My 2000 SS project

[blackcar]

Before I tell you about my current project, I want to tell you about my other Camaro. Some of you know the story, some know parts, and some have no clue.

On Halloween day 2001 I bought a new 2002 Z28, M6, black on black. It was the first new car I ever owned. I had worked a lot of extra shifts and went with out a lot of extras to save up for a good down payment so I could afford it. Even after I got it, I kept working extra shifts and doing without to buy me a daily driver. And after about a year I got a truck as a DD.



I took very good care of my Camaro. No one got to drive it except me. No food or drinks inside. Got washed regularly. All the maintenance items were taken care of meticulously. After 8 years, other than the few mods I had done (nothing major) it looked almost like it did when it rolled off the factory floor. This car was pristine.

Then December 20, 2009 I totaled it.





Before you think that’s not too bad





I bought it back from the insurance company and thought about fixing it up. But I just didn’t have the time. I wished I had now, but . . .

[blackcar]

So I started parting it out. http://www.ls1.com/forums/f31/parts-sell-many-interior-145899/index12.html

After about a year of selling parts off, I ran across a member who had a 2000 SS, M6, black on black. It was his DD, but he was trying to sell the roller body. He wanted to keep the LS1/T-56 to put in his ’69 Camaro. We ended up making a deal for me to get his SS as is and he could have my motor, trans, some other parts he needed, and some cash. So I stripped everything off mine that he didn’t need and I thought I could sell. Then, Thanksgiving weekend 2010 we loaded up what was left and headed to Indiana.



As you can tell in the pic, I have a new truck.

It was a guy’s trip. I left the wife and my daughter at home, just me, my son, and my step-son. We drove up to St. Louis and spent the night. I found a good deal online for great hotel. It was across the highway from the Arch. View from our room.



The next morning this is what I found in the kids bed.



Apparently my step-son thought my son’s pillow was more comfortable. After breakfast we went to the Arch. View from Arch. You can see Bush Stadium in the middle. Our hotel is the round tower.



After the Arch we drove over to Indiana, unloaded my old car, loaded up my new car, and then started on the way home. After driving late into the night we stopped. The next day we got up early it was going to be a full days drive to get home. The back seat in the truck is a 60/40 split. Well I had the 60 folded up so our luggage could be in the cab. The kids took turns riding in the front or the back.





This is the view I had all day.



Or as I saw it.



But finally we made it home with this.

[blackcar]

Now that you are caught up we can start with my project. This car has gone through several owners and even set on a car lot. The guy I got it from didn’t know anything about it. All he told me was it is basically stock except for a cam (he had no clue of the specs) and a cat-back. He also said there was nothing wrong with it except the window motors and the tint is messed up. Well, he was wrong. There are several mods and several things wrong with it. I don’t think the owner was trying to be deceitful. I think we honestly didn’t know.

When I got it home I had some other projects I was/still am working on that will make us money. So I didn’t/haven’t taken the time to really go over it. But here are some of the mods I have found: Lid, cam, half AIR delete, MSD wires, sub-frame connectors, lower control arms, short throw shifter and it’s been lowered. I’m sure there is more I have found but it is not coming to me now. I’m also sure there is some I haven’t found.

Other than changing the oil, I didn’t do much with it at first. I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t have insurance on it yet. I would drive the car about once a week. The car ran and started fine, but at idle it always felt/sounded like it was going to die. At first I thought it was the cam, but after doing some looking I found the air filter was almost completely clogged and the MAF was bad dirty. After taking care of that the cam seemed a lot milder. J

After getting insurance and getting used to the car I decided to take it to one of my favorite roads. It is a 3 mile straight stretch outside the city limits with no houses and only one cross road. While playing on the road I found it doesn’t have the low end power my stock Z28 had. Also I broke the power steering.

While looking at the power steering I found the tensioner was shot. I replaced the power steering pump, belt, and tensioner. I also took the alternator off and cleaned it since it had power steering fluid in it. After doing that the water pump started leaking so it got replaced.

By this time the tires were completely worn out. While I was at the tire shop getting tires I planned on getting an alignment. But the tech let me know my outer tie-rod ends were bad. So I changed those then got the alignment.

I’ve also fixed the driver’s side mirror that was vibrating, put in the t-tops from my Z28 that have 5% tint on them, and put the shifter knob from the Z28 on. The shifter that is in it is so short that the stock Hurst shifter knob was hitting the console in 2nd, 4th & 6th. I put my stock ball knob on and it worked fine.

