My '01 SS restoration
 

I decided to fully embrace this project even though it will be a hard road financially. (fixed income sucks) Most of what I need I can scrounge at Pick'n'pull as they are interior related (except the leather buckets). The other things that need doing are my labor and so called skills with my tools. I found some things that are not even installed in their mounting brackets but just thrown together. case in point here is it has green blood where it should be orange and the radiator isn't mounted right plus I noticed a slight leak:mad0260:

This is the 1st vehicle I got my hands on that I didn't first change all the fluids, hoses and belts plus give her a decent tune. I should be slapped. I did get to rack up 187 miles and slightly scare myself so now I will start the process of taking her apart and putting her back together nice and slow and just the way the factory intended as I feel this car is more than enough for my driving skills plus I don't need the hassle with johnny law.

so some time this week she goes up on jack stands and I start in. One thing I did notice is the hood scoop is functional but my GM tech source says they did not leave the factory that way, not that I mind having cold air intake.

I took possession of her on the ninth of March and once I get my pics resized will put some up but my files are way too large right now.

pics I have to date, she needs a bath.

the top is new and so are the tires though they put the wrong size tires up front, 245/45ZR17 and they should be 275/40ZR17 same as the rear. a whole bunch of little piddly stuff to fix and some body work. the front seats need to be recovered and they appear to be leather (hope so). the carpet has been torn up and the rear seats are just setting there not even bolted down.

I'm happy about the cold air intake but it looks kinda funky to me and the housing isn't properly secured, see what I can do with it.

all I did was remove the air cleaner and stuff and lo and behold
more than what I thought I'd find. It's a love thing, right?

I always liked these in white!

my 2nd white Fbody, cooler color for the desert although at times a bit bright while driving.

trying to keep a stock look and still have a bit better performance, so I modded the inside of the airbox cover for improved airflow. I'm going to leave the current setup as is but come up with a better way to secure the air cleaner itself. I do need to order a couple things from SLP though.

SLP makes some good stuff for it

got electrical gremlins, and more than a few. this is going to be fun!

what do you have going on?

nothing much, got some problems resolved others to get on with and a total lack of funds. I'm driving it a little and getting things together slowly. this will be a while for me. at present I'm checking switches as I know the head light switch is bad and I'm hoping the switch for the top is bad as it is in the down position and won't raise. have some gremlins behind the dash as well, alarm system, stereo which is aftermarket and I believe installed wrong, the list goes on...

don't know where to start but I'ma gonna figure it out :smm7:

My 2002 Camaro had all kinds of issues when I replaced the factory radio. Maybe try putting a factory radio back in it and see if that fixes some of your issues. I know the alarm runs through the radio.

thought of that too. I'm looking to replace the aftermarket stereo I just haven't been able to do much yet. Have an awful lot on me plate right now and just taking things slow and easy. I am in no hurry at all. when the time comes I will take the car apart and reassemble it the way it should be as well as install the stock radio. much of the problems seem to be just worn out switches but the stereo does do some strange stuff.
with the cost of paint nowadays I was advised by a bodyman to look for used fenders already the right color to save some serious money. body shops are expensive.

for now I'm driving it and enjoying the soft top

I really like that car. With it being white, you can panel paint it so yeah, in theory, if you find a white body panel you should be able to bolt it on and it “should “ match.

I think I am going to go a different direction with this ride, nothing too awfully serious that couldn't be "easily" put back together but a change none the less.



I no longer want a 2+2 configuration, 2 seater SS with a speedster deck lid/twin roll bars. My plan at this point is to completely remove the rag top and ALL hardware that makes it work. this car is to be a driver, it's screaming to be one. It's missing enough parts that it's far less expensive this route and I wont take a car like this out in bad weather anyway. So I don't need a top.



I should have no problem selling as it is brand new black top and working mechanics with the heated glass window.


I foresee some serious fun in my future.

Sounds like a good plan.

I just removed the whole works, don't need it anyway. all the speakers are blown

wife thought so too. she knows I would spend big on a restoration.


problem is finding the cover. I ain't taking nothing apart until I have a solid lead.

So you still haven't found one?

