Tag Archives: corvette

My New Camaro SS

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If you know me, then you know I’ve been in love with Camaros for a long long time. One of my fondest memories was taking a green ’95 Camaro for a test drive. The salesman had me put it in second gear going 60 MPH and I was so impressed that I nearly wrote my name on the purchase contract he pushed in my face.

When I was much younger I was certain that the future held an IROC-Z for me (3rd generation) but that never panned out. Later I became enamoured with the F-body models (4th generation) but they were discontinued in 2002. When I finally reached a point in my life where I could afford a sports car the Camaro had been out of production for nearly five years. In 2007 I decided to get a Corvette, a current production model and another car that I had admired for a long time.

Later that year (2007) I learned that the Camaro was headed back into production. The Transfomers movie featured Bumblebee as a 5th generaion Camaro and although I didn’t care for the yellow color I thought the design of the car was remarkable. The Camaro models went on sale in spring on 2009 and I went to my local dealership to gawk. Right around that time however I had upgraded from a coupe Corvette to a Z06 and there was no way to justify the purchase of a Camaro- it would have to wait.

For the next three years I modified my Corvette and had a blast, but the Camaro was always in the back of my mind. In March of 2012 I started car shopping (I swap cars about every 2-3 years) and the Camaro was at the top of my list. Initially I looked at used models but quickly discovered that that depreciation was minimal; there was not much price difference between a used 2010 model and a new 2012 model. On April 7, I purchased a brand new 2012 black Camaro SS.

I have waited a long time to own a Camaro and I am thrilled. In one of my next posts I’ll do a Camaro review and give some of my impressions of the car and talk about some of my plans for it. More to come soon!

And to answer the question everyone asks me – “Are you going to keep your Corvette?” –  for now, yes.

Cam Hughes, April 14, 2012

Corvette Z06 Tires & TPMS Sensors

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I just had a crazy realization. I haven’t gotten new tires for my Asanti rims since July 2009. It’s been almost three years!

Anyway, with my current set of Michelin PS2’s worn down to the belt it was time for new tires. I headed over to Discount Tire in American Fork. They recently got a new tire machine and, as far as I know, they’re only place in Utah county where I can get my 325 25/20’s successfully put on (these are bigger tires than a stock Z06).

When I get my rims from West Coast Corvette I bought a set of tires and TPMS sensors from them. They told me the only way to get the sensors in the rims was to band them in. I’ve never had any problems with the bands, but the guys at Discount were disgusted.

With aftermarket rims it’s typical to have a valve stem that bends 90 degrees (left). A normal TPMS sensor can’t fit in a rim like this. What a lot of aftermarket rim manufacturers do is add an additional valve on the back of the tire that TPMS sensors can go in (right). My Asanti rims came with this extra valve but West Coast Corvette had opted to forgo its use (there may have been a reason but it’s been so long I don’t recall).

Discount Tire wanted to put the TPMS sensors in the “right way.” They said bands added unnecessary weight, have a tendency to slip and that my bands weren’t installed particularly well. I had them make the switch and so far there are no issues. I like having things done the “right way.” and I’m actually excited to have them do my front tires at some point. A big “thanks” to the AF Discount Tire- they have always been awesome.

Also for the record- having new tires is amazing. My car has so much extra grip (I had forgotten was it was like) that it makes me drive a little crazy. The ride is smoother and the handling is vastly improved as well. I don’t know why I waited this long! Oh yeah… maybe it’s the cost 😉

Cam Hughes, April 2, 2012

Cars That Make Me Go Ohhh!

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I confess, I still look at cars. Well, anyone who reads this already knows that (remember the 1978 Corvette?). And why not? It’s fun, free and usually it makes me really appreciate what I’ve already got. But in March of this year I started to get serious about buying a new car (I do this about every 2-3 years).