Before I tell you about my current problem I want to mention a few of the projects I have planned for when I have more free time.

1^st get all the maintenance caught up. The car has over 120,000 miles. And I have no clue if any of the fluids have been changed (other than the few I’ve already done) or if items like the fuel filter have been changed.
2nd replace the headlights with the ones out of my Z28. These are hazy.
3rd replace the window motors with the ones from my Z. While I’m replacing the motors I will replace the glass too. The tint on the glass in the SS is messed up. The tint on the glass from the Z is perfect and is 5%. Which leads to #4.
4th pull the tint off the back window, which is messed up also. Get it replaced with 5% and get a strip for the windshield.

[blackcar]

Now the current problem I’m working on. The half of our driveway by the street is one car wide. It gets 2 cars wide as it gets close to the garage. One day my wife parked in the one car wide part of the driveway. Of course the SS was in the garage. Not a big deal you just have to back out through the yard. The only thing to watch for is the manhole. You need to straddle it. Do not run the tires over it or it can pop open. I’ve done it before in my truck and the wife’s car with out a problem. So I start backing the SS up and it stops on the manhole. I pull forward, I now have an exhaust leak. The angle I’m at I can get to the concrete with out going over the manhole again. So I start backing up. The SS stops at the concrete. I park it and take my truck. L

When I got a chance to look at it I found the driver’s side of the Y-pipe is hanging down. Come to find out the clamp caught the manhole and it bent the catalytic converter. So now I have to buy long tubes. No since in buying new cats when I would rather have long tubes. Since I have to buy long tubes I have to buy new O2 sensors. While I have all that off it just makes since to change spark plugs. And since I have no clue how many miles are on the spark plug wires I need to change them also. My shifter moves a lot with the gas pedal. So I bet I’ll be doing poly mounts, too. After doing all that I’ll need to work on the tune some. Which is a good thing. The car is only getting about 10 mpg, has very little low end, and the top end is comparable to my Z. My Z always got over 20 mpg and had lots of low end.

So now it is time to get a parts list together. Buying stuff for my Z was easy. I planned on keeping it for ever. So it got only the best no matter what the cost. The SS has a lot of miles on it and I’m just not as attached to it as I was with my Z. It will still get good stuff but cost is a factor. Time to use the search and find the best bang for the buck stainless long tubes. I just hope they will work with the Y-pipe I have. I have no clue what brand it is.

[blackcar]

Has anyone tired the Texas Speed headers?

On the EGR delete is it as simple as unbolt and plug the hole on the intake?

[blackcar]

Hadn't had much time to work on getting a list together. But here is a rough idea of what I'm looking at. I'm planning on spending quite a bit of time using the search, but if anyone has any input please help.

Race style long tubes I want stainless. Looking at Texas Speed, QTP, and Kooks

Egr block off for intake. Either a block off plate, freeze plug, or cutting the hose off what is there and filling in the hole

GM multilayer gaskets

Header bolts. I don't want to go back with the ones that are on there. Not sure if I want stock, APR, or Stage 8

Bosh O2 for vette to get the long wire

Plugs

Wires

Motor Mounts

[Smittro]

I can't see anything.. If you're using the black font anyone running the forum in dark won't be able to read your posts..

[blackcar]

Before I tell you about my current project, I want to tell you about my other Camaro. Some of you know the story, some know parts, and some have no clue.

On Halloween day 2001 I bought a new 2002 Z28, M6, black on black. It was the first new car I ever owned. I had worked a lot of extra shifts and went with out a lot of extras to save up for a good down payment so I could afford it. Even after I got it, I kept working extra shifts and doing without to buy me a daily driver. And after about a year I got a truck as a DD.



I took very good care of my Camaro. No one got to drive it except me. No food or drinks inside. Got washed regularly. All the maintenance items were taken care of meticulously. After 8 years, other than the few mods I had done (nothing major) it looked almost like it did when it rolled off the factory floor. This car was pristine.

Then December 20, 2009 I totaled it.





Before you think that’s not too bad





I bought it back from the insurance company and thought about fixing it up. But I just didn’t have the time. I wished I had now, but . . .

