changes.
John Stanton of Maine owns the first machine in the row.
AThough scarce, COPO Camaros came in many forms; most
were bought to go fast on the dragstrip. These two show some
non-1320 variety. The black street machine owned by Andy Meyers features a hood mural from back in the day. The one next to it
is a well-optioned RS model. They're documented.