Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com

Link to my youtube page with ZL1 videos.http://www.youtube.com/user/joebot84...ew=0&flow=grid

Ok, So it's been a little over six months since I took delivery of my 2012 ZL1 Camaro. I have a little over 6k miles on the ticker of ear to ear ultra grin driving so I decided to start Rumble Bee's Build thread.

The First Camaro

Let's start form the beginning shall we..I'll never forget the first time I laid my eyes on a Camaro. I thought it was the fastest and coolest car in the world and wanted nothing to do when I get older than drive my own. When I was 16 I got my chance. A 1987 Camaro Berlinetta 2.8L Multi Port with a 5 speed manual transmission and t-tops. This is were the modding began! :D

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/pictur...ictureid=43660

The Second Camaro

After High School I shipped off to the Army and was stationed in Central Texas. This is where I had the urge to purchase another Camaro so I went shopping. What I found was a gently used 2001 SS with a 6 speed and t-tops. This is when I joined my first car club and as you guessed it...the mods continued. The end result was Vader! A 500 Hp all motor monster. It was a great car and I have had some great memories of this fine machine.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/pictur...ictureid=43654

Love at First NYC Auto Show

I got out of the military in 2007 and around this time I attended the NY auto show for the first time. Now I drooled over the 5th gen concept photos like many of you did (my mother sent me a magazine while I was deployed that had photos of it). So when I got to see it in person at the auto show I was in shock! I loved how it looked, its lines and its aggressive style. I told myself I was buying one...some day.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/pictur...ictureid=92383

LIFE

It was hard for me to see all those beautiful 5th gens when they first came out. I wanted one real bad but had other priorities to take care of first. I needed to find a house for my family and get a bigger safer vehicle for my wife to cart my son around in. So my 5th gen dream had to be just that for the time being....I knew I just had to wait it out just a little longer. I had other things to do to keep my mind off of a new camaro, like a newborn, my still fast 4th gen, motorcycle riding and snowmobiling in the winter time.

Spy Shots and the Official News

After seeing the first spy shots of the ZL1 (thinking it would be a Z/28) I knew that was the model I wanted. It was aggressive, fast and came with a supercharger. I just didn't know how much it was going to cost and if I'd have to sell any of my current camaros. I pitched the idea to my chief financial officer (the wife) and we came up with a game plan. We knew it was going to be expensive so we decided to sell both my current camaros and my harley to put a good dent in the price tag. I was really excited at this point.

Selling in Tough Times

My 87 camaro sold quick. A young girl that lived down the road from my parents house made me an offer and I took it. I think she knew more about the car than I did so I knew it was going to a good home. (I have seen it a few times since then and it looks great!) My SS was a different story. I listed it for sale in March of 2011 and didn't sell it until August that year. Those months felt like it was never going to sell and my dream was starting to fade. During that time, more and more info was coming out about the ZL1. After the 4th gen sold it was time to sell the Harley. I also had it listed all summer but only had a few tire kickers. I didn't sell it until February of 2012 and got far less than I should have. It was a nice rare bike that was in like new condition, one I wish I still had.

Back to the NY Auto Show and My First BBOMG

I got to see the ZL1 in person at the New York International auto show twice. Once in 2011 and once in 2012. I Also got to see an up close look at BBOMG 3 in Oshawa in June of 2011. I got to sit in the one at NY in 2012, I sent an email stating how I have a new ZL1 on order, have seen it twice in person and haven't been allowed to sit in it to a GM Official that I had the pleasure to meet earlier in the year at BBOMG 3. He pulled some strings for me and I still can't thank him enough!

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The Order and the Wait

My order went in on November 3rd 2011 when the official GM workbench opened. I received my order number and waited....and waited....and waited...I had ordered a Victory Red (Never had a Red car and thought it looked the best on a ZL1) with a manual transmission, black wheels suede steering wheel and shifter, black stripe kit and interior light kit.

Finally!

After my order sat at 2050 for what seemed like FOREVER, I got picked up in April of 2012. My order moved quick at that point and I was happy I made the cutoff and my dealer was granted their allocation. The black insert happened to be on constraint when my order got picked up (go figure) so I was bumped up to the exposed carbon fiber for free. The only thing I didn't get was the stripe kit, it wasn't added back to my order after gm (or my dealer, never got a straight answer on that one) changed my order in the edit table to get it through. I was able to track my build process with the help of some fellow camaro club members and was chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel of this amazing car.

The Call and The First Drive

I was at work on the morning of May 22nd. I knew my car was close and my dealer called me around 9 AM and said "It's here, come on in if you get the chance, we'll finish the paper work and get the car ready to get picked up in the morning"...haha I told him I'll be in today, get the PDI done because I'm bring it home tonight! The wife and I were suddenly "sick" and had to leave work immediately.:rolleyes: When we arrived at the dealership, my salesman asked me if I wanted to take it for a spin. I said hell yea and we slapped some dealer plates on and the wife and I went for a quick ride. I was in heaven:happyanim:
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How Rumble Bee Got His Name

My son named my ZL1. Was 4 at the time and absolutely loves Transformers. He told me it was a "Red Bumble Bee so it should be called Rumble Bee" I though it was awesome so thats how the name came about.
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Thank you for reading the introduction to my build thread. I will post up picture of my mods and descriptions of them. If you have a question please PM me or post in the thread.

Let the Mods Begin

The day after I got the car I ordered some parts. To be continued....(I have a lot of new stuff to post so stay tuned)