Below, he shares his information on how he set up his 77 Z28 for Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Solo II autocross racing. 

Specifications:
Vehicle: 1977 Z28 Camaro - originally purchased new in Louisville, Kentucky
Current owner: Pierre Dupuy - purchased from original owner July 7, 1992
Color, exterior/interior: black (option code 19) w/ black interior (option code 19)

Options on vehicle:

• AK1 - color-keyed seat belts (black)
• AN6 - adjustable driver's seat back
• AU3 - power door locks
• AO2 - tinted windshield
• A31 - power windows
• B37 - rubber floor mats fr. & rr.
• CD4 - intermittent windshield wipers
• C24 - hideaway wipers
• C50 - rr. window defroster blower
• C60 - air conditioning
• D35 - sport mirrors
• D55 - center floor console
• D80 - fr.(3 piece) & rr.(3 piece) spoiler
• F41 - performance suspension
• G80 - positraction differential
• J50 - power brakes
• K30 - cruise control
• LM1 - 350 c.i.d. engine, 4 bbl V-8
• M40 - TH 350 auto trans
• N33 - tilt steering
• N65 - space saver spare tire
• QRZ- GR 70 15 radial tires white letter
• UA1 - heavy duty battery
• UM2 - AM/FM radio with stereo tape (8 track)
• UO5 - dual horns
• U14 - special instrumentation (gauge package)
• U35 - clock
• U76 - windshield antenna
• U80 - rear seat speaker
• VO1 - heavy duty radiator
• V30 - bumper guards
• ZJ9 - auxiliary lighting

General Specifications: 1977 Z28 Camaro
engine output: 390 ft/lbs torque @ 3500 rpm / 350 hp @ 5250 rpm
block: OEM Chevrolet cast iron small block 355 c.i. displacement
bore: 4.030" (.030 over)
stroke: 3.48" 
final compression ratio: 9.5:1
heads: OEM cast iron, 76 cc combustion chamber, straight plug, 1.94" intake/1.50" exhaust
Camshaft: GM L-82 lift: .450" intake/.460 exhaust, duration 222 degrees @ .050 lift
Intake: Stock Quadrajet intake manifold with Quadrajet 4-bbl spread bore carburetor (rejetted richer for upgraded cam, exhaust, head work) 
Ignition: GM HEI distributor with Jacobs electronic ignition system 
Exhaust: header with dual 2.5" exhaust
Transmission: Turbo Hydramatic 350
Differential: GM 10 bolt, 3.42:1 gear ratio, limited slip (positraction)
Suspension:
-front: upper & lower A arms, coil spring, tube shock absorber, anti-sway bar
-rear: live axle, 4-leaf springs, anti-sway bar, tube shock absorbers (staggered mounting)
brakes: front: disc / rear: drum 
steering: stock recirculating ball GM (Saginaw) quick ratio power steering 

Modifications/upgrades at a glance: (Note: all modifications on this car were done for maximum cornering performance , not for maximum straight line acceleration performance. In many cases (suspension particularly) the resulting dynamics of weight transfer may be the opposite of what you is need for best straight line ETs. For how to set up a car for straight line acceleration (ie drag racing - check some of the Tech links on the MadMike web site. 

measured cornering force: 1.0 G on BF Goodrich T/A R1 race tires, size 265-50-ZR15 

The car generates approx. 1.0 G of cornering force when set up for autocross racing (wheel/tire change, suspension alignment changes) and still remains a streetable daily driver. Measured cornering force has ranged from .98 to 1.02 G on a 200 ft diameter skidpad. 

Pierre carried out a complete engine rebuild aimed more at increased torque in the 1500 to 3500 rpm range than all-out upper end power. 

While this particular engine wasn't dynoed, other similar engines (350 .030 over bore, comp ratio of pistons, cam, similar head work, intake and exhaust, etc.) small blocks have yielded approx 390 ft/lbs of torque @ 3500 rpm and approx 350 hp @ 5500 rpm. 

engine
a.) block preparation/machining: - hot tank cleaned, - oil galleries cleaned out - block checked for cracks/other structural defects and overall check for condition/quality of casting - casting flash and rough edges smoothed - cylinders bored .030 over (w/ torque plate) - deck squared - crankshaft & camshaft bearing surfaces align bored. - Crankshaft: GM cast iron (GM High Performance Catalog - "GM Hi-Po cat."), stock 3.48" throw. - Main bearing caps: 2-bolt high strength "grey" nodular cast iron (GM Hi-Po cat.), high strength cap studs/nuts used in place of standard bolts (GM Hi-Po cat.) - Main bearings: Clevite 77. - Pistons: pressed-pin, Silv-O-Lite hypereutectic silicon/aluminum - Connecting rods: stock original GM Z28 "pink" rods (also avail. in GM Hi-Po cat.) with ARP hi-strength rod bolts - oiling system - oil pump: stock GM small block with Z28 bypass spring (GM Hi-Po cat.), Z28 baffled oil pan (GM Hi-Po cat.), Z28 windage tray (GM Hi-Po cat.), GM high-perf. synthetic matrix oil filter (GM Hi-Po cat.), Castrol 20-W 50 oil. - Harmonic damper: new GM elastomer damper (GM Hi-Po cat.) - Timing set: GM heavy duty dual row timing chain set (GM Hi-Po cat.) 

b.) Head preparation/machining: - Screw-in 3/8" rocker arm studs and guide plates (GM Hi-Po cat.) (Note: OEM setup was pressed-in studs, no guide plates for '77 Z28 !). - Phosphorous bronze valve stem guides (GM Hi-Po cat.). - Intake and exhaust ports gasket matched to intake and exhaust manifolds. - Elongated pushrod guide holes, - Enlarged oil drain holes (for faster drain back of oil into pan), - Mild valve job (with longevity & reliability as goal over max. possible flow). - High strength head studs/nuts used in place of standard bolts (GM Hi-Po cat.). - GM steel shim head gasket used to maximize compression ratio (GM Hi-Po cat.). - Valve covers: LT-1 aluminum (used on '70-74 GM LT-1 engines) (GM Hi-Po cat.). 

c.) Valvetrain: - valves: GM 1.94" intake/1.50" exhaust valves (GM Hi-Po cat.). - GM valve springs: 1st generation off-road cam, single spring w/ inner flat damper - rated @ 7,000 rpm (GM Hi-Po cat.), - heavy duty valve locks/keepers (GM Hi-Po cat.) - combination of both "umbrella" and "o-ring" type valve stem seals used (GM Hi-Po cat.). - Rocker arms: Competition Cams "Magnum" roller tip 1.52: (Comp Cams). - GM heavy duty thick wall pushrods (GM Hi-Po cat.), - GM L82 camshaft: lift: .450" intake/.460 exhaust, duration 222 degrees @ .050 lift. Exhaust
steel tube header, Tri-Y type, 1 5/8" primaries tubes, 3' collector, dual 2.5" exhaust pipes, 2x turbo mufflers, 2x low restriction catalytic convertors. 

