1998 Catfish z28 build

[Hallowed_point]

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Sorry...I have a power problem so I had to ask! But I know where you're coming from...a comfortable and quick car can be very enjoyable. Don't need to be able to blow the tires off at 200+ km/h to have fun in a car!

Totally. I want to slowly work away at it and keep it a reliable street car. Don't really want it to be any louder. 88 DB is pretty loud .. Must be getting old. The low end torque is awesome off a stop light. Don't even need to chirp the tires and you're gone.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Those had a 4.9 0-60 time?

[Hallowed_point]

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Those had a 4.9 0-60 time?

https://www.caranddriver.com/archive...-z28-ss-page-7

That's the best stock time I've seen from C&D. High of 5.3 seconds in other mags. 1/4 traps from 101 - 106 mph stock which for 21 years ago is pretty quick.

You have to really feather the launch as anything above 1500 spins the tires. It runs out of steam a little bit above 60 mph vs the LS1 f bodies, but the functional ram air really works good at high speeds. Just coarser feeling than the LS1 power plant, hence LT4 valve springs and 1.6 roller rocker plan.

[JRSC00LUDE]

I didn't realize they had that much go. I never paid attention to them as I was never a fan of the styling. I like it more now than I did then, which I find to be the case with a lot of cars for some reason. Anyway, it looks good!

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I didn't realize they had that much go. I never paid attention to them as I was never a fan of the styling. I like it more now than I did then, which I find to be the case with a lot of cars for some reason. Anyway, it looks good!

Me neither. I think it has a lot to do with the 275 width tires and better suspension vs the Z28 models. I always thought the Lt1 cars were slow after test driving a worn out 95 Z28. Thanks man, I love the car just wish the headlight's weren't stuck in the 80's. Not the greatest at night combined with the tint.

[never]

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Totally. I want to slowly work away at it and keep it a reliable street car. Don't really want it to be any louder. 88 DB is pretty loud .. Must be getting old. The low end torque is awesome off a stop light. Don't even need to chirp the tires and you're gone.

If it's any consolation, the brown car has been super reliable given the amount of power it makes (so you can up yours a bunch!). Have gone out for some pretty long cruises (5 hours) with no issues. But with the 5" exhaust, it isn't quiet cruising on the highway so I'm going to build a more street friendly setup for it. At least I can crank to music to kind of overpower it for now!

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...just wish the headlight's weren't stuck in the 80's. Not the greatest at night combined with the tint.

What type of bulbs does it take?

[Hallowed_point]

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If it's any consolation, the brown car has been super reliable given the amount of power it makes (so you can up yours a bunch!). Have gone out for some pretty long cruises (5 hours) with no issues. But with the 5" exhaust, it isn't quiet cruising on the highway so I'm going to build a more street friendly setup for it. At least I can crank to music to kind of overpower it for now!

I say yes, MasterCard says no. The brown car is a killer street car. I really like that build. And I would believe that it's very reliable with the power plant. I need to get a little high-speed/rpm driveline vibration taken care of. Think it's from DL angle due to lowering springs. Any recommendations in Calgary?

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If it's any consolation, the brown car has been super reliable given the amount of power it makes (so you can up yours a bunch!). Have gone out for some pretty long cruises (5 hours) with no issues. But with the 5" exhaust, it isn't quiet cruising on the highway so I'm going to build a more street friendly setup for it. At least I can crank to music to kind of overpower it for now!

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What type of bulbs does it take?

Not too sure. They are those crappy sealed beam type headlights so the output is pretty weak. I've been running high beams at night when possible and haven't gotten flashed yet likely due to how low it is. Better than someone hitting the car.

[never]

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I say yes, MasterCard says no. The brown car is a killer street car. I really like that build. And I would believe that it's very reliable with the power plant. I need to get a little high-speed/rpm driveline vibration taken care of. Think it's from DL angle due to lowering springs. Any recommendations in Calgary?

Not too sure. They are those crappy sealed beam type headlights so the output is pretty weak. I've been running high beams at night when possible and haven't gotten flashed yet likely due to how low it is. Better than someone hitting the car.

I'm not sure of a shop to recommend a diagnosis but I wouldn't think the lowering springs and resulting minor change in pinion angle is causing it. Maybe lost a weight off the driveshaft or wheels? Is it a 1-piece or 2-piece driveshaft?

If the lights are sealed, you should confirm the housing size. I went to aftermarket housings with replaceable bulbs on the brown car and put in some higher quality bulbs...huge difference!