In the course of shopping I ran into a few things I fantasized about pulling the trigger on… something like this:

I love the Lamborghini Gallardos. But deep down I’m an American muscle kind of guy and I think these Italian super cars are beautiful but overpriced (this one was a fairly good deal, but it was a 2005 model and, in my opinion, a power downgrade).

And then I decided to take the practical route- something with a back seat. Back in 2003 I had decided that one day I would own a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Seeing this gem rekindled the desire for a German 911 masterpiece. I think the red interior is stunning (although there may be a little too much red).

Again my preference for American vehicles (and my common sense) won out. Plus this model wasn’t an “S”. I was still obsessed by the idea of a backseat though. Sure I flirted with the Lambo and the Porsche but in the end I knew what I was actually going to get.

And that’s when I found this beauty:

A 2011 Chevrolet SS Camaro. All black with some yellow exterior and interior accents. Whipple supercharger (680 HP!), manual transmission, ground effects kit, like new condition. And best of all it had a backseat and it was half the price of the other two vehicles that I had considered (in other words, “realistic”). Ever since I was a kid I have dreamed of owning a Camaro (heck, my name is in there!). I was sold!

Unfortunately the car was sold too. Literally ten minutes before I made the decision to buy it someone else did. I think it was a killer deal and I’m super excited for the new owner (I actually sent multiple messages to the seller to contact me if the buyer backs out). If it was meant to be then it would have been (or will be). Here are some more pics:

I do think a Camaro is in my future (soon, even). I’ll have to keep an eye out for another amazing deal. And next time I will be like the cars I love- faster!

And for all you lucky Camaro owners our there: don’t get any ideas about being UtahCamaro (www.utahcamaro.com goes right back here). Zing!

Cam Hughes, April 1, 2012

Replacing the Corvette Clutch Pedal Return Spring

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The other night I was getting gas and decided to shake out my floor mats. As I pulled driver side mat out of the car I noticed part of a coil spring was nestled comfortably near the back. I drove back home, pulled out a flashlight and discovered the clutch pedal return spring had snapped. I pulled the remaining portion of spring out (super easy if your spring has snapped: just push the center portion of the spring over the groove on the back of the clutch pedal and twist it out). A quick Google search revealed this was a pretty common occurrence.

I have no idea when my spring broke. I don’t recall noticing a change in the feel of my clutch pedal but I have noticed that shifting gears is sometimes tricky (I chalked this up to the new ACT clutch).  My guess is that the spring has been broken for a year or more.  A lot of people seemed to advocate swapping out the C6 spring with a C5 spring or leaving the spring out altogether. I’m all for innovation, but I decided to just replace the spring with the original part (10376347 for anyone curious).

Installation is super simple (with some help). First you need to put the ends of the spring into the two white bushings (above). You can put one end in first and then compress the spring and put the other end in (make sure you have the spring facing the right direction). Now you need to press the pedal all the way down (this is a where it’s nice to have a friend). With your hand behind the clutch push the U shaped portion of the spring over the catch groove on the back of the clutch pedal (lift and pull it toward you- it will slide up, over and in with very little effort).

That’s it- your new spring is in (I borrowed the picture above-right  from The Clevite Kid on CorvetteForum.com – great clean pic of the installed C6 spring).  Remember to grease your new spring! I drove the car around for a bit to see how it felt. There is a definite difference in the feel. With the spring the compression takes less effort. I almost want to say it’s spongy, but that seems negative and there’s nothing bad about the clutch feel, per se. People seemed to complain about uneven tension, but I didn’t notice anything like that. Overall I think it’s an improvement from no spring.

Posted by Cam, March 26, 2012

Why I Blog About My Corvette…

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People sometimes wonder why I blog about my car. “Do you love your car that much?”

And if you asked I would tell you “No. In fact, sometimes I don’t like my car at all.” Most of the time though the car and I have an excellent relationship. But my feelings toward my Vette – whether positive or negative – have little to do with the reason why I blog about it. When you get right down to it I blog about the car because it helps me feel like I have control in my life. And control is all anyone really wants. Let me explain.