Suspension
Front: independent, coil spring

• 530 lbs/in coil springs
• Monroe Formula GP shock absorbers.
• 1 3/8" dia. solid anti-sway bar with polygraphite (graphite impregnated polyurethane) frame and end link bushings, heavy duty end link hardware (Note: I use polyurethane end link bushings for street and alum end link bushings at racetrack).
• upper and lower A-arm bushings: polygraphite with steel sleeve 
• heavy duty upper and lower ball joints (Vette Brakes and Products) 

• 130 lbs/in, OEM 4-leaf springs with polygraphite bushings at front spring eye and rear shackle mounting points with an additional single leaf which brings overall rate close to 200 lbs/in.

Monroe Formula GP shock absorbers.7/8" dia solid anti-sway bar with polygraphite (graphite impregnated polyurethane) frame and end link bushings.

Transmission (TH-350) 
Rebuilt with Trans Go hi-perf components (shift kit, sprag, sun gear, other), polyurethane transmission mount, transmission oil cooler mounted in front of radiator. OEM drive shaft balanced, new U-joints installed. 

Differential
Stud girdle kit to replace OEM bolts and heavy-duty aluminum differential cover with adjustable pre-load bolts (T/A Products, Phoenix, AZ), rebuilt stock "C" clip rear axle, rebuilt 3.42:1 limited slip differential, Amsoil synthetic oil with GM lim. slip additive 

Brakes
(Note: all hard steel line replaced with new hard line) 

• Front disc - 11.0" dia. hi-performance ventilated cross-drilled cast iron rotors with bolted on light weight 6061 T6 aluminum hub w/ high strength wheel studs (Vette Brakes and Products). High performance GM type caliper, uses the large GM D-52 size pads (Vette Brakes and Products). Carbon metallic pads (Performance Friction, Clover, SC), Earl's braided stainless steel brake hoses (Earl's, Hawthorne, CA). 
• Rear drum - Kevlar metallic shoes (Praise Dyno Brakes, Garland, TX), Earl's braided stainless steel brake hoses (Earl's, Hawthorne, CA). New GM cylinders, adjustable billet alum. pressure limiting valve mounted in line to rear brakes (Wilwood). 
• Rebuilt master cylinder, Wilwood DOT 4 hi-temp brake fluid.

• Subframe and unibody sections seam welded at all stress points (OEM factory assembled mostly with spot welds). 
• Subframe connectors installed (Performance Suspension Technology)
• Polyurethane subframe bushings installed at subframe-to-unibody mounting (Performance Suspension Technology)

