 |
     |
 |
|
|
"Project Muscle" Camaro Takes to the Streets!
|
 |
|
Our 25 year-old classic now has
a new high-performance lease on life
|
By Brian Wood Photos by Brian Wood, Allen Cook |
After six long months of hard work, some frustration and plenty of anticipation, the CompetitionPlus.com “Project Muscle” Camaro rolled out into the South Carolina sunshine on Tuesday, June 22, much to the delight of the dedicated husband and wife team who made it all happen.
Well-known Pro Stock, Pro Street and Pro Modified racers Annette and Vernon Summer did all the work on our now ground-pounding F-body at their United Automotive and Diesel Performance Center in Aiken, South Carolina, and a great job they did. Working around their always busy schedule of running a thriving business and drag racing, the Summer’s labored over our project car after-hours and on weekends, determined to turn out a great-looking and great-running street and strip machine. Thanks to our great advertisers and supporters, the components they had to work with were the best in off-the-shelf, bolt-on performance parts available today, which was the express reason we went to all the trouble of building this beast in the first place. It was our goal to prove that a true muscle car could be built without the expense and trouble of rebuilding engines, transmissions and rear-ends, for example.
Mind you, there are many people who have the time, money and skill to tackle such jobs, and the aftermarket provides them with a wide range of tools, parts and so on to accomplish the task, but in this case, we opted to go the performance-in-a-crate route, and the end result speaks for itself.
Just as a bit of background, the 1979 Camaro that was transformed during the last six months was, and is, my daily driver. A relatively solid car for its age, it was purchased in South Carolina 18 months ago for $2,000. Originally a 305 car, a mild 350 had been transplanted in at some point in its life, and in this configuration it ran well enough, but naturally, as a “car guy,” I had a desire to step things up, and this is where the idea of doing some kind of performance update was first born. General Motors Performance Parts is a long-time and dedicated CompetitionPlus.com advertiser and supporter, so we approached company representative Gary Penn to see if there was any possibility of securing one of their extensive line of crate motors for the car. At this point, we thought if we could get a fresh new powerplant under the hood, and make a few other minor changes, the Camaro would be good to go. Little did we know just how much steam this project was soon going to generate! Gary was receptive to the idea, thankfully, and suggested that we go with the new ZZ383/425 small block GMPP had recently introduced. This potent little “mouse” was stroked to 383-cubic-inches, and rated at 425-horsepower at 5400-rpm and 460-ft.lbs of torque at 4500-rpm. It was the ultimate small block in a box!
The engine is equipped with aluminum Fast Burn cylinder heads with lightweight stainless steel valves and retainers, 4340 nitrided and induction hardened crank, forged PM rods, .509/.528 lift steel camshaft with 222/230 duration at .050 lift, hydraulic roller lifters and 1.5 to 1 roller rocker arms. In addition, thanks to its 9.7 to 1 compression ratio, the ZZ383/425 is 92 octane pump gas friendly. To top the engine off, we also ordered an aluminum Eliminator Vortec high-rise intake manifold from GMPP. With that awesome new package at the top of our parts list, we knew we would have to set our sights a lot higher when it came to components tough enough to handle all the power we now expected to generate. Fortunately, as word got out about what we were now calling “Project Muscle,” other advertisers and performance industry leaders jumped on the bandwagon, and we were off and running. Before long, Moser Engineering offered up one of their complete 12-bolt rear-end units, complete with an Eaton Posi unit, 30-spline custom alloy axles, wheel bearings, wheel studs, retainer plates, 3:73 Richmond Pro Street gears and 1350 series pinion yoke. Bolting in this impressive, super-tough piece of hardware proved just how much time and hard work could really be saved versus rebuilding a stock rear-end unit.
To link the new engine and the rear, J.W. Performance Transmissions stepped up next, providing us with one of their bulletproof TH350 competition transmissions with a manual forward valve pattern, and a 10”, 3,500-rpm stall converter with steel stator. Other pieces soon began to show up, and among them was a great-looking Pro-Series XE 830-CFM carb from the “World’s Fastest Carburetor Shop,” Pro-Systems, of Spring Lake, Michigan. Company owner Patrick James determined that our ZZ383 would require a 4150-style carburetor, so he built us a trick unit that would allow us to get all the power of a Dominator out of a 4150 series carburetor by incorporating Dominator boosters and metering system. By mixing the two carburetor concepts, the 4150 now thinks it’s a Dominator at wide open throttle, yet it retains the drivability of a 4150 carburetor. It’s the best of both worlds, and an ideal choice for a street and strip hot rod. We also received a hot set of headers from the experts at Hedman Hedders, which were then shipped off to Performance Coatings, Inc., for a durable and showy chrome-like ceramic coating inside and out. To pipe the hot exhaust flow out the back, Flowmaster generously sent us a complete 2-1/2” American Thunder exhaust system, which, when installed was sure to give us the performance and signature exhaust note that the company is famous for. Our parts pile soon grew to include a set of Mickey Thompson Sportsman Pro tires and a beautiful set of Weld Racing aluminum Pro Star Wheels to mount them on. The 8” Welds on the rear were destined for 28x10.5-15 “Mickys,” while the 6” fronts were going to be wrapped in a pair of 26x7.5-15s.
