In Part 1 of our two-part series, we perform Stage 1 and Stage 2 upgrades from Corvette Central Performance on Project Y2k, our 2000 Corvette. Follow along as we free up trapped horsepower with improved intake and exhaust flow…
Paul Huizenga LSX TV & Corvette Online Editor
After some close calls on the street in his late teens and early twenties, Paul Huizenga discovered organized drag racing and never looked back, becoming a SFI-Certified tech inspector and avid bracket racer. Formerly the editor of OverRev and Race Pages magazines, Huizenga set out on his own in 2009 to become a freelance writer and editor.
Project Y2k: Stage 1 & 2 Upgrades from Corvette Central Performance
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 01/12/12
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At the 2011 PRI show, Powermaster rolled out a bunch of new hardware for late-model V8 cars, covering applications for both Blue Oval and Bowtie aficionados.
While robots will inevitably rise up against us, overthrow and enslave us to toil in their chromium mines and vacuum their houses, in the meantime they turn out some darn good speed parts, and Scorpion Racing Products is making the most of the time we have left by using them to manufacture quality US-made parts.
While not everyone is a fan of import/sport compact drag racing, you have to give credit where credit is due and admire just how much power and speed it’s possible to squeeze from a handful of cubic inches with a little help from the right turbocharger…
Here’s a stat for you: Moroso says they’ve added more than 135 new products to their catalog for 2012, and the printed version is already as thick as the Henderson, Nevada white pages (ProTip: If you were born after 1990, the “white pages” was a way to convert forests into overflowing landfills.)
Remember what it was like to go into the toy store at the mall when you were a kid? So many things you wanted, all laid out in rows upon rows, beyond the wildest dreams of avarice… It’s easy to recapture that feeling when you flip through the Moroso/Competition Engineering catalog.
PRI 2011: Ross Racing Pistons Adds Applications, Subtracts Weight
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 12/07/11
Ross Racing Pistons always has their display stocked full of gleaming aluminum goodness, waiting to be picked up and touched – great if you’re shopping for some new slugs, but a chore for the poor guys from Ross who have to keep wiping off fingerprints (and drool)…
PRI 2011: Mast Motorsports Continues Their History of LS Innovation
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 12/07/11
Horace Mast of Mast Motorsports has built quite a following in the LS performance world by creating some very potent hardware, and at this year’s PRI show we got a look at some of the very newest dreams carved out of aluminum from his company.
At this year’s PRI show, we got to see Turbonetics hardware aimed at both ends of the spectrum – from street legal performance to full race madness. On the saner side, their systems for manual-transmission Mustang GT’s and both LS3 and L99 5th Gen Camaros are 50-state street legal.
Thanks to some help from our friends at Chevrolet Performance, we can bring you the first videos and photos of the COPO Camaro drag concept vehicle taking its initial test runs at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida. We’re told that the best run was a 9.69 at 140, with 60 foot times in the low 1.40′s.
Look very closely at that photo, and see if you can tell what’s special about this new Ultra Xd connecting rod from Callies – it’s pretty subtle, so take your time and don’t feel bad if you don’t see it right off the bat…
If you’re not connected to the “tuner” scene, you may have never heard of Vibrant Performance, which is something we aim to correct right now. They’re a major supplier to import fabricators, with a catalog chock full of the sorts of things guys building a custom turbo setup or intake manifold need.
We always love to visit Jack Burns, founder of Burns Stainless, at the PRI trade show, because within his humble 10 by 10 booth we always find all sorts of shiny toys. This year was no exception – his display was full of things both big and small that will make life easier for the exhaust fabricator.
There’s an old saying we just made up: “A car that won’t start will cost you a race, but a car that won’t stop will cost you your life.” With the rise of heavier, more street-oriented drag cars, and the fact that they’re getting quicker, traditional “race” brake systems have been stretched to their limits.
Corsa’s patented Reflective Sound Cancellation technology uses precisely tuned internal channels that reflect low frequency sound 180 degrees out of phase to eliminate drone and provide effective sound reduction without robbing power.
K&N is a company staffed by enthusiasts, and it’s clear from all the cool stuff sitting around their booth at this year’s PRI show that when somebody has a good idea for something they should make, it doesn’t get round-filed.
Aside from the first production engine, auctioned off for charity at Barrett-Jackson, these haven’t been available, even to those with the $23,200 MSRP in hand. Part of it can be attributed to the unprecedented validation process this engine underwent, intended to prove that it could handle three full race seasons
PRI 2011: Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center Makes the LSX Head Even Better
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 12/02/11
If you’re looking for high-performance Chevy parts, Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center should be on your list – they’re legendary in the small block Chevy market, and they’ve enthusiastically embraced the LS platform and all it has to offer as well.
You loved it when GM Performance Parts rolled it out of the crate at SEMA, and here at PRI, Chevy continues to mercilessly tease us with yet another possible COPO Camaro variation.