So much in our lives is outside the scope of our ability to control (warning: actual feelings ahead). Each day on the news, when talking with others and firsthand I see instances of injustice and abuse resulting in discomfort, despair and in some cases despondency. I see a world that, in some ways, is spiraling out of control. When a friend’s son dies of cancer at the age of 10, when I read about the senseless mistreatment of children, when I hear about instances of absolute disregard for life, laws or decency, when my children make choices I know will lead to heartache… it is during these times that I sometimes lose patience. I sometimes lose hope.

It is during these moments of weakness that I need distraction. Some turn to religion, some turn to television, others to alcohol. I turn to my car. When I simply need time to think I go for a drive. I drive for hours to clear my mind. My car is a mobile refuge that can outrun entropy and chaos. In the isolation of my vehicle I solve problems, think through feelings and rediscover optimism. But once in awhile a drive to think things over is simply not enough. I have to do something.

Maybe it’s repairing some damage, cleaning and polishing, adding a radiator, reinstalling pillar gauges or simply making some cosmetic changes. This is control. No matter what is going on in the world around me I can control how my car looks, how it runs and how fast it goes and where it travels. Sometimes my projects go horribly wrong, and in the very act of piling on frustration I find balance. My car is a thing. And things can be fixed because we control them. In the end, if I’m careful, if I’m patient, if I persevere my car will be fine. Better than it was before, in fact. There is solution to every problem. And this window into life is exhilarating.

When I conquer a problem I memorialize it here in my blog. So maybe installing a radiator and some red silicone hoses is actually my way to cope with a problem at work. Perhaps the time I spend waxing my car is actually an attempt to deal with a personal issue. I read back over my blog often and remember. Where you see a modification to my car I see my ability to overcome difficult situations and regain control in my life.

But as thoughtful as all that may be, sometimes I really do just love my car that much.

Posted by Cam Hughes, Feb 27, 2012

A Totally Random Blog Update

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Where have I been, right? Nowhere in particular…The last few months have been super busy at work. Any extra time I’ve had I have willingly given to my family and appropriated for my hobby. I am working on a recap of 2011 which I hope to post by the end of this month.

I have noticed a lot of these “What other people think I do” collages lately. This one was recently forwarded to me and I thought it was applicable to my life (while not perfect, it’s funny) :

I have been a lot of  blogging over at UtahCorvette.com (yeah, your favorite!). Sometimes people ask me why I blog about car stuff but not my family. Four reasons. 1) Fran is supposed to blog about it (ha!) 2) These days there’s simply too much family stuff to blog about. 3) Sometimes there are privacy or safety issues. 4) If I ever choose to sell my Vette then my car blog is going to be a great resource; it’s in my interest to document projects (no plans to sell the family right now).

In any event, the other day I pulled out my old radiator fan and the geek in me was forced to do this:

Tomorrow I start my marathon training. I have been having tendon issues in my left leg, but at this point they seem mostly resolved. I have really missed running (but somehow this has been a great excuse to eat whatever I want and I have really enjoyed that). A toast to health in 2012!

Posted by Cam Hughes, Feb 19, 2012

Radiator & Fan Upgrade

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My car runs hot on the hot side because of the extra heat generated by my twin turbo set up. It’s totally within the “normal” range but the cooler your car runs the more power it’s going to make. And in the future none of my plans involved less heat so it was time for another upgrade.

I pulled out the old radiator and was shocked at how small it was! It was hard to believe it was doing much to cool the engine. A bigger radiator would definitely make a difference. Notice how little room there is in the engine bay even with the radiator out (this will play a role in my install later here).

After some research I picked Dewitt’s direct fit aluminum radiator. They also offered Spal’s dual 11″ fans so I got them as well. You can see the old radiator & fan (left) next to the new set (right). The Dewitt radiator is incredibly thick compared to the stock radiator (two rows of 1″ tubes as opposed to a single row). The dual fans cover more surface area and provide more balanced cooling (every little bit helps).

