PMJ's 2SS/RS Whipped 416 M6 aka BlackWidow [COTW 6/10/13]

[PMJ]

I've always been a Camaro fan, particularly the 1st gen and 3rd gen. I never owned one. When the 5 gen came out I fell in love, but it wasn't really practical at the time for a family of 5. I turned 40 last year and decided I was going to buy myself a Camaro for my birthday (I know…that's never happened before).

When I bought the car (mid May 2012) I had no idea what I was getting into. My plans were new wheels and exhaust...nothing else. It is unbelievable how difficult it was to find rims to fit the offset and clearance for the brembo breaks... As a result I scoured the internet bound and determined to find what I was looking for. Low and behold I stumbled on Camaro5…

Still not sure if that was one of the best things I’ve stumbled on, or one of the worse… But for a guy who is handy w/tools but never really worked on cars (besides oil and brakes), I’ve done more things to my car in 9 months than I’ve ever imagined.

It cracks me up to think my first purchase was flowmaster cat back American thunder. I paid $150 to have them installed. A few weeks later I read someone’s signature on camaro5 about “having someone else work on your car and bragging is like paying someone to ….. your wife and then bragging about the kids”. And since that day everything has been done in my own garage. I have nothing against performance shops, in fact I stop in to discuss things with them all the time, I just found I really enjoy working on my car and seeing the results. As many times as I’ve pulled the exhaust system on and off, including changing to the Corsa black diamond tips…it cracks me up I paid to have the first system installed.

Besides a lot of great DIY and ideas to improve looks and performance of your car, I made the mistake and I started reading about….Drag Racing!! BIG mistake…Talk about addicting! The first time I went to the track all I had was a CAI cold air intake and the cat back exhaust. My goal was to get in the lower 13s. I got beat by a Mustang, but then actually whooped an early 2000s Shelby. I decided getting beat sucked…winning was much more fun. Most of the cars that night were running high 12s and slower, so my new goal was to get into the 12s…this was essentially the beginning of the end…I was officially hooked.

Let the spending begin…$$$$





Here are my current performance/nonaesthetic mods:

• Cold Air Inductions CAI w/Apex scoop
• OBX LT Headers 1 7/8 w/high flow cats (now hollowed cats)
• Whipple 2.9L 2.75" pulley /10 rib kit
• TPiS 102mm Throttle Body
• RX catch can
• 3 bar map sensor (ZR1)
• ZL1 Fuel Pump & ADM FPCM
• FIC 1000cc
• Alky Control Meth Kit
• Corsa catback Black Diamond tips
• Brian Tooley Blower Cam "stage 3"/custom
• Brian Tooley Springs, Push rods, Trunions
• Ported LS3 heads w/50 degree valve - flowing 345
• 416 Engine 9.9:1- H Squared Racing Engines in Houston, TX
  • Wiesco 15cc dished pistons
  • h-beam Compstar Rods
  • Callie's compstar 4.0" crank
  • ARP Head/Main Studs
  • LS9 gasket
  • Coat bearings, rod, main
  • Piston skirts coated
  • LS 7 lifters
  • billet double roller timing set
  • New higher volume LS4 Oil Pump
  • Iconel racing exhaust valves - higher heat
  • 3/8" push rod
  • Custom coolant bridge
• Custom RPM level 6 TR6060 transmission w/power 5th and 6th gears
• Mickey Thompson drag radials 18" - make that 17" slicks & skinnies
• Lorenzo WL28 18" wheels - now Bogart GT black powder coated
• Innovate O2 wideband sensor/gauge
• Aeroforce guage
• Hurst roll control brake line lock
• McLeod RXT clutch
• Prothane motor mounts
• Fastlane 4 point roll bar
• Schotch 5 point harness
• ZL1 driveline performance kit
• RX Super Chiller

Suspension mods:

• BMR Trailing Arms
• BMR 1" drop springs
• BMR Bushings - BK030, BK023
• Pedders ZL1 front and rear sway bars

