OBeer-WAN-Kenobi
07-18-2013, 07:53 AM
Hi all,
I've been lurking for a long time and finally registered a little while back. Now, I've decided to post for the first time since I've just finished (for now) my '59 Willys P/U and I've always loved the 1st generation Camaros. I still haven't found one to work on yet but I've got a good idea of what I want to end up with and; going forward, would appreciate the help and recommendations available on this forum.
I can handle machining, mechanical stuff and fabrication but I'm pretty iffy on body work (lack of patience probably) so I'd ideally like start out with someone's unfinished project; where the body work is the part that's finished, or a nice shell with a clean title. I'd prefer a '68 if I were going to keep the ride height near stock but I want to go lower and IMHO a '69 looks proportionally better than a '68 the closer it get's to the ground.
I've decided on using an LS power plant and a 6 speed manual. My goal for power is around 600 HP, so I'll probably need a 9" rear. I want the car to handle good in the twisties; though it may not ever get to a track. My daily driver is a Subaru Legacy Spec b. and I'm hoping I can get a Camaro build to handle at least as well as that.
My budget is limited over time. It'll take me a while to build this and that's probably good since I don't have enough money to do it all at once.
I know a decent amount about SBC's but the LS series is new to me. So far I've bought a book on tuning LS engines and that will also be a first for me. I'm thinking about starting out with an iron block, junkyard 5.3 and throwing boost at it, so I can learn on the cheap without worrying about blowing up a 5 figure engine. With boost I think my power goals are within reach with the 5.3 and I can always put something more expensive in later. If I had a ton of money I'd just by a crate LSA or LS9 and be done but I don't.
Anyway, if I had to boil it down, I'd say that I want my build to be a "value" build, but not necessarily a budget build. So, if something costs me an extra few dollars but improves performance significantly, I'll do it. If, it costs a lot to improve it beyond something I need or want, I won't.
I'd surely appreciate any suggestions and advice from everyone, especially on suspension, rear end gearing, and tire size that I'll need to reliably stick the hp to the ground.
Thanks!
I've been lurking for a long time and finally registered a little while back. Now, I've decided to post for the first time since I've just finished (for now) my '59 Willys P/U and I've always loved the 1st generation Camaros. I still haven't found one to work on yet but I've got a good idea of what I want to end up with and; going forward, would appreciate the help and recommendations available on this forum.
I can handle machining, mechanical stuff and fabrication but I'm pretty iffy on body work (lack of patience probably) so I'd ideally like start out with someone's unfinished project; where the body work is the part that's finished, or a nice shell with a clean title. I'd prefer a '68 if I were going to keep the ride height near stock but I want to go lower and IMHO a '69 looks proportionally better than a '68 the closer it get's to the ground.
I've decided on using an LS power plant and a 6 speed manual. My goal for power is around 600 HP, so I'll probably need a 9" rear. I want the car to handle good in the twisties; though it may not ever get to a track. My daily driver is a Subaru Legacy Spec b. and I'm hoping I can get a Camaro build to handle at least as well as that.
My budget is limited over time. It'll take me a while to build this and that's probably good since I don't have enough money to do it all at once.
I know a decent amount about SBC's but the LS series is new to me. So far I've bought a book on tuning LS engines and that will also be a first for me. I'm thinking about starting out with an iron block, junkyard 5.3 and throwing boost at it, so I can learn on the cheap without worrying about blowing up a 5 figure engine. With boost I think my power goals are within reach with the 5.3 and I can always put something more expensive in later. If I had a ton of money I'd just by a crate LSA or LS9 and be done but I don't.
Anyway, if I had to boil it down, I'd say that I want my build to be a "value" build, but not necessarily a budget build. So, if something costs me an extra few dollars but improves performance significantly, I'll do it. If, it costs a lot to improve it beyond something I need or want, I won't.
I'd surely appreciate any suggestions and advice from everyone, especially on suspension, rear end gearing, and tire size that I'll need to reliably stick the hp to the ground.
Thanks!