Veronica Race 2011 LS Coupe - From Naked Stock to Show Car

[iamtheraceman]

My name is Kevin Race, and on December 29th, 2013 I brought home my dream car, Veronica, just in time to celebrate the new year.

As an avid Camaro fan, owning three 4th Gen Camaros over the years, I gushed the moment I saw the 5th Gen concept and immediately began to dream of owning one in black with red stripes.

For nearly a decade I was cruising around in this ole lady:



Malibu was a trooper, and no matter how many people smacked into her or swiped random mirrors or hubcaps she still got me where I needed to go without asking for more than oil changes, new brakes, tires and a tune up. But eventually she finally gave up the ghost when her intake manifold blew, but even as she was on her way to the dealership to be traded in with her engine overheating she was still loyal to the bitter end and got me to where I needed to go without stranding me. Hence, I love a Chevy.

So, since it was time to finally get a new car I decided to get the one I'd been dreaming of and finally have a ride worthy of L.A.'s glitz and glamour that they keep telling me is around here somewhere.

The day I got her she was completely naked. She was a base model LS Coupe and everything was still stock from the factory, except for one thing. The exhaust. Whoever owned her before had put in enough effort to give her a rippin' exhaust that lets Veronica express herself through anything from a low rumble to an all out scream. Even without seeing her most other cars get the heck out of her way when she hits the freeway. We love on ramps, since that's the only place you can really tear it up because, well, you're supposed to get up to speed before merging and speed limits and the law kind of inhibit using fast cars, hence my purchase of a base model LS V6. Why pay for horses I can't legally use, right?

Anyway, this was Veronica just less than an hour after she found her new home. I wasn't the first to own her, but I was the first to love her.



Happy Car!!



The last pic before getting her first upgrade, 3M red rally stripes.



I watched a dozen videos showing how easy this is. Turns out, for my first time doing this, it was ... kind of easy. It took a while to form around the scoop but eventually it worked out.



The hardest one was the second stripe. Not only did I have to repeat the process but I had to continually ensure that it stayed even with the first. After a half hour of spraying, squeegeeing, measuring, pulling up, repeating I finally got it just right.



The rear stripes, on the other hand, were a total cinch. Measured once and they laid right down.





Then I started buying her jewelry to show her how much I love her.

Chrome door and vent trim, side marker trim, trunk trim and reverse light bezels.











Then I started adding interior upgrades.

Kickplates, pull handle trim and speaker rings:





I just added chrome billets for the power mirror and trunk release buttons as well.







Just got new locks:



Radio, steering arms and headlight trim:




how do i print screen

Camaro Badge on the dashboard:



The current state of the interior:





Next it was time to scrub, polish and dress up those stock exhaust pipes and diffuser.



Polished trim rings driver...



...and passenger



A nice overall touch that really rounds out the back end



She's a work in progress, as most of our cars are. I'm waiting for ACC to ship several more parts and I just ordered the Iggee black and red seat covers for the front and back. Then there's the painting of the door and dash panels, fog light and headlight upgrades, new floor mats...

Yup. There's a LOT more to do. Stay tuned!

CHEEEEZZZZ!!!!

[its a syn]

Love those interior lower door panels.

[rgrmoreira13]

It is coming along well. I can't wait to see what else is in store for your dream car.

[iamtheraceman]

Originally Posted by its a syn

Love those interior lower door panels.

Thanks, Syn. I first saw the kick plates on eBay before I decided to start adding upgrades and I eventually bought them direct from American Car Craft (ACC). I love the Synergy Green color, btw, and found a couple options for you if you wanted to add your own.

If you want a complete body color piece:
http://www.rpidesigns.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=2058

If you want one like mine with Synergy Green Solid fill:
http://americancarcraft.com/i-101872...2010-2013.html

Also, if you use coupon code CAM20 on ACC you save 20%.

[iamtheraceman]

Today I received my custom made visor decals to cover the ugly warning labels that no one ever looks at but the government insists need to be there in order to warn everyone about the dangers of not wearing seatbelts in vehicles equipped with airbags.



They don't match anything yet, but they will once my Iggee seat covers arrive and I get the door and dash trim painted red.





I also received Veronica's nameplate from EmblemPros. A very nice touch to fill in the empty gap in a non HUD vehicle.