Aesthetic Mods:

• Hex Vents black color match (these actually did reduce lift at 150+ mph...so partial performance mod)
• Badge/emblem delete
• Blackout fog light covers
• Tint windows
• Black Billet bowties
• Black (color match) bevel rear taillights
• Headlight armor tinting
• Splash guards
• SS Floor mats
• Aluminum fuse box cover
• Corsa Diamond Black tip exhaust
• JDB DRL harness/Oracle LED daytime running lights
• Grey full body and hash stripes
• Oracle ghost side markers

I've also added some current pics since i got my new grill, diamond black tipped corsa exhaust installed. I also have a pic included with my dance shoes on (MTs)...





















Hex vents:

[PMJ]

The slow start - May - July 2012

I was (still am) the typical newbie. I started with the what won't void my warranty threads...as I had not intention of doing anything to void over the next 3 years...or at least not until next month.

Round 1 had a lot to do w/exterior:
· Removed all chrome emblems / added black billet bowties
· Window Tint
· Fog light covers and headlight armor tinting
· Flowmaster American Thunder cat back - ~10 whp
· Cold Air Inductions CAI w/Apex scoop – ~15 whp
· B1K WDO license plate
· XO Miami – custom matte black powder coated wheels
· GM Splash Guards
· Nittow Invo 315/35zr20
· Black bevel rear frames
· Lingenfelter CNC Billet pedals
· SS floor mats
I was all dressed up and ready to go! A whopping 25 hp over stock if I was lucky.

I forgot to mention, I took my kids to the Advengers movie in my car shortly after buying it. On the way home they named it BlackWidow. I like Scarlett, so BlackWidow she became.

Here was my first time ever at the track. Sorry for the long videos, my kids help edit them (not as short as sweet as most on here):

[PMJ]

Round 2 was all about getting the 12s:

• OBX LT Headers 1 7/8 w/high flow cats (so i failed to mention I do have a friend who is very much a motorhead...he is also very cheap and tends to steer me towards the bargain prices...with that said, i'm very happy with the OBX) - oops, there went the warranty
• BMR Trailing Arms - TCA026
• MT drag radials P305/45R18
• Lorenzo WL28 18" wheels
• Custom Tune by Bill - 413 rwhp

Seeking 12s:



My launches left something to be desired. Was at the track 4 hrs never got out of line and only got 4 passes...never been back to Baytown.

The next weekend visited a 1/8 mile strip and finally broke a 1.9s 60 and 8.4s 1/8...i was in the 12s (barely and unofficially).

[PMJ]

OK, high 12s were not very satisfying...bring on the whipple!

This was by far the biggest adventure I've had under the hood to date, but the Whipple instructions are fantastic. Out side of 1 minor thing that would bite me a few months down the road...don't use loctite w/an ARP balancer bolt...use the grease that ARP provides!


Round 3 - Super charge me!

• BMR drop springs - more for looks
• Whipple 2.9L 4" pulley
• RX catch can
• 3 bar map sensor
• Aeroforce gauge
• O2 wideband gauge
• Pillar gauge mount

Hoping for 11s, but was like 95 degrees and humid. I used the corrected calculator and was in the 11s, but didn't say that on my slip

[PMJ]

Signed up for the Texas Mile. So i decided to pully down a bit...






Round 4:

• Whipple 3.75" pulley - 11psi
• Hurst roll control brake line lock
• 2.5lb BC handheld fire extinguisher - req'd for the Mile
• Custom Tune by Bill - 609 whp (street - estimate race gas tune ~630 whp)

Talk about a fun weekend - Texas Mile in Beeville, TX Friday - Saturday, Camaro Nationals in Houston on Sunday. I was feeling pretty good, felt much faster on the race gas with more timing and last time to the track, never lost...then came the Camaro nationals and i got whooped...back to the drawing board!



Camaro Nationals:


.

