🔧 BUILD LAME Turbo V6 Camaro

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Hello! Welcome to the shit show! I am updating this post in 2021 to explain what new readers are about to witness. If I knew that this thread and build were going to explode into what it is today, I would have started it out a lot different.

This car was (and still is) a basket case. The whole inspiration for starting this project was to start learning how to modify engines in a car that I didn't like. That way, if and when I screwed up, I wouldn't be ruining a nice car. It spiraled out of control from the first moment that I felt boost. I loved what I had created, but it took a ton of work to get to where I was. As soon as I got the car running nicely I was always saying "I'm going to fix______, and THEN I'll just enjoy driving it." You know the drill. Drive, break, fix, repeat! Before I knew it, I enjoyed driving and working on this turd more than the nice car I was trying to preserve!

The point is that the focus of this thread shifts A LOT. To complicate matters, I never have just one ongoing project open at a time. I listed some thread contents with links below. I will update this as new milestones or big updates happen. Just know that even if you click on the shortcut, you may have to scroll past other project posts to reveal the outcome. There are also some mini-projects and very helpful advice from other members in between, so read the whole dang thing if you want!

2018-2019
1. A late introduction
2. Discovering how a PCV works (and plugging it)
3. Custom grill for intercooler
4. Fuel pump trap door
5. Learning that I'll never learn anything from my goofy wide band gauge
6. Deleting AC completely, but retaining heat
2020
7. Low profile heater hose fittings
8. Deleting an air bag without setting a light on the dash
9. Starting a second round of floor repairs
10. ABS delete and line lock installation
- A separate thread for the electrons
11. Installing catch cans with nice brackets (Way overkill)
12. Figuring out the "blow by" problem once and for all (F-body intake plug)
13. Second clutch job, first rear cover job, and preliminary transmission swap research
14. Floors are "done", and Interior is installed.
15. I don't know how to tune, but this wide band might help.
16. Poly trans mount. Yeah, it actually deserves a link.
17. I waved the tuning white flag. Dyno Brian sets me straight!
18. T5 Pro5.0 shifter
19. New shifter was too much fun. OG T5 explodes, and my transmission conversion ideas start to get serious.
-TKX conversion
-TKX swap official write-up
20. Reconfiguring my exhaust for a quieter and less leaky future
21. I'm not done enjoying this car for the year, so I install a $100 T5 instead of a bulletproof conversion. SPOILER ALERT: It only lasts two months.
22. Minor repairs/updates that make the car livable (lighting, stereo, speedometer re-zero, and a clutch master cylinder that actually does it's job!)
23. Wheels and addressing rust again since I got time!
2021
24. Custom center caps
25. 1.9 roller rockers and LS6 springs
26. CAI V2.0
27. TKX is delayed so it's time to address the little annoyances.
-OE pan is junk. Dorman pan gets hot rodded
28. TKX is still delayed, so I install just one poly engine mount and beef up my flimsy turbo drain plumbing
29. TKX does NOT ship the following Monday. Flywheel bolts upgraded to ARP M10 x 1.0
30. When you're on a Chinese garbage budget, you better be ready to work harder. (Oil drain fitting hot rodding)
31. Finally repairing the oil sender pig tail, replacing the other engine mount, and test fitting the TKX.
32. Finally addressing rear brake lines while I wait for more transmission parts.
33. Modifying an ICM for a WOT box
34. Dash gets re-instrumented so that diagnostics become possible.
35. N2MB WOT box
36. Porked crank key. PSA: Be careful installing your balancer!
37. Car runs great after plug change, but the rear main seal needs to be changed again.
38. BURNOUT! Also, I kinda bought a cam.
39. Turbo drain finale (better be) and full exhaust commenced
2022
40. Downpipe V3 and BMR strut tower brace
41. Panhard bar and relocation for bro truck exhaust
42. Muffler, driveshaft, torque arm, and giving up smoking.
43. First trip to the GS Nationals (feat. time slip)
44. The very custom AC project is born
45. New dyno results (up 50 hp!)
46. Exhaust hanger repair before Michigan/S.S. Badger/Wisconsin trip
47. Sizing a better turbo
48. Painting but still not installing the IS3 heads and Monster clutch unboxing
49. Firewall brace
50. New ECM
2023
51. Out of storage and SC engine buy failure #3
52. Modified double roller and spitballing crankcase evac ideas
53. Completing the rear suspension. UMI rear control arms.
54. Cracked headers and L32 swap begins
55. My newest L32 was trash. I'm upgrading the L36 instead
56. Side project: The ultimate-ish intake manifold takes shape


