[SS Performance]

Hi all, I'm new to this site. I have been involved in racing and the performance world for many years. However I have never built a car for road racing.

I'm not familiar with all the terms used so be patient with my lack of knowledge.

I recently purchased a 02 Camaro Z28 with no drive train or suspension, no K-member, a-arms, struts, rack, rear end, panhard bar, or sway bars.

So I have a blank sheet of paper.

My intent is to build a car for open road racing, Silver State, Big Bend, Sand Hills, etc. And I would love to do Pike's Peak.

I have purchased some parts already, and I have some parts left from other projects.

I Know for SOLO or track days horse power is not always a benefit but for open road it should be helpful (I think not sure).

Anyway here is what I have, 02 Camaro with Chrome moly 8 point cage. Should I take it out and switch to mild steel? I have never been a fan of chrome moly.
The cage is not fully welded yet so removal would be easy.

Moser 9-inch with back brace, 35 spline axels, wave trac dif, 3.90 gears adjustable torque arm.

Wilwood 13inch brakes 6 piston front 4 piston rear.

4L80E trans

Choice of several possible engines LS1, LQ4, LS2 (resleeved to 4.155 bore)

Bilstein race shocks w/ 1000# front and 400# rear springs and rear adjusters (purchased used from a member here)

I'm not a fan of aftermarket K-members so I intend to locate a stock one.

Since I don't have a panhard bar I was thinking about going with a watt's link.

So here are my questions;

Should I go with stock A-arms or aftermarket? If aftermarket who's and why?

What rack and power steering pump?

What sway bars?

What size wheels? I was thinking about the ZO6 18X10.5

What size & type of tires?

I know it's a ton of questions and hope I didn't over whelm or break any site rules.

Thanks
Craig

[Midnight02]

Welcome to the site. You already have a good start to the process.

The big question is what does your budget look like? Are you leaning more towards budget build (willing to get the most out of limited budget with the understanding there may be a slight performance trade off) vs. max effort track build where saving a few bucks here and there isn't as important?

A few general thoughts:

1. Bunch of good motor options, however an LS1 laying down roughly 400 to the wheels makes for a good powerplant. Whatever direction you go, stick with the aluminum blocks because the extra 70+ lbs you get from an iron block is a lot of extra weight to deal with up front.

2. Going with a watts link should be money well spent.

3. The stock K-members are great. Another idea would be to get one from a convertible donor car -- those are well regarded for their strength and durability.

4. The OEM C5 Z06 wheels (Speedlines or Alcoas) are great options for track wheels. They're lightweight, cheap and come in sizes where it's easy to find good tires. Most on the site run a "square" setup to help with the balance of the car.....you could go with either 4 of the 17 x 9.5" C5 Z06 fronts, or (arguably more ideal) four 18" x 10.5" C5 Z06 rears.

5. The Strano 35/22(adjustable rear) sway bar combo is a well-paired set and represents a great improvement over the stock bars. If you're looking to save some cash here, a set of OEM 1LE bars would also be great on track.

6. The Wilwood brakes are a quality setup, however I would be interested to hear others thoughts about the rears in your kit. Most of us fight with wheel hop issues anytime there's too much "brake" in the rear. I'm still running the stock LS1 brakes with Hawks DTC-60 fronts and HP+ rears on track and the HP+ on the rear is still probably too much.

7. Are you planning to stick with the auto trans or swapping to a manual? T

This post has been edited by Midnight02: Jun 5 2014, 03:13 AM