[PMJ]

I thought i might be done, after the 4th round...but i lost some close races to those camaros, so had to do something to take a couple 10ths off. So went route of a Brian Tooley blower cam.

Since i installed the smaller pulley, i had to run Torco fuel additive for the extra octane. Torco does some nasty stuff inside the engine. To prepare for more HP, had to upgrade fuel system and added Meth for a little more octane. While the rear cradle and tank were dropped also installed all new bushings (this is the only DIY project i wish i didn't do! What a pain.).

• ZL1 Fuel Pump & ADM FPCM
• BMR Rear Cradle Bushing Kit, Pro Version (BK030)
• BMR Rear Suspension Bushing Kit (BK021)
• FIC 1000cc
• Alky Control Meth Kit w/trunk tank (http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268377)
• Corsa catback w/diamond tips - couldn't stand the drone from the flowmaster (i was able to fix it originally w/j pipes, but after the headers and SC, i didn't have any luck) - absolutely love the corsa

[PMJ]

My Cam install was going great until i started the car and had no oil pressure. Pulled the timing cover and and quickly identified i hadn't seated the pick-up tube properly into the oil pump...easy fix. Until I was installing the harmonic balancer and snapped off the ARP balancer bolt in the crank (another thread w/details).

• Brian Tooley Blower Cam
• JDP Cam adapter and Timing chain
• Brian Tooley Springs, Push rods, Trunions
• Oracle LED daytime running lights
• JDB DRL harness

I spent a while trying to pull the bolt out, but finally gave up and decided time to forge the bottom end

So...

[PMJ]

I chose to take my engine to H-Squared Racing engines to have it rebuild as a 416 with:

• Wiesco 15cc dished pistons
• h-beam Compstar Rods
• Callie's compstar 4.0" crank
• Bore Engine and install internals - H Squared
  • ARP Head/Main Studs
  • LS9 gasket
  • Coat bearings, rod, main
  • Piston skirts coated
  • LS 7 lifters
  • billet double roller timing set
  • New higher volume LS4 Oil Pump
  • Brian Tooley Blower Cam
  • Iconel racing exhaust valves - higher heat
  • 3/8" push rod
  • Custom coolant bridge
• Ported LS3 heads w/50 degree valve - flowing 345
• Pfadt engine mounts
• Fastlane custom rollbar w/removable harness bar
• Tank Plates
• 6 point schotch harness
• McLeod RTX clutch
• Pedders ZL1 front and rear sway bars
• 10-rib pulley conversion - pricey!

Hoping to get motor back tomorrow!

[Bomino]

loving this build

[Blackone]

i am too

[PMJ]

Was at H-Squared bright and early this morning to watch them put the final touches on my rebuild. Got the engine home around noon. Here a a few pictures at the shop:

Showing off the double roller timing chain, and new LS4 (high volume) oil pump. Also shows some of the mods on the front cover to fit all the new stuff in. The new 10-rib ATI balancer was installed at the shop to center up the front cover, but for some reason never snapped a pic.

[PMJ]

Had my friend meet me when I got home and we got to work. About 7 hours later, we were done underneith the car (I hope). We installed the new RXT clutch, dropped the engine in, installed a tick remote clutch speed bleed line, reinstalled tranny, drive shaft, headers and exhaust! Attached most of the bolt-ons up top as well (besides the whipple and coil packs due to waiting on parts).

I'm currently waiting on push rods (custom size), and Kurt Urban LS Water Vapor System to bridge from all 4 corners of the heads vs. front 2 only. (will add pics when installed).

I had some issues w/the 10-rib pully kit...will follow up on that tomorrow. Removing the pulley from the water pump is a b!%^&. Still haven't gotten it off.

[CamaroKid300]

This will be COTW worthy once you finish this up. Good work!

[litle88]

That's awesome bud, don't forget the negative wires that hook up behind the cyl heads and make sure they are nice and tight but not too tight lol.

Your doing it right!