Bee’s 2010 SS/RS Rally Yellow Build

[Bee]

With a solid foundation in place and the factory warranty completely expired, it was time for a serious upgrade in power. From the start, I knew I wanted to keep Bee naturally aspired with a nice loopy cam while still keeping it street able. So I called up ECS (they are about an hour away from me), and had them install their “Devil” Cam Package. Although the exact cam specs were not provided, it is in the 23x/24x range with 112LSA. The package included all the supporting mods, and I also had them install SLP Underdrive Pulleys, a 160 degree thermostat, and a CNC Ported Intake that I ordered for RX Products).

ECS then performed a full custom street and dyno tune results in 474.5rwhp/449.7ft-tq. That was a net gain of 67.5rwhp/38.7ft-tq from the first dyno test back at CF5. I picked Bee back up from ECS on August 8, 2012 and he now sounds meaner, louder, and is a blast to drive. I love how he shakes while idling at a stop…not sure if it is noticeable outside of the car, but you can definitely feel it from the inside.


If I can figure out how to get back into my YouTube account to post a video, I will be sure to update this post with a link.

[Bee]

So it would have been at this point where my build thread would have gone silent. In the 5 years after getting the cam installed, no additional work was done to Bee. In 2013, my wife and I bought our first house so all of our time/money went to house projects. But that’s not to say we still didn’t get to enjoy Bee.

Jumping ahead to August 26, 2017, I managed to sneak in the heater hose relocation. I think it was the 2012 Camaros that GM finally corrected the issue from the factory, so I just had to order replacement hoses for a 2012 SS.

Here's the factory heater hoses running across the top passenger side of the engine:


And here it is tucked in behind the heat shield:

[Bee]

Fast forwarding almost another 3 years, I finally dedicated some resources to cleaning up more of the clutter under the hood. I found inspiration from Nathan’s infamous “Project Cleaning the Clutter in Our Engine Bay” thread, but I definitely wasn’t going to attempt to go to that extreme.

In February 2020, I took a few weekends to install Tech AFX EVAP lines, Holley LS Tall Valve Covers (Black Crinkle), and Holley EFI Fuel Rails.

I started with the valve covers since they were on the bottom. Turned out, I didn't even have to touch the fuel lines so I really could have done either one first.








Once the old coil brackets were gone, it really opened up some space so I began running the new EVAP lines.




Next came the factory fuel lines.



One of the challenges was trying to determine the correct fittings to use. I wanted to run the crossover line along the back. I also thought it would be nice to have a fuel pressure gauge and also retain the Schrader valve (if for nothing else to be able to depressurize the fuel system).






So here's the list of extras I used to complete the fuel lines (all listed Part #'s are from Summit Racing):

Russell Analog Fuel Gauge - RUS-650320
Presser Gauge Adapter (2) - EAR-AT100199ERL
Flare Cap - FRA-492906-BL
Tee Adapter Fitting - EAR-AT925106ERL
UltraPro Straight Hose Ends (2) - EAR-620106ERL
UltraPro 90-deg Hose Ends (2) - EAR-629106ERL
UltraPro Fuel Hose 6' - EAR-680606ERL
8AN O-Ring Port Plug - EAR-AT981408ERL
Holley Fuel Rail Adapter Fittings - HLY-534-211
Earl's Performance Schrader Valve - EAR-9616SVERL

[Bee]

My plan at this point was to continue to clean up under the hood. However, as I started to check on parts from my “wish list”, I began noticing that a lot of parts for the 5th Gen were either discontinued or the vendor was no longer in business.

For years, I always struggled with the direction to take Bee’s appearance. At first, I was leaning towards getting the Bumble Bee stripes painted. Then for awhile I was considering going with a two-tone (black on the top and yellow on the bottom). My wife and I would have countless debates about different paint schemes, never really coming to a final decision. Unlike vinyl, paint is more expensive and permanent, so we needed something that could stand the test of time.

While scouring through hundreds of pictures/video’s, one concept I always came back to was to let the body parts define the contrast. I floated the idea past my wife and she was completely on board with it.

The first one on the appearance list was a new spoiler. This was actually a harder decision than I thought it would be. There are a lot of awesome looking spoilers on the market, but in the end, I went with the ZTA spoiler. One of the determining factors was how it mounts. The ZTA bolts to the trunk using the same holes as the factory spoiler, where many of the others I was considering used double-sided tape. Not that I have anything against double-sided tape, I just like the idea of the spoiler self-aligning using the holes.

