Classic Chevy Muscle Cars Readers Rides - In The Spotlight

Smoked Out
'77 Z28 Camaro
Josh Johnson
Dunedin, FL
Josh Johnson says this car has come a long way from the wheezing 305 it once cradled and where the nickname "Smokey" originated. He put in a rockin' 408 (510 hp/500 lb-ft; an NOS plate awaits with another 150 hp) in its place that grew from a Dart block embracing a complete K1 forged rotating assembly and a Comp Cams roller and valvetrain assembly. The case is capped by Dart Pro 1 Platinum heads, a Performer Air Gap intake and an AED-prepped 780-cfm carburetor supplied by an Aeromotive fuel system. An MSD distributor and Digital 6 box produce the fire in the holes and Hooker Super Comp ceramic-coated 1 3/4-inch pipes drain the ashes into a 2 1/2-inch Flowmaster system. The 11-inch Ram clutch assembly that spins frantic inside a Lakewood blast barrel sends torque through a Tremec TKO 600 and thence to a Moser 9 with 3.73s. The Flaming River steering column and box direct the Intro 18x9 and 18x10 rims inside BFG KDW 265/35R18 and 295/35R18 balonies. Josh fortified the chassis and suspension with Competition Engineering frame connectors and Slide-a-Link bars, Eibach coils, and Vette Brakes and Products fiberglass leaf springs. He keeps one eye stuck on those Auto Meters and one ear open for the Alpine audio.

Torched & Cruisin' Low
'69 Camaro
Joe Marconi
Ontario, Canada
Torch Red with Metallic Silvers stripes tell the urchins that Marconi's comin' their way and that they better start wavin' hands. It's a cruiser and pretends to be nothing greater, so it does just fine with its 300hp 350. Auxiliary, perhaps mandatory, bolt-ons include Jet Hot-coated Hooker Super Comps, a 2 1/2-inch MagnaFlow stainless steel system with Pypes tips extending. It doesn't need anything more than a Turbo 350, a 10-bolt, and sensible 3.36:1 gears. More for safety and avoidance than to-the-wall handling, we find a Wilwood four-wheel power disc system with slotted/cross-drilled rotors, stainless steel brake lines, and Koni shock absorbers in conjunction with a DSE front antisway bar. Wheels and tires are basic goods: BFG Comp TA 60-series, 215 and 225s on 15-inch Cragar S/S rims. Inside, it works with a factory black custom interior, air conditioning, tilt steering column, and a plucky rosewood wheel. OE goodies also include a 7-grand tach, electric clock, horseshoe shifter with console gauge package, and AM/FM Delco with front and rear speakers. Damn, looks like '69 all over again.

Look Stock, Carry A Club
'86 Camaro
John Pauco
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Save for its Kenwood stereo, this car is exactly the same as the way John ordered it, right down to the tires and rear disc brakes. It fast-forwards with a 383 sporting ported aluminum Corvette heads, a solid-roller Comp Cams camshaft, 1.52:1 Magnum roller rockers, 11:1 compression, a four-bolt main block, a windage tray from '69 Z/28, Edelbrock Torker II intake, MSD 6A ignition, Holley 750-cfm vacuum carb, and a mechanical fuel pump. The Turbo 350 get impetus from a 3,500-rpm stall converter and is serviced by an Earl's cooler. Boom comes from Thrush shorties, custom 2 1/2-inch mandrel-bent head pipes, dual cats, and a single 3-inch SLP intermediate pipe and muffler. John chose the camshaft wisely. "It's a decent size but develops 19 inches of Hg at idle and helps driveability immensely. It's a torquey thing that puts smiles on the driver's and passenger's faces." The chassis dyno showed 305 hp at 5,400 rpm and 385 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm. The best quarter-mile run is a traction-limited 13.89 at 104.20 mph. So John, please put some tires on the thing one time.

