Reinventing the OneLapCamaro...

[Ron in SoCal]

That's a whole new approach to a fender stretch.

I always wondered about front a rear track width/offset. Any further insight on what is ideal? What size tire are you aiming for?

Glad you started this thread James. Hope I wasn't too much of a PITA..

[James OLC]

Originally Posted by glassman

Good luck with this James, I've been reading Car and Driver for 32 years now and being a Camaro junkie, I am routin for you guys big time!!! Mike

Thanks Mike - I'm hopeful that we can take a serious shot at a good overall finish next year although I think that competition in Vintage is going to be pretty stiff next year on it's own.

Originally Posted by Flash68

James - that is bad ass. Bout time you posted this stuff up.

Thanks - it's coming and it was time.

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

That's a whole new approach to a fender stretch.

I always wondered about front a rear track width/offset. Any further insight on what is ideal? What size tire are you aiming for?

Glad you started this thread James. Hope I wasn't too much of a PITA..

Ron, I was surprised how well it worked - I really have to give the guys credit.

That's a difficult question to find an answer to. The best that I found was that it should be equal or even a hair wider on the front. Anecdotally look around at any modern car and I think that you'll see that they are pretty evenly balanced. My goal - which at this point is a done deal - is a 305/30-19 Michelin Super Sport - it's as wide as a 315/30-18 with a 12.3" sidewall and 12" tread width. These are the same size as I ran on the back for OUSCI last year and may be our choice for rears as well.

[James OLC]

With the fenders well on their way we moved to the lower valence. I wanted something similar to the OLC2 concept to blunt the overall front end and improve the aero. Testing found a couple of dead spots in the old setup that I thought could be improved upon.

Our first shot started with modifications to the stock valence and fender extensions.

We started simple:





Test fitting required use of the Track Rat's grill... well it didn't specifically require it but what the heck, it was there...



Subtle and maybe appropriate for a different setup but not quite what we were looking for...

[James OLC]

So from there things got a bit more complicated…

It’s going to be a big change:







I'm biased but I love it... it's about 0.5" lower than the old one (valence plus spoiler) and should be slippery...

[Flash68]

God dangit I love that new front! Wow that is killer guys.

[Ron in SoCal]

Thanks James. I'm gonna research Vettes, Vipers and Porsches and see what they do on this.

Indy Cars - a whole diff ball game - have more aero, downforce tech and are more narrow in the front.

[coolwelder62]

Jame's, very cool.Kevin still's talk's about OLC camaro.Ever since he drove it he keep's saying he doesn't have enough power.!!!

[James OLC]

As lots of people have found before, it’s easy to design a hood on paper… but it’s really hard to find a design that works with the realities of accessory drives, air intakes, and actual aero influences. We spent a fair bit of time looking at how air moved over the hood and went through a lot of design iterations. Ultimately I turned to a design that Tyler had sketched up for 50/50 at one point; he was kind enough to allow me to try a rendition of it…

[James OLC]

Which I think works just about perfectly:







You can really get an idea how much wider the front end is compared to "stock" or the old one with the old splitter in place.



The air intake has to be relocated but it clears all of the accessories and provides significantly more airflow then the old ones. It's also directly feeding out of the radiator and should fit the bill perfectly. The flat hood's going to take some getting used to but I think it will fit the overall package.

[James OLC]

Originally Posted by Flash68

God dangit I love that new front! Wow that is killer guys.

I have to agree... I think that once's it's done it will do everything the we need it too and still stay recognizable as a first gen.

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Thanks James. I'm gonna research Vettes, Vipers and Porsches and see what they do on this.

Indy Cars - a whole diff ball game - have more aero, downforce tech and are more narrow in the front.

Clearly open wheels are different but if you look at sedans etc. you'll find that the balance is much closer.

Originally Posted by coolwelder62

Jame's, very cool.Kevin still's talk's about OLC camaro.Ever since he drove it he keep's saying he doesn't have enough power.!!!

Yeah... there is still a power deficit (especially by todays standards) - I think we're at least 150 HP shy of where we should be. It's on the list but probably not the budget for this year.