Eckler's Camaro World

Well it’s time for our show team to head to beautiful Springfield Missouri for our International show. The International show is our largest out of state event and we try our best to ensure that our guest have the time of their lives. Many of our club members only travel to one show a year and the International show seems to be the show of choice. The Clarion Hotel, our host hotel intends to roll out the red carpet for all of us to ensure that we enjoy our visit. Since I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri many of my family and friends will visit the show. This is also exciting because I have not seen some of my friends in more than 20 years. Well enough of that, for those of you that plan to attend this show please be forewarned that it will be extremely “hot” due to the heat wave in the mid-west. For more information about the International show please visit www.classicchevy.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

Each month Camaro World magazine is sent to our members with member pride articles, sales and of course our Tech Articles. We've done tech articles on numerous subjects from brakes to mirror installs, and we try to simplify these installs with detailed photos as well as parts needed to accomplish the job. In the real world every one of these installs should go smooth without any complications, however, this is often not the case. One such install (mirror with compass) which I felt would be a very simple install turned out to be a real pain because the manufactor did not include the correct instructions for this installation. After we connected the appropriate color coded wires, replaced the dash panels and prepared for a test drive to calibrate the compass, power to the mirror failed. After rechecking our wires and rereading the instructions we determined that the instructions did not mention the fact that the power must not be a "switched" power as indicated in the instructions. The reason for the power failure was the fact that our instructions stated to connect a certain color wire to a wire under the dash which was an automatic interior dimming wire. Once we determined the correct wire, I contact the manufactor and explained the error in their instructions. Our job was now complete!
Our tech articles are great for the person that wants to perform installs at home using simple hand tools, and we try to find trouble spots prior to introducing a new product to our customers. Very few companies actually install the products they sell but simply allow their customers to spend their hard earned money on untested products. If you asked me about brakes, I can tell you what stops my Camaro at more that 128 miles per hour on the drag strip. If you ask me about shocks, I can tell you that the QA1's on my Camaro work extremely well after I determined the correct settings. The list goes on, but the point I'm trying to make is both Classic Chevy and Camaro World magazines takes that extra step to tell you first hand who really works and what does not. If I don't like something about a product I will contact the vendor and explain my dissatisfaction. I've used performance products for more than 30 years and I know that all products fail but if I could have spoken to some of these parts vendors years ago, I would still have money in my pocket today!

You would think the dealerships would require verification of ownership but they just want to “serve the customer” so they can make a buck. It seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car or truck without any effort at all. The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN# from the label on the dash, then go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN #. If you want proof of this simply call your local car dealership and report that you’ve lost the keys to your vehicle and inquire as to what’s required to obtain another key. In most cases the will simply instruct you to bring the VIN #, and they will cut you a key on the spot. So the car dealerships Parts Department will make the thief a duplicate key from the VIN # collect payment from the thief and the thief can return to your car insert the key and drive away without attracting any attention.

TO AVOID THIS SIMPLY PUT A PIECE OF ELECTRICAL TAPE, DUCT TAPE OR A WHITE 3 X 5 CARD ACROSS THE VIN METAL LABEL LOCATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS PREVENTS THE VIN # FROM BEING VIEWED THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD BY THE THIEF.

The information highway gets faster by the day, with information about any subject or any question a person may have. There some very popular Camaro web sites such as Camaro Z28.com, Chirpthird.com, and various Camaro clubs web and racing web sites. Information provided by various web sites can be a valuable tool if a person wants to determine how to repair a problem with their car or make more horsepower by adding power adders. I’ve personally reviewed most automotive web sites and I really pay close attention to the responses to Tech questions. Some of the answers provided are not correct or misleading and if I’m a member of the site I add my input (only if I’m positive of the answer). My responses to drag racing questions come from years of experience on drag strips all over the country class racing in both NHRA and AHRA. Occasionally I still have the need for speed and I go to the local drag strip for an evening of fun, so I still can offer someone interested in drag racing, answers to their questions. One thing I make clear to everyone is the fact that I don’t have all the answers, but my many years of experience working on various cars and racing them may be of value to the younger generation. It is extremely satisfying to attend a Saturday night racing event with my legally licensed Camaro line up against actual race car during eliminations and win. This rates high on the “Fun Meter”!