DETAIL OF SETUP What follows is how I have set up my car, along with some other tips, recommendations and advice derived from personal experience (& mistakes!). My rule of thumb for this whole car project was: "know how you will use your car, be reasonable and realistic on the rpm range the engine will see, the type of cornering loads the chassis and suspension will undergo, don't buy more than you need for your planned use, save your money, or spend it where it will make a difference elsewhere in the project". Don't buy components you don't really need just to brag and say "I've got a --- !". Too much carb, cam, intake, suspension, gear ratio, etc., can make for a car that is miserable to drive. Besides, if you really want to brag, stickers are much cheaper than parts… 1.) Engine Note:, when the Z28 came back in mid-'77 after a two-year hiatus, the engine was unfortunately not quite the old LT-1 350 small block. The forged steel crank, 4-bolt mains, forged pistons, 2.02" intake/1.6" exhaust valves, screw-in rocker arm studs with guide plates, hi-perf pushrods, high rise aluminum intake manifold with Holley 4-bbl carb, and long duration high lift cam were all gone. The LM-1 which replaced it was a lot less exciting. It was still a 350 smallblock, still had a 4-bbl (Quadrajet) carburetor, but that was about it. With a little work, however, it can be made into an engine which deserves to be placed in a Z28. a.) block preparation/machining, crank & bearings, pistons, oiling system, harmonic damper, timing chain: - Selection - start with what you know to be a good sound block - good new blocks are available in the GM High Performance parts catalog. I reused the block in my car as I knew it was in good shape. If you are going to get a used block, check it for cracks, other structural defects. Do an initial visual inspection and look closely. Go with magnafluxing for a final check of what seems like a good block. Also check the overall quality of the casting and if there is any evidence of a core shift in the casting. If you have any doubts, consult someone you trust to check it out for you. - Cleaning - do it yourself or get it done, but be sure it is done thoroughly. Hot-tank cleaning is probably the best way to get a clean block without too much work. Make sure also that the oil galleries and passages are well cleaned out and there are no caked-on and hardened oil deposits anywhere. The original owner of the car I bought was a maintenance fanatic and I really didn't find any caked-on gunk in the engine anywhere. Although I did not do this, some experts recommend painting the inside of the block for better oil drainback and flow - Glyptal paint is one of the recommended choices. (Recommend you read one of the many good books available for complete step-by-step instructions on block cleaning before trying it yourself for the first time). - Initial minor deburring - you can do this yourself with a hand grinder, or a drill with the proper grinding bit to smooth out casting flash, burrs, rough edges, in the interest of better oil flow. Look also for anything that might later break off and become metal particles in the oil system. - Machine work - Note: I had the machine work done but specified exactly what I wanted. If you know what you want, make sure the machinist follows your instructions. If you are not sure what is needed, get someone knowledgeable to help you develop a spec sheet which makes sense for your application and your budget. I had the cylinders bored to a standard .030 overbore. This was done with a torque plate bolted in place to simulate the slight distortion of the block caused by the cylinder head torqued in place. This will give you a correctly shaped cylinder bore once the engine is assembled with the heads on and torqued to spec. I had the cam and crank bores align bored since I was going to use new main bearing caps. Align boring ensures these components are in correct alignment with each other and with the block. Align boring is not really needed if you are reusing the same main bearing caps. I had the deck squared to ensure correct alignment of the heads to the block. - Crankshaft - I went with a OEM cast iron crank from the GM Hi-Po parts catalog (standard 3.48" 350 stroke). Would have kept the original (I was on a budget!) but the "ticking" sound I started hearing 2-3 days before pulling the engine was a main bearing going bad! Oh, well… A word on cast iron vs. forged steel cranks: unless your engine is going to see some continuous high rpm's (like 6,000+), a cast iron crank is fine - you can better spend the money in other areas. A forged steel crank will cost you about $300.00 more than a cast crank. If your engine will frequently see a lot of rpm's then do get a forged steel crank, and I would also go for 4-bolt mains and studs, (not bolts) to hold the main bearing caps on (more about that next). An option to consider here might be a cast steel crank if you want a little more "insurance" without the price of a forged steel crank. They run in the mid $200.00 range if you look around. Elgin, and some others, make them. Something a lot of people don't realize is that cast iron being a more ductile metal (softer) than steel is better able to absorb some of the damaging vibrations which a steel crank would transmit directly to the main bearings. (I'll bet you thought only the harmonic damper did that!) So you see there is an advantage to a good quality cast iron crankshaft vs. a forged steel one after all! - Main bearing caps - I decided to stick with a 2-bolt type, a high strength "grey" nodular cast iron caps. This gave me a little extra strength and high rpm insurance without the added expense of machining the block for 4-bolt main bearing caps. I also decided on holding this all together with high strength studs for more strength (all from GM Hi-Po cat). ARP and others also make these main bearing cap studs. Again, unless you see a lot of high rpms, you don't really need a 4-bolt main bearing cap. If you can spend the money - go for it. If your block already is a 4-bolt main, great. If you do decide to convert a 2-bolt main block to 4-bolt, I recommend the main bearing caps (steel) which have the splayed outer bolts (angled outward). These tie into the main bearing web where it joins the wall of the block - a much stronger place to drill into. Whenever you change the main caps, remember to get crank and cam bores align bored. - Main bearings - I used Clevite 77 main bearings, good stuff, time proven, and I have never had a problem with them in other engine projects I have built. - Pistons - I decided on pressed-pin, flat top, Silv-O-Lite hypereutectic cast silicon/aluminum pistons with valve reliefs which gave me a final compression ratio of right around 9.5:1 with the 76cc combustion chambers and .030 overbore. I had considered forged TRW pistons, but a cast piston has a lot less thermal (heat) contraction/expansion than a forged piston and it therefore seals better in the cylinder bore. For high compression / turbocharged / supercharged applications which place a very high thermal load on the piston, forged aluminum is the best choice however. For other than these high stress applications, the high silicon content of hypereutectic aluminum is far stronger and heat resistant than ordinary cast aluminum and is a good choice for a high performance engine. I had the machine shop do some minor work so each piston was the same weight. As it turned out, each of the eight pistons was close in weight - only one needed a little material removed to bring it in line. - Connecting rods - I reused my original GM Z28 "pink" rods. (A word on "pink" rods later in this section). I first had the rods magnafluxed to make sure they were all still OK to reuse. Next, I polished the beam sides to eliminate the forging mark and surface imperfections that could act as a "stress riser" and eventually cause cracks and rod failure. I used a die grinder with an about 40 grit cartridge roll - make sure you are using an abrasive intended for use on metal. Follow the length of the rod beam as you polish (not across the beam width), don't stay on any spot too long, and don't press down too hard and cause the rod to heat up. You can carry the polishing job on up to the small end but don’t touch the pad - this is used for balancing the rod. Next, I had the rods shot-peened - shot-peening increases the strength of the rod surfaces and also makes stress fractures less likely to form. Finally, I had the big ends re-sized as necessary and then had the rods balanced. Making sure there is no weight discrepancy from rod to rod makes for easier rotating assembly balancing later. I used ARP high-strength rod bolts for extra strength - there is no reason not to use these as they prevent the most common connecting rod related failure and are not expensive. Make sure the rod is correctly radiused for the contour of the underside of the rod bolt head so it makes full contact with the connecting rod. If it is not you are possibly inducing stress which will lead to a failure later. I left the rods fitted for a pressed-in wrist pin. For my use, I saw no real need for a fully floating pin. You may want to consider a floating pin if your engine will see a lot of high rpm use.. There is an advantage to reusing connecting rods from an engine that has been run for a while (this one had 112,000 miles on it at rebuild): they have been heat-cycled, or "seasoned". This seasoning relieves internal stress and results in a rod that is stronger than a new rod. The GM "pink" rod is available new in the GM Hi-Po catalog and is more than strong enough for most use. The infamous GM "pink" rod, by the way, is no more than a standard production forged 1038 steel rod which has been magnafluxed and shot-peened. It had a pink stripe painted on it to set it aside from standard rods on the assembly line. There is no other difference than this between a "pink" rod and the rod that went into the family station wagon. All GM connecting rods are made of forged 1038 steel, except for the late production "powdered metal" rods. You can make your own "pink" rod by prepping a standard GM rod as I described above. Other choices - I really like the Crower Sportsman Rod - a very strong and relatively light rod which comes in a set of eight weight matched rods. The small block rods will handle 500+ hp and you get your choice of floating or pressed pin fit. They are also made for big blocks. There are plenty of other good choices also in the GM Hi-Po catalog, and elsewhere out there, limited only by your pocket book - all the way to titanium connecting rods that cost as much each as a set of the best hi-performance forged steel rods! Probably not necessary, but if you want to brag… A word on aluminum connecting rods - these are fine for an all out drag race engine in the top classes, that will be torn down after every race and fully rebuilt. Aluminum rods are not used with long life in mind. - Oiling system - The Chevrolet small-block wet sump oiling system is in my opinion one of the best ever made and requires little modification. For the oil pump I reused my stock GM small block oil pump. I did get a new Z28 bypass pressure-relief spring (GM Hi-Po cat.). I figured that the old one had probably weakened by now. If you want to buy a new pump, do so, but beware of getting a higher volume pump than you need. New pumps are not that expensive. GM Hi-Po catalog, Federal Mogul are some good sources, there are many others. I decided to experiment a