[Hallowed_point]

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I'm not sure of a shop to recommend a diagnosis but I wouldn't think the lowering springs and resulting minor change in pinion angle is causing it. Maybe lost a weight off the driveshaft or wheels? Is it a 1-piece or 2-piece driveshaft?

If the lights are sealed, you should confirm the housing size. I went to aftermarket housings with replaceable bulbs on the brown car and put in some higher quality bulbs...huge difference!

1 piece steel stock D/S. Car was aligned with OOP and doesn't wander or do anything else weird. Could be a weight off the ds.

Just found an HID conversion kit. Might do that!

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Good for you for not worrying about power levels. I’m extremely bored of the power level of my car after one season. If only I hadn’t been fighting reliability issues all year we could have gone for a drive and compared cars.

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Good for you for not worrying about power levels. I’m extremely bored of the power level of my car after one season. If only I hadn’t been fighting reliability issues all year we could have gone for a drive and compared cars.

For sure! Your Z06 makes good power it would be neat to see how different they feel. Hopefully next season is better.

[Hallowed_point]

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I'm not sure of a shop to recommend a diagnosis but I wouldn't think the lowering springs and resulting minor change in pinion angle is causing it. Maybe lost a weight off the driveshaft or wheels? Is it a 1-piece or 2-piece driveshaft?

Dropping it off at Pat's Driveline next week. Centre console is shaking pretty good at high speeds. Want to get it checked out before driveshaft exits stage left. It has a loop, but I'd rather not experience that possibility.

[Hallowed_point]

Turns out the driveshaft loop was lightly contacting the driveshaft over bumps and full throttle as it had bent upwards on one side of the underbody tunnel brace mounting due to a large speed bump. Cut the loop off and retained the flat bar to maintain tunnel stiffness. Vibration is now 80-90% better, but I still need some pinion angle adjustment made. Thinking Dale Adam's. My buddy that helped cut the loop has a C7 Z06 which is absolutely insane. 650 hp is plenty!

[never]

That's good. Is your rear suspension adjustable to tweak the pinion angle?

[Hallowed_point]

I do have double adjustable poly/poly rear lower control arms. I've been talking to UMI and they're given me an eyelet to eyelet measurement to hopefully correct this. I don't have an adjustable torque arm unfortunately.

I think a loop is overkill unless you're running slicks/nitrous or well over 400 hp. Not sure why prior owner installed one.

[Hallowed_point]

mikestypes was kind enough to pass along some rear lower control arm relocation brackets. These help the rear tires "bite" better post lowering due to the change in drivetrain angle. Apparently good for .1 to .2 off the ET. I will be installing them this weekend.

[Hallowed_point]

Follow up. Rear LCA brackets sure help the car dig in. Nice black stripes when you lean on it. Also thanks to Evan @ Rev'd Performance for installing them. Great shop!

[Hallowed_point]

Still enjoying the Camaro SS. It currently has 70,000 miles on it from the original 54,000 upon driving it home from Texas in April 2018. Vibration ended up being the crank harmonic balancer as the rubber had separated ever so slightly. Haven't done much to it lately, adjusted the lower control arm relocation brackets to the lowest position as it was spinning a lot off the line. Intake elbow was torn so replaced that with a 1LE (no sound resonator tube) elbow. Pulled the intake manifold and resealed it as the rtv was compromised at the back china wall. Have all accessories (spark plug boots, gaskets etc) ready for long tube headers, just need to purchase them. Going with Speed Engineering stainless and matching 3" off-road y pipe although high flow cats will be added. Also added a 3.5" aluminum Lingenfelter driveshaft to replace the oem steel unit. It's going to need a new clutch soon so still figuring that out.

[Hallowed_point]

During a recent discussion on the Camaro SS Mailing list it was discovered that some Camaro SS's built during 1996 and 1997 had been "quieted."
After some research it was reported to the list that early in the 1997 model production year the Camaro SS failed a drive by test which required the cars to "quieted" down.
Now as many of you know April 1st 1997 SLP redid the "Performance Exhaust" option. The newer exhaust had to meet more stringent noise limits. This was done by splitting the exhaust so that it now had exhaust tips on either side of the vehicle.

However, before this new exhaust went into effect in April it seems that SLP (At Chevrolet's behest) inserted a restrictor into the exhaust pipe to quiet the cars down even more. This device which we have been jokingly calling the "Cone of Silence" after the old "Get Smart" television show further restricted the exhaust.

Removing this restrictor improved the tone of the exhaust slightly as well as provided a little bump in power. The optional SLP performance catback with powerflo muffler option is a 3" stainless setup which now breaths properly without the cone of silence.

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