1SS Ashen Gray Metallic Build Thread
 

I ordered my 2012 1SS in Ashen Gray Metallic sight unseen. The only existing images at the time I ordered this color were on the ZL1 Vert concept. I took a chance and it was more than worth it. I have finally done some work on her and felt it was time to start my own build thread. After watching "Better Off Dead" as a kid, I fell in love with Lane's 67 RS SS in tuxedo black. My father bought an '89 Z28 in the early 90s. It was a beast. I never forgot the feeling of being thrown back in the seat. I had some "fast" cars in high school and college; a '92 Cutlass Supreme SL (190K miles), a '95 Monte Carlo SS (150K miles), and a '00 Eclipse (90K miles). I did a lot of work on those cars, but they were tired. My original idea was to build a 69 Camaro SS. After doing all the research, I realized it would take me at least 2 years of solid work to even get a moving vehicle. After 3 deployments, I realized how much my time meant to me. A new car was in order. The bolt on aftermarket really appeals to me as most projects can be done in a day. That was all it took. A year later I ordered my very own 1SS. I said "No" to almost every option knowing that everything would change eventually. I wanted a blank canvas. The Camaro body with a big engine. That's what I got. I never even test drove an SS. The first time I fired up the engine at the dealer was every thing I imagined it would be. Love at first pedal mash. Here follows the evolution of a monster. I call her Mjolnir, after the enchanted hammer of Thor. It can only be wielded by its master, it never misses its mark, and it always kills with one blow.

Mjolnir coming off the trailer at the dealer

Picking her up after a 2 month wait. It was painful, but it was worth it.

After her first bath and wax.

Nothing says american muscle to me like a fat Hurst shifter ball. The leather wrapped knob wasn't cutting it for me. So I picked up a ball expecting it to be a 5 minute job. I found out that the stock short throw kit uses the same press fit stick as the base shifter. So I ponied up and threaded the shaft myself (with help from a friend). Cutting the first thread was the most nerve wracking thing I've ever done.

That transition piece came from sickspeed. It has a set screw so it won't move. It really completes the look.

I drive in flips flops a lot. I got sick of slipping off the OE pedals. I ordered these SRP pedals. They are the grid pattern (minus the trim ring) in anodized black. It was an easy install and makes a huge difference. I have even started working on heel toe shifting.

I added a whistler radar detector. It has already paid for itself many times. Pics will follow once I find a better way to route the hardwire cable.

I undertook my biggest project to date. I was sick of almost getting run over by clowns only to beep my tiny euro horn in feeble anger. I wanted a train horn. In order to do that, I needed to open up some space. So, I ordered the Roto Fab washer relocation kit. While I was at it, I figured I should just cowboy up and add a CAI and Apex scoop. I used the scoop as a mounting base for my horn, which worked out great. I got suckered in to using a bolt from the original washer for the pump. It looked great and worked awesome, until I lowered the car and the tire practically smashed it. I ended up attaching the pump to the scoop as well. At first I was worried about stress on the metal. After install, it wasn't even phased by the weight. In fact, the Apex washer relocation kit puts the reservoir in the same place I put my pump. In the end everything worked out. I can now certainly be heard. I used an add-a-circuit on the horn button circuit. What's nice is that the train horn doesn't beep when I arm the alarm system. Nice for those late nights in my neighborhood.

Here's the CAI. I didn't take a photo after installing the washer reservoir. I'll take a pic later.

My next undertaking is a complete audio install. I have a laundry list of stuff, Infinity Kappa components and 6x9s, Alpine 10" type R, Alpine 5 channel amp, Dynamat, 2 farad cap, JVC nav head unit all new wires, backup cam etc. I ended up deciding on the Metra Kit. While not a perfect option, it has a better track record than the Scosche has so far. I'll post pics as the project progresses.

I have an Audio Integrations custom box on order for the sub, as well as the ******** 6x9 mounting plates for the rear deck.

Almost forgot, I put the skip shift eliminator in at the same time as the hurst ball mod. Never took pics. It was a tight work space, sorry :)

Keep up the good work! Really love the color.

Looking good brotha!

Here's a couple shots of the washer reservoir installed.

I did the Dynamat in the trunk area. I bought the trunk kit, 20 sqft. It wasn't enough to coat everything, but it was enough to get the job done. A very noticeable difference just shutting the trunk lid.