little, and save some money so I checked out and blueprinted the old pump myself to make sure it could be reused. New or old, I recommend you check an oil pump as follows: I took the pump apart, thoroughly cleaned it, and did some minor deburring of any sharp edges - these could affect the oil flow or break loose later. I also checked gear-to-housing clearance (GM recommends 0.0020, + or - 0.0005) and gear to cover clearance by holding a steel straight edge across the cover flange and measuring clearance between the gears and the straight edge. If you want to reduce the temperature of the oil in the pump, old or new, consider coating the gears with a dry film lubricant. Tech Line out of Waxahachie, TX makes a kit which allows you to apply the lubricant yourself with a foam brush. This dry film lubricant kit is something new and I do not think it existed when I rebuilt my engine. Follow the instructions carefully (surface prep, application, drying, etc.) and you are done. Tests show up to a 30% reduction in the temperature of oil exiting a treated pump compared to an untreated one. I will verly likely do this at the next rebuild. Before installing any pump, prevent some of the damaging long term effects of vibration: use Loc-Tite on the bolts (use the temporary blue stuff so you can disassemble the pump in the future), you may also want to safety wire the housing cover bolts together. You should also either braze the oil pickup tube to the body to prevent it from falling out. The other option is what I went for - a bolt-on metal support tab which will do the same - check the hi-po catalogs. I replaced the stock nylon shaft-to-pump sleeve with a steel one, and got a new hi-po steel drive shaft for additional cheap insurance. Jeg's carries this stuff, as do other suppliers. - Oil pan / windage tray / filter - many choices out there, but I got the earlier Z28 baffled oil pan (GM Hi-Po cat.) to help prevent oil starvation in corners and under hard acceleration. I also got the Z28 windage tray (GM Hi-Po cat.) which requires special main bearing studs to mount (GM Hi-Po cat). Use a good, strong, high-flow, fine filtering oil filter (I use the GM Hi-Po cat - PF35L filter). K&N also makes a good one. A more expensive, but by far the best, alternative is a machined aluminum spin-on filter body with replaceable element made by Canton-Mecca. It comes in a short and tall size (around $40.00 +/- , replacement elements are cheap). It has more flow capability than anything your engine is likely to generate and eliminates bypass oil flow - every ounce of oil in your engine will be filtered. Since the housing comes apart, it also allows you to examine the inside of your filter element for any debris/metal particles. This Canton-Mecca filter will be the next addition to the oiling system on my car. It is also available in a remote filter model. - Harmonic damper - I used a new stock type GM elastomer damper (GM Hi-Po cat.) - I will be upgrading to a FluidDampr soon as this does an even better job of dampening vibrations and letting the engine rev higher and last longer. Their new StreetDampr model is now available and costs a little less than their other models. - Timing chain - I used the GM heavy duty dual row timing chain set (GM Hi-Po cat.). The Cloyes tru-roller chain set is also an excellent choice. - Engine mounts - I reused new OEM GM mounts, but there is a new polyurethane engine mount from Energy Suspension which I may go to - They are more durable that stock and can handle additional power without failing. (www.energysuspension.com) b.) Head preparation/machining I kept the original heads (magnafluxed for cracks) since my intent was to keep the car as original as possible with "all matching" numbers on all engine parts. If you are not worried about originality, the sky is the limit on heads. There are more small-block (and big block) head choices now than ever before. If the lower end of your engine is in good shape, a head swap is a good way to increase power without a whole lot of work. One of my favorites is the new "twisted wedge" aluminum head from Trick Flow. It allows using the bigger 2.02/1.6 valves and still keep strong lower end torque curve - expensive though… The Edelbrock Performer & Performer RPM heads are very good too, especially if matched with the Performer / Performer RPM intake manifold and cam, a great power package. The Performer parts maintain emissions legality, while the RPM version are more performance oriented but not emissions legal. I did not however keep my stock heads stock! My intent for the head work (and the rest of the engine) was to have an reliable setup to 6,500 rpm or so which would be as long lived as possible. One advantage of cast iron is that it is very durable and resistant to heat distortion - much less delicate than aluminum. It takes a 1,000 degrees F more to begin melting cast iron than aluminum. - Rocker arm studs and guide plates - Converted heads to Screw-in 3/8" rocker arm studs and had guide plates installed (GM Hi-Po cat.) (Note: OEM setup was pressed-in studs, no guide plates for '77 Z28 !). This involves tapping / threading the rocker arm boss for the new studs and machining in a flat shoulder for the guide plate. Everything must be precisely aligned in relation to the head. If you're not sure of your abilities, have it done by a competent machine shop. This simple step will give you a huge increase in the rpm ability and longevity of you valvetrain. - Valve stem guides - I used the GM thick wall phosphorous bronze guide (GM Hi-Po cat.). It does require a little machining to install, but is a good choice. Bronze is a self-lubricating material and you can run a tighter valve stem-to-guide clearance than with a stock iron guide for better oil control and valve alignment. - Intake and exhaust ports gasket matched to intake and exhaust manifolds - a simple job you can do yourself to ensure that there is no mismatch in port sizes to hinder intake or exhaust flow. Just use the proper intake and exhaust gaskets as templates to scribe the inner outline of the opening onto each exhaust and intake port face on the head. Grind out the head material to this contour - I wouldn't go more than about 1/2" back into the head at most to blend the ports to the right outline. If you are not sure, consult someone with experience, or have it done. - Elongated pushrod guide holes - I did this just to be safe, as I don't think the lift of the cam I used (.450 intake/.460 exhaust) nor the 1.52:1 rocker arm ratio required it. Definitely necessary though for pushrod clearance with higher lift cams and higher ratio (like 1.6:1) rocker arms. - Enlarged oil drain holes (for faster drain back of oil into pan) - enlarge the drainback holes by a 1/8" to 3/16" increase in diameter. This is something I apparently did not do enough as I still experience some excess oil accumulation and resulting oil over-pressure in the valve cover area during sustained 4,000 - 4,500 + rpm runs during races. Oil typically squirts out the passenger side breather - gets spectacular for those watching when enough of it spills onto the exhaust headers! I need to redo this soon. For extra insurance against valvetrain pieces falling through into the block, you can epoxy and/or bolt some wire mesh over these drainback holes. Something I should have done had I been thinking of it at the time. In the short term I will install a "puke can" to catch excess oil. Another possibility is installing an approx 2.0" dia tube that cross-connects the valve cover breather holes. You would have to do this at the front of the engine in order to have the room. One or two breathers would then mount on a short vertical section of tubing at the top of this tube. Works well, have seen this set up on a few other small blocks. - Valve job - I had a very mild three-angle "street" job done on the heads with longevity & reliability as the goal rather than maximum possible flow. If you have a large budget, or are putting together an all-out race engine and plan on rebuilding/replacing heads every so often, then you can go more radical. Don't expect the valves to keep sealing against their seats for thousands and thousands of miles, but you can get more flow. The other part of the equation on this is: what is the rest of the engine able to flow? If you use small valves (1.94 / 1.5), have not done much porting and polishing of the head, have a mild exhaust system, and don't have a radical high lift, long duration cam, then you likely don't need more than a mild valve job. - High strength head studs/nuts - I used these in place of standard bolts for a little more margin of safety and clamping force (GM Hi-Po cat, many other sources as well carry these. ARP is another good choice). This is especially important with higher compression ratio engines to help contain cylinder pressure. - GM steel shim head gasket - I used this type to maximize compression ratio (GM Hi-Po cat.). If I were running a higher compression ratio, I would use a thicker hi-perf gasket with cylinder "O-ring" designed to contain high cylinder pressures. - Valve covers: Ribbed polished aluminum (used on GM LT-1 engines - GM Hi-Po cat.). I used these for the sake of nostalgia in part, but also because they seal better than sheet steel valve covers and look a lot nicer. Besides the vintage look, they have cast-in oil dripper "fingers" centered above each rocker arm pivot point. These collect oil and drip it onto rocker arm ball to help ensure adequate lubrication. I have seen no other valve cover which has this. They also have the OEM oil control baffles pressed in. I kept the OEM PCV valve setup since it allows the crankcase to vent and is overall a good thing which costs no power. This is about the only emissions related component I can think of which I like! c.) Valvetrain and Intake/Carburetion - remember all this stuff has to work together, like in the rest of the engine, and the whole is only as strong as the weakest link. - Valves - I got new 1.94" intake/1.50" exhaust valves from the GM Hi-Po catalog. Given the fact that I would not be exploring the upper rpm range (intentionally) in this car in autocross racing or on the street, I kept the smaller original 1.94" intake / 1.50" exhaust valve sizes instead of going to 2.02" / 1.60" valves. A smaller valve size has some advantages: it is less of a heat sink than a larger valve and maintains a higher intake mixture velocity and vacuum signal. This maximizes torque in the low to mid rpm range, which is what you need for day-in day-out driveability and for autocross races where you need to accelerate fast out of corners and never much exceed 60 mph. Manley makes some good stuff and their stainless steel valves would be a good additional measure of reliability. The swirl polished ones with an undercut stem will give you a little more flow too. If you need the flow, go for the bigger valves, but be sure your engine really will flow enough to require them. If not, larger valves will do nothing but make your engine fall flat on its face. Consider your heads, intake manifold, carb/injectors, cam specs (lift, duration, your exhaust, and the intended rpm range. - GM valve springs: 1st generation off-road cam, single spring w/ inner flat damper - rated @ 7,000 rpm (GM Hi-Po cat.). This has a stock outer diameter and drops into the spring pocket on the head with no machining. Not a too high pressure that would cause faster than normal cam wear. - Heavy duty valve locks/keepers (GM Hi-Po cat.) - good quality stuff and