'14 AGM 1SS/1LE Track build [COTW 11/17/14]

[X25]

Thank you very much! I was surprised they found my car worthy; it's not yet finished! But then, when is a car project ever finished anyway?

I just got the dyno numbers! The baseline is with exhaust and CAI. The new numbers after headers and tuned by FSP as mail-order-tune. Note: I am using 11% smaller diameter tires, so the load at the dyno was not as good as what I last had with the OEM tires. In real world driving, the gap should get a little bigger (but don't know by how much). Since I usually drive at 3rd and 4th gears, I asked for dyno numbers from those gears.

3rd gear before/after


4th gear before/after


Final numbers: 3rd gear run, followed by 2x 4th gear runs. It looks pretty consistent.

[X25]

I also just received the Forgestar CF5V 19"x11" wheels. I am not sure what to do anymore for track duty, though. I think the best bet for track duty in terms of reliability is Z/28 OEM wheels, so I am considering selling either the Forgestars or the APEX wheels, and use the remaining set at the street:

[RubyCamaro]

Congrats. Bad azz ride!

[Arrowball12]

Originally Posted by pgviper

I really enjoy watching builds like these. However, I planned one out myself and in the end, to me it makes more sense to just get a z/28.

With all of the money and time you invested into building up your 1le, how come you didn't just go with a z/28? It will hold its value better and comes with a warranty.

I couldn't agree more, don't get me wrong I love viewing everyone's build threads and different mod ideas and creativity to push these cars to their limits. But why not just get a Z/28 at this point...

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by Arrowball12

I couldn't agree more, don't get me wrong I love viewing everyone's build threads and different mod ideas and creativity to push these cars to their limits. But why not just get a Z/28 at this point...

...at this point, I don't think that it would make any sense for him at all to get one now. He is too far into this amazing build here.

This question would make sense before the build began.

Then again, X25 would probably have modded his Z28 anyways, .

[pgviper]

Congrats on car of the week! Looking forward to some great track reviews and all the adjustments that come with building a car like this once the spring and good weather come around.

[Moreno1]

Nice work, keep up the great job

[X25]

Originally Posted by Camaro Dude

...at this point, I don't think that it would make any sense for him at all to get one now. He is too far into this amazing build here.

This question would make sense before the build began.

Then again, X25 would probably have modded his Z28 anyways, .

Yes, and possibly yes (cooling system upgrade, second set of wheels, adjustable rear control arm : )

It is hard to put a number to all this since some of it was the cost of experimenting and mistakes, but how much is the investment, $10K? And this is before considering I sold the OEM wheels and tires for $2.9K, and I am keeping other OEM parts to revert before selling the car (which won't happen any time soon). I bought the car for $31.5K, so if you think about it, the cost of this build has been fairly low. I also do all the work on it myself, so I don't need to pay labor. In short, it is a bargain to get a car that can handle like this for $41K in my opinion!

Let me compare them from my point of view in a more straightforward way:
1LE

• Less than half the initial price.
• Needs more mods and labor.
• Need to remove most parts and sell them separately to recoup investment when it comes to selling the car.
• Better street car with its upgraded Bose sound system, etc. for the same curb weight.
• Overall cost is less than half with easily 90-95% of Z/28's performance.

Z/28:

• Much higher initial price.
• Much less need for mods.
• Likely to retain factory warranty, but causes modder's dilemma. E.g. Might have warranty v.s. reliability dilemma with oil cooling solutions
• Bigger hit in selling the car back (but no need to remove as many mods). I'm sure it will hold its value well percentage-wise, but it would probably still be a bigger hit. Well considering you'd have to sell all the mods on 1LE individually, perhaps it's a wash.
• I already had 2 LS7s in my life. I'm not sure if I want a third. It never happened to me, but if they ever grenade, it's easily $18K-$20K bill since it always destroys the thinner block and contaminates the cooler lines. A new LS7 is about $14K.

