New Guy Researching To Do An LS/T56 1st Gen Camaro Build

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

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!

[intocarss]

WELCOME AND LOVE THE SC!!

OH AND



HEY ROB LOOK... ANOTHER BOWTIE GUY