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Celeste, My 2011 RS -Whiteknight012's Build Thread-

Some background story first:

I've been obsessed with Camaros since around 1994, when one of the moms at my elementary school showed up in a red 4th gen convertible. The way it turned heads and caused people to stare at it in admiration was not lost on me, even at that young age. :drool:

When I was in high school, they refreshed the 4th gen body style, and I liked it immediately. One of the kids at my high school had a 2002 Z28...I thought he was the luckiest guy on the planet. :mad0259:

A couple years later, Transformers came out. As soon as I saw Bumblebee as the 5th gen concept, I was absolutely hooked. Aside from the part where Megan Fox looks under Bumblebee's hood, the audience never reacted to anything as much as the Camaro on screen. It had the same effect on me as it did back in 1994...I was filled with awe and respect.

Finally, 2010. I had been reading about Camaro5 Fest II on the Camaro5 forums, and I was finally at the stage in my life where it was financially conceivable to look into buying a Camaro. The Fest sounded like the greatest thing ever, especially since I live in CA, which had one of the greatest caravans planned. I had to be a part of it. This time, I wouldn't be the one just looking and wishing!

I test-drove several Camaros around the valley with my Dad, which was more of a formality than anything. Unless it was a terrible experience, my mind was already made up. Thankfully, it turned out that they drive and handle as good as they look! But of all the ones we looked at, I couldn't find "the one". Whether it was the color, the package (no way I was getting those "LS" wheels, sorry), or the price (out of my range), something was missing from the ones that we tested. So I decided that I would order exactly what I wanted, and wait a litttttle bit longer. ::Sigh:: I went to the dealership and placed my order on November 7th, 2010.

After what seemed like an eternity, I took delivery on December 27th, 2010. I had ordered a 2011 1LT/RS in CGM with black stripes- the single greatest color combination in my opinion. I decided to go with the V6 instead of V8 completely because of cost...just wasn't in the position to afford the extra $8 grand plus tax, along with gas mileage, insurance, etc. If I could do it all again, would I go with an SS? Absolutely. Now that I'm officially an "enthusiast", it's the obvious choice. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not.

I went to the dealership on my lunch to check her out before taking delivery that night:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../WP_000000.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../WP_000001.jpg

I absolutely love the way CGM looks when the sunlight hits it:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...maro/003-1.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/004.jpg

I named her Celeste, which means "Heavenly". Activate permagrin in 3...2...1...:happyanim::happyanim::happyanim:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...IMG_2320_1.jpg

And how she looks today (Updated 04/2015):

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psxfcs0wpt.jpg

Congrats! Let the modding begin ;)

I had several mods planned even before I took delivery. First and foremost, I wanted to black out the front and rear bowties to match the stripes, as well as have the calipers painted Victory Red. And of course, have the windows tinted (5% rear, 50% front). I love the way the calipers look now. It really makes them stand out with the Cyber Grey, and gives it that "Z06" look.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_23742.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...o/IMG_2375.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...o/IMG_2373.jpg

Car looks sharp man , congrats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Franklin's Bee (Post 5295766)

Congrats! Let the modding begin ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pierre777 (Post 5303101)

Car looks sharp man , congrats.

Thanks guys! :drinking:

Soon afterward, I met up with some great local people who had awesome rides of their own: Central Valley Camaros (CVC Fresno). They are awesome and have given me plenty of ideas and advice about my new addiction.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_3216.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_3210.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/025.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...o/IMG_3080.jpg

Got another quick mod with the help of Revo1: Matte black gill inserts. Subtle, but adds a lot too.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._4649454_n.jpg

Then we went to Camaro 5 Fest II in April 2011. What an amazing experience that was. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make it to any of the other Fests since then because they've all been so far from CA. :facepalm: Naturally, though, seeing all of those other awesome Camaros gave me plenty of ideas for even more mods!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...amaro/1233.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/042.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/060.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_3099.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/HeroShot.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ab51f98e_z.jpg

I ended up getting two mods installed right there at the Fest:

Interior "Ghost Armor" on the dash/console to prevent scratches, dust, etc.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._1511883_n.jpg

...And one of my favorite "mods"...my engine cover signed by Mr. Scott Settlemire, the F-Bod Father himself! :chevy:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3..._6243331_n.jpg

I also swapped the amber turn signal bulbs with some Stealth bulbs, which is exactly what it sounds like:

(Stealth on the left, stock on the right)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/003.jpg

They were installed by my Central Valley Camaros buddy "Atlas" on these forums in about 2 minutes. It's another easy, subtle change that makes a big difference:

BEFORE

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...AmberBulbs.jpg

AFTER

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ealthBulbs.jpg

But by FAR the biggest mod that I acquired from Camaro 5 Fest II was my ACS T2 Ports! I met Joseph at the Advanced Composite Specialties (www.acscomposite.com) booth and he gave me a good deal on them, so I brought them home to have them painted black to match the stripes, as well as have them installed (no WAY was I going to do any cutting to the front fascia myself...):yikes::yikes::yikes:

But I'm glad I pulled the trigger on them. It really set my CGM apart:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...aro/Ports4.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...aro/Ports6.jpg

They came with a bracket that allowed me to keep the factory DRL's:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...aro/Ports7.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...2/IMG_3153.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...aro/Ports8.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...aro/Ports9.jpg

Soon after that I did another relatively quick, easy mod that makes a BIG difference in my opinion- "RS" embroidered headrests. I can't believe this isn't available as an option!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...amaro/0072.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Camaro/008.jpg

Brandon, a friend of mine, fellow 5th Gen Camaro owner, and owner of a local shop called Saints Motorsports (www.facebook.com/saintsmotorsports) hooked it up with the install. It was fantastic service and literally next-day turnaround. :chevy:

Great start to an awesome build, look forward to more in the near future!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farthestnorth (Post 5377063)

Great start to an awesome build, look forward to more in the near future!

Thanks! I appreciate it! :drinking:

After making several appearance mods, it was time to make some changes to the sound. Let's face it...the stock V6 sounds like an angry hybrid most of the time :facepalm:...and with Celeste looking meaner, it was time to sound meaner as well.

I did several months of research, watching videos, asking around, etc. One of the members of CVC ("ElPatoFeo" on C5) had an exhaust on his V6 that sounded amazing every time he took off, and as far as I'm concerned stands above all others out there- The ARK N-II Performance cat-back exhaust.

I was more than happy to ditch the huge cans my Camaro had been dragging around and add a MUCH better sound!

The old, ugly cans:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps1c4e3641.jpg

The new!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...amaro/ARK2.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...amaro/ARK1.jpg

Another one of my friends in CVC ("Riddlemethis" on C5) got the same setup as soon as he heard mine, and we met up for some Camaro Fanfare with our ARK's (all three are V6's): :headbang:

(Special thanks to "Revo1" for the video!)