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Adjustable LS
Trans Mount
Suspension & Brake Upgrade
Part 1: Starting Up Front
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Adjustable LS Trans Mount
Part 1: Starting Up Front
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![Remembering Your First](https://digital.allchevyperformance.com/assets/2022/07/acp-sep-22-remembering-title.png)
hen starting a project car, there’s a beginning, middle, and end. Although the end is subject to change, as “finished” is usually a fluid term to most car folks, they never really are finished. We typically have a direction in mind to get things rolling, and the path of progress can shift due to available funds, unavailable parts, and outside influence. Then there is the process of conveying the look you are going for to the painter of your project. That person is very important, as he or she is almost solely responsible for the outcome of the paintjob, which typically has the most impact as your car crosses the finish line. The variables to its success could be using the right color, quality of the prep, and, of course, fit and finish. Some body shops do it with the utmost precision and deliver a work of art, which pretty much defines what painting is … in most instances. Art is subjective, but we’ll save that topic for another time.
Now, in speaking with owners who have pristinely painted cars—and having one myself—I can tell you firsthand the anxiety that goes along with owning such a car is real. We all want that paint to stay perfect forever, but if you drive your car hard on the track or even casually on the streets, you know it’s just a matter of time before an unsuspecting rock will have its way with your car’s finish, and unfortunately, chip happens! (That was bad, but I couldn’t resist.) Will it be the first outing, or will it be a few months down the road? That’s to be determined by fate, luck, and even karma, but rest assured, it will happen.
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For more information, contact Holley by calling (866) 464-6553 or visit holley.com.
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For more information, contact Summit Racing by calling (800) 230-3030 or visit summitracing.com.
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For more information, contact Auto Metal Direct by calling (888) 255-3895 or visit autometaldirect.com.
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ometimes deciding on the details is incredibly difficult with a big project. The owner of this Chevelle had some major bits already picked out, like the main paint color and wheels. What goes along with those items to finish it all off though? Some of the answers were decided by first jumping inside the car and coming up with an interior design. We started off by coming up with one-off door panels, seat inserts, and a console. A saddle/brown color was used in combination with a light tan to break up the interior and add interest. Since this is a convertible, it was paramount that the interior colors play well with the minty metallic paint on the exterior.
On the outside a set of Schott wheels were treated to a dirty bronze accent, which could play off of the dark interior color. A custom front valance was designed to work along with the rest of the bodywork. The convertible top matches the light interior color while white SS stripes pop off the metallic mint paint.
Feature
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eing surrounded by horsepower, regardless of the application, it’s the thunder exuded by a monstrous V-8 that pulls you in like an addictive drug—one that’s impossible to kick. Such was the case with Ken Johnson of Wildomar, California. Dude was subjected to the muscle car scene pretty much his entire life. It started with his uncle Pete who had a bright red Pro Street ’67 Camaro. “That thing was a complete badass,” Ken recalls. “I was pretty young at the time, and I’m not even sure what engine it had. All I know is it sounded and looked mean as hell.”
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ugene, Oregon, is noteworthy for a variety of reasons: it’s home to the University of Oregon, Animal House was filmed there, but more importantly for us, it’s where you’ll find MetalWorks, one of the premier restoration and hot rod shops in the country. In the 20 years since Jon Mannila founded the company, he and his crew have gained a reputation for turning out quality vehicles that are not only prizewinning caliber in appearance, but are solid, reliable drivers as well.
Along with MetalWorks’ expertise in fabrication, body- and paintwork, Mannila and his team have the knowledge to guide customers in selecting components that work together. They pride themselves on coordinating components when updating vintage vehicles to Pro Touring status; a case in point is Sam Dommer’s ’63 Corvette.
When the C2 Corvette series that ran from 1963-67 was introduced it was hailed as revolutionary. The styling was striking and under the sexy new fiberglass body was a new chassis. Over the five-year run C2 Corvettes received minor styling changes (most notably the removal of the split in the rear window due to safety concerns) and the chassis remained relatively unchanged, the biggest improvement was the switch from four-wheel drum brakes to discs at all four corners in 1965. But while the new C2 front suspension and steering and the innovative independent rear suspension were certainly considered an exotic combination in their day, that was then and this is now.