cheap insurance against problems - Valve stem seals - I used a combination of both "umbrella" and "o-ring" type valve stem seals used (GM Hi-Po cat.) for good oil control, without going to the trouble of PC type seals. - Rocker arms - Competition Cams "Magnum" roller tip 1.52: (Comp Cams). These are a roller tip only and use a regular rocker ball like stock rocker arms. Much stronger than stock with a much thicker wall. The roller tip eliminates some friction, avoids a side load on the valve stem for longer valve and guide life, and you gain some power (more valve lift) from the slightly higher ratio (1.52:1 instead of 1.5:1) without going to a 1.6:1 ratio rocker. A higher ratio does give more lift, but places more stress on you valvetrain. Again, I was thinking engine longevity over max power. With the relatively mild valve spring pressure and cam lift of my engine, these are really all I needed. Other good choices for longevity are a couple of the Comp Cams steel rocker arms which are roller-tip and roller fulcrum: Pro Magnum or Hi-tech Stainless rocker arms. The roller fulcrum will really reduce friction at the pivot point and gain you some power, especially if you are running higher spring pressures. The Pro-Magnum rockers will be more than enough for most engines, and the Hi-Tech rocker are more for an all out race effort. Both are little expensive, but are good longevity/higher rpm insurance. Make sure your valve covers have the needed clearance for these. - GM heavy duty thick wall hardened pushrods (GM Hi-Po cat.). Required for more rpm capability and are hardened for wear resistance against friction with the guide plates. Not really expensive for the extra strength and rpm ability they give the whole valvetrain. - GM L82 camshaft (a hydraulic lifter grind) - lift: .450" intake/.460 exhaust, duration 222 degrees @ .050 lift. A good hi-perf. hydraulic street cam with more mid to upper range power without sacrificing too much low end torque. For good tractability on the street, a higher than stock lift, shorter duration cam is always a good choice. You want to match cam lift & duration to the compression ratio of your engine, and to how much the other components flow. The idea is to build and retain the right amount of cylinder pressure in the rpm range you want. Edelbrock (matched to Edelbrock heads and intake manifolds), Competition Cams, Crane, Iskenderian also have some good choices. I can recommend these companies as I have used their cams in the past with very good results. For this project I stuck with hydraulic (self-adjusting) lifters and cam as I would not be seeing enough rpm (6,000 rpm and below) to worry about float. If you are building a higher rpm screamer engine, then go with solid lifters. If you want to further reduce friction and gain a little power, consider a roller lifter cam. As with a regular camshaft, recommend a hydraulic roller lifter cam if you don't like fiddling with valve lash. Make sure your cam and distributor drive gear are of compatible materials - ask the manufacturer. - Intake Manifold - I kept the original Quadrajet dual plane manifold and gasket matched it to the intake ports on the heads. The stock GM dual plane manifold produces more torque through the 3,500 rpm range than most aftermarket aluminum performance manifolds. Keep this in mind before you decide to throw that manifold out. This manifold is also available in aluminum from the GM Hi-Po catalog for a lighter weight setup. Other good choices are also available from the GM Hi-Po catalog: the original Z28 high rise aluminum manifold, and others, like the ZZ3 manifold. In the aftermarket choices, Edelbrock Performer and Performer RPM manifolds are good choices, as are the Weiand and Holley products. Some allow you to stay emissions legal while still giving a performance improvement. Don't consider a single plane manifold unless you application requires it - they don't work well in the low rpm range and are intended for continuous higher rpm use. - Carburetor - I kept the original spread-bore Quadrjet carb. The Q-Jet is often looked down upon for any performance use. Those who make fun of it have probably never had a correctly tuned Q-Jet in therir car. This is due to a lack of understanding on the part of most people. It is set up differently than most carbs and requires a little study to understand it, but it's an easy carb to work with. A stock Q-Jet flows 750 cfm at wide open throttle - this is enough cfm for some pretty serius engies. The spread bore design with small primaries results in a good vacuum signal at lower rpm for a very sharp throttle response. The vacuum operated secondaries work well to ensure they open only when needed, but must be correctly adjusted. The Q-Jet gives great throttle response for everyday driving and is a good choice for the rpm range I see in autocross races. I have had no fuel starvation problems resulting from hard cornering. I went to the next richer primary jet (bigger diameter) and to the next richer primary metering rod. I went to a richer secondary metering rod which also allows an earlier rich fuel mixture. I set the float bowl level at 3/8" and have not had to reset it. This is a good initial setting to start at when tuning your Q-Jet. I also adjusted the spring tension on the secondary air valve to make sure it opened at the right throttle setting. It took a couple of acceleration passes to get it right, but it prevents a bog or fade from a too-early or too-late secondary opening. All the above settings and jet/metering rod choices were recommended by The Carburetor Shop (out of California). I sent them my specs on engine setup, rear gear ratio, tire diameter, intake and exhaust manifold used and they sent me a kit which had all the needed parts. Q-Jets do have one fault that is easily corrected - they leak on the underside of the float bowl. Look for either a pressed in lead ball or copper seal with an approx. 1/4" diameter lip around it at the lowest part of the float bowl casting on the underside. If it leaking, you will see a brownish "varnish" built up at this point from old dried fuel deposits. Clean thoroughly with a good solvent and a stiff brush, and let it dry. Coat this area with a good quality epoxy and let dry before reassembling. Do the same on the underside of the secondary float bowl area. This should cure any further fuel leaks. There are some good books written on performance tuning the Q-Jet. I recommend you look one up and read it thoroughly before starting to work on the carb. The Edelbrock corporation also sells new Q_Jet carbs which have been modified for specific high-performance applications. If you want to set yourself apart from the standard Holley crowd, try using a Q-Jet. I have no doubt that you will be impressed with the performance you can get out of one that is correctly set up 2.) Exhaust - I used Thorley Tri-Y headers with 1 5/8" diameter primary tubing, 3" collector, 2.5" dual exhaust with 2 low-backpressure catalytic convertors, an H-pipe cross-connection, and two Walker turbo mufflers. Again, aiming at low to mid range torque, I think this header design is one of the best to achieve this. 3.) Transmission - I kept the original Turbo Hydramatic 350. I had it rebuilt with Trans Go hi-perf components fopr additional torque handling capability and longer life(shift kit, sprag, sun gear, other). I also installed a polyurethane transmission mount, and a transmission oil cooler mounted in front of radiator. I had my OEM driveshaft balanced, and installed new U-joints. This is a good reliable setup which should last if you change the filter and oil on schedule. There are many other possibilities out there, including swapping in a later 700R4 transmission, or installing a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission. 4.) Differential - I kept the stock positraction 10 bolt. This is a 3.42:1 ratio limited slip differential that automatic trans '77 Z28s came with. Manual trans Z28s came with a 3.73:1 gear ratio. I used a stud girdle kit to replace OEM bolts and a heavy-duty aluminum differential cover with adjustable pre-load bolts (all from T/A Products, Phoenix, AZ), I looked the stock "C" clip rear axle assembly over (it was OK), and had the differential checked and the limited slip, or "positraction" unit rebuilt with new clutches. I use Amsoil synthetic oil with GM limited slip additive. The 10 bolt used on the '70-81' 2nd generation camaro uses an 8.5" diameter gear and is a very strong unit - it's the strongest of the four different GM 10 bolts. In comparison, the 12 bolt uses an 8.875" diameter gear, 0.375" bigger in diameter . With the above work done on it, I have had no problems with this setup - it's been extremely reliable. 5.) Brakes (Note: I replaced all hard steel line with new hard line) a.) front disc -I used 11.0" dia. hi-performance ventilated cross-drilled cast iron rotors (a special heat stress resistant material) with bolt on light weight 6061 T6 aluminum hub w/ high strength wheel studs (Vette Brakes and Products). These rotors are lighter than the OEM 1-pc cast iron ones and are designed to dissipate heat more quickly. I also use a High performance GM type caliper from Vette Brakes and Products which uses the large OEM GM D-52 size pads. Before going to a more expensive setup, consider the fact that the stock GM D-52 pad has one of the largest friction surfaces of any brake pad and this setup gives you a friction surface on the rotor which is greater than many of the so-called "exotic" caliper systems. This setup also fits under the original 15" wheels - many of the exotic aftermarket systems don't. This was important to me since I wanted to keep the car looking as original as possible. I use Carbon Metallic street pads (Performance Friction, Clover, SC) and Earl's braided stainless steel brake hoses (Earl's, Hawthorne, CA) for reliable fade-free performance. Tip: use the highest temperature rated grease for the front wheel bearings and the best quality bearings you can find. With repeated heavy braking, a lot of heat builds up here. I have measured 275 - 295 + degree F temperatures at the front hubs during a road race pit stop. For additional cooling, I duct cool air from the front spoiler to the front calipers with duct hose. If you are willing to spend some more major $, Global West, Wilwood, Baer, and others all have good systems. If you want to change from front drum to disc, check Vette Brakes and Products, Stainless Steel Brakes, and others for kits. b.) rear drum - I used Kevlar metallic shoes (Praise Dyno Brakes, Garland, TX), Earl's braided stainless steel brake hoses (Earl's, Hawthorne, CA) for reliability and good performance. I rounded this out with new GM wheel cylinders, and adjustable billet alum. pressure limiting valve mounted in line to rear brakes (Wilwood). I did not consider a conversion to rear discs to be needed given the use of this car. Most of the braking happens up front anyway. If I start getting involved in more road racing, I may go with a rear disc setup. The companies listed above carry kits to switch over from drum to disc. c.) master cylinder, I rebuilt my master cylinder and I use Wilwood DOT 4 hi-temp brake fluid for better heat and fade resistance for a firm brake pedal. Castrol LMA DOT 4 is also a good choice, as is Wagner DOT 4. If you don't want to rebuild your own master cylinder, Vette Brakes and Products, Stainless Steel Brakes, and others also carry hi-perf rebuilt ones. Wilwood makes good aftermarket ones too. 6.) Suspension