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This is the place I'm going to use to show updates on the car and the project and the new pieces we are working on. There are already 3 in the works, two of which are on my car right now. Sorry I'm not ready to tell you about them because it's become far, far too common for folks to steal ideas. So until we are ready I have to keep things on the downlow. But know I'm working on things with this car. In fact it's on the trailer today for two days at the track before the really crappy weather starts.
Which brings me to the other reason I decided to get a 4th gen again, other than parts development. What got me where I am was running and winning in these cars. I was doing it before any other vendors were, and I've had far and away the most success in doing so. My old car is still winning National Championships, not local events, etc. I hate to be so blunt about it, but that's part of this. Some are marketing parts that claim to be autocross or otherwise performance geared, when they've never done anything of the sort which is sort of playing games I think.
So... onto what I have and what I'm up to:
Car is question is a 1998 Camaro SS. Hardtop, black, 65k miles or so. Had belonged to two of my customers previously. Had a lot of nice things on it already, including Strano Sway bars, Fays2 Watts link, upgraded Limited Slip, Bogart wheels, American Racing Headers, ATI Damper, Fidanza flywheel with a Centerforce Light Metal Clutch, Penske double adjustable shocks, and a Decoupled Torque arm etc. It had some good history having finished 3rd @ Solo Nationals back in 2013, and it's a known car to me. However.
Changes started shortly after the car arrived here.
It needed brakes anyway, and since the brakes are legal for all autocross classes I'd run, AND are an upgrade for track work it was a good time.
The car will see some autocross (already has)
And track work (this weekend in fact, on the trailer now).
I ran it that way for two days to shake it down as a baseline before I made any other changes. Then I changed shocks and springs for a Strano valved UMI/Afco shock setup with my spring rates (and in fact my rear lowering spring not a coil-over setup). I wanted to directly compare them to the Penske's with more than playing shock dyno racing. I have the Penske's still, they will shortly be for sale.
Then I removed the Decoupled TA. I don't like them. I find them hard on the floor, and that they don't eliminate axle hop as advertised anyway. I've now driven 4 cars with them, and I got each to brake hop. So on went a UMI TA, full length.
Remember I am a full UMI dealer. I help them, they help me with certain things. *I carry their entire line*.
In the midst of the TA swap I went hunting for why the rear end was so clunky. Some of it was the TA, but mostly it was the fact the pinion nut had backed way, way off and the pinion gear was moving around a lot. So that got fixed.
Of course, it got all new Red Line Oils and Motul RBF600 (next year will get Castrol SRF) brake fluid.
Sparco seat installed on a customized bracket to make me not be in the roof.
And of course the few prototype parts that will undergo the final round of beating/testing this weekend barring no issues with say, hubs. And a fix for that is on the table as well.
And on Sunday night I have a meeting with a guy who's running one of these cars next year in A-Sedan for SCCA national road-racing. He has won Runoffs twice before, and he and I will be meeting to go over the car, compare how our shocks look vs. Penske, how it worked for me @ Summit, and for him to drive.
I'll be running in NASA TTU this weekend. That's the biggest class the car is MILES from being a TTU car. But I have no time to dyno it to get it classed in a better place. And honestly the SS is screwed vs a Z28 as it gets a lot of point added for "performance" for being an SS. I think they might not know the hood and spoiler are really the only differences on a base SS. Not all cars had upgraded suspensions to start with. But alas the car will be running more Muscle car type events which don't have this kind of classing situation, so this is more shake down, get some times, have some fun, test some parts.
*IF* the camera works well I should have some video next week.
sounds like a fun project I just picked up my third 2002 ss and will be building mainly for autox so looking forward to your further posts about this car and I will be soon to order parts from you MR. Strano. But can you tell me where you got the custom seat mounts at?
Fastest laps today. Brake kit worked well, but I did not get the pads bedding in well enough on the street causing some buildup issues. That in turn caused a nasty shaking on the brakes. New rotors on for tomorrow, we'll see how that goes.
Everything else working great. No failures on new part testing.
Then had a meeting last night with a 2 times Runoffs Champion about his 4th gen. Showed him my stuff, drove the car around some. Looked at the above video. Tomorrow, getting him setup for the '17 season.
I am not messing around. I intend on reminding people what I have done, and will do in this platform. I'm not making fluff pieces. This is why i bought this car.
After leaving there, went and had my pal Mike who owns SSC Tint in Elizabethtown PA tint it. gotta look decent, right?
11-11-2016, 12:34 PM
Camaro SS project update 
