LSA Powered 69 Camaro - "Lou's Change"

[Ron.in.SoCal]

It's a great tire, your customer will be very happy with them. He may even want more power :D

Haha...the voice of experience right there! ;)

[oestek]

Haha...the voice of experience right there! ;)

Love it!

[C6Z06]

Can't wait until Tuesday afternoon when the 2012 Hot Rod Power Tour rolls into Gateway raceway in Madison, Ill.!

Rumor has it that Jack Ass, an LS9 powered 69 Camaro Stielow built, will be there.

It's wierd how many specific things I want to look at now that we're in the midst of figuring out the details for the Lou's Change build. I think I will actually need to make a list.

I was listening to an LSX podcast the other day and they were talking about the differences between the LS9 and LSA engines. Of course the LS9 is better in many ways but it was cool to hear that the smaller LSA blower offers quicker throttle response. Sounds good to me!

Lou

[oestek]

Trevor and I in the V8TV shop are also compiling lists for Charley and the yellow car. The way we see it, Stielow and Charley have already done the two pinnacle examples of OE inspired supercharged LS Camaros, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Taking their lead, we can hopefully make Lou's Change come together more directly with less figurin'.

[C6Z06]

Just another reason why V8TV was the right choice for me. They seem to know virtually everybody in the business on a first name basis. I find that very cool and comforting for such a big project.

[BlackPearl]

Nice build, you guys are going to love that motor!! Let me know if I can help, I have the same set-up in mine.

Bob

[Gandalf]

It's wierd how many specific things I want to look at now that we're in the midst of figuring out the details for the Lou's Change build. I think I will actually need to make a list.

Lou

Lou - make the most of the opportunity and take your best digital camera with you. Spend a ton of time taking pictures of the car including and especially the areas of the car you don't think you have a need for, now or even later. The photos I took of cars that served for as insperation in one way or another for my build, even way before certain parts of the projects took place - paid for themselves many times over later on. Grab stupid-oversize and multiple angle shots, under the car, front and rear, suspension, exhaust routing, interior front and rear, dash, footwell(s), seats, gauge placement, column, wheels, brakes, steering, subframe, lower engine plumbing, exhaust routing, plumbing, wiring, connectors, routing, underhood (multiple sides/angles), into the grill etc etc - you get the idea. Even things you don't see sense in capturing. Some detailed exterior shots can later reveal things about trim, gaps, lines and options not thought about previously.

It costs nothing and just serves as a reference when you are working on(out) your build. Especially when the source is a car that you have seen perform and turn out as you like. Later in the build - it made subsequent conversations about particular details so much easier when having multiple, detailed pictures available first hand - ones that would really take something to have someone else provide and share even via email. Also helpful when needing to share info with your builder.

G.

[C6Z06]

Thanks Black Pearl and Gandalf.

I spent some time looking at each of your build threads......... Wow! on both counts!!

I'm much too old to be wishing any of my life away but seeing your cars makes me anxious to fast forward until mine is done. On the other hand, I am savoring the process and meeting lots of really nice people I would never have met otherwise. I also can't tell you how cool it is for me to be building something my son designed.

I appreciate your advice and willingness to answer questions as they emerge. I know I'm in good hands with the V8TV crew but some questions come down to owner preference. Advice from experienced owners of similar builds is priceless for me in those cases.

Camera...check
batteries...check
Extra memory card...check
My questions list....check
Gandalf's picture list...check
Clearance from "the tower"....ok for now

Life is good
Lou

[jtm311]

Good Luck, looking good.

[C6Z06]

Wow, what a day.

I can't thank Kevin, of V8TV and Charley, the owner of Jack Ass enough. They made today awesome for me.

Kevin introduced me to Charley who first let me take as many pics as I wanted of his famous car, Jack Ass.

Then he patiently answered all my questions about the details of the car (even though I'm sure he has been asked each of them hundreds of times already.)

Next thing I know, Charley tells me to get in the car, start it up and blip the throttle so I can hear the exhaust.

Ok, so at that point my day is complete and I'm a very happy camper.

I got all my questions answered.

I took lots of pics as planned.

I learned a ton.

I got to personally meet the owner of a car that represents the pinnacle of what I call understated maximum performance via masterful engineering and craftsmanship.

How could the day get any better than that?

I'll tell you how.....

Charley then offered to let me ride along while he made a pass down the drag strip!!!

How cool is that?

I tell ya, car guys are great. What a fraternity.

Thanks Kevin !!!
Thanks Charley !!!

[oestek]

It was very cool of Charley to spend so much time with Lou and give him a thrill ride. Thanks Charley!

Here's Lou & Charley about to burn down the drag strip..

[bonecrrusher]

Nice - Charley is pretty cool, I have talked to him on the HRPT in the past and will answer any question he can.

[Rybar]

Great story, but you can't tell that story and NOT tell us what Jackass ran in the 1/4? ;)

[oestek]

The car ran 12.6x with 2 guys and all of Charley's Power Tour stuff in the rear storage boxes and trunk. Lou reported a slight fuel hiccup at the big end of the track, probably what caused me to lose my bet of 12.40. I don't know what it's fastest quarter et is.

[Motown 454]

Wow it sounds like a great day. Way to go Charley!

[Charley Lillard]

Ran a 12.60@ 112. Over the winter we put a smaller pulley on the blower to bump up the hp but apparently I never ran it hard enough to realize I now have a fuel issue at the top end. Was just like I turned the key off and on about 3 times at the top end. I think last year my mph was 120. More work to do. Lou was trhilled and i was pissed. Great power tour though. Got 21 mpg yesterday with the ac on.

[C6Z06]

Well as result of what we learned talking to people at the Hot Rod Power Tour stop over in St. Louis last week our cooling strategy is shaping up like this:

1. Radiator and Fans - ZL-1 OEM radiator and fan set up unless we find a better deal on a good aftermarket set up. We saw that Lingenfelter is using the stock radiator and fans on their tuned LSAs without any concerns or reports of cooling problems.

2. Intercooler pump - ZL-1 spec OEM intercooler pump seems to be bigger than the CTS-V spec pump.

3. Heat Exchanger - We need to get one so we'll probably go with whatever the tuner we choose recommends along with their package for the LSA.

4. Intercooler fluid holding tank - We saw a nice clean install of a fairly large tank in the Lingenfelter ZL-1. I'll post a pic of that set up.

5. Air flow control - Front Spoiler from Tech AFX similar to the one used on Jackass and Red Devil per Stielow's book.

6. Trans cooler - No plan to run trans cooler on the T56 Magnum at this time.

7. Rear End Cooler - No plan to run cooler at this time.

It all starts with a good plan. We're learning from others who have done a good job of leading the way.

[oestek]

The only thing I think we need to investigate is if a stock ZL 1 radiator will fit, but there are many options for drop-in first-gen specific radiators.

We'll be publishing the first video in the next couple days!

[C6Z06]

We need to make a decision on the oil pan. The stock CTS-V crate motor pan extends down below the subframe a little bit.

The V8TV crew is also going to notch the DSE subframe to allow mounting of the AC compressor down low on the passenger side just like it is on the CTS-V and the ZL-1. That will make for a cleaner looking engine compartment.





If you are interested in more pictures of the build of Lou's Change, you can click on the link in my signature and go to a gallery V8TV is keeping on their build process.

[AUTODYNAMICS]

Nice!!!!!