[blackcar]

So I started parting it out. http://www.ls1.com/forums/f31/parts-sell-many-interior-145899/index12.html

After about a year of selling parts off, I ran across a member who had a 2000 SS, M6, black on black. It was his DD, but he was trying to sell the roller body. He wanted to keep the LS1/T-56 to put in his ’69 Camaro. We ended up making a deal for me to get his SS as is and he could have my motor, trans, some other parts he needed, and some cash. So I stripped everything off mine that he didn’t need and I thought I could sell. Then, Thanksgiving weekend 2010 we loaded up what was left and headed to Indiana.



As you can tell in the pic, I have a new truck.

It was a guy’s trip. I left the wife and my daughter at home, just me, my son, and my step-son. We drove up to St. Louis and spent the night. I found a good deal online for great hotel. It was across the highway from the Arch. View from our room.



The next morning this is what I found in the kids bed.



Apparently my step-son thought my son’s pillow was more comfortable. After breakfast we went to the Arch. View from Arch. You can see Bush Stadium in the middle. Our hotel is the round tower.



After the Arch we drove over to Indiana, unloaded my old car, loaded up my new car, and then started on the way home. After driving late into the night we stopped. The next day we got up early it was going to be a full days drive to get home. The back seat in the truck is a 60/40 split. Well I had the 60 folded up so our luggage could be in the cab. The kids took turns riding in the front or the back.





This is the view I had all day.



Or as I saw it.



But finally we made it home with this.

[blackcar]

Now that you are caught up we can start with my project. This car has gone through several owners and even set on a car lot. The guy I got it from didn’t know anything about it. All he told me was it is basically stock except for a cam (he had no clue of the specs) and a cat-back. He also said there was nothing wrong with it except the window motors and the tint is messed up. Well, he was wrong. There are several mods and several things wrong with it. I don’t think the owner was trying to be deceitful. I think we honestly didn’t know.

When I got it home I had some other projects I was/still am working on that will make us money. So I didn’t/haven’t taken the time to really go over it. But here are some of the mods I have found: Lid, cam, half AIR delete, MSD wires, sub-frame connectors, lower control arms, short throw shifter and it’s been lowered. I’m sure there is more I have found but it is not coming to me now. I’m also sure there is some I haven’t found.

Other than changing the oil, I didn’t do much with it at first. I didn’t know much about it and I didn’t have insurance on it yet. I would drive the car about once a week. The car ran and started fine, but at idle it always felt/sounded like it was going to die. At first I thought it was the cam, but after doing some looking I found the air filter was almost completely clogged and the MAF was bad dirty. After taking care of that the cam seemed a lot milder. J

After getting insurance and getting used to the car I decided to take it to one of my favorite roads. It is a 3 mile straight stretch outside the city limits with no houses and only one cross road. While playing on the road I found it doesn’t have the low end power my stock Z28 had. Also I broke the power steering.

While looking at the power steering I found the tensioner was shot. I replaced the power steering pump, belt, and tensioner. I also took the alternator off and cleaned it since it had power steering fluid in it. After doing that the water pump started leaking so it got replaced.

By this time the tires were completely worn out. While I was at the tire shop getting tires I planned on getting an alignment. But the tech let me know my outer tie-rod ends were bad. So I changed those then got the alignment.

I’ve also fixed the driver’s side mirror that was vibrating, put in the t-tops from my Z28 that have 5% tint on them, and put the shifter knob from the Z28 on. The shifter that is in it is so short that the stock Hurst shifter knob was hitting the console in 2nd, 4th & 6th. I put my stock ball knob on and it worked fine.

Before I tell you about my current problem I want to mention a few of the projects I have planned for when I have more free time.

1^st get all the maintenance caught up. The car has over 120,000 miles. And I have no clue if any of the fluids have been changed (other than the few I’ve already done) or if items like the fuel filter have been changed.
2nd replace the headlights with the ones out of my Z28. These are hazy.
3rd replace the window motors with the ones from my Z. While I’m replacing the motors I will replace the glass too. The tint on the glass in the SS is messed up. The tint on the glass from the Z is perfect and is 5%. Which leads to #4.
4th pull the tint off the back window, which is messed up also. Get it replaced with 5% and get a strip for the windshield.