So here are some pictures before getting it painted. There was a little damage on the spoiler, but my body shop guy was able to correct (he did say that he's seen a lot worse on new parts).





And here are the after shots. I went with Carbon Flash Metallic and love how it just pops in the sunlight. Note that the stripes on the trunk have been removed. Also, I replaced the chrome tail light bezels with black ones to further complete the look.

[Bee]

So now we in the September of 2020 time frame. The warmer days are numbered, the sun is starting to set earlier, and COVID-19 is going strong. Plus, I have more parts at the shop getting painted. I decided it was time for Bee go into hibernation early and prepare him to go under the knife.

The first step was to remove the rest of his stripes. They actually held up really well, but they also were not exposed to the elements. Just the occasional wash and wax, and frequent sprits of detail spray.





With the stripes removed, and the stark reminder of “man, that’s a lot of yellow”, it was time to remove the front bumper. The ACS T3 Rad Support (painted in Carbon Flash Metallic) was installed, and then came the painstakingly tedious job of opening the mail slot.


Here's the factory support:

And the new T3 Rad support:



Next on the list was to start cutting out the DRL’s to make way for the ACS T4 Front Bumper Ports. They weren’t installed at this point, I just had to get the bumper ready because at some point I was going to take it over to be painted. I must say the template ACS provided was spot on. I started with the passenger side and found the hole was a little small. So I slowly kept making it larger until the port fit flush. The driver side went a lot faster, probably because I knew what I was doing but also didn't have to make as many passes to enlarge the hole.




And finally, since I was already there, I went ahead and installed the ZL1Addons Front Tow Hook Receiver.

[Bee]

When it came to updating the hood, I was truly torn between going with an aftermarket fiberglass or using the ACS TL1 and T3 hood ports. I knew I wanted functional heat extractors, and something that blended in nicely. But each time I thought I would go with a fiberglass hood, the voice in the back of my mind would remind me of the one I installed on my 2002 Camaro. Sure, it looked great but there some large gaps that once you saw them could not be unseen. Since the 5th Gen hood is aluminum, I went with the ACS hood ports to get the best of both worlds. Worst case scenario, I mess up cutting them and have to go with an aftermarket hood anyway.

The ACS TL1 hood insert was painted in Carbon Flash Metallic, and was installed on March 25, 2021. The install was super easy…got the template aligned, marked out the lines to cut and the places to drill. I left the hood on the car so cutting the underside of the hood was a little tricky but still doable. Of course, Murphy’s Law would step in soon enough with trying to attach the grill inserts. Not only did I end up scratching the top side of the TL1 insert, but a few days later the one grill inserts started to hang down. Later on after the paint cured, I was able to buff out the scratches and used clear silicone to secure the grill inserts.

[Bee]

With the next round of parts at the body shop getting painted, I moved on to the next sub-project – Accent Lighting. I started with the Diode Dynamics RGBW Grille Kit along with the Bluetooth Controller. And then I added two more 100cm stripes…one along the firewall and the other above the radiator. I mounted the controller on the front side of the radiator on the passenger side. For power, years ago I had installed a switch under the hood at an attempt to install lights. The lights never really worked but the switch was still good so I used that temporarily.





Not only will these be nice to turn on at car shows..especially in spring and fall when it gets dark long before the show ends. BUT, they also make for great work lights, particularly in the crevices back along the firewall.

[Bee]

Once I had a clear plan for the different switches I would need, I was finally able to order the Rear Cup Holder Delete switch plate from EmblemPros. This is a piece of art, I love the acrylic with the custom labels. The yellow lettering is easy to see and blends right in with the rest of the interior.



I did have to remove the entire center console (a few times), and drill a hole in the cup holder. I built a Delphi plug to connect to all of the pins on the switches, and then mated all of the wires going to each device. If I have to remove the console again, I just unplug the wires to the switch plate and it can come right out. The interior and exterior switches are hooked to constant hots, and the rest of tied into an ignition hot…both of these are tied into wires under the console (up near the four-pack gauges).

[Bee]

For disclosure, this next one still gives me agita..actually it was just the first part. What I’m referring to is yet another fine product from Diodynamics – Multicolor Halo and Demon Eyes. I watched so many videos of people baking headlights to get them open, and every one of them made it look so easy. I’m sure there is a knack to it, but I certainly wasn’t able to get it. All I can say is after 10 minutes of prying and cussing and trying not to destroy the headlight, it would go back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. The headlight would heat up while I tried to cool down. After several rounds, I finally was able to prevail as the victor.

