Car looks great,really like the color:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thanks bud!

:whenitsdone:

Got some of the glass in and got the Budnik's installed (thanks again Tu!)

Its slowly getting there after almost 2 years.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7673/...c0462681_h.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7637/...461270af_h.jpg

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stunning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very very nice.

Thanks Vince

Thanks Greg

It looks amazing! Great color and I love the wheels on there. You and your little crew did a great job!

The car looks killer Jason. Did you clear the wheels?

Now, 6 months to Cruisin the Coast. Get it done.

Tu

Thank you sir. The kids keep asking when the back seat is going in. They want to go for a spin.

Thanks Tu. Nothing has been done to the wheels. I was fortunate to find a local guy to dismount and remount the tires for $60. That includes balancing. He did a great job.

I will see about cruising the coast. Sounds like a good time.

If you're wanting to go to CtC, you need to book hotels like now, as they sell out fast. You can always cancel later.

Beautiful job..... Looks great!

Update:

I've put a few miles on the car and discovered I was having fuel slosh issues with the Aeromotive tank. Hard cornering and acceleration with around a 1/4 of a tank resulted in hesitation or a complete stall.

I contacted Aeromotive to see if they had a solution to the issues and their response was to drive the car more gingerly and have the tank above 1/3 full. Frustrated with that response, I pushed the subject with them about taking the tank back for a refund. It was met with resistance since I was 1 week past the 1 year Summit Racing return/warranty period, and Aeromotive is convinced there isn't a design flaw with their tank. After a few emails, Aeromotive agreed to take the tank back. I'm glad they decided to make things right, and I ordered the new Rick's stamped tank with the Vaporworx Gen 5 Camaro fuel module.

I got everything installed yesterday and the setup is working great. Initial impression was how much quieter the fuel module is, in comparison to the Aeromotive pump. I put about a gallon worth of gas in the tank and it registered just slightly above empty on the gas gauge. I took the car out for some "spirited" driving, and I'm happy to report there were zero issues. I was actually concerned the gas gauge wasn't functioning properly, so I filled the car up afterwards. The gauge works fine and its nice to see the needle isn't jumping around anymore when taking off or cornering.

I've yet to find a negative post about this system, so I was pretty confident it was going to work. I'm glad to report another positive experience with the Vaporworx/Rick's Tank combo, and I highly recommend it. The stamped tank is reasonably priced ($995 shipped) and I picked it up from MCB.

The flat black works well with the paint scheme of the car:

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/497/2...f44f59d3_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/382/2...58cb31f3_b.jpg

That's great news on the tank,glad to see you enjoying it:trophy-1302:

I am on my second fuel pump in an aeromotive tank in under 1,500 miles. I have burnt up a pump after each road course event this year. I talked with an aeromotive rep at Motorstate and he said the same thing. Keep the tank full. Didnt help me a whole lot when I missed over 1/2 the event with no fuel pump. Glad to see the Ricks tank works well. I am checking into other options now.

Hate to hear that! They sure are giving themselves a black eye with these tanks/pumps. $777 (Aeromotive) vs $995 (Rick's Vaporworx) IMO, that cost difference is negligible considering how much better the Rick's Vaporworx setup is.

I just got caught up on your build. What I nice car and really cool build with your kids! Like many here I started working on cars with my Dad at a young age and have built my skills off that. Your Son is very lucky to have you and that you are willing to slow things down a bit to teach him life long lessons and spend quality time together. My hat is off to you, Sir!

Looking forward to seeing more updates and vids!

Thanks!

Thank you sir!

Glad to hear the fuel tank issue worked out for you. I have a Tanks-inc set up, which is similar to the Aeromotive you had, and had fuel slosh issue near 1/4 tank. In fact I ran out of fuel during Power Tour.

If I decide to keep the Firebird, the new Ricks tank will be the next upgrade.

The car is looking great. Can't wait to see it in person.

I wish you would keep the car. You put a lot of work into that thing, not to mention a lot of money. You might as well enjoy it!

As far as your Power Tour experience, that freakin blows. Another case and point the Aeromotive/Tanks Inc. setup is not a good option for people that drive these cars like they are supposed to be driven.

I just noticed Summit Racing changed their description for the tank.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ae...t/model/camaro

The last sentence wasn't there until I provided my feedback:

These powdercoated tanks also feature an innovative baffling/tray system to control fuel slosh and keep the fuel pump submerged. Aeromotive Stealth tanks are designed foremost to provide superior EFI street performance with OEM fitment, finish and drivability. The 340 pump supports up to 700 hp EFI forced induction, 800 hp EFI naturally aspirated, and over 900 hp carbureted engines, as well as supporting normal driving down to very low levels of fuel in the tank.

They also added this under notes:

This tank includes a GM 0-90 Ohm sending unit, installed Aeromotive 340 Stealth electric fuel pump, and billet aluminum fuel pump hanger. Stealth Fuel Tanks are not engineered for competition drag racing or road racing applications where extreme acceleration and cornering will occur with fuel levels lower than 1/2 tank

What's crazy is it won't even support normal driving conditions at very low levels. Tu, I believe your case verify's that! Correct me if I'm wrong.

I've been toying around with the idea of refinishing my wheels and had a member (JAR) do some photoshop work. While I'm not sold on the look, the photoshop turned out incredible!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5642/2...fd515f99_b.jpg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/567/23...a923fb77_b.jpg

Thanks again JR for the outstanding photoshop work.

It looks good, it changes the whole personality of the car.

I really like it!

Nice that if you did ever want to transform the whole vibe of the car, it would not be difficult, just $$$, and you could always go back and forth between wheel/tire combos obviously.

Great job on the chop. :cool:

Hey man, I'm glad it turned out well for you, thanks for the shout out!

The black wheels do make it look more aggressive, that's for sure.

Got "ole red" tuned today, and I have to say Patrick Guerra is the man when it comes to tuning. The car is a blast to drive now with its new tune. I was running the base tune from PSI and its nice having a custom tune finally.

If anyone is looking for a tune in the Houston area, I highly recommend Patrick Guerra (aka Patrick G on LS1tech).

It was tuned on a Mustang dyno and it has the capability to simulate a 1/4 mile. Here is a vid of the 1/4 mile simulation run:



Dyno pull:



Power/Torque figures for a stock Thompson Motorsports LQ9/799:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/575/23...73617a42_b.jpg

Starting to get some of the interior put together. I installed the carpet, shifter boot/bezel, door panels and kick panels.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1712/2...118eedf3_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1472/2...24a25e05_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1442/2...bb10080e_b.jpg

Still on the to do list is the headliner, rear package tray, rear seat and a few other minor things.

Looking good! Like that torque curve.
Just a suggestion.....your wheels how about painting the centers and leaving the lip as- brushed.

I painted my horn cap to match the black anodized steering wheel with this stuff.
http://www.autodip.ca/how-to-apply/
Nice thing is its removable.

Thanks!

The Sparco horn cap leaves a lot to be desired. I was shocked how cheaply it's made considering the wheel itself is well made.

Interior is really looking good.I am following your progress all the way,nice work:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Yes very nice work. This one has come a long way.

Beautiful and so much work! Now I have 1 more color to consider for my project :)

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the support.

It will never be officially done but its getting down to the details now.

Heck, I already want to change my suspension but the budget says no.

Hopefully I will see some of you guys on the Power Tour.

Update:

Texas heat is in full effect and work on the car has slowed down.

I considered selling the car here recently but the whole process of selling is something I hate dealing with. I'm keeping the car for now and plan to add a vintage air kit and tidy up things that need to be addressed.

On the Power Tour, I noticed my steering was a little flighty, and I want to get that addressed. I'm thinking my decision to go with the CPP box was a poor decision, and I should have went with a better quality unit, like an AGR. I think the box is the culprit because my alignment is dead on.

In better news, I recently shined her up and took it down to a local car show and claimed 2nd in the Muscle Car category.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7215/2...044822b3_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7634/2...7e12570b_b.jpg

Also, if someone is genuinely interested in making me an offer for the car, I'll entertain it.

So here's my question....


What are the "specs" you aligned the car to?? Are you using the factory specs? Because if you are using the factory spec alignment I would expect the car to drive like it was hunting rabbits...

Big fat modern tires need more CASTER..... like 5+ degrees and more like 7* if you can get there.... and very little toe in - an 1/8th or less... and how's your BUMP STEER measurements?? Does the car dart around when you hit bumps and undulations in the roadway???

Greg,

Here are the specs:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/373/19...7d8cd4ac_b.jpg

Car does fine when I hit bumps. The flighty feeling occurs here and there on flat surfaces. I'm really unsure what causes it to veer. However, once it does start to veer left or right, I have to make a pretty decent correction to get it back on course.

I'm trying to figure out what's wrong & steer you the correct direction. Pardon the pun.

Does it typically "veer" to the right ... when it does it?

Ron,

The majority of the time its veering to the left, but it also veers right on occasion.

Really appreciate the help.

EDIT:

When it occurs, its almost as if there is slop in the box and its allowing the wheels to turn in either direction, depending on the road surface, without affecting the steering wheel.

Jason

Cpp 500
14:1