[blackcar]

Now the current problem I’m working on. The half of our driveway by the street is one car wide. It gets 2 cars wide as it gets close to the garage. One day my wife parked in the one car wide part of the driveway. Of course the SS was in the garage. Not a big deal you just have to back out through the yard. The only thing to watch for is the manhole. You need to straddle it. Do not run the tires over it or it can pop open. I’ve done it before in my truck and the wife’s car with out a problem. So I start backing the SS up and it stops on the manhole. I pull forward, I now have an exhaust leak. The angle I’m at I can get to the concrete with out going over the manhole again. So I start backing up. The SS stops at the concrete. I park it and take my truck. L

When I got a chance to look at it I found the driver’s side of the Y-pipe is hanging down. Come to find out the clamp caught the manhole and it bent the catalytic converter. So now I have to buy long tubes. No since in buying new cats when I would rather have long tubes. Since I have to buy long tubes I have to buy new O2 sensors. While I have all that off it just makes since to change spark plugs. And since I have no clue how many miles are on the spark plug wires I need to change them also. My shifter moves a lot with the gas pedal. So I bet I’ll be doing poly mounts, too. After doing all that I’ll need to work on the tune some. Which is a good thing. The car is only getting about 10 mpg, has very little low end, and the top end is comparable to my Z. My Z always got over 20 mpg and had lots of low end.

So now it is time to get a parts list together. Buying stuff for my Z was easy. I planned on keeping it for ever. So it got only the best no matter what the cost. The SS has a lot of miles on it and I’m just not as attached to it as I was with my Z. It will still get good stuff but cost is a factor. Time to use the search and find the best bang for the buck stainless long tubes. I just hope they will work with the Y-pipe I have. I have no clue what brand it is.

[blackcar]

I can't see anything.. If you're using the black font anyone running the forum in dark won't be able to read your posts..

Thanks for the heads up. I typed it in Word and copied and pasted. Of course Word is auto black.

Let me know if this is better.

[Smittro]

Thanks for the heads up. I typed it in Word and copied and pasted. Of course Word is auto black.

Let me know if this is better.

much better..

[blackcar]

Decided on the TSP headers. Still not sure on 1 3/4 of 1 7/8. This just does not have the low end my 02 had so I'm leaning towards the 1 3/4. Hope I can make them work with the y-pipe I have.

Paying bills this weekend. Hope I have enough left over to order parts.

[blackcar]

Ordered all the parts today.

After getting some other projects done I went out tonight to get the car ready. First step was to get it higher. I've read on here 18-20 inches. Is that from the tire or K-member? Right now the K-member is about 21 inches. I was trying to go higher and almost dropped the car. Well it did drop some but I had a back up. Only damage is the paint on the ground effect.

[Zapper2003]

If the car is that unstable..please do something to MAKE it stable and safe to be under.. Don't half-ass it then drop the car on top of yourself and die. That's the last thing anybody here wants to find out.

[blackcar]

It is stable now. It just wasn't while I was trying to jack it higher. When ever I've needed my jack to go higher in the past I would stack a couple of 2x4's on it. Last night I used 2 4x4's. DO NOT EVER DO THAT. 4x4's are too close to being round and they kicked out. Luckily I had my ramp right there just in case.

Right now the front tires are setting on some tall metal ramps and the back has jackstands under the sub-frame connectors.

[GTP231]

Has anyone tired the Texas Speed headers?

On the EGR delete is it as simple as unbolt and plug the hole on the intake?

I think its 1 5/16" expandable freeze plug.
Header bolts I've never had an issue reusing the stock bolts. They don't have the issue with backing off like Gen 1 and 2 small blocks do.

[blackcar]

I think its 1 5/16" expandable freeze plug.
Header bolts I've never had an issue reusing the stock bolts. They don't have the issue with backing off like Gen 1 and 2 small blocks do.

At first I was going to reply that I had read 1 3/8" expandable plug. But then I did the math. That is only a 1/16 of an inch difference. On an expandable plug that is not much.

I'm going back with new stock bolts. Local dealer has them for $.78 a piece.

Saturday I order a pair of 13111 O2's from Ebay
1 3/4 TSP headers and GM gaskets from Texas Speed
Poly motor and trans mounts, spark plugs, and MSD wires from Summit

Including the bolts, taxes, and shipping I'm still under $800.

Hopefully tonight I can get out there and get the passenger's side exhaust manifold off and anything else to get ready for parts to go in (driver's side is off). Parts should be in one day this week. I would love to have the car back on the road this weekend.

[GTP231]

It could be 3/8 I honestly forget since I haven't done one in 3-4 years now. I for somereason remember a 5 in the size but I could be thinking of something else