Hi all -- I'd appreciate some input on a project I'm putting together. Since I'm new to the Camaro platform, I'd appreciate advice on this. I realize I'm a Camaro newbie, but the 1LE fixes all the issues that kept me from Camaro ownership. Thanks in advance for input on this...
Recently our last kid left for college. We are now spending half the year in Northern California and the other half in Austin, TX.
I have a car in NorCal that I use for 10-15 track events per year. I'm looking to put together something to keep in Austin. I want a high-performance car with roll cage, fire system, and a semi-stripped interior. My goal is to keep this naturally aspirated, with 500 to 550 horsepower and 475 to 500 lb-ft of torque. My goal is to have something fast but strong, that can be tracked without fatigue -- I want everything to be overbuilt for the use scenario. Lastly, I won't drive this a great deal on the road -- but I want to be able to drive it to the track, instead of being locked into having to trailer it.
ENGINE: At a friend's recommendation I contacted
Katech. They build amazing stuff, but the package I like has a dry sump and won't accommodate an A/C compressor. They can create an engine that has both dry sump and A/C -- but the price jumps for that and is over what I'd like to pay on this project. Since it regularly hits 105 in Texas, the A/C is a must.
Cars in Austin must pass an
OBDII smog test every two years. I'm wondering about some of the
Chevrolet Performance LS3-based crate motors, and whether these might pass the smog test more easily than some of the alternatives?
SUSPENSION: My current car is about as stiff as you can get away with on the street, given how bad the roads are in NorCal. Whatever I build will need to be stiff and great on the track, but compliant enough for occasional street usage. I'm considering using
Pfadt for the suspension, but would welcome suggestions for alternatives.
SAFETY: I am still working out details around the roll cage, fire system, etc.. I'd really appreciate any information on good folks to work with for a custom roll cage.
Lastly, I'm too tall for the stock street car. As part of the build the stock seats will go away anyway, so installing racing shells should fix the fit issue. At one point I was considering a
Mustang Boss 302S -- but I am really not a Ford guy, and I also want to have something street-able instead of having a pure track car...
Thoughts?