The Adventures of my Camaro in China

[rocknroll_jeph]

This weekend was unusually warm for Beijing in February, so our car club scrambled to set up a meet at the go-kart track. We had about 6 hours of track time available, and I drove about 4 or 5 times. Chinese sized go karts are not made for my midwestern American body, so it was a bit tights, but I still couldn't resist nearly unlimited seat time in on the track. My arms are still sore two days later. We also had access to the nearby empty lot which was organized for us to play around. There was drag racing and burnouts, naturally.

I felt pretty proud of my little V6. Obviously I beat all of the turbo mustangs in the drag races, but also held my own going against a 5.0l, I wasn't sure who won actually. My friend's 6.4L Track Hawk also got down the track a fender behind my Camaro and the only time I knew I had lost the race was against another Hemi powered Jeep. I did feel a bit bad that I beat all the other Camaros every time, but mine is extensively modified and their's were all pretty stock except intake and exhaust.

Anyway, at the end of the day it was all for fun and there were smiles and laughter and good vibes, and as always- hanging out with old friends and meeting some new ones.

If you have 2 minutes to spare please take a look at the video I made summing up the day, and be on the lookout for more detailed videos about the cars and people coming soon!

https://youtu.be/AQpSIpp8Lxs?si=tBNXYUqc-gzF_g33

[rocknroll_jeph]

While not really featuring my Camaro, I interviewed a few guys that just bought Camaros. In the past few days I have been chatting with them both more and more. It turns out that Yu saw my Camaro at a car show two years ago and that really inspired him to get his own.

That same car show is happening today but I was too lazy to enter my car into it this time, however, one of the official posters for the event has a photo of his Beetle with my Camaro silhouetted in the background. Kind of a cosmic occurrence that you don't see often, and its briefly shown in the video at 44 seconds of so.

To learn more about the newest and youngest Camaro owners, check out part 2 of my latest video series and let me know what you think! Thank you all!

https://youtu.be/ZHyfVOErY8U


In part 3 we are going to put my 5th gen up against a 6th gen, with a race totaling 10 cylinders of fury!

[rocknroll_jeph]

Here is the third and final video of this series. Here we have some Camaro on Camaro action, I race a 6th gen on a short track.

Who do you think won? Which car do you think should win? And is my launch technique ok?

I held to 2000RMB because I didn't want to damage the transmission, but it's already a lot softer than it was 10 years ago. Is there any way to refresh the auto-magical trans without a whole rebuild? I change the ATF quite often.

If you have 3 minutes to spare, please check it out from the link below:

https://youtu.be/l0XbL1NDqDs?si=RNmXdnJc9ednOBac

[rocknroll_jeph]

Having a bit of a dry spell lately in the car scene lately. With work, studies and life always getting in the way of fun. Fortunately, my bands have had some good shows lately, if you want to hear some, just check out the youtube channel.

As for car stuff, I have finally fixed all of the scratches- all which were my own fault, and all of the repairs are not on any original paint, so I don't feel too bad.

The total was 130RMB which comes out to around $185 in USD, to have the rear bumper, side mirror and front fender painted. I can't tell the difference or even notice the work, it was blended so well.

If you have a few minutes, please check it out!

https://youtu.be/c8q-CSSyaAM


Coming up, I have some halo fog lights and front brake discs to install and there will be a few car shows next month as the weather gets better!

[rocknroll_jeph]

The weather was beautiful after work on Wednesday so I took about 30 minutes to do some fixing and upgrading on the Camaro. When I got my car back from the painters, I noticed that the hoot strut had failed. I splurged and got the expensive replacement strut that was 30RMB ($4.13). The trunk's struts failed a few years ago, so I wasn't too surprised when that one went too.

While I was shopping I treated myself to a neat upgrade- automatic trunk opening struts!

Now, when I press the trunk release button the trunk lid automatically opens. Those cost just round $35 for the pair.

Also one of the lightbulbs for the license plate was out so I popped in a new one.

As my car is just about to hit 10000KM (62137miles) I wanted to freshen it up before it adds a digit on the display.

Next up, I am going to see if my friend can help me design and 3D print some hardware for my new fog lights.

I worked really hard on the editing of this video, you probably won't learn anything, but I hope it's entertaining!

https://youtu.be/aQcptaEil0Q?si=sjp3pNS1JdEjY75R

[rocknroll_jeph]

In my latest adventure, I am entering a new chapter of my life. I have always been a "late bloomer" and tend to do things much later than others my age. Now in my 40's there are big things happening... Some compromises will need to be made but at least I can keep my car...

I had a lot of worries going into this one, but after I made this video, I am feeling more confident.

I hope that others like me can find this video useful, entertaining and enjoyable.

First time doing a lot of things- unboxing, and installing an infant car seat. Come join me as my Camaro and I are enter the next phase of my life.

https://youtu.be/_0Z8C5nGp6w

[GodsRambo]

Congratulations on having a Child!
Been reading your updates for a bit, always intriguing to seeing how different of an experience having an American car in China is!
Keep us posted!

[mlee]

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

In my latest adventure, I am entering a new chapter of my life. I have always been a "late bloomer" and tend to do things much later than others my age. Now in my 40's there are big things happening... Some compromises will need to be made but at least I can keep my car...

I had a lot of worries going into this one, but after I made this video, I am feeling more confident.

I hope that others like me can find this video useful, entertaining and enjoyable.

First time doing a lot of things- unboxing, and installing an infant car seat. Come join me as my Camaro and I are enter the next phase of my life.

https://youtu.be/_0Z8C5nGp6w

I can't believe I haven't read this thread before... Amazing story,,, I learned a lot and Congratulations on the baby!!!