a.) Front - 530 lbs/in coil springs. Stock rate for '77 Z28 front coil springs was approx 360 lbs/in. (Spring rates are expressed in terms of the force in pounds it takes to compress the spring 1.0"). These 530 lbs/in springs give very flat cornering while still giving a livable street ride for everyday driving. Stiffer front springs exist, I have seen some rated at 700 lbs/in + for 2nd generation camaros! Anything much stiffer than 550 lbs/in springs on a 2nd generation camaro will result in a very harsh ride. I would consider them more suited for a track-only race car. Note: Too stiff a spring for a given track surface, or for everyday road conditions, will cause a wheel to bounce off and not stay in contact with the road surface-just the opposite of what you want for maximum traction and cornering! This is why race teams change springs according to track conditions at the particular race course they are at. Since this is not really practical for a street driven car, choose a not-too-stiff rate and leave the front springs in place. Springs are one of the cheaper modifications you can make to your vehicle, and have a very noticeable effect on handling. - 1 3/8" (1.375") diameter anti-sway bar. Stock for the '77 Z28 was 1.2", or just under 1 1/4" diameter. I installed this diameter anti-sway bar based on the recommendation of an SCCA member who successfully used it on his '75 camaro in autocross races, and also based on the recommendation of Dick Guldstrand Engineering (this is actually 1/8" more in diameter than the Guldstrand recommendation. I use graphite impregnated polyurethane bushings (polygraphite) at the frame mount brackets and at the end links for the street (less squeak than regular polyurethane) . On track I use metal end link bushings. I had some aluminum ones fabricated for on track - had a machine shop duplicate the polyurethane ones in 6061. You can also use old rocker arm pivot balls - I used these on track until the alum. end link bushings were ready - it works! Another option I may try soon is using aluminum bushings at the anti-sway bar - to - frame rail mounting point. The less unwanted flex there is at any anti-sway bar mounting point, the better (more efficiently) the bar will work. On the other hand, if one end of the car has too much roll stiffness, you can substitute polyurethane or even OEM type rubber bushings at these points to reduce roll stiffness. I have seen some custom anti-sway bar setups which have spherical rod ends instead of the conventional type endlinks with bushings. This is a stiffer setup which allows some movement with no play, but it is a higher maintenance setup - it would also require some fabricating as it would not mount directly at the OEM points.. I have also seen some custom fabricated adjustable anti-sway bars used. The specific setup I saw had a fairly straight bar mounted at the regular frame rail mounting points, with splined ends, onto which a flat steel arm with a female splined end mounted. This arm had several holes drilled at the trailing edge for changing the end link mount point and thus adjust sway bar stiffnes. Just some ideas for those of you willing to go a little beyond the norm, or who just want something different. Not really necessary for street, or even for an occasionally raced car. - polygraphite upper and lower A-arm bushings. These replace the stock rubber bushings. They have virtually no deflection under load and will cause no shift in suspension geometry (camber, caster, toe changes) unlike rubber bushings. They are quiet and squeak-free due to the self-lubricating properties of graphite impregnated polyurethane, and have the added plus of measurably increasing road feel - both through the chassis and steering. This is something '70s vintage American cars can definitely use! This is at the expense of some more vibration transmitted through the chassis and steering. Nothing a true auto enthusiast can't handle though! Available through Guldstrand Engineering, Performance Suspension Technologies, and others. Another option is solid metal bushings for the ultimate in 0 deflection suspension arm bushings. These consist of an inner and outer sleeve with enclosed ball bearings to allow pivoting of the suspension arm. Herb Adams VSE carries these. Global West suspension in California is another good source for chassis/suspension/brakes/ other high performance parts. - round or box section tubular upper and lower A-arms. I do not have these on my car yet but am looking into them. They offer lower unsprung weight and higher strength than the stock pieces. Vette Brakes and Products carries these for 70-81 camaros, so does Global West. - alignment - I use the recommended stock alignment on the street for best possible tire wear. I use about 1/16" toe in and as much positive caster as possible for high speed stability. With too little caster, a 2nd generation camaro will feel very twitchy and difficult to keep on straight track.. For road racing, I use 1/16" toe in with max possible positive caster and about (-) 2.5 degrees camber. For autocross, I use (-) 2.5 degrees camber with a little more toe out (about 1/16" out) and a little less positive caster. This gives a little quicker "turn-in" into the corners. I got the (-) 2.5 degrees camber setting from repeated tire temperature tests with a tire pyrometer - this is really the only way to get the right tire alignment for race purposes. When a tire's tread is working as it should, the whole width of the contact patch should be cornering equally and should be the same temperature all the way across. A tire pyrometer will show you when this is happening and when you have reached the optimum camber setting. Make a note of how many shims of what thickness you used at the A-arms and you can duplicate the same setting again later without needing a camber gauge. b.) Rear - 200 lbs/in (127 lbs/in 4-leaf springs w/ additional single leaf) . Stock rate for '77 Z28 rear 4-leaf springs was approx 127 lbs/in. (Spring rates are expressed in terms of the force in pounds it takes to compress the spring 1.0"). The 4-leaf springs I used are ones I ordered from JC Whitney - they are a duplicate of the original rate 4-leaf Z28 rear springs. I added a single leaf helper spring to increase the rate to what I was looking for - right around 200 lbs/in. A plus with the helper spring setup (also a JC Whitney purchase!) is that there is some spring rate and ride height adjustability according to how much you tighten the nuts on the attaching U-bolts. Works well on track but is a little harsh for bumpy street surfaces. If you don't mind a little stiff street ride, this set up is a good one for dual purpose street/autocross race use. Anything stiffer than 200 lbs/in + really belongs more on a race only vehicle. As I already stated in the front suspension section, too stiff a spring for a given track surface, or even everyday road conditions, will cause a wheel to bounce off and not stay in contact with the road surface. The rear of a camaro is particularly sensitive to spring rate changes, as there is less weight over the rear axle. It is easy to install too much spring on the rear and end up with a setup that will prevent the rear tires from ever staying in contact with the ground! Another option I am considering to lower overall car weight and unsprung weight at the rear suspension is a fiberglass composite single leaf spring. They weigh 14 lbs each versus 45 lbs for a typical steel multi-leaf spring. 28 lbs total at the rear instead of 90 lbs, or 63 lbs weight savings ! Only drawback is price - over $400.00 a pair. Available through Vette Brakes and Products for 67-81 camaros in 150 or 200 lbs/in rate. -7/8" (0.875") diameter anti-sway bar. Stock diameter was 0.55". As for the front anti-sway bar, I chose this diameter based on the recommendation of an SCCA member who successfully used it on his '75 camaro in autocross races, and also based on the recommendation of Dick Guldstrand Engineering. I use polygraphite bushings at the drop links (both ends) that mount to the frame and at the end links that mount to the leaf springs. I do not change these rear bushings for the track as the setup works well as is. -Heavy duty rear shackles. The reason for these was to increase the cornering load capability of the rear suspension. Heavy duty shackles are available from Guldstrand Engineering, Supershops, and many "speed shop" type auto parts stores. I bought some Mr. Gasket ones which I cut down to the needed height. For max. cornering, you don’t want tall rear shackles (unlike straight line acceleration where you need weight transfer to the rear wheels). -Polygraphite leaf spring shackle bushings and front spring eye bushings. As in other applications, these minimize deflection of rear suspension under acceleration or cornering load. For the shackle end, the kit should have eight pieces total, and four total for the front spring eye.. Available through Guldstrand Engineering, Performance Suspension Technologies, and others. - Shock absorbers. Look for a shock absorber with equal damping (50/50 ratio) on rebound and compression. I use Monroe Formula GP shock absobers. These were developed with some engineering input from Dick Guldstrand in conjunction with Monroe and are matched to the spring rates I use (530 lbs/in front, 200 lbs/in rear). These shocks are a high pressure nitrogen gas pressurized double tube design and come with polyurethane mounting bushings. A gas-pressurized shock is the best type of hi-perf shock to buy. It has nitrogen gas under pressure sealed in the shock absorber body. This keeps the damping oil under pressure and prevents it from foaming as it heats up with demanding use, preventing the shock from "fading". The Formula GPs are on the expensive side (about $85.00 + a pair) but I feel they are well worth the price. They give outstanding on-track cornering performance and are stiff but not too stiff for good handling on the street. Following are some other good (all gas pressurized except for the Konis) choices which I know are made for '70-'81 F Bodies: - KYB gas-adjust - Bilstein - Adjustable shocks: Koni (red body) and Carrera (chrome plated, gas pressurized) are both adjustable shock absorbers which allow you to change the valving for changing conditions. Note: the Koni shocks are some of the best available shocks but are extremely stiff even on the "softest" setting. As the Konis are designed to work best with quite stiff springs (600 + lbs/in front, 200 lbs/in + rear), I feel they are too stiff for street use. I endured 2 to 3 months of these before finally reselling them. Probably the best choice for a serious all out race effort however. I have never used the Carrera shocks but have heard good things about them. They are measurably "softer" than the Konis and I believe a little "softer" than the Formula GP shocks and would be good for performance street use with the versatility to be run on a stiffer setting for an occasional race. Probably best suited for use with front spring rates of no more than 550-600 lbs/in or so, rear spring rates of about 180-200 lbs/in or less. - other shocks more along the lines of performance street than for on-track cornering: - AC-Delco gas charged - KYB GR2 (low pressure gas charged - not as stiff as the KYB gas-adjust) Note: for the Monroe Formula GP shocks, I have found the best prices through the Supershops, while Vette Brakes and Products carries the other shocks above. Look around and you will find what you need at a decent price. 

