i want to autox my 85z28. i need some help, i absolutely want to do a ls1 swap. im going with all spohn tubular suspension and coil overs front and back. what is the best set up for my rear? should i keep the 10bolt or go with a 9 inch? And what type of suspension should i run out back? should i go with the coil overs? Would a 4 link be beneficial? If anyone can help me or have links to builds for idea's, that would help alot. thanks

 

You hafta decide what class your gonna run your car in first, before modding anything. Then build the car according to the class rules.

Have you ever run Autocross before? If so....What car did you run? Or is this your first venture into Autocross?

 

What can you afford ?

 

this is my first venture, i've had my camaro for a while, and never decided what to do with it. a group of my friend have decided to do it for fun and so i wanted to join in. I've already priced the spohn suspension and ls1 swap, so thats definitely doable. IM still a budget minded doityourselfer, so im really just looking for options. Basically what i want is, a corner carver, lightweight, plenty of power. what class could i run in? i know switching the drivetrain makes a big difference, but im also not looking to go out and destroy everything in my path. so any input is really helpful.

 

Without subframe connectors and lower control arm relocation brackets, my car is setup for STX. You can go to my VBgarage to look at all my mods. There isn't much more I can do without moving up a class.

Mike

 

Just changeing to the LS1 will put you into SM I think, Pretty sure you would be in ESP without the LS1 swap. I am not sure it would be legal for any of the ST classes.

For what it is worth, I run in the CP class and After 3 seasons I am still running a stock 10 bolt with 450+ HP and have yet to break it useing 14' wide road race slicks. The only upgrades I have are a Stock 4th gen Zexel torson Diff and aftermarket axles. It works but I have allways been pretty easy on parts. When I finally break it I will install a floater 9 inch.

The problem for not building a car to the rules is what happens after a couple events when you are hooked. Now you are left with a car that is not competitive in the class it's in so you end up running mid pack at best. If you are doing it just for fun then it dosen't matter, but if your like me and want to run close to the front then it kinda sucks.

 

I think I'm in ESP...with a stock 305 on 17x9s all around. Go me! But it's fun on the street.

I think your best bet is to get all the bushings replaced, throw on some KONIs (and new strut mounts), get some killer rubber on a stock sized wheel, get some good brake pads (does a brake upgrade bump you up a class? if not, stick on some LS1 brakes up front at least and rear disks) and run F-stock til you get used to the car and get some seat time. Then decide where you want to take it.

 

Different Brake Pads won't bump you up. I had have a friend with a very competetive D-Stock ACR4 and he has some very aggressive pads on that car.

I agree with you, Run stock for a while. I got a ride in a stock GTA and was pretty impressed, After that ride I have a ton of respect for the torque of the TPI 5.7 and it wasen't even running right. If I wasen't so deep into my current racer I would be looking for a clean third Gen and run in F-stock or ESP but I will admit, Now that my car is running and handleing pretty good CP is a blast.

 

You can do any brake upgrades that were available for your car during the year it was made. So for example my car could not be in F-Stock if I upgraded to PBR brakes because they didn't arrive on 3gens until 89. Any brake upgrades will put you in atleast the ST classes. Once bumped up to the ST classes, you can do anything with the brakes as long as they fit in the wheel limitations. The only reason I'm sticking with the LS1 brakes instead of going bigger is because I have to start worrying about paying for college so I made a compromise. The stock non-PBR disk brakes were able to haul my car down from 60mph in an average of 162 feet with a 180lbs passenger, non-performance oriented brake pads, and old 245/50/16 BFG tires. I'm hoping the LS1 front brake upgrade with Hawk HPS pads will bring that distance down to atleast 150 feet. With my stock brakes, I could brake with a force of up to 0.87 G.

Mike

 

That's what I was wondering, if he upgrading the braking system to the 1LE or something if it'd bump him up. I knew he could run any pad he wanted. I ran stock disk/disk for a long while with the HPS. Now I've got the LS1 up front and the 89-97 rears. I don't ever run in any competitive auto-x (the local bi-weekly event are non-classed, you're competing against everyone for fun) so I eventually am going to go with the 13" rotor/WilWood combo on the front and maybe something bigger on the rear. This car I'm making into more of a fun street car. I do have plans for a track car, though. I need to test my braking distance with the LS1 brakes with stock pads... hmm

 

The LS1 swap can put you in either Street Mod, X-Prepared, C-Prepared, E-modified, or even A-Modified. Exactly where would then depend on what else you modify and perhaps how you modify it.

Out of all of those classes, you're most likely to run against other "pony" or muscle cars in CP. Although CP permits lots of things beyond engine swaps, it's kind of where even street legal versions of these cars end up running once they've been modified by their owners (typically before considering SCCA autocross classing limitations).


Norm