Now back to 2018!
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Now that this car is running and driving, I figured I would start a thread dedicated to all the questions I’m about to pummel this group with. This is the first time I've really built anything to move quicker than stock, so I'm hoping to learn a lot from you guys before I make unnecessary mistakes. I also have a thread in the Turbobuick.com 3800 section, but I'm not getting as much input there due to a lack of audience. Here goes nothing...

The car I have is a 2002 Camaro with only ONE factory option (rear window defogger). The story supposedly goes that my buddy's dad was looking forever for a new Camaro because he never buys anything for a penny more than the best deal. He almost ran out of time as this was the final model year for the F-body, and '03s were already on the market. The dealer from which he found this car bought it for the sole purpose of being able to advertise "Brand new Camaros for under $10k", so this was the one he took home.

Fast forward to 2018. The car was structurally a wreck from living in the rust belt, but has a great interior, okay black paint, a third pedal, a 3800 (which is a plus in my book), and a lot of sentimental value since I remember riding in it when it was brand new. My buddy’s dad handed me the keys in hopes that I would enjoy it and make it a race car. To be honest, I don’t care for F-bodies, but I couldn't resist this one for the reasons above despite knowing that the floors were in desperate need of existing again.

I already had my dream car which is a 1986 Buick Regal Grand National. As much as I love that car, I like it the way it is in fairly stock form and modifying Buicks has gotten terribly expensive anyway. I figured a black 3800 Camaro could easily fulfill my childhood dreams of racing a badass turbo Buick V6 car while being on a budget, so here I am.

The car is now equipped with:
-6765 ebay turbo
-Precision PW40 wastegate
-Custom turbo exhaust utilizing a stock Camaro and FWD manifolds
-Air to air ebay intercooler
-AEM 50-1200 fuel pump
-Siemens Deka 80# fuel injectors
-Open 3” downpipe
-Custom 3” charge pipes
-Intense mail order tune
-Very ugly but functional upright radiator conversion (the core support was all just rust anyway) :dunno:
-Custom space saving AC delete without bypass pulley
-Midwest Chassis bumper support modified to mount my intercooler
-Spec Stage 1 clutch kit

The car is far from refined and has a lot of little issues to sort out, but I will leave the first post as sort of an introduction to that. I hope you enjoy hearing about it. It’s been fun to build!

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sktchy

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I wanna say I set mine at .030 or .032 and shooting for 15ish psi. .045 seemed fine on 10 to 12 psi but I agree that I think somethings still going on. Pcm uses a combination of mass airflow based cylinder airmass numbers by rpm to figure timing correct? And I've definitely decided I had maf issues from things that happened with my car that I should finish one of these days. How's condition of your maf I feel like maybe thats something that hasn't been looked at thus far on your car?
 
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v6buicks

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I just got home and I just started working, but it's amazing that this car ran at all. First I went to the back seat and dug out these bad boys.
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...which means I have not changed my plugs since dyno day. Cool. Even if it doesn't fix the problem, they need to be done.

Also, 2 of the 6 plugs were for some reason so loose that I could finger tighten both of them about a turn and a half. I'm surprised it didn't run a lot worse yesterday.
 
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v6buicks

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So, it runs good now?
Uh huh
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I finally drove the car to work for the first time on the "new" wheels I mounted last year. :LOL::love: This car feel so much better than I remember. Part of it is just because it's been so long that I forgot. The other part is that it IS better. The LS6 springs have made stomping on the pedal so much more rewarding. It revs a lot higher and quicker without any bitching. Plus, I can finally power shift without worrying about T5 explosions! I really need a new computer so that I can edit videos and show you.