Air box
 

I think the plastic you removed serves to strengthen the assembly so it doesn't get sucked out of shape at wide open throttle

I have a cold air intake from SLP new in box.
http://www.slponline.com/product/210...ir-Intake.html

My car got stolen before this was ever installed. If you are interested let me know.

Good luck on the build! :thumbsup: Not sure why someone zip tied the radiator, the lower part of the air box really is the only thing that holds the radiator in place on these cars. Maybe someone ran a tube intake at some point and that was the alternative.

We just finished up gutting an 02 B4C roller that sat for 5 years, rear window broken out. Found a wrecked 100k mile Z28 in great shape that donated all its parts to the B4C. Only original part left was body harness and dash. Car runs great but need to find a Pewter front end for it. Its half black right now.

No sound deadening garbage more likely, had a stock box with that stuff removed for years that has bounced around on about 3 different cars. None of the aftermarket have those ribbings.

no, got other stuff going on now so car is on back burner for a little bit. still together so I can drive it

I didn't think about that, you are probably correct. something I'll have to keep an eye on.

I looked at this setup before I decided to keep it "looking" stock. The way the air box is set up it grabs cold air direct from behind the radiator, someone cut out the bottom of the air box to make it work but there is no way to secure it so it sort of flops around until the hood is closed.


I'll keep you in mind though If I want to spend a bit to do it right. I know I should.

looks like they used the zip tie to hold the radiator forward while bolting things together wrong. I still haven't taken that apart to fix.



too much on my plate right now to worry about.

looking to sell our home and relocate, I need a second garage and no house payment

I hear yeah, our little 2 cars into 1 project was supposed to be done in 3 months. Buddy had 2 kids, I had 1, kitchen remodel, and my truck was outside for almost 2 years before it drove out on its own:frusty:

[QUOTE=jrob56;



No sound deadening garbage more likely, had a stock box with that stuff removed for years that has bounced around on about 3 different cars. None of the aftermarket have those ribbings.[/QUOTE]




I did notice the engine note was quite a bit noisier after removal, so did at least 1 NHP Trouper.
can't hardly wait until I finish the intake. :happy0180:

had to refi the home to get out of debt. and catch up. got a new grandson living with us as well so funds will be tight for a while, family first.

this car will cost me a total of $15,000 as I will pay it off at the end of the month. is it worth that much at the present time?
still not doing anything with it but driving it, sure is a fun car.

She doesn't look too bad. Always loved these later LS1 cars, test drove a low mileage '00 SS...I just didn't fit in it all that well. Still like the smaller body, they look great with that SLP front SS grille.

I totally get the fittin' in aspect, I am 6'6" and 225 lbs with a size 16 foot. not a lot of peddle room when one has 3 to deal with but I seem to make do and I really forgot just how much fun a stick shift is to play with especially a 6 speed like mine.


I need to get out to Rattlesnake raceway and get a couple time slips

Congratulations and the best of luck with your build on your 2001 SS. Arctic White is a beautiful color on the Camaro. After seeing your pictures of your 2001 SS it doesn’t look like it will be very hard to restore as it looks to be in very good condition already just looks like it needs some work! If you need any advice or help I am always willing to help out. What areas of your 2001 SS really need attention?? I regret selling our 2002 Camaro SS what a mistake that was I loved that car!!

right now the problem is finding switches, most seem to be discontinued. The main one is the headlight switch and if I can find a new one most of the gremlins should disappear. windows, power top, dash... they all work when they want to unless I operate the headlight switch then wallah it all comes together. Basically afraid to venture more than a hundred miles from home until all is well with it.


Car has damage on all 4 sides so I will need to get much done to make it right. I believe it's worth it though. love the performance of this car even though I had my butt handed to me a few days ago by something very exotic and FAST. not sure what it was but it was the size of a Porsche Boxter and even though I was winding out 5th I shut down before 6th gear. Never know what you'll see on the roads around here, place is loaded with millionaires and they have lots of toys.

There are new old stock ones on Ebay for $79 shipped.
Ebay AC Delco Headlight Switch

+1 I would definitely check eBay. Your Camaro is definitely worth restoring it will be a fun project! If you can’t diagnose the electrical grimlens yourself then have a electrical automotive technician, auto shop,automotive technician,or Chevrolet dealership service department you trust diagnose this for you it should not be too hard. Unless you are inclined to do paint and body work find a paint and body shop you trust and have them do the work for you. Restoring your drivetrain would be a concern. I would do a LS3 engine and T56 transmission swap like I did with some go fast mods it should give them a run for their money!;)

What are your goals and plans with your restoration of your Camaro?

common sense has prevailed, and my pocket book.