I'm now subscribed

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by mlee

I can't believe I haven't read this thread before... Amazing story,,, I learned a lot and Congratulations on the baby!!!

I'm now subscribed

Thank you so much! Sometimes it feels like I am just talking to myself, so I appreciate you taking the time to comment!

[rocknroll_jeph]

Well, I’m a few pages into the next chapter of my life.

As we say at work, we’re building the airplane as we’re flying it, but so far things are going pretty well with the baby. We’ve got a lot of support, which helps a ton, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tough having my whole family back in the U.S. while I’m over here on the other side of the world. That said, I grew up living like this, so maybe it's a bit easier on me than it would be for most.

The weather’s been nice lately, so I’ve been riding my bike to work. As you’d expect, track days, car shows, and meets have all been put on hold for now, baby life has fully taken over.

Fathers Day was spent watching 24H Le Mans race with him on my lap, I hope that becomes a tradition!

With that being said, I did take the little guy on his first ride in the Camaro last week. He was calm and quiet the whole trip there and back. We’re lucky enough to have a full-time nurse (perk of living where top-notch help is affordable), and she sat in the back with him to keep an eye on everything. My wife stayed home, she’s still recovering and slowly getting her strength back.

One thing I learned: there’s a key issue with car seats in the Camaro I hadn’t thought about before. If anyone’s planning on carrying a baby in their Camaro, you might want to check out the video I made about it. It could save you some hassle, or more importantly, keep your kid safe. it may be a quirk with the seat we bought, but he won't be allowed in the Camaro until he's around 6 months old.

Also, just a cultural note: it is my understanding that here in China, car seats aren’t legally required. A lot of families still hold their babies in the car. In fact, if you remember a post I made ages ago, my very first car accident happened because someone rear-ended me—they didn’t want to brake hard because their nephew wasn’t even wearing a seat belt.

Anyway, just wanted to share the update. Life’s different now—but it’s good. Camaro’s still part of it… just with a new passenger.

https://youtu.be/-NzolMUD5Rk

[MSgt O]

Happy to hear your wife is on the mend and yep, life will be forever changed (in a good way) Your first kid, I felt like I was EXTREMELY careful...and then #2, I realized kids are pretty tough and we did alot more with her and by #3, we took them everywhere and went camping, hiking, biking, swimming, vacations....they are pretty good with what you do and just want to be along for the journey!
Being military I understand about not having family around, but gives you more excuses to come home
Super Happy for you and looking forward to the stories with the car and the kid intertwined!

[rocknroll_jeph]

Originally Posted by MSgt O

Happy to hear your wife is on the mend and yep, life will be forever changed (in a good way) Your first kid, I felt like I was EXTREMELY careful...and then #2, I realized kids are pretty tough and we did alot more with her and by #3, we took them everywhere and went camping, hiking, biking, swimming, vacations....they are pretty good with what you do and just want to be along for the journey!
Being military I understand about not having family around, but gives you more excuses to come home
Super Happy for you and looking forward to the stories with the car and the kid intertwined!

Thank you for sharing your experiences! I have heard similar things from my friends too, I hope that we can go quickly into the camping and hiking phase, but my wife's side is very protective of every little thing...

As for getting back home, pre-covid there were 12-14hr direct flights to Detroit from Beijing, but now the quickest route is through Turkey, with a 12 hour layover, I'm not sure we are ready for that with a newborn! Last summer we had a nice time spending the day in Istanbul on our way home at least.

The year before we went Beijing- Tokyo- Honolulu- spent the night in LA then to Detroit. But after not being home for 4 years, it was worth it.

I hope that the future of air travel improves!

[rocknroll_jeph]

For some unknown reason I have been unable to access this site for a few months, at least I don't have much to share, I did put on a set of louvers over the rear windows, but the adhesive I used didn't work so well so I took them off. I also haven't washed my car since June or July, and it's looking gross.

Here's the video I made on a super hot summer day:

https://youtu.be/VKMX-0NM5Uc?si=EUWr-I3gLqKGseyH

A few days ago I (as much as I love DIY, I took it to my friend's shop and paid for the work, so I didn't actually do any work...) swapped in a color HUD. I love the crispness and more options that the updated unit has!

Coming up, next week my Camaro will be in a car show inside the Beijing Exhibition Center, which is exciting (and across the street from where I live)! I'd better get it detailed before then, but working full time, studying for my master's degree as well as having a 3 month old baby at home unfortunately is putting my car lower on the attention scale.

I hope to have a quick video detailing the HUD swap and then some of the car show too up in a few weeks.

[Jeff_SS]

Originally Posted by rocknroll_jeph

For some unknown reason I have been unable to access this site for a few months, at least I don't have much to share, I did put on a set of louvers over the rear windows, but the adhesive I used didn't work so well so I took them off. I also haven't washed my car since June or July, and it's looking gross.

Here's the video I made on a super hot summer day:

https://youtu.be/VKMX-0NM5Uc?si=EUWr-I3gLqKGseyH

A few days ago I (as much as I love DIY, I took it to my friend's shop and paid for the work, so I didn't actually do any work...) swapped in a color HUD. I love the crispness and more options that the updated unit has!

Coming up, next week my Camaro will be in a car show inside the Beijing Exhibition Center, which is exciting (and across the street from where I live)! I'd better get it detailed before then, but working full time, studying for my master's degree as well as having a 3 month old baby at home unfortunately is putting my car lower on the attention scale.

I hope to have a quick video detailing the HUD swap and then some of the car show too up in a few weeks.

Was this a 2014-2015 factory color HUD swap onto your Camaro?
If so, I didn't know that was a thing and sounds interesting..