Chassis Details:
Subframe and unibody sections seam welded at all stress points for increased chassis stiffness and longevity (Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) factory assembled mostly with spot welds). 

2. Subframe connectors installed - A subframe connector connects the front subframe to the rear suspension attachment points (leaf spring eye perch). There are two connectors in a kit (left and right side) - they run front to rear under the chassis and add considerable stiffness to the chassis. If you do not mind a more permanent set up, I recommend a weld-in connector rather than a bolt-in connector. Weld-in connectors add more torsional rigidity (resistance to twisting & bending forces) and make for a stiffer chassis than bolt-in. Both bolt-in and weld-in subframe connectors are available on the market. Note that a bolt-in can eventually be welded in if desired, but not vice-versa. The only real down side of a weld-in is that it is not easily removable if you want to sell the car in the future and want to remove add-ons to make it more marketable. NOTE: You will lose about 3" of ground clearance at the mid-chassis point with either type of connector. (If you are scraping the chassis at this point while driving your car, you have definitely something wrong and should probably be driving a 4-wheel drive instead!) 

3. Polyurethane subframe bushings installed at subframe-to-unibody mounting points- A polyurethane bushing kit replaces the OEM rubber "doughnut" bushings - which by now are likely dry rotted, and allowing body to sag. 2nd generation camaros have two main portions to the chassis: a 1 piece (welded together-including roof) unibody from the firewall back, and a front sub frame which carries the engine, front suspension, & radiator. This front subframe has four "arms" which extend back into the unibody and mount at four points. Replacing factory rubber bushings with polyurethane bushings at these four points greatly increases chassis stiffness and resistance to flexing. All subframe bushing kits I have seen come with six bushings - one each for the above four points, plus two bushings for the front of the subframe where left and right subframes cross connect underneath the radiator. Recommend getting graphite impregnated polyurethane bushings (black in color), called "polygraphite by some manufacturers. They will "squeak" less in the long term. In any case, use new hardware when mounting these bushings as the original bolts will likely be rusted and weakened. The polyurethane bushings do not add noticeable harshness to the ride, contrary to what some people may tell you. The other option is a metal (usually aluminum) bushing. Metal bushings will transmit far more "road feel" into the chassis, and are the best choice for an all-out race effort. They would transmit a lot of vibration to the chassis and I would not recommend them for a daily driver. NOTE: The stiffer the chassis, the more it resists flexing and twisting, and less spring rate is needed (softer springs) to achieve a set level of handling and cornering since you are not fighting against chassis flex. If your chassis is well set up, you don't need to use springs so stiff they shake your teeth loose.