The Spal fan attatches to the Dewitt’s radiator via a pair of brackets. With the help of my buddy Justin I tried to install the radiator & fan bracketed together but it was simply impossible. We put the radiator in first and then tried to slide the fan in, but it was a no go- there simply wasn’t room. In a normal set up there would be a lot of room in the front (you’d just temporarily pull out the air filter / intake) but my intercooler occupied every last bit of space. So we decided that the fan would have to go in from the bottom.

Going in through the bottom meant that I had to take out my PFADT swaybar. Taking out a sway bar isn’t a big deal (maybe a little annoying)- just remove the nut & bolt from the sway bar arms (they are generally not under tension). Next remove the two bolts from the two brackets that hold the sway bar onto the chassis. I had to to undo some of my turbo piping underneath the car too.

Once the sway bar was out it became apparent that the fan wasn’t going to go in easily from the bottom either. There is a bolt that comes off the ABS unit and it was in the way. The first thing I tried was cutting out part of the fan casing (you can see a notch in the pic below- I ended up having to cut out a more than that). The blades still hit a little so we ground off some of the offending bolt. That seemed to do the trick and we were able to push the fan up in place. It was tricky to get the brackets back on after the radiator & fan were installed but we managed. We spliced the Spal fans into the stock fan controller. I’ve heard arguments that this is okay and that it’s not okay. So far no issues (if a problem develops I’ll switch to a relay controlled system). Once the car was all back together we filled it up and drip… drip… drip…

Whoops! The radiator had a leak. We pulled everything back out and inspected the damage- it wasn’t bad, but we had clearly poked two holes in the cores. It was immediately obvious what had happened- the back of the fan unit has some pretty sharp edges and they had smashed the cores as we finagled the fans in. I emailed Dewitt’s are they were very sympathetic and had me send the radiator in for repair.

Since I had some time on my hands I decided to replace my old radiator hoses (some of them were looking pretty worn out). I picked a set of VenAir red silicone hoses to add some contrast. Everything went on with no issues except one of the heater hoses- it was just too small. I wrested with it for a long time before I gave up and contacted the seller. Turned out it was the wrong hose (Custom Corvette Accessories sent the correct hose after I contacted them- they were very responsive). I think this kit is a great aesthetic upgrade.

I got the radiator back from Dewitt’s shortly after the hoses were installed. They (Dewitt’s) were super nice. They did a great job fixing the radiator and they shipped it back to me quickly and didn’t charge me for the repair or return shipping! So, round two: We covered the the back of the radiator with cardboard to protect it when we slid in the fans. Even being super careful (and grinding down the sharp corners on the fan) you can see that we dinged up the cardboard quite a bit! We bracketed the units together, reassembled everything, filled it up and listened. Nothing. Sweet nothing.

We were almost done. The last step was to fire up the car and see how she liked it. At first things seemed to be perfect, but then the fan blades started hitting that ABS bolt again. I pushed the radiator shroud back a bit and bolted it. Still hitting. That’s when I realized that the bracket that holds the fan to the radiator has slipped forward about a quarter inch dropping the fan blades back into the bolt. Not a problem- a clip, a drill and a screw later I had rigged up a way to hold the bracket back so that the fan is pulled away from the bolt. And they all lived happily ever after.

This was a fairly big project because of the sheer number of complications that arose. Total downtime was almost a month, but I think the results are worth it. So far the car seems to run much cooler (I’ll be really curious to see how it performs once summer hits). While everything was apart I took some time to give the engine a good cleaning. Here’s how she looks right now (yes, this is my car):

Not a lot of “how to” stuff in this post (I guess you could take out your sway bar if you wanted) but if anyone has any questions about replacing the radiator (or hoses) please feel free to contact me. Also, if anyone with a similar set up (front mounted twin turbos) decides to add the Dewitt radiator & Spal fan combo I’d be curious to know how your install went and what your engine temps are like. Mod on!

Posted by Cam Hughes, Feb 19, 2012