Seat covers and more items from ACC are on the way!!

[iamtheraceman]

Today I got the stainless steel vent covers for the circular vents on either side of the dash from ACC. I'll post a pic of them once the rest of my ACC gear arrives with the polished trim for the vents and the few other pieces I grabbed.

I'm a bit disappointed today, though, because I've discovered that living in California completely hinders any legal ability for me to add aftermarket upgrades to Veronica's engine due to the very constrictive emissions control. Not that I have anything against keeping emissions down. Heck, looking at pictures of smog covered L.A. from the 80's and seeing it today from the top of Mount Olympus it is very obvious that the law is doing its job. It's clear as a bell most days now, so I can't complain or be so selfish that I turn into a whiny crybaby about it.

BUT...

I sure wish I could at least add that chrome cold air intake from Cold Air Inductions. It would make the engine compartment look so much better.

Alas, all I can do for Veronica is add jewelry to her and pretty her up. She's already fast enough and growls something fierce so I'll just concentrate on the cosmetics. More pics to come as more goodies arrive.

[iamtheraceman]

Well, even though I can't legally upgrade my engine components I can still make the stock ones prettier with the ACC Air Box Filter Cover and the ACC Filter Box Collar. Little by little Veronica is going to become a flashy show car, kinda' like that Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time", except without the giggle, snort ending.

[Steven13]

looks good so far. i dont understand the visor decals though?

[iamtheraceman]

Originally Posted by Steven13

looks good so far. i dont understand the visor decals though?

Thank you, Steven13. I made the visor decals to cover the unsightly warning labels.



They're impossible to remove. Believe me, I tried.



So I designed my own visor decals to cover up my "progress" and hide the ugliness completely.





I like them more than the plain blackout decals and they'll eventually match my interior after the black and red seat covers and floor mats arrive and I get the door and dash panels painted red.

[iamtheraceman]

Today Veronica's new RED accented floormats arrived. If anyone else is looking for red lettering and piping and can't find them anywhere like I couldn't for way too long, this is the eBay auction to grab your score from: Black Floormats with RED Camaro logo and piping

I'm only making a big deal about this because everywhere I've looked this GM part number claims to be Inferno Orange. I had to make sure this was RED with the seller before I purchased and still had my doubts until I opened the box. If you want red and haven't found them I did the legwork for you. RAWK!!

[iamtheraceman]

I got several new trim pieces over the last couple weeks and finally got a chance to snap a few pics.

Polished defrost vent trim



Polished corner vent trim



Brushed / polished radio face plate



Polished center vent trim



Brushed cupholder accent piece - will become the bottom reflctive area once my top polished plate arrives and I install the lighting



Brushed circular dash vents with polished trim rings



It's all starting to come together





The interior as of 06-06-2014

[iamtheraceman]

Today my brother and I installed Veronica's Iggee red & black seat covers. After reading about the nightmares others have had involving the front seat bolts I wisely chose to purchase a $7 soldering iron and a fresh tube of blue Loktite from AutoZone before we began.

Anyone who has done this knows, and anyone that will do this should know, that the two bolts on each seat are T50 Torx screws held in cage nuts with Loktite. The more you draw them out the tighter they become. So, taking a tip from a YouTube video I grabbed the soldering iron and we took turns as I heated the screw's head and he would then give it a few cranks. The job was far easier than what others have experienced and we didn't strip a single one. Fresh Loktite was applied when we rebolted the seats.



Pics of the completed install and a few other goodies on the way!

[iamtheraceman]

Iggee seat covers installed and NOW she's starting to really rock!













Got my cupholder plate. This thing is solid!



Radio someone still love youuuuuu



Now that the center vent trim above the radio is installed the dashboard is essentially complete, minus the door and dash panels being painted red.



Now that the interior is taking shape her 3M "light red" stripes no longer work, as they are now hyper apparently orange in comparison. Time for a re-stripe!



























Racing pedals and the e-brake grip are on the way from Phastek. More pics to come!

EDIT: Put a hold on those Phastek pedals. A huge stroke of luck may have come my way to get the pedals I REALLY want!

[iamtheraceman]

Savini Wheels lets you custom design your rims from scratch. I was able to create Veronica's perfect rims. One day...



SaviniWheels.com