Long Overdue Build Progress [Main Thread]

[morepowerjoe]

I usually upload it to youtube and then post the link on here. I also found a website called usaupload that's free to set up an account and then you can upload to their site and then use there link to post on here.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

I usually upload it to youtube and then post the link on here. I also found a website called usaupload that's free to set up an account and then you can upload to their site and then use there link to post on here.

Thanks, this took a few attempts to get to work but I think I got it now…


At the time these videos was taken, the only modifications to the stock LLT engine/exhaust were:
•Injen PowerFlow Cold Air Intake System
•American Racing Headers Catless Long System with H-Pipe
•Borla ATAK Axle-Back Exhaust

…Jump to 1:54 to hear the revs, enjoy!

[morepowerjoe]

It sounds pretty good 👍

[BatmaroBeauty]

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

It sounds pretty good 👍

Appreciate it! Wait until I can get a clip of the current setup with the Overkill Stage 3 SC kit… the blow off valve sounds insane! And the MACE cams make the lope slightly more noticeable but it obviously doesn’t chop like a V8 does, mainly because we have four baby cams working at different times instead of the one monster cam in the 8-cylinder engines. Seriously, I knew they were smaller but I was surprised at how mini they are in comparison when I saw them in person. LLT engines are so complex! Back when I had to replace my timing chains from the dreaded technical service bulletin of the early 5th gens, I went through a few shops who refused to even touch my car before I found a place because of it.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Once I got my car looking good and sounding good, I shifted my focus to the god awful factory interior. I got the PAC Audio Radio Dash Replacement and GM 4-Gauge Cluster kits from Phastek. Also installed the Pioneer 7" AVH-4500NEX with EchoMaster Universal Mount Front/Rear Cameras. Instantly change the look and feel entirely!




Put yellow tape on the tip of my front splitter and a spot on the ground so I can adjust alignment and get a rough idea of distance from objects viewed on the screen.


So when the pieces of tape were aligned, I had approximately six inches from the tip of my splitter to whatever it appeared to be touching on screen.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Went with Bespoke Elite-X Series Diamond Edition Racing Seats and a 5 PT Harness Belt from Braum. Everyone does a bloody red interior so I wanted to be different and went with blue instead. My second reason for choosing this color was to reinforce my theme of the aggressive Batmaro exterior by incorporating the concept of the “Thin Blue Line” to the interior by doing all the stitching and subtle accents throughout. I didn’t want to go overboard with the Batman emblems or designs etc.; I believe less is more and I wanted to keep a clean appearance and minimalist aesthetic to let the idea work for itself.


PSA: Before removing the stock seats and brackets! These seats come with their own brackets you need to install. They MUST be fabricated by cutting an access point in the identified area (see above photo) to create an opening to be able to insert the rear bolts to tighten down. IMO they should just come precut but I believe Braum is sourcing the brackets from another company called Planted Seat Bracket Technology (SKU: SB137DR and SB137PA).


PSA2: I also purchased the harness bar from Braum which snapped (with my bare hands) at this joint while I was installing it. It made me question the quality of the material construction and if it would really be able to save my life in a risky scenario. I opted to sell the harness bar and get a custom 6 PT Roll Cage fabbed by the same person who did the cage weld work for my fathers racecar.


Before VS After.
PSA3: As you are probably familiar with already, seeing over the dash in the Camaro’s is very difficult as is from the stock adjustable seats. Be aware, having fixed seats like these makes you sit a little lower without the ability to change height. I’ve seen people add spacers with the brackets while installing. I meant to do it and forgot, now I just don’t want to disassemble everything again to add them.

I very much hated the stock shifter and wanted a more old school look. I ordered P/N 24261473 a manual leather shift boot for a '13-15 SS/ZL1 off eBay. Reason I got this one in particular is because the knob base to shift boot adaptor plastic ring is circular for these years as shown below in the left photo, whereas it’s more squared off in the boots for the '10-12 manuals shown below in the right photo. Most people have just removed this plastic ring completely and attached the boot to the knob by zip tying them together from the underside and folding over.

After that, I also ordered a custom perforated leather shift boot with blue diamond stitching from Redline Goods that matched my Braum seats. Then I just removed the leather boot that came with the one I ordered from eBay and replaced it with the custom one I had made. The shift plate is a direct swap once you remove the plastic PRNDM stock bezel piece. Some members have noted that they dislike the appearance of a small gap between the shift boot and center console created by doing this swap and discussed many different solutions to make it flush like using washers, sponge weather strips for material filler, or slightly modifying the mounting brackets with a dremel to adjust more forward. Check out this thorough DIY thread if this shift boot swap is something you’re also interested in doing.

I was having some issues with my ignition column not surrendering my key when shifted into park position and ignition switched to off. Of course every tech/mechanic that I brought this up to blamed the fact I changed out the shift knob as the reason, but it started happening when the shifter was still stock and after doing a little digging in the forums I see I’m not the only one! We changed out the shifter assembly with P/N 22894722 but that didn’t fix it. Going to try a new solenoid P/N 22891588 to see if that does the trick. If not, then last hope would be adjusting the linkage. Quite the annoyance to constantly restart the car and fuss with the shifter until it releases the key which can take multiple attempts and feels embarrassing at times.

The next set of photos were from Marc of MD Interiors who retrimmed my dash and door panel inserts to match the rest. Beautiful work, amazing quality, quick turnaround …couldn’t have been a happier customer.





Before VS After






^This is a Luxury Car Mar Set I also ordered from Diamond Car Mats. Super thick, good quality material, great fitment.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Next up in preparation for power adders, found an SS Automatic 3.27 Gear Ratio Limited Slip Disc Differential Assembly with 23k miles on eBay. Then a set of SS Automatic Axles and Driveshaft from someone local on Facebook Marketplace. Also added a BMR 4 PT Strut Tower Brace and BMR Diff Mount Polyurethane Bushing Kit.


Something to bear in mind if this is a swap you’re considering, you will need to use the coupler from the V6 driveshaft otherwise the bolts won’t align properly (shown in photos below). Had to mate the front half of my V6 driveshaft from the transmission end with the rear half of the SS driveshaft to the differential end. (Side note: I read on the forums that this CANNOT be done with halving an SS/ZL1 driveshaft since the splines are different sizes and won’t fit.) I do also remember reading somewhere in the forums when I was doing research that the auto vs manual driveshaft lengths are different (auto being longer). Also, if you change the size of your gear ratio for the rear diff assembly to something other than your current setup (example 3.27 to 3.45 or higher), it will require a retune to adjust the speedometer. I chose not to go for ZL1 or 1LE components because—even though it would mean more overall strength and durability—it seemed much more complicated to pull off this upgrade, requiring more additional parts, and of course more $$$$ to manage that swap and I stayed 3.27 so I didn’t have to deal with the speedo correction.







I was back and forth about whether I wanted to do coil overs or air suspension. I already decided to boost so coil overs would be the clear choice for stability/reliability, HOWEVER, maintaining a lowered static ride height in NYC is a death wish. Saying our roads are terrible is an understatement. Realistically, I don’t intend to track my car either (maybe once to get times) but it’s purpose was built more with show in mind. So because of these simple facts, I chose bags instead of coils that way I have the ability to be low if I want but the flexibility option to drive high and save my bumpers/aero from getting destroyed.

^Air Lift Performance 3P Suspension Management System. Air setup was fully installed by Allen, George, and Thorston from TNA Motorsport. Awesome crew, cared about the car as if it were their own. Always gave support or guidance if I had any issues/concerns.


^AccuAir Endo CT 3-gallon Compressor/Tank with Custom Trunk Display.
Considered doing a Shrader rear seat delete at this time to continue weight reduction, however, since I live in the North East and have to deal with winter I’ve found that sometimes in low temps that my AccuAir compressor/tank is too cold to function properly. So being able to drop the back seat and allow the heat to fill the trunk from the vents in the cabin helps rid the “fault: compressor freeze” displayed on the controller. Unless anyone can think of a solution for this? Has anyone else encountered this issue? Open to all suggestions and advice, thanks in advance for any help!


^Scosche Wireless Phone Charger and Air Lift Remote Dual Console Mount from ProClip.




Also got a rear plate stealth curtain from 510 Auto Group and anvil wickerbill from ZL1 Add-Ons.

[morepowerjoe]

Hey man she looks awesome. Very nice.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Before adding the zoomies I wanted to increase stopping ability. To upgrade brake kit, you’ll need the following '10-15 SS size both Front/Rear parts:

• Four-Piston Brake Calipers
• Rotors (I personally prefer slotted rather than drilled)
• Brake Pads (recommend ceramic)
• Wheel Bearing and Hub Assembly (Front: 30 spline | Rear: 33 spline)
• Brake Backing Plates
• Hydraulic Brake Hoses (recommend stainless steel braided)

New brakes means new wheels…
I decided on Rohana RFX13 Cross Forged Wheels (Front: 20x10+25 | Rear: 20x11+35) with Cooper Zeon A/S RS3-G1 Tires (Front: 265/35/20 | Rear: 305/35/20). Recommended tire size for those are F-275/40/20 and R-315/35/20 but I down sized since I was concerned about rubbing on the bags and wanted to play it safe for clearance.



I got them powder coated a custom two-tone.



I also got my calipers custom powder coated by RJ at Cilurso’s Custom Shop. PHENOMENAL JOB!! Originally, I asked for white calipers—since I never see anyone with that color and wanted to be different—with a ghost reflective brembo logo and he came up with this wild idea to do a colorshift from black to blue tones with the word boosted in the brembo style logo lettering. I didn’t even know that was a possibility so I told him to go for it and he knocked it out of this world. In the dark/shadows, the calipers just look deep blueish/black almost; but when the light hits them, they sparkle and shine bright with a beautiful blue pearl flake.

^Samples for approval.



^It’s the details for me…




Sheeeeeesh.




^I’m missing center caps, UGH I knoooow. I also need to get a photo of this setup aired out to show that flush tucked fitment.

[BatmaroBeauty]

The day finally came in Feb 2020 that I dropped my car off at EFX Tuning to get a MAJOR engine overhaul for power gains. Many of my fellow members from CCNY also take their cars here for performance work and I previously had my timing chains done by this shop which had built my trust in their business to do a quality job. So let’s get down to it, shall we?

The following is a list of what is included in the kit, which was listed on Overkill’s website at the time I purchased it but info has been changed since then because he now offers Procharger Kits instead.

The Supercharger Kit Stage 3 includes—

• Vortech V3 Supercharger: Self contained oiling system (no oil lines connect to the engine), efficient supercharger, supports up to 16psi on the 3.6L
• Independent drive belt system: Separate pulley and belt system provides reliable performance, doesn't impact factory belt operation. A change of supercharger pulley then bumps the boost up to 11-12psi (from the 8-9psi of Stage 1). This provides the power to make 400-420 wheel horsepower, a 175-200 engine horsepower gain over factory.
• Full Intercooler system: Mishimoto brand air-air intercooler, Vortech MaxFlow Race blow off valve, custom machined MAF housing and full silicone/aluminum tubing with Tbolt clamps, top quality components for reliable performance in all weather conditions.
• HP Tuners suite with Overkill custom tuning available: includes HP Tuners VCM Tuning suite with each kit. While other supercharger manufactures may provide a base tune, we ARE the tuners and can provide custom tuning direct to you or your installation facility.
• Tracy Lewis Signature Series catch can: Best performing catch can on market, separates oil vapors to ensure clean engine and intercooler
• Full Intake system with air filter, new AC Delco spark plugs designed for boost, and a full complement of parts required for installation.
• A high flow fuel tank fuel pump replaces the factory V6 fuel pump and larger fuel injectors replace the factory injectors for additional fuel capacity.

I also purchased the following parts to be installed in addition to the kit—

• Overkill’s 76mm Throttle Body
• Circle-D HP Series 6L50 TC 3200 High Stall Torque Converter
• MACE Performance 210°/210° Camshafts with Modified Fuel Lobe
• MACE 90 lbs Valve Springs
• JET Mass Air Flow Sensor
• Accel Ignition SuperCoils

One of the boxes arrived damaged and of course it was the one with the SC in it *sigh* the supercharger mounting plate was chipped and scuffed up considerably but the pulley looked okay.


Contents of the damaged box that I took out to inventory and make sure nothing went missing through the hole during shipping.


Contents of another box I was asked to inventory by Will.








I don’t have any real install photos since the work was done at the shop which is a 5 hour round trip drive there (without traffic). I also got deployed overseas from May 2020–May 2021, so wasn’t able to get any updated content other than what was being shown to me by the shop.

Some of the major issues the shop encountered while installing the kit that I had to communicate with Will for him to address were:

1. Reducing coupler/ring for charge pipe to supercharger is missing from kit.
   
   
   SOLUTION: “The reducer sleeve I discontinued using due to the tendency to blow apart if the clamp wasn't perfectly positioned. The 3" silicone will compress and conform to seal to the 2.75" Vortech outlet, but since this Stage 3 Kit purchase I did have custom elbows made with a 2.75 coupling; if you wish to continue with the installation rest assured the silicone does compress and conform without issue to seal on the Vortech.”
   
   
   
2. SC belt runs along the body of SC tensioner body.
   
   
   SOLUTION: “From the pictures, it looks like the tensioner is at full tension for the belt to be that close to the body. A slightly longer belt should fix that; double check the belt but it should be a K080547, the next size up is K080550, and if the tensioner becomes too slack a larger pulley 38022, both Gates numbers, will take up the slack.”
   
   
   
3. Washer fluid reservoir does not mount in appropriate mounting points.
   
   SOLUTION: Provided brackets for intercooler and washer reservoir did not bolt-on properly and new ones had to be fabricated.
   
   
   
4. Missing washer pump.
   
   SOLUTION: “Washer pump was sent in a later package but it's for a 2000 Crown Victoria.”
   
   
   
5. Incorrectly sized t-bolt clamps and coupler for throttle body to charge pipe connection included in kit.
   
   SOLUTION: Had to source parts locally for appropriate fitment.
   
   
   
6. Cannot get vehicle to idle with current injectors installed. Cannot confirm injector issue or data issue without good injector data (injector flow constant) for the E69 controller. Asked Will how many # the injectors were and any other info he might have
   
   SOLUTION: Will did not give a direct response for injector data, instead requested we send factory tuning file from the vehicle so he could write Overkill starter tune and continue to provide remote support.
   
   
   
7. Belt alignment issue with the supercharger. The belt is not riding center and is rubbing on a bracket bolt on the underside of the blower bracket. That would become an issue if it persists because it would cause the belt to wear prematurely. This problem has happened in a couple of spots and has been on going. The blower may need to be spaced forward to make this work out correctly.
   
   REPLY: Can you take some pictures of the belt, in particular from the side, want to see what they might mean about not riding in the center, if they mean the crank pulley it's ok for the belt to be on the ribs that are furthest towards the engine. I've seen the belt contact the mounting plate bolt right below the supercharger pulley before, each setup is slightly different. Because there's three identical large bolts right below it and bolts behind the pulley, it's ok to remove this one bolt from the mounting to correct the contact issue.
   
   
   Belt clearly hits one bracket bolt, belt rides off center on blower pulley, looks to be square or near square on crank.
   
   SOLUTION: If the belt is walking that way, it's likely an alignment issue, and I assume the crank is running on the ribs towards the engine leaving bare the outer 2 ribs on the crank pulley? I had to make longer spacers for the Procharger switch, I think if I sent those that would fix this issue as well. I'll also include upper radiator brackets that were needed with the longer spacers, they're a quick swap atop the radiator.

[BatmaroBeauty]

A few goodies I got while the car has been under the knife:


Custom Door and Hood Show Props by Ken at 3gCustomz.


Finally got a new key fob off Amazon and took them to GM to be cut and programmed. CF case is just a cover I also found on Amazon. The stock auto starter on my car stopped working a while back and I upgraded to a Viper Smart Control System.


Designed new vinyl decals for my Instagram handle to replace my old boring ones on my windshield and wickerbill.


Blower-Guard for the supercharger.


S2TPP Billet Aluminum Anodized Paddle Shifters that I sent to get hydrodipped.


Custom steering wheel by Control Customs UK. They sent me a photo of the reshape as a proof to approve before adding material. Great customer service and communication. Worth every penny. Everyoneeeee does carbon fiber interiors so I decided to do forged carbon instead to stand out a little bit and be more unique.

• Full sporty reshape
• Flat top and flat bottom forged CF
• Blue 12 o’clock centering stripe
• Black perforated leather with blue stitching
• Forged CF all bezels/trim

Final Product:




Honestly, a work of art. Been dying to get the car back to get it installed along with continuing my to-do list for this build that just keeps on growing.

[BatmaroBeauty]

Got some updated process photos from Steve at DrHydroDip for a few items I brought to him to get readdressed from previously being done incorrectly by another shop.

S2TPP paddle shifters:

Back side prep work. (Previous shop gouged the shit out of the aluminum with an exacto while cutting the part they had wrapped causing permanent damage to the piece unfortunately)


First coat



Cleared


Front side prep taped off the blue edges for forged inlay


Base


Forged CF inlay cleared, they are going to look killer on that new steering wheel!



Door jam handles to close the doors with from outside preventing finger smudges on the window/door


Forged CF e-brake handle cover

[Vicster]

I love the old school diamond tuck! The interior looks awesome! Love your upgrades, that steering wheel is killer! Keep the pictures coming, looks like you know what theme you want. I am watching your build for some ideas for mine...

[BatmaroBeauty]

Originally Posted by Vicster

I love the old school diamond tuck! The interior looks awesome! Love your upgrades, that steering wheel is killer! Keep the pictures coming, looks like you know what theme you want. I am watching your build for some ideas for mine...

Appreciate that, means a lot to know I’m inspiring other because lack of feedback or engagement with my build was leading me to believe nobody really cared! Haha

Hopefully we get these performance mods buttoned up soon so I can continue installing all the pending items like that extraordinary steering wheel! Waiting on an Alky Control WMI Kit to arrive in hopes that fixes the fuel rail pressure drop after 6000 rpm causing knock.