Tobalt's IBM 2010 2SS/RS L99

[tobalt]

First a little background on my purchase:

I fell in love with the Camaro when I was in college in the late 90s-early 2000s. I planned on buying a new dark green Gen 4 once I was out of college and making money, but they discontinued them the year before I graduated. I didn't particularly like any of the other offerings out there (Mustang, etc) so I pretty much gave up on it. I figured they would bring back the Camaro some day, and perhaps I'll make enough money then to buy one. So, in the meantime, I ended up buying a 2004 Prius. Yep, you heard me right. A Prius . To be honest, the technology of the Prius appealed to my techie side. And as an added bonus, I would save money on my then hour-long commute to work. I was a happy camper with it. But, my need for speed really went unsatisfied. Peaking at ~105HP on a good day was my "thrill" for years lol!

I was stoked when the 2006 Camaro Concept was revealed. Over the next few years, job promotions came my way, bought a house, got two dogs, but I still managed to remain single (good!), which meant I could definitely get myself a sports car. In 2009 I gave my old Prius to my dad (who drove a 1992 Chrysler Lebaron that he bought in '92) as a gift, and bought a 2010 Prius (once again, for the gas savings). In 2010, I started giving strong thought into finally buying the sports car. I figured since I drove a Prius for almost 9 years, I deserved to drive something with a hell of a lot more power. So the search began. I tossed around getting the 2010 Mustang GT, Challenger, or Camaro. Started reading up all the reviews and articles on each car. GT was faster, Challenger was roomier, Camaro was best overall (design, ride, looks). Around Jan 2011 I rented both a Mustang (V6) and a Camaro LS. Although the Mustang had awesome interior customization (spent hours playing with the ambient lighting) I had the most fun driving the Camaro LS. I remember driving down a New Mexico backroad in the white Camaro, and hitting around 115, and having a blast. I even got a flash and thumbs up from a Mustang GT going the opposite way. So that made my mind up. Initially wanted a RJT SS (throw in gold rally stripes and it's got my alma mater's colors), but I really loved the look of the IBM. Tried getting one through CarMax (horrible experience) and then located a used 2010 down in Montgomery. Haven't looked back since. Still have the Prius as my daily driver. I figure I can go a little harder on the throttle in the Camaro without it hurting my wallet too much .


At the dealership (Picked up 3/12/2011):



First day in the garage (next to my Prius)


After having my Camaro for almost a year, I finally settled on a name for my car. I think AKULA fits well . Not as generic as simply calling my car a "Shark", and it sounds sinister. Once I'm up for re-registration I'll get the new license plate to reflect the new name. Now, onto the fun stuff!

Modifications

(Updated 12/4/2011)

Exterior

• R/S Package
• White Rally Stripes
• Foose 20x8.5, 20x10 R/S Wheels (Black and Machined Aluminum)
• Gorilla Locking Lug Nuts
• MPD-1 One-Piece Rear Wing Spoiler (Painted IBM)
• Showstopper Accessories LED Sidemarkers (Painted IBM)
• Stealth Bulbs Turn Signals
• Personalized License Plate (TRJNSS). FIGHT ON!
• Carbon(tm) Window Tint (32% Driver/Passenger/Rear)
• Hydrographed Bowties

Interior

• Red LED Dome/Trunk light replacement
• Red LED Door ABL replacement
• Red LED Cup Holder ABL
• Brushed Aluminum Cup Holder Bezel, with "CAMARO" Engraving
• CAMARO Seatbelt Shoulder Pads (Black Alcantara fabric with white lettering)
• Hurst Comp Stick (Titanium without base plate)
• Hurst Paddle Shifter Kit (Jagan Style Aluminum Paddles)
• SS Emblem

Performance

• Cold Air Inductions, INC 6.2L Camaro Intake System
• Borla S-Type Axle Back Exhaust

Engine Bay

• Hydrographed V8 Engine Cover (Matched IBM Carbon Fiber)
• Hydrographed Battery and CAI Covers (Matched IBM Carbon Fiber)