Enthusiasts looking for top quality exhaust components are well acquainted with Stainless Works, and at the 2011 PRI show the company is highlighting new applications, interesting concepts in late model exhaust accessories, and a new line of value-oriented exhausts.
Available early next year, the Digital 1200 battery charger/maintainer will handle both high performance and conventional AGM batteries, as well as regular flooded lead acid cells, and is compatible with starter and deep cycle batteries.
When you’re in the automotive publishing business, one of the consequences of the job is that you often get asked, “how do I get sponsorship for my race team?” What I usually find, though, is that the racers have only a vague idea of what a sponsorship really is, or how to go about getting one.
Once you’ve reached the limits of where Angry Birds can take you and want to get down to some serious business, VIVID takes Superchips’ experience in flash tuning and harnesses the power and flexibility of the Android platform to make it easy to get every bit of performance out of your late model car or truck.
We always enjoy seeing our friends at Vortech when SEMA time rolls around, and this year was no exception. Highlighted in this year’s booth were two project cars – the 2012 Dodge Challenger Rockstar Edition, and the DSO Eyewear 2011 Camaro SS. We also got an up-close look at their new MaxFlow Fuel Pump Booster…
Sure, there have been plenty of plumbing dress-up products before, but while Hose Candy will certainly improve the look of what’s going on under the hood, their line brings some truly functional, innovative products that do far more than just add color.
SEMA 2011: Energy Suspension Solves Problems With New Applications
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 11/07/11
It must be a mixed blessing to work in the engineering and new products department at Energy Suspension – as long as there are new cars and trucks coming out, there will always be a need for your services. On the other hand, you always have the opportunity to solve people’s problems…
While a lot of other manufacturers are rediscovering these silencers and adding them to their own line, the guys who have probably sold more of them than anybody else have actually taken a step back in time with their “traditional ol’ skool” seamed glasspack muffler.
These High Performance Competition compressors are the latest evolution in aerodynamics, made possible by the added strength of forged materials. Thinner blade profiles and lightweight yet strong hubs mean these turbos move more air with less rotating mass.
Centerforce’s Dyad twin disc clutch takes a unique approach – the weight-assisted diaphragm spring Centerforce is known for provides excellent clamping force with near-stock pedal effort, and a carefully-chosen mix of friction materials gives excellent engagement characteristics.
Being synonymous with carburetors doesn’t mean that Holley has decided the race is won, and they can simply coast. The opposite is true – they’re working harder than ever to perfect their carburetors, and those efforts are obvious in the new Ultra HP line.
At the unveiling of the brand new Stock Eliminator COPO Camaro concept on Monday, the first thing everyone wanted to do was look under the hood to see what GM’s turnkey drag racer was packing. Perched atop the 327 cubic inch LSX block is a Whipple twin screw supercharger, displacing 2.9 liters.
The new CT Gold dampers for small and big block Chevy applications employ a new centering technology that allows a crank to be balanced with the damper installed. That’s not the only benefit, though – the same technology improves control of torsional vibrations above 6,000 RPM.
SEMA 2011: COPO Camaro Unveiled; New Corvette and Camaro Concepts
Posted by
Paul Huizenga
on 11/02/11
It’s been a long time since the COPO name has been attached to a Camaro, but the new turnkey drag car from Chevy could become a reality if interest is high enough. The 1LE and ZL1 Carbon Camaros also show potential directions for the 5th Gen, while Ron Fellows gets his own Z06 tribute Corvette…
EBC Brakes, well-known for their color-coded performance friction compound offerings, has added another hue to the stopping spectrum with their new “Blue Stuff” pads intended for serious track and competition use.
ZEX’s perimeter plate system has a lot of advantages over an old-school spraybar plate or a “wet” nozzle system. The obvious plus is that with the perimeter plate, there’s no obstruction to the airflow into the intake manifold when the system isn’t activated, but there’s another trick up its sleeve as well…
It is our belief that at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas at the beginning of November, Chevy will announce their answer to the FR500CJ Mustang – a Stock Eliminator Camaro.
Our ongoing 388 LSX race engine project with Virginia Speed is off to a good start, and we have a new video to introduce the project, let you in on our goals, and give you a preview of all the good stuff to come.
The video appears to show a tester taking the app through its paces on a Taurus SHO, and if the production version of the iTSX is as polished and responsive as this early build appears to be, we think it’s going to be huge. We’re hoping to get more footage from our source, so let’s just keep this between us…
“The Real Street car is going to be a far more elegant racecar that goes out for a purpose,” says Lingenfelter’s Graham Behan. “[With the black car] we wanted to be quick, and we wanted to do it with a manual 6-speed just because we could. That car evolved, rather than being planned.”
The foundation for any performance engine build is the block, and our LSX-based race motor being built by Virginia Speed is no exception. Before any of the sexy hardware from Trick Flow, ProCharger, Holley, Lunati, JE, GRP, and a host of other partners in the build can be added, we first need a solid framework.
