We looked at the tech sheet that Shane Ganzel had amended for his '67 RS/SS Camaro and saw the near-perfect scenario. The perfect father-son team. It practically jumped in our face. Male bonding, Dad. Right some old wrongs. Just hang out. No wife. No kids. No family for the young guy to worry about yet. Lots of disposable income too, but probably a gallon or two of grief from his married friends whenever they feel like it. And yet all the stars seem to have gotten in line.
Here's the part you can't see. Shane's car has been here before, the willing mule for a Vortech supercharger tune-up tome (Dec. '07, "Spin Cycles"). This was not coincidental. Shane is an engineering senior buyer at Vortech. His car is nicely done. Handles like a spider. Goes like blazes. Editor H knows talent when he sees it.
"I got the car from my parents when I was 17," says the now 28-year-old son. "What they were thinking, I don't know. It was all my dad. My mom had no idea what she was in for. Building this car the past 10 years has been great. My dad and I built it together and have seen the changes it's gone through. I've had a vision for the car in my head and it has finally come true. The one thing my dad and I have always agreed on was that it had to be a driver."
From the beginning, the idea was to main tain a civil running weight-better than that, fightin' weight-because it doesn't take a mountain of power to move a 3,200-pound object. Something like 400 on both sides of the chassis dyno sheet will more than peg the joy meter. Shane would build the 383 engine around the super charger system, planting the right pieces for the possible job. Forged parts all around, smog-era compression ratio, stuff matched and systemized whenever possible, specially prepped blower carburetor, the works.
Methodical thinking at its finest. Supercharger: Vortech S-trim at only 6 psi. The proper cam phasing and optimized cylinder head flow tends to release a lot of power at modest boost. you do it this way, don't use the blower as a Band-Aid (or suffer the heat generated at 15 psi) to make it run like hell.
These days, most of us strive for "whole cars" fitted with stopping and steering sys tems commensurate with cranking linear like an RPG. Revamping an old suspension is a great way to peel off unnecessary weight too. Look how much less mass is involved with a modern control arm than with the old, stamped-iron clods (something certainly not lost on the oEs).
Shane's ride is festooned with it. Good stuff. Global West's suitcase of desire. Make your tub o' guts handle and drive like a lithe, modern sled. Do it for no other reason than the active safety that a powerful suspension always holds in reserve. Be adjustable wherever you can be. Just one safe catch would more than amortize the cost of the system, wouldn't it?
We appreciate Shane's ever-adaptable logic too. "The car had to handle, so I did the Global West control arms, Spring Specialties custom coils, Superior Spindles hardware, and QA1 adjustable shock absorbers. So then I had to do split-leaf springs and bars in the back. Then I had to do the brakes to complement the suspension, so I put big discs and four-piston calipers at each corner." Shane faithfully maintained the high-g theme with serious seat and harness, quick steering, double-overdrive six-speed, a little bit of blood in his eye, and yes, that blown 383.
"It had to have a great stance, have power, and handle like a bat out of hell," goofs our boy. "This car does that. I love being able to get in it and just cruise or hit a canyon or just watch the owner of a Viper as I pass him while lighting up the tires."