Once the headlight was open, the rest of the installation went smoothly. The only other challenge was removing the projector housing. It takes just the right amount of leverage to pop it out of the connectors without damaging anything.

After everything was wired and installed, I made sure to test thoroughly before resealing the headlight. I took so many pictures along the way that I could probably do a full DIY. But here are a few just to get a feel of what’s involved.

[Bee]

To finish off the lighting, I installed a Diode Dynamics Footwell (4-light) Kit on May 16, 2021. This controller is located under the dash behind the 4-pack gauges. I used wire molding (the kind from Home Depot used to hide lamp cords) to adhere the LED stripes to, and then zip tied them in place. The ones in the back seat are attached in the same manner, and I ran the power cables under the carpet from the center console. I went with a green color to match the ambient lighting on the door panels. The bluish hue from the factory lights on the yellow door panels make a green color.

[Bee]

While I was finishing up the electrical work, another round of parts was finished so I arranged another swap. The ACS T3 Hood Ports were next on the list for installation. These were color matched (I gave the shop a section of hood I removed for the TL1 insert) to Rally Yellow. I left the hood on the car while cutting the outside skin, and that went surprisingly well. However, the hood had to come off the car to cut the inner skin. The passenger hood port goes right where the prop attaches to the hood…plus, it would have been a really bad angle to make those cuts. So with the help of my wife, we took the hood off and laid it on a makeshift table (two saw horses and a couple 2x4’s covered with thick Styrofoam). I also removed the TL1 insert to protect it from being damaged.

Since these have been discontinued by ACS, I can spare the rest of the details of the install. Just know that it presented some challenges along the way and I had to reinforce the inner panels with pop rivets and re-glue a section of the outer panel. But overall, I think they look great.

[Bee]

Just as I was putting the hood back on, I received word from the body shop that the front bumper was ready. The main job was to have the flat section below the headlights painted in Carbon Flash Metallic. But I also asked if he could re-shoot the bumper with yellow to get rid of a few rock chips from over the years. I also was struggling to find a way to clamp the T4 bumper ports, so I thought I would let a professional handle that for me as well. I was so happy with how the bumper turned out and went straight to work getting it ready to be reinstalled. It was already the beginning of July 2021, and the only driving I got in was in and out of the garage.

First to go on was the lower stock grill, followed by the new ZL1 grill. I removed the bow tie from the stock grill, and cut the tabs so it could be installed on the ZL1 grill.




The next part was to install and wire the Eagle T lights. I cut the plugs for the stock DRL’s and wired the new plugs to the Eagle T’s. The Gen5DiY VA legal harness provides power to the Eagle T’s with the headlights on, and will shut them off with the high beams. I can also manually turn the Eagle T’s off when the headlights are on with the cupholder switch.

The Halos are powered from both the DRL’s and the Parking Lights. So they will pretty much always be on unless you do the full manual override to turn off all the lights.

The Demon Eyes are powered by the Parking Lights, but the controller has a wire connected to the low beam (which also stays on with the high beams) so when power is detected, the Demon Eye will shut off when the headlight is on.



On one of my previous orders with Emblem Pros, I had ordered a ZL1 delete plate. I trimmed the plate down so it wouldn't block the hole to the right, and then affixed the SS badge.

[Bee]

At this point, the front bumper was ready to be reinstalled. However, there was just one slight problem with the new setup. With the T3 ports and the hood closed, the air filter is fully exposed. I realize that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I can still count the number of times Bee has been caught in the rain on one hand, but I wasn’t ready to take that chance. I considered getting a bag for the air filter but decided it was time to upgrade a previous upgrade. So I placed an order for a Cold Air Inductions intake so the filter will be completely protected from the top. At the same time, I also ordered the Phastek washer relocation kit and air scoop.

A week later, I had the new intake, scoop, and washer tank installed, and the front end was bolted back in place.

[Bee]

Unfortunately, Bee still wasn’t quite road ready yet. I guess technically, he was all along since all 4 tires were on and he starts up just fine. But at one point I had started installing the ACS Rear Quarter Lateral Ports so he had gaping holes where the gills used to be.

To install the lateral ports, the entire back seat and interior panels had to be removed. The pattern for making the cuts were to follow the outline of the gills. It probably sounds way more challenging then it was, especially after the previous 5 holes I cut (not including the mailslot).






The lateral ports were installed on August 2, 2021 and I was finally able to get Bee on the road. He had to go in for his yearly checkup (i.e State Inspection) and I topped him off with a little fresh gas for good measure.