Kennedy SS's 2013 ZL1

[Kennedy SS]

The story, mods, and fun.

[Kennedy SS]

So here is the story. I had a 2010 SS/RS I was modifying into a daily drivable track day car, (see my garage for pics). I found out that our local Chev dealership (Ulmer Chev Lloydminster) was soon going to receive their first ZL1, and would be doing a draw for it. If interested, they would take $500 into the draw, and your name goes into the hat. The name would be drawn a week after the car's arrival. If your name is drawn and you liked what you saw, they would offer you the car at base price, or you could have your money back. All that was known about the car was that it should show up as a new Victory Red, lower optioned, 2012 model. After little persuasion, a trade appraisal over $6000 more than I owed, and an attractive payment option shown to me, I put my money in. After 3 long weeks, the car arrived and I was called to come and see it. Quickest trip to the dealership ever. The car that showed up was a 2013 model with all options, and they were still asking base price. As it turned out, no one else had been willing to enter the draw before seeing the car. Understandable, since the ZL1 was fairly new and I live in a place where customized trucks are more popular than sports cars. I have loved cars/Camaros for as long as I remember, my parents owned 3 Camaros between them when I was little. I owned an SS and saw many early vids and specs on the ZL1, even sat in a ZL1 at the Edmonton auto show...I knew what I was dealing with. The sales team surrounded me and told me the car was basically mine if I wanted it. Paperwork was signed minutes later. After a week in the showroom while my SS was prepped for trade in, I picked up my new ZL1 on October 12, 2012. It was hard to leave the SS behind, but my new ride quickly turned my frown upside down...and the smiles have kept coming ever since.

[Kennedy SS]

As it turned out, a friend who lives in Edmonton called a while after I bought my ZL1 and asked what happened to my SS, he was wanting to buy it. The car was still at the dealership where I traded it and I put him in contact with the salesman. He now owns my old car, and when I see him, I often steal the car for a quick ride, which is what I'm about to do here...lol.

[Behic2320]

Great story and congrats on the Z

[Kennedy SS]

One of the first mods for the ZL1 was my staggered 20" MHT Corsica wheels, which I had custom built for my silver SS. I wanted them to better match this car, so I decided I would add some Victory Red to them. After some photoshopping, I figured I liked them best with just one of the silver recesses painted red. It was also the quickest, easiest way to add the red. All it took was one night in the garage with some primer, Victory Red, clear coat, newspaper and tape. I had the stock tires mounted to the Corsica's and had my drag radials (previously on the Corsicas) mounted on the stock ZL1 wheels. Other mods at this time included tinting my tail lights and side markers (night shades spray on), stripping the Camaro fender lettering, and window tint shortly after this pic was taken. Black vinyl bowtie overlays were added during the first winter storage.

[Kennedy SS]

A generous Christmas present (cover) helps it hibernate through the long winters.

[Kennedy SS]

For the next mods, I started with the minor performance upgrades. A Roto-Fab cold air was ordered from Davenport Motorsports in Calgary. JBA headers and cat-delete mid pipes were also installed. High flow cats may have been a better idea though, as now my car has a tendency to blow flames when downshifts are made and my muffler insulation is starting to come out of the tailpipes... Then, with help from Dave at Calbeck Performance Systems in Lloydminster, a custom tune was added via my Diablosport tuner.

[Kennedy SS]

My ZL1 next to a friend's 2010 SS during a trip to Vancouver Island.

[Kennedy SS]

A shot from the Red Deer stop on the 2014 Camaro5 Alberta cruise.

[Kennedy SS]

Unfortunately I only made it to the track once this year, and the trip to Castrol Raceway and back proved to be more fun than the drag racing! Only got in two runs before getting rained out. On the first, I overshot the staging area after a burnout. As I backed up over the staging area, the automated tree lit...I was still in reverse. On the second, I was far too determined to leave hard, and jumped the light. After jumping, for some reason I let off the gas completely. Not like I could get a quick do-over, so I punched it and carried on. Best run was a 12.7 at 218mph. Car ran great, driver needs practise. Many highway pulls on the trip there and back. Managed to beat the corvette in the pic, but his brothers twin turbo Porsche was a little too fast for me...for now.

[Kennedy SS]

After the track day and seeing my stock wheels back on the car with the drag radials, I decided I needed to change the look of those silver stock wheels. Thanks to a great job done by Liquid Customs of Edmonton, The wheels now have a hydro-dipped and cleared carbon fiber finish. First pic shows one wheel after a test dip, the pattern didn't quite make it over the lower lip, so from the lower lip back was painted metallic black. Second pic is the finished wheels waiting for pick up.

[Kennedy SS]

Before our 2014 family pics, my awesome girlfriend asked the photographer if she'd take a few shots of the car we'd be bringing. These are a couple of the ones she took. Our little man was happy to be in them and wants a " 'mero " of his own one day.