Thank you everybody for reading my sad posts and offering your advise! I couldn't have done it without TCG.
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v6buicks

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I think I finally get how Smokey got her name.

I pulled the charge pipe directly after the turbo for the first time since installing the restriction fitting. Much to my pleasant surprise, it was bone dry inside. The turbo's oil leak has healed itself! There is also no shaft play to be concerned about. With that being said, why does this car smoke so much?

I went for another long drive and saw patterns. It didn't smoke at all when the car was started and up to temp. It didn't smoke in stop/go traffic. It also did just fine if I was just cruising. These are all scenarios that are not exactly normal for the Camaro. Once I start driving it like I normally do (a fucking idiot with a big turbo :ROFLMAO:) the smoke starts bellowing and doesn't stop unless I keep it out of boost for a while. Now my gears are turning.

I'm about positive that this has to do with the cheapo Summit branded header wrap that I'm using. After reading a couple random forum threads it seems that using this stuff is a pretty big no-no. I'm running only 10psi which is nothing for this turbo or cast manifolds, but one DSM racer had an extreme scenario involving all the boost and a glowing header. He once popped the hood thinking that his car was on fire. As it turned out, there were no flames but his header wrap looked like the embers at the bottom of a campfire. Maybe I need to pull off the wrap and get these parts ceramic coated instead. If the under-hood temps get too high, I'll re-wrap it with the good stuff.
 
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v6buicks

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I got under the car to start pulling header wrap and made some annoying discoveries. The crossover wrap is soaked in oil. I almost guarantee that it's the rear main seal and/or pan gasket which have already been done twice to remedy this. If this is the problem, it's a lot worse now than it ever has been before.

I'm not 100% convinced that's it though. The bottom of the turbo, the hose, and the side of the pan were also wet. It may have been from the feed leak I had earlier, but I still went ahead and replaced the drain hose anyway. It was as hard as rock and spinning on the push lock fittings without any effort. I also have the wrap off the down pipe and new VHT drying. I'll have it back on the car soon, but my hopes of being smoke free are pretty low. Pulling the wrap off the crossover pipe might help a little but it certainly doesn't fix the actual problem.

Is it possible that my shaft seals are angry with my lack of crankcase vacuum? Maybe I'll redo the catch can plumbing this winter so that I can re-incorporate the PCV. It would kinda suck, but at least I already have the welded bungs and cans. The rest should be gravy.
 
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v6buicks

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My car always liked to push through the seals with a can on it that's why I went back to a breather cap. Ideally I think the other side needs vented as well but do not vent that thing back into the intake your asking for nothing but trouble there
It would be the same setup I have now except stock PCV and check valves before the cans. This way a vacuum can still be drawn on the seals, and pressure/junk can be pushed through the check valves into the catch cans.

The whole thing I have now was to combat an issue I didn't understand. Now that I know about that stupid throttle passage, I can kinda de-racecar it a bit.... Or go dry sump and embrace the rediculously overkill tank setup I have. Lmao
 
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v6buicks

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nice.

maybe you just have a bad seal somewhere and it leaks under power.
The seal is brand spanking new. That's what sucks. I'm tired of replacing it, and I'm kinda hoping that a properly functioning PCV system will heal it enough to keep the smoke manageable. Right now, I can't even keep the windows closed without being smoked out.

I was having a good day, and the weather was gorgeous. I decided to take a drive to the weekly cruise spot since the car hadn't been able to go all year. Shockingly, there were quite a few people there. I thought for sure it would be completely done by November.

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Nicest stockish Maverick I've ever seen.
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Anyway, this is what my oil pan looked like when I got there. It looks like rear-main and turbo pipe are leakers. The camera didn't catch it, but the crossover pipe was filling the engine bay with smoke.
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Here's the new look. I think I like the black with shitty welds better than the wrap anyway.
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