4. Other recommended chassis stiffening/reinforcement.
I have not gotten around to the below modifications yet but will do so as soon as possible. They are not expensive and relatively simple to do if you truly want to make your chassis as stiff as possible for maximum cornering potential. Note that these modifications are not really necessary for a street driven car and involve some fabricating and welding as I know of no existing bolt-in or weld-in kits. If someone reading this is aware of such a kit please advise ! 

- Reinforce rear shock absorber upper mounting points. 
Check this area of the rear chassis for signs of structural weakness - due to rust or abuse. The factory mounting setup is to directly bolt the rear shock absorber upper mounting point into some fairly thin sheet metal. Excess hard cornering and/or acceleration over the years (not that any Camaro has ever been subjected to this of course !) and rust can weaken this area of the rear chassis to the point that a rear shock absorber can push through and tear loose of its upper mount point. Approx 1/16" to 1/8" sheet steel can be bent to fit the floor pan and welded or riveted in at this point to allow spreading the load over a larger area - the shock upper mount would attach to this plate. A plate radius of 2" to 3" out from the mount point should do. Additionally, a reinforcing brace could be fabricated to strengthen this area. Consult a skilled metal fabricator (at a good body shop for ex.), or do it yourself if you are able.

- Install firewall to subframe bracing in engine compartment. 
3/4" to 1" diameter steel tubing will do (round or square cross section with at least 1/16" wall thickness or so - I would avoid thinner wall tube ). The overall setup would be: one brace from subframe to fire wall at each rear left and right corners of the engine compartment. The concept is very similar to the OEM braces from inner fender to radiator support bracket at the front of the engine compartment.

With these installed, what you will end up with is a triangulating brace at each corner of the engine compartment. A good solid mounting point at the subframe end is in the area of the upper A-arm to frame rail juncture. One approach would be to weld a mounting bracket on an accessible area of the frame, to which you can then bolt the brace. 1/4" steel should do- triangulate the mounting tab if possible to strengthen it with a small triangular tab of steel plate - on both sides of bracket at a 90 degree angle to bracket - weld to bracket and mounting surface. Some cutting of inner fender panels may be required for this setup. Cars with air conditioning may make it difficult to install the driver side brace - some imagination and "creative fabricating"/bending/contouring of the brace may be required here. Remember that the more the brace is bent the less load it will be able to bear for a given wall thickness and tubing diameter ! Keep it as straight as possible At the firewall end of this setup, weld tubing to an approx 4" by 4" plate (approx. 1/8" mild steel will do - don't need anything thicker than that.) at the proper angle. Given available mounting space, this plate need not be exactly square or rectangular. The idea at this end is to spread the load over as wide an area as possible since the firewall is made of fairly thin gauge steel. Attach the plate the firewall with a number of rivets, or weld in. Mount plate toward the upper half of the firewall and inboard from the mounting point at the subframe end. Instead of welding the brace directly to the firewall mounting plate, you may want to consider a bolt-in set up (like at the other end) with only a bracket welded to the plate. This would allow you remove the brace when necessary. 8.) Ignition - I kept the stock HEI electronic ignition distributor with vacuum advance (had it rebuilt), added a distributor recurve kit (new springs for increased initial advance). I replaced the stock GM in-cap coil with remote Jacobs ignition system which includes the coil and electronics in one compact unit. This is a good reliable system which really increases the spark intensity. It furthermore cured any stumbles and cold weather starting problems I had. I use Jacobs low restriction 8mm spark plug wires, and the Jacobs hi-perf distributor cap and rotor. I use GM spark plugs with the gap incresed by .015 - something the Jacobs system allows you to do due to the much stronger spark. 9.) Steering - I used the stock GM / Saginaw recirculating ball fast ratio (13.02:1) power steering box. I had it rebuilt, with a bigger diameter torsion bar for increased steering effort. I used heavy duty swaged steel tube 1-pc toe adjustment sleeves from Vette Brakes and Products) and a heavy duty idler arm with Zerk grease fitting (Moog). I also replaced all the other components: center link, inner and outer tie rod ends. I had the lower ball joints spot welded in couple of places - they are a press-in fit in the lower A-arm with nothing else holding them in. With the fairly heavy cornering loads of autocross and road racing, I figured this would not hurt as an extra precaution. 10.) Wheels/Tires current: 255 60 HR 15 Bridgestone Potenza HP-41 high performance tires on the stock steel 15x7" 3 3/4" backspace Z28 wheels (see photos). Planned: same tires on a set of American Racing Torque Thrust "D" 15x8.5" aluminum wheels I have. This 255 60 15 size maintains the 27" diameter of the OEM 225 70 15 tires (called GR 70 15 in '77) and fits on the stock wheels. Will use the OEM wheels for winter type tires, likely in a 225 70 15. The problem in finding a high performance tire in the 255 60 15 size is that the tire manufacturers seemingly are dropping high performance car tires in this size. This used to be a corvette tire size and there used to be "H" (130 mph) and "V" (138+ mph) rated tires made in this size, to include the Goodyear Gatorback. All I can find now is "S" rated tires (112 mph): the BFG TA Radial and some Goodyear and Firestone tires, or a "T" rated tire (118 mph): the Dunlop Qualifier. The H-rated (130 mph) Bridgestone HP-41 Potenza tire I have on the car now is no longer made. I wish I had bought several sets now when I had a chance. An alternate possibility in a 255 60 15 I have not looked into yet is a new Pirelli tire, called the Scorpion Zero. It's a "V" rated tire (138 + mph) which is supposedly for high performance street light truck use. It is said to bring the handling and speed capability of the Pirelli P-Zero (used on some Ferraris and Porsches) to a more affordable level. This would allow me to retain a 27" diameter tire and avoid recalibrating my instruments when I switch back and forth between the same diameter winter tires and these tires. The fact that it's supposedly for a "street/sport truck" tire doesn't necessarily put me off. The same "street/sport truck" application is listed by the Tire Rack for the BFG Radial TA, the Firehawk GTA, Goodyear Eagle ST IV. These are also considered a car tire and good choice for a muscle car. - Another tire/wheel combinations that will work: BF Goodrich TA ZR4 255 50 ZR 17 tires on a 17x8.5" or 17x9" wheel - max backspace that I have found works is 5". This was the OEM tire for the late, great Impala SS and would be a good choice for those seeking a lower profile tire which maintains the stock 27" diameter of the 225 70 15 tire that came on '77-'81 Z28s. Some ideas for possible wheel choices include: - the Torque Thrust II from American Racing (I think these and the original Torque Thrust D look great on 2nd generation camaros), - Impala SS OEM 5-spoke alum. wheel, (I believe it is a 17x8.5". Check Chev. Hi-Perf Magazine for these - one source is Performance Wheel Outlet, 7633 Cypress, Riverside CA, 92503, (909) 343-1671), - custom wheels from Boyd's or similar manufacturer. There are many other possibilities out there. The only problem with the above setup is that there is only one car tire available in that size - the BF Goodrich ZR4 described above. There is also the Pirelli Scorpion Zero I described earlier. It would also work size-wise and might be a possible second choice in a size 255 50 17 tire - particularly as a wet weather tire due to its aggressive tread. Another possibility would be a 255 50 16 tire - this was the OEM tire size on the Corvette for a few years. There are many high performance and ultra high performance tires to choose from in this size. With the wh