69 Camaro at Best of Show

[Matt@BOS]

Originally Posted by Tomswheels

Matt, awesome job getting the invite, couldn't go to a better guy, thanks for the ride at RTTC4, I think you have the skills and the car to give em a good show at Optima!

Thanks Tom. And, thanks for the laps in the Barracuda, that thing is a blast and you definitely drove the wheels off of it. I was a little scared we might capsize on the back turn around though.

hey matt,

Sorry I couldnt BS with you at work today. But I was busy. Hope everything you bought works out!

Yeah, the store was packed with people like me who get lost and distracted and then have a hard time finding what they're looking for. We'll find out today if everything works!


Now for a little carnage from El Toro. Here is the driver side front tire. Not pretty at all.

I need more negative camber. Currently running about a degree, which works well until you really start pushing the car hard. I've done a couple autocrosses with those tires and the tire wear was about where I wanted it.The El Toro autocross exposed a couple of shortcomings with the car though. Rather than just adding more negative camber I'm going to try adding a little more front spring as well. My car transitions into corners and turns in pretty quickly, but the more familiar you become with the car, the more you start to notice that its weight seems to move a little too slowly after you get the wheels pointed, and takes a little too long to set. When you force it into quick transitions you can sometimes feel the front jump or "hop" once before biting. It doesn't push very hard, but it feels like it is having a difficult time handling the weight transfer.

The car also has a little bit of steady state understeer and I will get to that next.

Matt

[Tomswheels]

Originally Posted by Matt.A

Thanks Tom. And, thanks for the laps in the Barracuda, that thing is a blast and you definitely drove the wheels off of it. I was a little scared we might capsize on the back turn around though.
Matt

Ha! You are not the first to fear capsization... and the Cuda often feels as if it IS actually going to have a wheel fall off ...

[Cole]

Details on the new rpm motor

[Matt@BOS]

Originally Posted by Cole

Details on the new rpm motor

RPM has been great to deal with!

It is a 454LS that used to be in Bad Penny except only the crank and rods are the same.
LS3 block with Darton dry sleeves bored to 4.185" by Steve Demerjian of R.E.D
Wiseco/K1 crank and rods, with custom Ross pistons (the machine shop did the machine work based off of a single old piston the original would be builder sent over so I had to have 4.182" pistons made)
reused the old cam from the 454 LS2, which is 243/259, 114 LSA
RHS LS7 heads, Comp valvetrain, springs, and SS valves
FAST 102 intake and throttle body.

On the loaded chassis dyno at RPM it made 585/565 at 6800rpm. This was a safe break in tune and really the only number we have from a full pull so far. I told them I'd bring it back after putting a few miles on it, I've gotten the miles, just haven't taken the car back. Since it makes enough power right now it hasn't been a priority. I think the motor has been a bit choked down with the old headers on it which are 1-3/4." I just replaced the header gaskets because one had burned through and found they were round 1-1/2" ones. Now I'm curious what it will do with a set of DSE 1-7/8" headers.

[Ron in SoCal]

Originally Posted by Matt.A

LS3 block with Darton dry sleeves bored to 4.185" by Steve Demerjian of R.E.D

Fixed it for you Matt. Don't want Cole sittin up all night dreaming about a new $40k motor...

DSE headers (artwork) will uncork that bad boy

[Matt@BOS]

Originally Posted by Ron in SoCal

Fixed it for you Matt. Don't want Cole sittin up all night dreaming about a new $40k motor...

DSE headers (artwork) will uncork that bad boy

Thanks Ron. I just went back and fixed that too. Not even 40k could build a 4.85" bore LS


The DSE headers are nice, but 2k could probably be used better elsewhere, like on the Mustang, or for more tires, etc. etc. I am planning on getting rid of the electric cutouts and doing oval exhaust up to the X or mufflers, so I might just cave and get them... I should, but...

[Al Moreno]

Originally Posted by Matt.A

Thanks Ron. I just went back and fixed that too. Not even 40k could build a 4.85" bore LS


The DSE headers are nice, but 2k could probably be used better elsewhere, like on the Mustang, or for more tires, etc. etc. I am planning on getting rid of the electric cutouts and doing oval exhaust up to the X or mufflers, so I might just cave and get them... I should, but...

Matt, that sounds like a killer setup. Out of curiously, why are you getting rid of the cutouts?

By the way, get the DSE headers, it's only , LOL. I've been wanting to use the little money guy on a post since I first saw him.