Mighty Fine
'69 Camaro
Dan Johnson
Elkhart, IN
Wow, that Viper Red really makes Dan's Camaro pop up like the devil hissef. We'll assume that the everlovin' gut looks pretty much stock because his tech sheet didn't mention word one about it. So on to the machinations that obviously stir his soul. He set the chassis up bone-simple, a sampling of Wilwood's 13-inch discs and four-piston vises. The rest of it is stock, save for the PST 1-inch front bar and the supremely adjustable bite afforded by the Caltracs bars, Split-Monoleaf springs, and the shocks engineered for Calvert's immaculate system. Despite the torque of the 502, the wheels are modest, 235 and 245ZR Goodyear GS D3 tires on handsome Coy 17x7 and 17x8 rims. Dan hopped up the ZZ502 with Comp Pro Magnum roller rockers, an Edelbrock RPM Air Gap drawing from a Holley 850 double-pumper. The biggy-block is cooled via Griffin aluminum. Hooker Super Comps gather trash and dump it into 3-inch pipes and Flowmaster Super 40 cans. Things get quite a bit noisier when he flips the switch on those Quick Time Performance cutouts. Dan gets a modicum of fuel mileage with a Tremec TKO five-speed and 0.64:1 overdrive.

Out Of The Life
'79 Z28 Camaro
Mike Dora
Harrowsmith, Ontario, Canada
This rust-free 1979 Z spent most of its life as a 10-second Super-Pro bracket car. It was parked around 2000, when real life interrupted the reverie. Building a house and a new family precluded all of Mike's spare moments. Hence, the budget was very tight but a lot of parts and pieces were left over from its charmed life as a race car. The Z was totally disassembled, cleaned, primed, painted, and treated to new Classic Industries decals. A complete Painless Performance wiring harness was critical for the Camaro's rightful new mission and installed along with new carpet, weatherstripping, and headliner. The suspension was returned to "street friendly" but sandwiched with Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings. A 355 holds flat-top pistons, a Comp Cams XR286R solid roller camshaft, and Isky lifters and rev-kit. Its heads are ported cast-iron Sportsman IIs, conjoined with a Victor Jr. and a 750 Holley. Hooker Super Comps blend into 3-inch mandrel-bent pipes merging with DynoMax Ultra-Flos. An electric water pump and fans and a standard steering box keep the engine bay uncluttered. The Turbo 350 went manual and torque is managed via an 8-inch converter and a 10-bolt stuffed with things from Strange, Richmond Gear, and Detroit Locker. Everything, including paint, was done at home in a two-bay garage. Mike gives special thanks to Nancy, Sydney, Lauren and #1 helper Michael.

Real Potent
'83 Monte Carlo LS
Steve McRae
Warren, MI
This nasty Monte gained an aftermarket nose, a 4-inch Harwood cowl hood, and Lauren Engineering ground effects. Steve notched the frame for tire clearance and raised the rear floorboards 1.5 inches to clear the exhaust, then tied it all together with a 'cage. Cerullo buckets dominate the interior as abetted by custom upper door panels and modified Camaro console surrounding a B&M Megashifter. At the heart of the matter, a 565 Merlin race block holding a Callies crank, Eagle rods, and Wiseco 10.8:1s. On top, AFR 335 heads with Manley components, Comp Cams stainless rockers managed by a Dart girdle, and all persuaded by a Cam Motion custom roller with 4/7 swap, System 1 oil pump, Milodon pan, PJ geardrive, and Crower lifters. The fuel system collects an Edelbrock Super Victor, Quickfuel 1150 Dominator, Paxton 300 pump, and BG four-port regulator drawing from a Triangle Engineering aluminum fuel cell. Combustion begins with an MSD 7AL3, Pro Billet distributor and HVC coil and ends with Lemons 2 1/4-to-2-inch primaries into 4 1/2 pipes and 2-chamber Flowmasters. Grunt is absorbed by a TCI Turbo 400 with a reverse-pattern manual valvebody, a 4,000-rpm stall converter, a B&M fluid consistency system, trans fan, and Perma-Cool cooler. In the end, it's all up to the Moser 9, Detroit Locker, 4.10 gears, Wilwoods, and a DTS driveshaft. Four-inch-wide Convo Pros float the Frontrunners and 15x8.5s churn 295/65 drag radials. Oh, but there's lots more, folks.