Looks great so far man, keep it updated!

Got a chance to get some more work done on the stereo project. Got the passenger door done. It was pretty complicated fabbing up brackets and basically jamming my tweeter into the OE pod. Didn't take any pictures due to frustration. I am working on the driver door now and will post pics as they come. Probably the biggest time saver on this door will be bypassing the main grommet for running the wires into the car. There is a second small grommet beneath the main one. Unfortunately the wires aren't in the loom, but I can always go back and add my own little wire wrap to clean it up a bit. I also did Dynamat on both doors. There is a huge difference just in the sound of the door closing.

I got some Scosche door speaker adapters, but they put too much of the speaker into the door cavity. I would have lost a lot of the sound, so I heavily modified the stock speaker pod to make it fit. Same with the tweeters. The tape holding it in there was just to center it while I mashed it in there. It is actually really solid. Cutting into the door molding is terrifying. I had to widen the spot to allow the excess to fit into the door. Once everything is done and I'm sure everything is working I will tighten things up with a little quick tight to finish off the mod.

Finished the driver's door today. First I had to do the scariest part- cutting into the door trim. I used a serrated knife and a box cutter. There isn't a lot of material there and it is really soft. So I went in segments till the tweeter fit. Then I started snaking wires. The main connector has extra space after you remover the unneccesary orange lock. I make sure you don't cross your wires through the connector or it won't latch. Then I snaked it all through the extra grommet and threw a zip tie on there. As I said before, I can always go back and add my own wire hider to clean it up. Until I get everything hooked up and test it, I'll leave it as is.

Looking great! Love the fact that you are getting after it so quickly!

Ivan

I bought a whole bunch of projects at once, and am away from my time stealer (house projects). It's coming along pretty well. I'm going to have to wait a little while to get into the dash board but I have most of the prep work done so it shouldn't be too rough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InTea...layer_embedded here is a sound clip of my horn for anyone who's interested.

sounds nasty and loud ,i could use one of those to make other racers move out of my way when i floor it. :D

Got my Audio Integrations box in with a 10" Alpine Type R. The install was more difficult than anticipated. The post that holds the box to the passenger side wall was really short. I adjusted the threaded rod until there were only 3 threads in there and still couldn't get enough length in the box to use the rubber grommet. I took the padding off the back of the wall carpet and still just barely got the nut on there with the lock washer. There is a lot of polyfill. I only ended up using about two hand fulls around the edges. I ran the wire up to the back deck where I am going to be installing my amp upside down.

Got my Infinity Kappa 6x9s installed. Talk about a PITA. On the upshot removing the entire rear of the interior will make the rest of the install easier.

I installed my backup cam. I ran the wires through the plastic plate above the license plate. Assuming my research is correct, the tail lamp wire loom light green wire is the reverse light positive. Between that and a ground I stole from the trunk hinge, It should bring the camera on when the reverse lights are engaged. Won't know if it works until I finish everything. It was a pretty straight forward install otherwise.

Got my Alpine PDX-V9 mounted. I used some nylon spacers to allow air flow and then just ran some bolts through the mounting tunnels. The hardest part was the in and out of the trunk. Can't wait to be done crawling around back there.

Put the Tsunami 2 farad cap down in the spare tire well. The whole process was a serious pain. Once I got it bolted up I test fit the cover. Of course it didn't fit. Got the dremel out and solved that issue. Then I ran the wires. The fuse design is miserable. It is a dual sided blade type. There is no way to connect the wire and tighten it down as it ends up inside the fuse holder... genius. I made it work. After I got all the power run to the amp, the cap decided to fall out of the cheap plastic bracket. To avoid it rattling out while driving, I added some gorilla tape. It's hoaky but it works. Once the remote is run to the head unit, I will finish wiring in the cap.

Got all my wires run today. Everything from speaker wire, to video for the backup cam to the preamps. I got my corssovers mounted and wired. Everything is hooked up to the amp, including the cap power lines. All that's left is the head unit. I can almost see the finish line.

Great build thread. Love the train horns. I might just have to look into that one.