Also waiting to be bolted on was a choice all-steel cowl-induction hood from Goodmark Industries, the manufacturer of some of the finest restoration parts in the business. In addition to its good looks, the increased clearance of the fully-functional cowl-induction hood will provide the extra room we need for the high-rise intake and Pro-Systems carb. For the cockpit area, we received a set of 2” Ultra-Lite fuel level, water temperature and oil pressure gauges from Auto Meter, along with a mounting bracket. In addition, they also provided us with a 5” Sport-Comp Playback tachometer and shift light so we could properly monitor the new engine’s performance and make positive shifts out on the track. Already installed between the buckets, thanks to Hurst and the Mr. Gasket Company, was a Hurst V-matic 2 shifter. This super-tough unit offers two modes of operation – in-line for daily driving and ratchet action for trips down the ‘strip. In addition, the trigger-operated reverse lock-out is approved for competition by both the NHRA and IHRA. Once the United Automotive crew got seriously “dug in” to the actual work, it was amazing how many bits and pieces were actually required to tie the whole project together, but they needn’t have worried, because help was close at hand. Rick Moroso, president of the well-known performance parts company that bears his family’s name, was called on time and again for dozens of components, both large and small, and he always responded personally to our every request for assistance. His help and technical advice was invaluable, and if he didn’t have a ready answer for a question, he consulted with his tech experts and got us the information we needed.
The list of parts we received from Moroso Performance and sister company Competition Engineering is large and varied, and will be expanded upon in detail in a future update on the “Project Muscle” story. Briefly, however, we can report that the new “stroker” has been appointed with an oil pump and seven quart oil pan, fabricated aluminum valve covers, distributor, water pump, gaskets, fan, spiral core plug wires, air cleaner and dozens of brackets, springs, bits and pieces, not to mention the tasty chrome goodies they provided for us to dress up the engine compartment with. Supporting the new powerplant and tranny are solid engine and transmission mounts from Competition Engineering’s Stage One chassis package, as are most of the components found in the suspension set-up, including “Trick” front springs, adjustable shocks all around, uni-body frame stiffeners and Slide-A-Link traction bars. When we took the Camaro to Annette and Vernon back in early January, it was on a tow dolly, as the tired old stock transmission gave up the ghost just a few days before we were due to deliver the car for its big makeover. From this rather inauspicious beginning, the project slowly but surely began to take shape. Our agreement with Annette and Vernon was that they would work on the car as time allowed, and knowing how busy they already were, we accepted the fact that the car would be ready when it was ready, and not any sooner. As parts rolled in, they were either installed or stockpiled, depending on what they were and how they fit into the big picture. We had hoped to get the engine by the middle of January, when the United Automotive work load was relatively low, but unavoidable delays put the delivery date back by more than two months. According to Gary Penn, backorders from dealers and suppliers for the popular new small block crate engine, combined with the types of delays typically associated with manufacturing and bringing a new product to market, caused the situation. We know they were shipping them out as fast as they could, because the manufacturing date on the engine we received showed that it rolled off the line just days before it was loaded on a truck.
As the weeks went by, we made a number of 250-mile round trips to Aiken to document the progress being made, always excited to see another major component or system installed somewhere on the car. As the warm weather of spring arrived, we got tantalizingly close to having most everything done. We found out that getting over the last seemingly small obstacles turned out to be tougher than planned, however. Putting a belt drive system together, for example, proved to be quite a chore, as we had to come up with the correct brackets and pulleys for the alternator, power steering pump and so on. After a considerable amount of experimenting without much success, a call to CV Products in Thomasville, North Carolina proved to be the right move to make. They cut us a real good deal on a custom belt drive system, complete with alternator and power steering pump, all necessary pulleys, belts and brackets. It worked like a charm, and really put the finishing touches on the engine. Since we’re using a high stall torque converter and the car will be mainly street driven, there was a concern over the transmission overheating. Fortunately, another of CompetitionPlus.com’s generous advertisers stepped up to the plate and brought us yet another step closer to wrapping the project up. After a quick call to TCI Automotive, of Ashland, Mississippi, a transmission cooler and auxiliary electric fan for the radiator soon showed up at the United Automotive shop door.
