Joel's 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
SS Joel's 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
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AKA Smokin'Z/C5 Hardtop from LS1.com
Favorite quote: "Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague longing for something salty."
Modifications (mods)
GM 4.10 ring, pinion and install kit - $265.00
The gear change was a HUGE SOTP (seat of the pants) power difference. The taller gear puts the motor in its power band right away for instant power. This is one of the best mods a 6sp F-Body owner can do. Choosing an experienced installer is VERY important. They need to take their time and set them up correctly so they wont be loud or have problems like I had. My installer hammered the paddle pin in. When I needed to replace an axle (more traction will do it to you) the freaking paddle pin wouldn't come out as the picture illustrates. A is the paddle pin and B is where the blockage is. I took it back to them (Randys ring and pinion in Everette). They replaced the axle for me and ground the gears to compensate for the pin. After a few launches, the pinion moved and then I had a funny noise that sounded like a bearing. It was actually the pinon riding over the ground part.
22 ohm resister - .50 cents
GM wanted to beat the gas guzzler tax so they came up with a system that would force a 1 to 4 shift which ups the MPG. When conditions are met (engine temp, rpm & speed) the solenoid will engage and block out a 1-2 and 1-3 shift. The resister was put into the circut to fool the computer and now the skip shift solenoid does not engage anymore.
Vinyl C A M A R O decals $12.00
It was hard to tell what kind of car this is (to someone cant tell by body style) because all that is visible is SS. There are recessed Camaro letters on rear of car but it was not legible unless you were close up. The vinyl decals really bring out the recessed lettering while matching the existing SS emblem.
Short Stickshift -$50.00
The car came with a factory Hurst shifter with a leather knob. Its a great shifter. However, Lou came out with a shorter stick which reduces throw and makes shifting faster because there is less travel time when switching gears. The shifts are really notchy and I can feel the shifter go into gear. The stock shaft had a bushing which makes it shift smoother. You can find more about the short stick here
Recaro SE - $500.00
The stock seats are leather and real nice but I did not fit well. The top of the head rest met with the back of my neck. The Recaro seat has better lumbar support and my heat meets the head rest. The sides stick out more keeping my body planted while cornering. After having the seat in for the summer, I noticed the material has faded a bit from the sun. I have the T-Tops off all the time.
Drag radials-NITTO 555R $150 each
This is a must have after swapping the ring gear. Traction was increased considerably with these tires. Heat them up and they stick even more :) The tread wear is 100 (stock tires are 320) and I can hear the tires pick up pebbles and throw them in the wheel wells when driving slow. I don't mind smoking them because they cost substantially less than the F1's. To replace ONE Goodyear F1 tire it would cost $300 inc tax and mounting! And they say the SS package is a rip, ha, doubt that.
Direct Flo induction lid $130.00
Better flowing intake lid. More air gets in and there is more power.
KTRE 12 bolt rear $2,800.00
unit has an Eaton heavy duty differential, 800 lbs. spring bios, 33 spline axles and has ABS and ASR functionality.
Mcleod clutch and flywheel $502.00
It's a grabber! Got the clutch assembly from a group purchase. First shipment had a defective disk with busted rivits, see pictures from link.
Updated GM clutch slave cylinder $67.00
The stock slave went out at around 10k miles. The clutch would stick to the floor during redline powershifts and when cold, it would be hard to get into gear. The new updated slave plus bleeding the system fixed those problems.
Cutout (AKA exhaust dump) $70.00
A hole was cut in the existing exhaust pipe after the axle and before the muffler. With the cut out, the car sounds AWESOME, especially at WOT. 80% of the exhaust gets routed out before the muffler and still exits to the rear to reduce resonance. A little low end torque was lost but there is a high end gain.
Lower control arms $149.00
The 4.10 ring and pinion introduced a
wheel hop problem. The stock lower control arms were flexing while under
load and caused the axle hop. I got some IRS terminator series LCA's
that fixed the problem. The arms also increased traction a small amount
but still notable.
I fashoned a way to mount a Sony TRV900 DV camcorder to record track events.
Performance
Best 1/4 mile: 12.94 ET @108.9 MPH
Acceleration: 0-60 in 4.4 seconds
Braking: 60-0 in 126ft
Roadholding: .88g
Drag coefficient: .32g
STOCK DynoJet readings: 292.9 RWHP 306.4 RWTQ
More Specs
Borg Warner T-56 6 Speed transmission (6 forward 1 reverse) ratios
3.42Zexel-Torsen rear differential
Leather seats w/ 6 way power drivers seat
Monsoon premium 200w stereo w/ tape player & 8 speakers
12 disk GM CD changer
Hurst short throw shifter w/leather knob (nice)
ASR (traction control w/ option to turn it off for burnouts, racing etc.)
Keyless entry, remote hatch release and theft deterrent system
Composite panels-doors, top, front fenders, bumpers and hatch
Leather wrapped steering wheel with power rack and pinion steering
T-Tops
SS Performance package includes
Ram air hood
Raised rear spoiler
Dual outlet exhaust system
Front springs: 360 lbs/in straight rate
Rear springs: 130-180 lbs/in progressive (same as the 1LE package, 25% stiffer)
32 mm front sway bar (same as 1LE package 25% stiffer)
De Carbon shocks. stiffer 46 mm front and larger, stiffer rear shocks 46 mm
17" X 9" SS style rims with 275 X 40 ZR17 and Goodyear F1 GS tires
Camaro SS exterior graphics
Here is a scanned picture of the window sticker
webmeister@zracer.com 01/11/2004
