Rob's 2010 SIM LS3

[5thGenCamaroKid]

I’ve lurked around on these forums enough to warrant starting a build thread, so I think I will. Not to mention, this will also serve as a distraction for my last two months in Afghanistan.

I want to provide a short back-story for my love of cars so, if this doesn’t interest you then skip to the 'Procurement' section detailing how I got my Camaro and where I’m at in the project process.


Backstory:
I grew up in a split household. I lived mainly with my mother for the majority of my youth. I suppose you could say I inherited my love of cars from her. She had grown up with a ’70 Mustang Fastback which my uncle wrapped around a telephone pole one evening. X number of years later, she was still searching for a car to fill that void and reinvigorate her love for the muscle car. Unfortunately, my mother, sister, and I lived economically, for lack of a better term, and she didn’t have the means to get something to replace the Mustang of the past, until both my sister and I grew older. I guess it was around my freshman year of highschool (2001) that she finally purchased a ’71 Chevelle; candy apple red with black racing stripes. I’ll never forget the first time I rode in that car; the pure joy I felt from the rumble of the engine as we cruised around town enjoying the new toy. I knew from the second we took that first ride that I had to have something like that to call my own.

Fast forward to 2008 when I was interning at SAIC in McLean, VA – I was browsing the internet not paying any particular to attention to anything and came across advertisements for the 5th Generation Camaro. I fell in love. I knew I had to have that car at some point. I dreamed about owning that car. After completing my internship in 2008, I headed back to VMI with the anticipation of finding some way to get that car.


Procurement:
October 2009: I had finally started my job with an analytic agency for the Army and began researching costs of a brand new Camaro. I didn’t know what exactly it was that I wanted, but I knew I wanted the SS; I wanted the rumble of the V8 at my fingertips…the rumble I felt in the Chevelle. I began incessantly searching the Koon’s of Tyson’s website for a Camaro and forwarding the information to my father who works in the Service Department for his feedback. He reluctantly put me in contact with a good friend in sales who fielded all the questions I had. To sum it up, as I believe you know where this is going, on October 31, 2009 I left the dealership after signing the paperwork to the first car I had ever purchased on my own: 2010 SIM Camaro SS/RS M6.


Thanks for stopping by to check out my Camaro story. Please feel free to comment, compliment, or criticize…all feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Robert



The photos below are some of the photos I've compiled over the course of the project in no particular order...many more to come over the course of this project.

Photo 1: First night home
Photo 2: Roto-Fab CAI
Photo 3: Pfadt Sport Sway bars (installed)
Photo 4: Kooks headers (installed)
Photo 5: Pfadt drop spring installation
Photo 6: ADV.1 TRAKfunction ADV7s
Photo 7: Getting loaded up to be shipped to East Coast Supercharging for some goodies (9/9/2011)
Photo 8: My fellow compatriots (I'm the civilian). These guys make this place worthwhile.

[5thGenCamaroKid]

So, as you may have gathered from the last photo in my journal introduction, I shipped my LS3 off to East Coast Supercharging yesterday (9/9/2011) to have some work done while I'm still in Afghanistan. Over the past month or so, both Chris and Matt have been more than helpful answering all my questions associated with my intermediate power goals as well as overcoming the difficulty of me being 7k miles away.

To be accomplished at ECS:
-LS3 Devil Cam
-Ported/polished heads
-FAST 102mm intake
-SLP Underdrive Balancer
-Katech C5R timing chain
-Mellings high volume oil pump
-160* Thermostat
Other miscellaneous supporting mods, but the above are the 'main course', if you will

I'll update as necessary with results and photos as ECS provides them to me.

Robert

[SSE 4 2SS]

Great start and Thank You for your service... Hope your home with family and friends soon.. Enjoy that Camaro...it'll sure be fun...

[SSMOKINHOT]

Nice start to your build thread!! I have about 2 months left here in Afghanistan too...maybe we will be on the same rotator back to the states!

[5thGenCamaroKid]

Originally Posted by SSE 4 2SS

Great start and Thank You for your service... Hope your home with family and friends soon.. Enjoy that Camaro...it'll sure be fun...

Thanks! I've been following your build of Brandi and all I can say is wow!

Originally Posted by SSMOKINHOT

Nice start to your build thread!! I have about 2 months left here in Afghanistan too...maybe we will be on the same rotator back to the states!

Thanks! Where are you out here?

[SIM Curly]

I must ask but was he golfing off that mountain or whatever it is? Nice car to btw.

[2010 SSRS]

Awesome pics

[SSMOKINHOT]

Originally Posted by 5thGenCamaroKid

Thanks! Where are you out here?

Im based out of Camp Phoenix in Kabul but travel all over.

[shadow09]

get some pics with the ADV.1 7's on

[5thGenCamaroKid]

Originally Posted by SIM Curly

I must ask but was he golfing off that mountain or whatever it is? Nice car to btw.

We were indeed. We took a bag of balls up to the top and had our own little driving range.

Originally Posted by 2010 SSRS

Awesome pics

Thanks!

Originally Posted by SSMOKINHOT

Im based out of Camp Phoenix in Kabul but travel all over.

That's right down the road. I'm on Eggers.

Originally Posted by shadow09

get some pics with the ADV.1 7's on

That's the plan, my friend. I'll do a full photoshoot with the ADV.1s when I return in the November time frame.

[SSMOKINHOT]

[QUOTE=5thGenCamaroKid;3739366]

That's right down the road. I'm on Eggers.

QUOTE]

I will be at Eggers on Wednesday! Shoot me a PM with your name and house name and I will stop by and say hello!

[5thGenCamaroKid]

Update: all the work has been completed...we're just waiting to get it on the dyno; I've been told this should happen Friday. I'll update with results as soon as they're relayed to me.

Robert

[SSMOKINHOT]

YAY!!!!

Looking forward to seeing the results!!

[Roto-fab 1]

Great story! Thank you for your service to all of us in this country...Thanks for using our products as well.