Tuesday, May 18, proved to be the day we were all waiting for, and none of us was there to enjoy it in person! The ZZ383 was fired up for the first time, and after starting on the first turn of the key, it sat wickedly rumbling away in the background as Annette held her telephone close enough for me to hear. As Vernon blipped the throttle, Annette laughed out loud as I blurted out ‘oh-my-God!’ It was the ultimate thrill to hear this combination of GM V-8 muscle roaring through Hedman headers and a Flowmaster exhaust system! I knew instantly that we had achieved our goal of re-creating the power and performance of the classic American muscle car of the 1960s. Thanks to Annette’s insistence that the car have the correct stance before leaving the shop, Vernon spent a number of hours raising and lowering the front and rear to get it just right. Now looking for all the world like a Pro Stocker from years gone by, this is one tough-looking machine that can back up every bit of its menacing appearance. Finally able to get back behind the wheel after six months, all I could think of over and over again as I happily drove the two and a half hours home was that this was definitely not the car we hauled down there just after Christmas. I had spent a lot of time envisioning just how it would look, run and perform once the work was done, but I have to admit that the end result was far and away beyond my expectations. And, of course, with a judicious break-in period still in progress, we won’t really know what the combination is capable of until we fine-tune everything and take it to the ‘strip later this summer. I think perhaps the ultimate compliment was paid to the tough little ZZ383 by dyed-in-the-wool Ford man Vernon Summer, who said “runs pretty good for a Chevy,” as we stood listening to it idle in the shop the other day. High praise indeed from a man whose blood flows Ford blue.
We’ll continue to follow the progress of this re-born classic in future issues of CompetitionPlus.com, making sure no details are overlooked. We have received quite a bit of correspondence from readers interesting in doing a similar build-up, so we intend to help them as much as possible to achieve the same results that we did. One of the major updates will come once our mechanically-sound-but-cosmetically-challenged hot rod heads off to a date with the guys at Illusions Custom Paint and Airbrush, in Bristol, Tennessee, who have agreed to paint the car, which is an exciting prospect all on its own, based on the outstanding work that Allen and Mark Adkins, along with artist Mark brown, have turned out over the years. They have painted some of the best-looking hot rods and motorcycles ever seen, including a number of IHRA and NHRA Pro Stock, Top Sportsman, Pro Mod and Pro Stock Bike entries. Color choice is still under discussion, but rest assured these guys will turn our bad-but-beige F-body into a real show stopper.
Once all the work is finally done, we hopefully will have fulfilled our mission of transforming a basic 350-powered second-generation Camaro from stocker to rocker through the use of readily available off-the-shelf, bolt-in performance components. From a dream and some wishful thinking several months back, the “Project Muscle” Camaro project is now a living, breathing entity, thanks to the generosity, hard work and support of a number of outstanding individuals and companies. Remember, it’s been our goal all along to show how the average performance enthusiast can buy and install the kind of tough, top quality components that were only available to those willing to tackle the building on their own in years gone by. These days, thanks to some innovative engineering and production on behalf of a number of performance industry leaders, crate engines and numerous other bolt-in components make upgrading a vehicle for hot street and strip use a relatively painless, and very effective, way to go.
As with any project of this scope, there were some setbacks, delays and problems, and going in we expected nothing less, but thanks to Annette and Vernon, as well as all those who helped us with products and technical support, our formerly plain vanilla Camaro has now been transformed from a stock snoozer to the true American street machine of our dreams, a car which is surely the equal of anything bolted together during the heyday of the factory muscle car. Watch for the “Project Muscle” Camaro at a cruise-in or dragstrip “somewhere in the South,” as we plan to display and race whenever we get a chance, in order to promote our advertisers and show what can be done with a great old car and a modest budget. Thanks again to everyone involved!! Click here for a complete photo tour of the “Project Muscle” Camaro build-up:
For details on all components included in Project Muscle, check
out the ads in CompetitionPlus, or log on to the following websites:
GM Performance Parts www.gmgoodwrench.com Moser Engineering www.moserengineering.com J.W. Performance Transmissions - www.auto2000.com/jw United Automotive - www.annettesummer.com Auto Meter www.autometer.com Flowmaster www.flowmastermufflers.com Precision Coatings www.headercoatings.com Moroso www.moroso.com Competition Engineering www.competitionengineering.com Pro-Systems www.pro-system.com Mickey Thompson www.mickeythompsontires.com Hurst/Mr. Gasket www.mrgasket.com Goodmark Industries www.goodmarkindustries.com Illusions Custom Paint and Airbrush www.koolpaint.com Weld Racing Wheels www.weldracing.com TCI Automotive www.tciauto.com
|