Well the install is done. Finally! Yesterday was spent running the microphone and the antennas. Then came the tedious work of figuring out where all the harnesses went. It was insane. The Metra kit looks great and works well, but as others have found, the install is a major PITA. The instruction book is full of holes. The wires are not labeled properly. If you think you have the wrong wire because it has a speaker labeling printed on it, it probably is just labeled incorrectly. This was the case on at least one wire per harness, and in one case, an entire harness. It was labeled as if it was solely to wire in the factory speaker wires, which I bypassed. I was 2 seconds from cutting it up for spare wire when I realized it went to the Metra faceplate. Good catch on my buddies part. Then we spent an hour and a half figuring out the relay setup to operate the dvd and nav while driving. Couldn't do it again if I tried, so I'm no help there. Just know that you need a 5pin relay to make it work. After all that, I ended up wiring the amp remote line to the f18 fuse to pull off the accessory key. Day 2 was reasonably simple. Wired up the rear camera signal line from the head unit to the reverse lamp, and then started stuffing wires. It was a mess, but we got it in there. When everything was said and done, it looked great and was amazing to use. I have the JVC KW-NT500HDT. It is a beast. Can't say enough good things about it so far. The Metra has good functionality and I have most of the features reestablished. I will be messing with it more this week to get everything dialed in, but for the most part it works like a champ.

*Update: The relay did not allow the dvd, nav, phone, and track list features to work. It worked as long as the ebrake was off with no motion. As soon as the car hit 3mph, the features were again disabled. I had to order the JVC Microbypass. Two solder points and a ground, and the issues were resolved.

Just got my car back from the tint shop. I did 70 in the front, and 28 the rest of the way around. It looks really sharp. The shop used Sun Tek Carbon flim which they took all they way to the bitter edges. Couldn't ask for a better finished product.

I finished my interior. The only thing I may add down the road is an A pillar gauge pod to monitor my engine once I stroke it. For now this custom badge was the final touch. My grandfather was an amazing man. No matter where on earth I called him from, or no matter what my mood, he always would end our conversations with a simple catch phrase, "Keep Smiling." You couldn't help but crack a grin when he said that. Well, whenever I mash the skinny pedal, I can't help but be reminded to always keep smiling. I found a company that made custom pieces, http://www.thirdshiftstudios.com/, and came up with a fitting tribute. They were very open to input and willing to get the design where I wanted it. It makes the Hurst ball just pop when you look inside. I could not be happier with the effect.

Nice

looks great

Well, I'm finally back from tour number 4. It's time for some modding. I started looking at wheels and tires a year before I even ordered the car. Stance is everything. It is the first visual clue if the owner knows what they are doing or not with their car. I love the meaty five-spoke look of the stockers, but they are too heavy and the offset is crap. I considered widening the wheels and running spacers, but I have mixed feelings on that scenario. In a perfect world that would be the road I'd go down. Unfortunately, Murphy loves to mess with me. So to avoid catastrophe, I searched to the ends of the internet to find the perfect 5-spoke. There is no such animal. I found a lot of wheels that spoke to me (no pun intended), but there would always be some element lacking. I wanted classic style, in black, that had an offset that came flush to the fender wells. They had to have that 'Merican look without being too old school. For me the new Camaro embodies the spirit of old iron in a new era. Nothing fit that bill. I'd seen the 1LE wheels online, but was convinced the offset would be wrong. I finally saw them in person a few weeks ago and was sold. I ordered a set of the split 5 spoke 1LE wheels, 20x10 +23 20X11 +43, from shopchevyparts.com over the weekend and they should be here this week. For tires, I went with the Michelin Pilot Super Sports 285/35-20 295/35-20. I would have gone for the 315s but a lot of guys on here have said those tires tend to run wide. Don't want a bulge past the fender, I have enough trouble with slag on the rear quarters as it is. I also picked up a set of gorilla wheel locks. I have ZL1 mud flaps on order to try and save my paint. Everything should be here this week. Can't wait to see the finished product. Down the road I will be doing the Pfadt drop springs and sway bars to tighten up the gap, but for now I have plenty to keep me busy. Stay tuned for pics.

Tires are in. A little concerned about the 285 fronts being the Michelin Pilot Super Sports. A lot of guys on here say they run wide, but a few ZL1 dudes have them. I'm pretty sure the strut towers on the 1LE at least are the same, so fingers crossed no rubbing. Love the ZL1/1LE wheels. shopchevyparts had them in stock and delivered in under a week. Awesome process, quality packaging. Can't wait to see it all come together.

Great choice on wheels. :thumb: