Zandron263's 2011 2LT/RS IOM Build Thread

[zandron263]

I finally decided to start a build thread. I was unsure since my list of mods is smaller than a lot of the cars on this site but in the end I wanted to document the changes that I will make to our Camaro. I am sorry for the long read but I wanted the first post to explain how we came to own this Camaro.

It was late 2010 when I first started hearing that the convertible Camaro was finally going to be produced soon. My wife and I have always loved renting and driving convertibles when we would visit her sister who lived in Florida so the idea of owning one had appeal to us. The proposed release date for the Camaro convertible of spring 2011 was lining up perfectly with an expiring lease that we had on our 2008 Trailblazer.

Since she was the primary driver of the Trailblazer the Camaro was going to become her daily driver so I showed her some of the images of what the Camaro convertible was going to look like to see if she liked it. We both loved the look of the 5th Gen coupe so we were both pretty certain we would feel the same way about the convertible. She was a little reluctant at first to give up the 4WD in an SUV for a rear wheel drive car as we live in an area that has some harsh winters. After a little discussion we decided that the plan would be to sell our 3rd Gen Camaro a 1990 RS and to get a V6 instead of SS and use the cost savings to purchase a reliable winter car that would be better in the snow than the Camaro.

So in November 2010 we went to the dealer that I had just purchased my current Silverado from to place an order for the Camaro. As I was confirming the details of the order they decided to spring the news on us that they would not honor or GM supplier discount and they were only offering us MSRP as a favor since we had just purchased the truck otherwise there would have been a $2000 ADM. We promptly told them to cancel the order and we would find another dealer that would be happy to make the sale. About a week later we found that dealer Paddock Chevrolet in Kenmore NY and they gave me the discount I was entitled to and a price that I was happy with so we ordered our new Camaro.

[zandron263]

We anxiously tracked the build progress of our Camaro through GM Connects and on Jan 28 2011 I found out it had been built and had our VIN number. It sat in Oshawa in QC until it arrived at the dealer on 3/7/11. We went the next day to take a look at it but we could not take delivery because the dealer was missing some paperwork from GM that was needed to register the car. It was still a great feeling to see it for the first time.

[zandron263]

Delivery day 3/10/11 we were so excited it was the first time I ever drove a 5th gen Camaro. We never took a test drive in one before we ordered it. We had one of the first convertibles that was delivered in our area and you can tell how early the build was by the window sticker it did not have any of the pricing or options printed on it.

[aquablueL99]

Beautiful Camaro....Love the color and the vert!!!

Congrats...

Kurt ABL99...

[zandron263]

Originally Posted by aquablueL99

Beautiful Camaro....Love the color and the vert!!!

Congrats...

Kurt ABL99...

Thank you very much you have some beautiful Camaros as well. I alwys liked the ABM color its a shame you cant get it any longer.

[zandron263]

My first mod was delivered before I had the Camaro but I never took a picture of them. It was the GM quarter flares. I know some people don’t like them but I think they look fine and they really do help with rock chips.

[zandron263]

We did own both the 1990 RS and our current Camaro for a few months together so I had a chance to snap a few pictures of them together. We sold the 1990 in May to one of my wife’s, friend’s brother’s girlfriend. He is a car guy and is slowly restoring it I saw some pictures of it when I ran into him at a party this summer. It’s coming along nicely and is good to know the new owners love it as much as we did.

[zandron263]

Like many of us I get a lot of mod ideas from hanging out on this site. One of those was painting the engine and fuse covers. It really helps the bay look better and lets you add a personal touch to your Camaro. Here is a shot of the stock bay and what it looked like after the painting was finished.

[zandron263]

My next mod was also pretty simple and inexpensive to add. Vinyl on the gills. I think I got it from RPI designs and they were under $20.

[zandron263]

It did not take me long to notice that getting in and out of the Camaro that can cause a lot of scuff marks on the bottom of the doors by the speakers. I decided to add billet orange door kick plates to help eliminate that problem. I also added some Lloyds floor mats as well to help dress up the interior.

[zandron263]

In June of 2011 we went to the Oshawa Homecoming and plant tour. It was a relly fun trip. Getting to tour the plant was amazing and I got the chance to meet many other Camaro owners from all over the country.
I went to the BBOMG dinner and at that dinner I was very honored and suprised to receive one of the 200 signed lithographs from Mike Judge himself. I have it framed and it hangs proudly on the wall in my basement rec room and bar. These photos were taken in our hotel room the morning after I received it.

[zandron263]

It was also at the Camaro Homecoming that I purchased my first performance mod my Cold Air Inductions intake. I was talking with a member from Louisana about his SS that had one installed. He convinced me that it was a mod that was worth the purchase price and he went with me to the CAI booth and I ordered it that day. It was shipped and installed about 2 weeks later. It is still one of my favorite mods to this day.

[zandron263]

Next up is another mod idea I got from surfing on this site headrest stitching. I really like the way it came out and I think it should have come from the factory this way.

[zandron263]

I have been busy the last few days so I have not had a chance to upload more pictures until now. Everything I had posted up until now was done in the first summer I owned the Camaro. The next mod was actually done over the winter. I had to pull it out of storage to get it installed but the deal I got made it worth it. It is my Solo Mach X cat back exhaust.

I found a thread on Camaro5 that Solo was looking for a V6 convertible for testing of their new convertible exhaust system in the Buffalo area. The requirements were pretty easy they wanted to take pictures and video of the system for their marketing purposes and I had no issues with that. In exchange they would give me a significant discount on the system and install costs. I only live about 30 min from their shop so I sent them a PM to volunteer my car. I was chosen and the resulting video is below. I think its cool to see my car on their site for people to listen to when looking at their system. I have to say I love the exhaust and have no regrets with that decision.