Wishlist

Cosmetic

• Showstopper LED Side Mirrors
• Sequential Turn Signal Harness or LED Tail Lights
• JDP Motorsports Color Changing RS Halo Package
• Bumblebee White Vinyl Stripes with Spoiler Wraparound (in progress)
• AAC Dynamic RGB LED Scanner (mounted in grill area)
• AAC P13W Plasma DRLs
• Footwell Lighting (Red)
• Front Dash ABL Lighting (Red)
• Billet Aluminum Racing Pedals (Automatic)
• Paint Brake Calipers (IBM)
  

Performance

• Tune out AFM (when warranty expires)
• Mid-pipes to replace L99 Stock Resonator
• Headers (when warranty expires)
• Vmax Ported Throttle Body (IBM)
• Pfadt Adjustable Coilovers
• Hotchkis Strut Tower Brace
• Hotchkis Chassis Max Brace
• Hotchkis Adjustable Competition Rear Sway Bar
• Hotchkis Competition Front Sway Bar
• Turbocharger or Supercharger. Haven't decided yet, but once again, won't upgrade until warranty expires.
  
• Functional Heat-extracting Hood
  

[The Stig]

Can't wait to see you post up photos. Your mod list in your sig is pretty extensive.

Also, is that a prius next to the camaro in the garage?

[tobalt]

First mod, made on 6/8/2011:

Out with the old:


Installing:

In with the new:


Much better:

[tobalt]

Originally Posted by stieger

Can't wait to see you post up photos. Your mod list in your sig is pretty extensive.

Also, is that a prius next to the camaro in the garage?

Haha, yep. That's my daily driver. The way I figure it, with the $$ savings in gas that gives me, it allows me to be more aggressive on the gas pedal on the Camaro =P

[tobalt]

The Borla S-type Axle Backs:


Stock OEM (aka UUUUGLY) Mufflers:


Borlas Installed:

[tobalt]

Had my CAI box cover, engine cover, battery coer, and bowties done by a local Hydrograph shop in dark blue carbon fiber on 8/9/11:

Engine Cover


Battery Cover (and part of the CAI cover can be seen):


Engine Bay looks a lot better:

[tobalt]

Hurst Comp Stick. I decided against the base plate because I didn't really like the look of it:


Cup Holder Bezel with CAMARO stamped (courtesy of good ol' eBay)


Another view:

[tobalt]

After being annoyed with the push button shifting of the TAP Shift on the steering wheel, I decided to try out the Hurst Paddle Shifters. I was on the fence on this one for a long, LONG time. Kept reading reports about potential issues with the windshield washer and/or high beams. But I figured only way to find out for myself is to try them out. Kenji (from Hurst?) gave me peace of mind saying if I had any issues I could return them within a year. Props to him. So far, I thoroughly enjoy the paddle shifter set!

[Dznyfn]

What was the cost of the hydrographics?

[tobalt]

Originally Posted by Dznyfn

What was the cost of the hydrographics?

It came out to $50/part. The bowties counted as one. I won a $50 gift card from a car show, so it came out to $150. They also painted parts of the engine cover black.

[tobalt]

Added the much needed cup holder LEDs (red) and swapped out the interior LEDs (trunk, dome, door abl) to red ones. The doors were a biznitch to do, but I had tremendous help from a member of the club (thanks Jesse!).

Interior LEDs


Cup holder LEDs:

[tobalt]

Added in Stealth Bulbs to the front turn signals. (Mirror coated). Makes the front flow nicer IMHO. Also added the Showstopper LED Sidemarkers. I'm a HUGE fan on how the LEDs follow the natural lines of the car!

Stealth Bulbs:


Showstopper LED Sidemarkers:


Good shot of the sidemarkers while running the Tail of the Dragon:

[midnighter]

Very nice!

[tobalt]

Added the MPD-1 Rear Wing Spoiler. Took me months to decide upon a spoiler for my Camaro. Kept going back and forth with a bunch of great options (GM High Wing, GM Dovetail, MPD-1, Comp Series Gen 1, NLP) but I decided on the MPD-1s from the great reviews and feedback on them. Super easy to install, but upon removal of the stock OEM spoiler I noticed heavy scraping/paint missing on the right side of the trunk from the OEM spoiler rubbing against the paint. Luckily the MPD-1 covered that area, but I am going to have to invest in a can of IBM and paint that area to prevent rusting.

OEM Spoiler:


MPD-1 Spoiler Installed: