Ashen 6.2 2014 Z/SS

[Ashen 6.2]

Figured it was about time to start a build thread for my ride. It started out as a 2014 Camaro SS/2SS/RS and I bought it on 5/24/14.

Here is a list of mods that I have completed:

Engine
GPI Tuned (Ben)
Holley Dominator ECU
Race Products USA Gateway for Holley ECU
GPI Forged 416
GPI Custom Grind Cam (3 bolt LS3 Conversion)
GPI Ported Heads
C.H.E. Trunnion's
Magnuson Heartbeat w/10 Rib 3.20 Griptec Pulley
ATI Balancer w/10" 10 Rib Dedicated Motorsports lower pulley
LSA 3 Belt 10 Rib Conversion w/DSX Triple Idler Pulleys & ARS Tensioner
Autospeed Engineering 103mm Snout
Nick Williams 103MM Throttle Body
FIC 1650 Injectors
RPM 5" CAI
Powermaster – XS Torque Starter (9509)
Black Market Racing S/C Coolant Tank
Prospeed Heat Exchanger
Dual Varimax S/C Coolant Pumps
Kooks 2" Headers & Cats
Solo Cat Back Exhaust w/J pipes
Motion Raceworks Top Loader Catch Can 10AN
Holley Orange Valve Covers
GPI 10.5mm Spark Plug Wires
ZL1 Fuel Pump
DSX Aux Pump (Upgraded to GSL 396/320GPH Pump)
DSX E85 Kit
RIFE 150 PSI Fuel Pressure Sensor Transducer 1/8" NPT - part 52-150PSI
Alky Control Dual Nozzle Meth Kit w/2 Gal Tank
on E85 w/Meth - 875 rwhp / 843 ft-lb Torque


Chassis/Driveline/Suspension
Circle D 3600 258mm Triple Disc Converter
Circle D Flexplate
Tru-Cool 40K Transmission Cooler
AFP Transmission Fan Shroud
Spal 6.5" Fan (Part # 30100402)
RIFE Liquid Temp Sensor Direct Wire Sensor 1/8" NPT (for trans temp) - part 52-1212
Hurst Roll Control Line Lock
ZL1 Differential 3.23 ratio
DSS 1500 HP Axles
Hendrix Offset Differential Bushings
Gulf Coast 1pc Aluminum Driveshaft
Metco Driveshaft Loop
GPI Lightweight Front K-Member
GPI/Aerospace Components Lightweight Front & Rear Brakes
Viking Double Adjustable Front Coil Overs w/250lb Spring (part # J426-7904-103)
Viking Berserker Tripple Adjustable Rear Coil Overs w/500lb Spring (part # VRF798RF)
BMR 15" Conversion - RSK359 (LCA's & Adjustable Trailing Arms)
BMR Adjustable Toe Rods - TR003
BMR Rear Sway Bar - XSB004
BMR Rear Upper Control Arm Bushings - BK039
AFE Solid Subframe Bushings
Motion Raceworks 2010-15 5th Gen Camaro Parachute Mount - part 14-190
Motion Raceworks Parachute Cable Holder - part 14-00007
Stroud Parachute - part 430-06-05
VMS Drag Pack (17x10 & 18x5)
Mickey Thompson ET Street R Drag Radials (305/45/17)
Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R (28x6x18)
Weld Ventura 15X10 Beadlock Wheels
Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pro 275/60/15


Body
Carbon Fiber Hood Vent
Z28 Aero Kit (Splitter, Spoiler, Belly Pan) - GM Part #23489551
Z28 Grille (removed the Z28 Emblem) - GM Part #23468208
Z28 Rockers & Wheel Flares
Z28 Diffuser - Gm Part #22985096
GM Nut Inserts for Belly Pan - 11 qty GM Part #11570215 & 3 qty GM Part #11517841
Debadged except for front Flowtie & Rear Bowtie

Interior
Roll Cage by Storming Normands in Avon, IN
PCMofNC Manual Fan Switch
Shrader Performance Rear Seat Delete
AEM Wideband & Boost Gauges
Autometer A-Pillar Dual Gauge Mount
Banks iDash in DS Vent
Kirkey 55 Drag Race Seat & Cover
Henderson Race Shop Kirkey Seat Brackets
Holley 6.86 Pro Dash
Classic Dash for Holley Pro Dash

Best Track Times
ET - 5/20/23 - Tulsa Raceway - 9.850
Trap Speed - 5/20/23 - Tulsa Raceway - 148.10
Best 60' time - 4/1/23 - Centerville Raceway - 1.441


Coming Soon
More GPI goodies?
T400 - Extreme Automatics Stage 3 w/Reid Case & Bell Housing
Shifter - to be decided, looks like its between the M&M and Motion Raceworks shifters
Cross member - GForce
New Driveshaft - Gulf Coast
Circle D Converter for T400/LS
HARM Racing Exhaust
Optic Armor Windshield
Keizer Wheels



Parts Soon to be For Sell
GPI SS3 PD Hardened Camshaft
Kooks 1 7/8" headers coated
Carlysle 15" Brake Caliper & Rotors
Holley Orange Valve Covers
Z28 Belly Pan (GM Part 23459995)

Mods in Storage for Now
GM Strut Brace
Kicker Subwoofer
Pioneer Amp
Sub-Thump Enclosure
A/C Condensor
Magnuson Heat Exchanger
HVAC Blower Motor & Housing
Blend Door & housing
Cabin Air Filter Housing
Rear Seat
Z28 Spoiler
OEM Cradle
MRR 228 Black Wheels (F-20x10+23, R-20x11+43)
Continental Extreme Contact DW front tires (275/40/20)
Nitto NT05R Drag Radials - (315/35/20)




Lots of smilin while drivin!!

[Ashen 6.2]

First mods (other than tinting the windows) came in February & March 2015.

Checked out the MAF to see if it was a "strong or weak" version. Turned out to be strong.



Installed a GM strut brace





Installed a Solo Cat Back exhaust with J-pipes.







First tune from BlackBear Performance

[Ashen 6.2]

Next mods in January & February 2016

Kooks long tube 1-7/8" headers & cats w/Airborn ceramic coating



Headers arrived with a good sized dent in the collector. Was pretty easy to fix with some pliers and a few light taps from a hammer.





Bo White ported throttle body





Sub-Thump sub box w/Kicker sub and Pioneer amp



Installation for all was easy. Worst thing about headers is disconnecting the o2 sensors behind the cylinder heads.

[Ashen 6.2]

After having the strut brace on for a while I decided that I wanted to change it up a bit.. So I ordered some color matched paint from AutomotiveTouchup.com and got started on the brace. I had thought about polishing the center section of the brace but then switched to wrapping the center in 3M carbon wrap from Amazon.

[Ashen 6.2]

Next up was new tires & wheels. Really liked the look of the MRR228 wheels and struggled a bit between the black & graphite color. Ended up choosing the graphite color and Continental Extreme Contact DW tires purchased from Paul @ Need4Speed Motorsports (Now with PK Auto Design). Paul is great to work with and answered a lot of questions. Very easy to work with.

[Ashen 6.2]

Next up in March 2016:
Swapping out the factory hood vent with a carbon fiber vent. Also added a hydro-dipped engine cover (both purchased from a forum member rig2014SS).
Installed ADM cold air intake & scoop and RotoFab windshield washer fluid kit.

All were fairly easy installs.

[Ashen 6.2]

Next was making the decision in changing rear gears. Decided to go with 3.91's but didn't have much luck finding a place nearby to do the swap. I started searching for the complete 3.91 diff (part # 22806794) online and found a great deal at iamgmparts.com.

When the diff arrived it was really obvious something had happened. When the UPS guy tells you that "i have a box for you thats been leaking in my truck all day and smells like someone died", its not a good thing...



Anyways, got the diff out and sure enough one of the plastic caps that covers the axle openings had been broken and the diff leaked fluid everywhere. I shot a note to iamgmparts.com and they quickly agreed to pay for 2 quarts of fluid & additive from my local dealer. Opened the diff up and was able to find all of the broken plastic and got it sealed back up and installed.









Quickly had the tune updated from Justin @ BlackBear Performance and wow what a difference these gears made. First gear is pretty short but all in all very happy with this change!

[Ashen 6.2]

While working on the differential I had ordered a set of ZL1 rockers painted to match from Gary's Customs. Once they came in i quickly added those to the car and was vey happy with the change in appearance.

[Ashen 6.2]

Now, this is where the fun begins...

Shortly after getting the ZL1 rockers put on, I found a liquidator (Source One Autoparts) on eBay that was selling leftover Z28 rockers and flares. They had several in Ashen Gray so an order was placed quickly.

While waiting on those to arrive I also sourced a Z28 aero kit (GM Part #23489551) from gmperformancemotor.com (includes front splitter, rear spoiler and belly pan).

Then ordered a Z28 grille (GM Part #23468208) from cheapestgmparts.com.

Quickly learned that putting on the flares was going to be a chore (to say the least). They come with a small strip of 3M tape on them but thats no where enough to hold them on (for very long anyways).

Did some research and found that the factory uses Dow Betalink adhesive to install the flares. After more research I found that BMW has a kit they use for installing spoilers at dealers. This stuff isn't cheap but I found it online for $40 a tube and got it ordered. BMW Betalink Adhesive, K1 82699408866.

[Ashen 6.2]

Got the rear spoiler installed and had the same experience many others did. Removing the factory spoiler left several spots where the paint either rubbed off or came off with the original spoiler.

Also got the front splitter and grille put in. Had to cut the ADM race scoop for the left splitter brace to clear. Left the chrome headlight bezels in for now until I decide what to do there.

[hammdo]

Wow, the Z/28 aero really changes how aggressive the car appears. Love that! Wish we could get that front grill in an early gen5...

-Don

[Ashen 6.2]

So now maybe this is really where the fun begins :-0...

Thankfully I have a wide 3 car garage and can put the car in sideways when needed. Since i knew this was going to take some time I did just that.

Unfortunately I cannot find any pics of the prep leading to the flares going on, but there was a lot of fitting that took place. The front flares have 4 screw holes on each that go through the front fascia. I took my time and got everything lined up, prepped and bought a bunch of clamps from Walmart.

I put blue painters tape over the paint on the flares and started applying the Betakink adhesive. This stuff has about 15 minute working time before it starts to harden (if I remember correctly).

Once the flare was in place I applied a bunch of clamps to make sure it stayed put!

[Ashen 6.2]

After getting the front flares on and while fitting the rear flares was struggling with making sure they fit right with the factory SS diffuser.

So I decided to bite the bullet and get a Z28 rear diffuser from generalmotorspartsonline.com. I was quite impressed when the diffuser arrived the next day on FedEx and I didn't even pay for expedited shipping.

Swapped out the diffuser and got the rear flares fitted and installed.

[Ashen 6.2]

Here are a few pics after all the Z28 stuff was finished.

I am not a fan of doing body work so all this fitting and adhesive stuff was quite stressful. But, this is part of what I like to do, doing my own work and that is really rewarding when it turns out the way you wanted it too.

For anyone thats concerned about the Z28 emblems, none of those have made it on my car. In fact, I've removed all of the badging except for the front flow tie and rear bowtie (which has a carbon overlay now).