I would like a Speedster type deck with twin roll bars right behind the front seats in place of the useless back seats but I didn't find what I wanted and on a fixed income can't really afford to have one fabricated so I will slowly replace the damaged parts as I can and most likely sell the car when we can break even on the cost. In the meantime I will enjoy driving her. I have to admit it is the best handling F body I have ever driven and I absolutely love the 6 speed.



Wendy and I would really like another 2nd gen F body as those are my favorite although this time around I will be looking for a Camaro instead of a Firebird. I may even luck out and be able to find somebody who happens to like my car and big bore motorcycle enough to make a trade, one can always hope. My motorcycle is near perfect and an '06 and American made.

getting things together finally. just had knee replacement surgery Feb. 13 and relearning how to walk. every trip out through the garage I pass my brand new Z06 wheels and center caps (bowtie of course) and a few other parts. as soon as I can get in the car and use the clutch without pain I will have my wheels mounted and take care of a few matters under the hood. I also get to do a brake job at least on the front as there is this black goo that ran down my fl wheel. it's always something.


going to take it to a professional to fix the gremlins in the top and power windows, I have learned my lessons over the years and I know nothing about this model. last thing for this year is to take it to a body shop and find out how much of my house they will want to repair the body panels. Car only looks good driving or distance, she has been thrashed and I believe in an accident but fixed at home not in a shop. somebody dumped this car.

Well things have been going my way so far this year but I'm done spending for now. I replaced the Rack and Pinion, Ball joints, Tie rod ends, motor mounts and bought 2 new tires so this car rides on the 275/40ZR17's it's supposed to, I also had the Z06 wheels put on too.



I finished putting the Ram Air intake together so I now have a complete SLP intake system. sure glad the car had been damaged enough to make someone purchase a replacement hood, and this hood does pass air so I know it's not a factory hood (lucky me).


Figured out the dead battery problem, after market alarm system. fixed that with a heavy duty battery switch designed for race cars. Since I park in my garage having it off is no biggie and if we take the car over a weekend it would be good, just went dead if parked about a week.


I still need to replace all the struts and I have not got around to getting the power top and windows working at will yet, first the struts as that is more important.


After I do all this I may start looking for a Arctic White "doner" car as I need both fenders and doors and a rear bumper. the less I need to paint the more I like it.



I'll get a better pic later

You're doing a great job with this build. This car has a clean exterior, I am excited to see it be brought back to life.

Thanks, lots of time is all it takes for a lot of this and not to get upset when it doesn't quite work the way I "think" it should.



I have a few other things that need attention such as an oil leak I can't seem to pin down, a sticky lifter, I need a new a/c compressor and some interior panels to repair damage from somebody's attempt at installing a stereo. in fact I have removed the after market stereo and made up a radio delete panel but the blown speakers are still in place for now just to keep something in the large holes.


Been too Hot here to do much of anything outside or in the garage, we have seen 9 days in a row of 100+ temps and a total of 14 days so far this year and summer has just started. even too hot to drive the car without a/c.

OK guys, Life is good and this car is coming along fine but slow.
I ran into a guy who claims to be an LS engine expert who happens to own his own race shop so I dropped off my car early this year and came home with better than 450hp without doing any machine work on block or heads. The Calif. smog has all been removed as well as the smogger exhaust manifolds and cats, LS9 cam with all the right stuff up top. The 6 speed trans has been previously rebuilt so I now have new drive train, new suspension and steering. Found out that my car is equipped with a power steering cooler after trying to fix a leaky hose so am replacing that system too. this year cost a tad over $5 grand but we feel we got a good deal on the engine rebuild. as for the engine we found it is a 1998 block not the newer LS I thought it was so this car has been wrecked a bit more than I thought. My goul is still the same though as I really want this car right.



sorry I don't come in more often to visit but my online time is very minimal as Wendy and I are raising a grandson as well as an autistic daughter