The truth is the C2 front suspension wasn’t anything special, it was basically the same as what was under a Chevrolet passenger car. And while the IRS was unique it had a host of handling peccadillos, including poor toe, camber, and antisquat control. Of course, rolling on skinny bias-ply rubber (6.70×15 in 1963 and 1964, 7.75×15 in 1965, 1966, 1967) didn’t help. But the fact remains for a C2 to have performance commensurate with its visual impact a modern chassis is in order, and that’s where Art Morrison Enterprises enters into our story. MetalWorks slid a complete new AME GT Sport chassis under Dommer’s split window.
Feature
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n the not-too-distant past, automotive print magazines were arguably the biggest sources for new information and inspiration, and in a number of ways the shapers and promoters of different trends. Editors were responsible for educating their audience with the finite number of pages available each month with content that was informative and well researched. Nick Licata, the captain at the helm of ACP magazine in a previous life was at the wheel of Camaro Performers (CP) magazine. It was that curation of content at CP, and his own personal ride, that inspired Chris Shallcross to build a Pro Touring–flavored ’70 Camaro RS back in 2009. He points out, “Nick inspired me when he was the editor of CP magazine by featuring so many Pro Touring second-gen Camaros. When he built his ’71 Camaro, there was continuous coverage of the progress in the magazine.” He further adds, “The second major influence was Kyle Tucker, the founder of Detroit Speed.”
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Part 4: Front Buildup
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e are back with Craig Hopkins of The Installation Center and this Auto Metal Direct (AMD) second-gen Camaro conversion. In part four of our multi-part series, we are converting this ’78 Camaro into the ’71-73 steel bumper version. We removed the entire back end of the car, turning it into that iconic round-taillight version, and now we are working on the front end to get that highly sought-after early second-gen look. The great thing about the front-end swap is that everything bolts right up without any real modifications—from the hood and fenders, to the core support and bumper, we show you just how easy this can be.
FEATURE
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very car enthusiast has a bit of nostalgia flowing through their veins. It has taken a while, but we’re starting to see a great deal of ’80s cars coming onto the Pro Touring scene. Part of the reason is that they’re still somewhat affordable compared to cars from the muscle car era. And the most encouraging part is that people are investing money in these cars to make them handle and perform better than they could’ve ever imagined. If you remember when these cars hit the showroom floor, there were very few American cars that could outperform the coveted IROC-Z. Even the base model third-generation Camaros were a drastic jump in suspension technology, compared to the tried-and-true second-generation cars. Strut front suspension and torque arm rear suspension made for quite the combination when the appropriate spring rates were achieved, and the IROC-Z really hit the sweet spot. No matter your experience with these cars back in the day, the Wolf Gray example shown here is an entirely different animal.
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BY Chuck Vranas Photography by The Author
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Part 1: Third-Gen Camaro Suspension and Brake Upgrade, The Front
ack in the day when GM unveiled the third-generation Camaro, they did so with plenty of gusto showcasing their updated F-body platform packed with enough performance goodness to make every owner the envy of their neighborhood. The updates, including fuel injection, bigger brakes, and edgy contemporary styling still hold their own on the streets today, however with the increase in engineering design and driveline upgrades, today’s hot rodder wants to infuse even more capabilities into the platform.
Regardless of whether you want to update your F-body for boulevard cruising or carving cones on the autocross, there’s now a stream of choices you can easily make to up the ante on increasing performance. On a recent visit to Chris Cerce Customs in Taunton, Massachusetts, we met with shop owner Chris Cerce to discuss revisions to his personal ’91 Camaro Z28. Having already hopped it up with a Don Hardy Race Cars–built 850hp LS V-8 sporting a BorgWarner 76mm turbo linked to a GM T56 trans, it was time to focus on harnessing all the power with revisions to the handling and braking to dial it all in. It was a great opportunity for All Chevy Performance to follow along, commencing with a complete rebuild of the front suspension and brakes to bring the car to the next level.
FEATURE
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![One Piece at a Time](https://digital.allchevyperformance.com/assets/2022/07/acp-sept-22-onepiece-at-a-time-title.png)
—Johnny Cash, “One Piece At A Time”
ohnny Cash’s iconic song “One Piece At A Time” is about a Cadillac built from parts he smuggled out in his lunch box from a Detroit GM assembly line until one day he’d have his $100,000 dream car. Though the final version wasn’t quite what the man in black envisioned, it meant so much more because he assembled it himself. While Memphis, Tennessee’s Shawn Brereton didn’t steal the parts for his dream car, he’s managed to build his ’55 Chevrolet 150 sedan one piece at a time over the 36 years he has owned it. There were mistakes along the way but those make up the car’s history, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
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t’s no secret that the LS engine is probably the hottest idea in engine swapping since the introduction of the small-block Chevy in 1955. The LS has found its way into just about every GM car on the planet. Part of the engine’s popularity is based on the widespread use of custom motor mounts that move the engine into non-stock positions. Often this is necessary for oil pan or header clearance or perhaps to clear components like the factory accessory drive.