[X25]

Originally Posted by Nathan Moreno

Nice work, keep up the great job

Thanks!

Originally Posted by pgviper

Congrats on car of the week! Looking forward to some great track reviews and all the adjustments that come with building a car like this once the spring and good weather come around.

The season is pretty much over :( I'll install the street brake pads this week.

Next season, I'll have two track ready cars (Miata and the Camaro); it will be fun!

[Bad@ssCamaro]

Congrats on COTW Lots of great info in your build, keep it coming.

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by X25

....[*]I already had 2 LS7s in my life. I'm not sure if I want a third. It never happened to me, but if they ever grenade, it's easily $18K-$20K bill since it always destroys the thinner block and contaminates the cooler lines. A new LS7 is about $14K.[/LIST]

I have never had this pleasure, to own one before, and always therefore wanted to ask one who has, this question.

How do you compare our LS3's to the LS7 in a few words? Like I mean, character, sound, etc...you know what I mean

[X25]

Finally had time to work on the car, and finished a few remaining things I had to do:

Forgestar wheels:
They sure look beautiful! I still have not yet decided if I should use these at the track, or if I should just get OEM Z/28 wheels.

Forgestar CF5Vs in Gunmetal color.


The front wheel with +17 (lowest allowed) offset. Note how thick/deep the hub area goes. It weighed 25 lbs.


The rear wheel with +40 offset. Its hub area is much more shallow. In other words, at least for 19x11, the spokes are always the same design, and will have same concavity. It is the hub area thickness that changes. It weighed 23.4 lbs.


Pretty


Engine mounts:
One of my engine mounts was loose before the second track day, and it took me a while to realize that it was, and it looked a bit damaged. Keith @BMR Suspension sent me replacement bushings last week, and I was suprised how much damage they actually had when I finally replaced the bushings. This is not BMR's fault, though. I let the engine pound these poor bushings during the whole track day.


Pressure sensor:
Oil pressure sensor is finally installed along with the dimmer, and it always reads identical to the car's own pressure sensor. I first installed the sensor extension hose. It looked tight and well sealed, but I wanted to tighten it a wee bit more, and bam, broke the hose's fitting! I decided not to accept failure, and found a way to install the sensor right onto the oil line.


Final remarks:

• I am still yet to decide on what to do with the wheels situation. Too many options to consider!
  • APEX wheels for street with Hankook, Forgestar wheels for track with R-compound
  • Only Forgestars with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tries for double duty.
  • APEX for street, Z/28 wheels for track with R-compound
  • Only Z/28 wheels with MPSC 2 tires for double duty.
• I moved the oil temp sensor to the port on the oil cooler adapter, and now I can see that oil warms up AS ADVERTISED to the 200+ degrees F range in normal city driving. During my 4300+ RPM stress test, it did settle around 250s (which is expected).
• Lowering the engine by .25" (which is allowed by BMR MM004 engine mounts) turned out to be a bad idea after lowering the car about 1.8" (~1" from Z/28 suspension, .8" from lower diameter tires). I put the spacers back into where they belong, and now my headers are safe!

[X25]

Originally Posted by Camaro Dude

I have never had this pleasure, to own one before, and always therefore wanted to ask one who has, this question.

How do you compare our LS3's to the LS7 in a few words? Like I mean, character, sound, etc...you know what I mean

LS7 pulls harder, especially noticeable at lower RPMs, and sounds a bit meaner. The higher RPM redline also lets you stay in the lower gears in some of the corners, where with the LS3, you'd have to shift or stay in higher gear if shifting is not safe. This is about it in my opinion. LS3 also has thicker walls, which makes it much better for forced induction, if that's something you're considering. I don't, so it does not matter, but I'd definitely never cam or supercharge an LS7. I left both my Z06s stock in terms of engine, but I never felt needing more anyway.

[Camaro Dude]

Thank you!

Carry on!