My baby

I thought I’d blog about something I’m truly passionate about and that is my car.

In August of 1998 I went looking for a black SS Camaro but couldn’t find one. I wasn’t real crazy about the “fish-mouth” front of the new Camaros but being a Chevy guy that’s what I was going to get. I couldn’t find one exactly like I wanted so I stopped in a local Pontiac dealer on the way home and looked at the WS6’s (they had two) and fell in love. I brought my black, fully optioned, M6 Trans Am WS6 home that evening. I started modding the car right away with things like K&N air filter, home ported MAF, Magnecore plug wires, and a Mecham cat-back exhaust. Then things got out of hand

I would like to document everything that I’ve done with the car and my results. I should also mention mistakes (there have been many) I’ve made and things I’d do differently.

Here’s the list of current mods to the car:

Current Powertrain Components

• 422 cubic inch iron block LS1 motor – (6L block with 4.030″ bore)
• Lunati 4340 Pro Series Forged Custom Crankshaft with 4.125 inch stroke
• Lunati 4340 6.250″ Billet Connecting Rods
• Ross custom forged pistons
• 0.043″ ring package and tool steel pins
• Childs and Albert Plasma Moly Ring Set
• Clevite H Series Race Bearings
• ARP Connecting Rod Bolts
• ARP Main Studs
• ARP Head Studs
• ARE blueprinted oil pump
• ARE Stage 3 ported/polished LS1 racing heads
• Solid Roller cam
• Whisper airbox lid
• ARE custom computer tuning
• T&D adjustable rockers arms
• Cloyes adjustable timing set
• SVO 30# fuel injectors
• Walbro 255L in tank fuel pump
• NGK TR6 spark plugs (gapped at 0.038)
• Stock LS1 ignition system
• Relocated coil packs with custom coil pack brackets
• MSD 8.5mm LT1 plug wires
• Stock LS1 Mass Air Flow Sensor (aftermarket ported ends)
• Stock LS1 Throttle Body (ported/polished)
• Stock LS6 composite intake manifold
• Stock LS1 water pump
• Grotyohann 1-3/4″ longtube headers, ceramic coated & 3″ off road y-pipe
• Mecham cat-back exhaust (4″ Mufflex ready to be installed)
• ASP underdrive crank and alternator pulleys
• No AC
• No PS
• No AIR
• No EGR
• No ABS
• No TCS
• Throttle cable with non-TCS throttle cable

Current Drivetrain Components

• ARE prepped TH350 transmission with trans-brake and reverse manual valve body
• B&M Hammer ratchet shifter
• Yank 4000 rpm stall torque converter
• TCI SFI-approved flexplate
• Denny’s “Nitrous Ready” cromoly steel driveshaft (3″) with 1350 yolks/U-joints
• Ford 9″ Detroit Locker rear with 3.50 gears w/Moser 35-spline axles
• ARP long wheel studs
• Weld Draglite 15×10 (7.5″ backspacing) wheels out back with Mickey Thompson ET Streets 26/11.5×15
• Weld Draglite 15×3.5 wheels in front with Mickey Thompson ET Fronts 26/4.5×15

Current Suspension Components

• HAL 12-way adjustable racing shocks (front and rear)
• V6 Camaro rear springs
• Hal drag front springs
• Spohn adjustable torque arm
• Wolf Racecraft rear swaybar
• Removed front swaybar
• Stock LS1 front dual A-arm components
• Stock LS1 engine K crossmember
• BMR bolt on subframe connectors
• BMR tubular lower control arms
• BMR LCA relocation brackets (need installed)

Safety

• Wolf Racecraft 6-point bolt-in rollbar with sidebar swingouts both sides
• Crow 5-point racing harness
• SN92 Helmet
• Fireproof proban racing jacket

Power Adder

• Nitrous Express wet kit with blowdown tube and bottle heater (currently not installed)
• NOS Progressive Controller (currently not installed)

Track Results

• N/A: December 10, 2004 – 1/4-mile = 11.316 @ 122.53  (1.732 60′)
• N2O: No results since rebuild

Big updates to Burbn

I’ve painted the Burbn – well most of it anyway…

I’ve got pics but no time to post them…

Burbn initial

The Burbn is in sad shape right now. It is half primer, half origanl blue and grey. Some of t6he primer is rusted through. A couple of weeks ago I read about using a roller (http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2331682&an=0&page=0#Post2331682) to paint the truck and tried painting the hood and left front fender. It looks like crap.

Mechanically the truck is great other than it doesn’t have enough power. I’ve had tons of issues in the past including A/C, heater core, radiator, etc. The biggest problem I had in the past was blowing up the transmission outside of Amarillo, TX at the end of my sabbatical. I blame myself for that since I hadn’t done anything with the trans before taking off on this 20K journey with the truck fully loaded, pulling the WS6 and trailer, in the middle of the summer.