When the engine is relocated this also affects the position of the rear trans mount to the crossmember. Generally, this requires either modification to the crossmember or sometimes building or buying a custom crossmember to complete the connection to the transmission.
Recently Summit Racing created one of those simple yet highly effective products that may save engine swappers the hassle of building a custom crossmember. The solution is a simple GM trans mount with an integrated 2½-inch adjustable slot. The mount is built from ¼-inch-thick steel that is nicely powdercoated satin black and uses a large 12mm lateral bolt encased with a polyurethane mount. Adjustment is accomplished by positioning the mount in the proper place within slots cut in the mount.
FEATURE
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Dave Gagnon’s Positively Wicked ’69 Chevelle
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ow many hot rodders can say they still have the keys to their past, owning the one sacred vehicle that sparked a magneto buried deep in their souls, causing a lifelong infatuation with Chevy muscle? For Dave Gagnon of Bristol, Connecticut, the journey started with his dad regularly reading from the book of Bowtie, letting him know that there was nothing finer than big-block Chevrolet power and that every other manufacturer followed their lead. The wicked ’69 Chevelle laid out across our pages showcases the latest iteration of a car that he’s owned since he was 14 years old. To say that it’s had a journey over the decades is an understatement and, rest assured, we’ll let the history speak for itself.
As early as he can remember, Dave fondly recalls spending long days in the family driveway helping his dad, Darrell, with engine and transmission swaps to the family daily drivers, helping him build an interest in everything mechanical. At the same time, his path to school led him by a local garage where a 9-second Camaro would regularly be seen getting prepped for drag racing. This easily fueled inspiration on what could be accomplished with aftermarket parts and custom fabrication. Then a turning point came in 1979 when his dad paid $50 for a used ’69 Chevelle two-door hardtop packing a 307ci V-8 and Powerglide trans. The car proceeded to be family transportation until mechanical problems sidelined it after a couple of years. This led Dave to constantly inquire into its fate. Well, the 14-year-old’s persistence finally won him the keys and a chance to begin its first resurrection, starting with pulling the driveline for his first backyard rebuild. A quickie paintjob soon followed with the car serving as the seat for his driver’s test and gateway to high school.
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un, surf, and the pursuit of horsepower sounds like the ultimate combination for any die-hard Chevy fan. If you’re searching for the definitive high-performance weekend guaranteed to peak your adrenalin levels to the max, with everything from huffed big-blocks to boosted LS engines and anything else imaginable, then the 31st Annual Cruisin’ Ocean City event held in Ocean City, Maryland, was the place to be. Easily one of the most fun-filled weekends of the year, the charming seaside community plays host to well over 3,000 registered car and truck owners every May to participate in cruising its 10-mile strip and experience what makes the venue and its offerings so very special.
Welcomed by manicured beaches accented by wicked surf, the scent of old-time waterfront goodies from a myriad of vendors lures you in with the promise of stepping back in time as you check out the classic amusement rides, including a haunted house, Ferris wheel, and arcades alongside a boardwalk that stretches for miles. After picking up your credentials at the convention center, it’s time to hit the streets, with your first stop being the “Inlet” as it’s clearly the epicenter for the weekend’s festivities, accommodating up to 1,500 of the region’s most bitchin muscle cars, classic trucks, hot rods, and classics to check out. With all of the exciting mini events happening across the strip, the parking turns over regularly, giving everyone a chance to stop in and visit.
Throughout the weekend one of the hottest tickets is getting a chance to participate in an early morning cruise down the historic boardwalk while being cheered on by an endless stream of fans. There were also plenty of mini events to roll into across town at a number of venues, including the convention center, Seacrets, Northside Pit & Pub, Green Turtle, Crab Alley, Jolly Roger, and Gold Coast Mall, to name but a few. Unlike most events that roll up the sidewalks at the end of the day, at Cruisin’ it’s time to top off the tank, grab a bite, and head out on the strip to lay down the miles while deep crowds line the sidewalks to check out the happenings well into the night. The promoters create even more thrills with special celebrity guests, numerous trophy award ceremonies, scheduled entertainment, and even a classic car auction. This is a show that always manages to sell out well in advance so plan ahead for next year! You can check it all out at specialeventpro.com
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