The one thing I like most about our show seasons is I get the opportunity to meet new friends. Sometimes I meet them under bad circumstances such as parts failures while attending a show. I can remember two recent shows where I had the opportunity to meet two very nice couples and the fact that I was able to help them during the car shows I’m sure will have lasting memories for all of us. Over the years and the hundreds of car shows that I’ve attended, I thought that I would become a “car show burn out” and grow increasingly tired of them, but that’s not the case. I still look forward to the shows Eckler’s sponsors as well as local once a month shows. It’s not really about the cars as much as it is about the people. We can share ideas, talk about various things and reminisce about being “back in the day” when week end cruises spots were filled with high performance street vehicles. Sometimes at local shows I meet individuals that are truly interested in my conversion from a small block to a big block in my 4th Gen, and I readily provide as much information as possible. By providing this information I quickly become acquainted with new people that have the same interest as I as well as providing my assistance. It’s the love of cars that makes “true car guys” tick, and although some are very secretive about their engine combinations guys like me don’t really care. I quickly tell them the cam lift, duration and if I have it I will give them the cam number. I don’t care because I know what makes cars perform on the drag strip is a combination of things; correct rear end gearing, transmission converter size, and suspension work. It’s extremely hard for someone to duplicate the exact combination from one car to another, and if I can help someone have the same “fun factor” as I do then so be it!

You would be surprised at the number of request we received each day from our customers that request only American made products. These requests are extremely difficult to honor since many aftermarket products are manufactured in China, Korea, Mexico, India and other foreign countries. One only has to look at the label inside your shirt to see the words “Made in China or Made of imported products” to understand where this free trade has taken us. The automotive industry is well known for its off shoring practices. More than 2,000 parts are necessary to build a car and only 70 percent of the individual parts used by the three major US automotive manufactures are made in the United States. The remaining 30 percent of the components are made in foreign countries and then shipped to the United States.

I’ve purchased thousands of performance parts during the past 30 years and although I made my purchases from established American companies I could not be certain that the parts I purchased were “Made in America”. When making a purchase I ask the sales representative if the part I intend to purchase is made in America and they will say yes, or I don’t know. I’m not too concerned about foreign made parts if they are “non moving” such as valve covers, and dress up items, but cranks, rods, pistons and other high stress parts must be made in the USA. I’ve heard numerous horror stories about crankshafts breaking, and normally these were the cheaper foreign made brands that were not tested properly prior to leaving the plant.

I certain don’t blame our customers for requesting American made products and in some instances their request can easily be honored but in other instances the parts they seek are only foreign made. If we find a problem or our customers inform us about a problem with a foreign made part sold by us, this part is taken off the shelf and our vendor is informed that we will not longer carry this part. This ensures that our customers will be satisfied with their purchases and will continue to buy their products from Eckler’s.

One final not worth mentioning; I was speaking with a machinist and he informed me that items like disc brake brackets and spindles coming from China had unbelievable quality. This machinist states that several years ago China bought as much US steel as possible and now this same steel is reentering the US in a finished product. So the quality issue may not be a problem.

What’s your thoughts?

If you haven’t heard the news General Motors and Renault/Nissan are talking about some type of merger. Renault and Nissan may be interested in buying a combined 20 percent of General Motors, the world’s largest automaker, according to people familiar with the proposal. This may be a good thing for GM employees since this alliance may stop some of the job losses, and probably reduce some of the plant closings. This is no longer a rumor but a statement of fact since Carlos Ghosn, Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Company/Renault and GM CEO Rick Wagoner will meet today at an undisclosed location to discuss the alliance proposed two weeks ago by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, the biggest individual investor at Detroit-based GM.

Just keeping everyone informed, since we have a vested interest because we are loyal GM buyers.

It seems like every month I read that GM is introducing another new vehicle. The Acadia was introduced yesterday (July 12th) is just what GM needs another SUV. Now GM has the Chevy Equinox an HHR, Pontiac Torrent, and Vibe, the Saturn Vue, the Buick Rendezvous and the Cadillac SRX. The Acadia is called a crossover which is a small utility vehicle with the “Professional Grade” standards of GMC. Now I’ll admit that I am impatiently waiting for the announcement of the production date for the new Camaro. It appears that all the talk by the powers to be at GM about needing the Camaro to fill a void in the performance market is more hype. If this car was needed so badly production dates would be released! GM should have been a leader not a follower, and quickly announced the production of the new Camaro shortly after the Detroit Auto Show in January 2006. Chrysler announced that production of the Challenger will begin and the vehicle will be sold as a 2008 model. Although many of us are die hard Camaro enthusiast it seems apparent that GM is about to lose more potential Camaro buyers to both Chrysler and Ford and instead of being a leader in the performance automotive industry GM will follow the others with a late production of the Camaro. Ford now has release their new GT500 Mustang which as $42,000 is in the 500 horsepower neighborhood as the Corvette ZO6, Dodge Viper, and the Porsche 911, more lost sales, GM are you listening or reading the automotive magazines? GM here is the deal; announce the production of the new Camaro, and ramp up for an RS model with the LS7 motor and we will make our purchases. It’s that simple!

Hawaii/Illinois Exhaust Noises: Currently, Hawaii prohibits any exhaust system that increases “the noise emitted by a motor vehicle above that emitted by the vehicle as equipped from the factory.” This law does not supply law enforcement with a clear standard to enforce, allowing them to make subjective judgments on whether or not a modified exhaust system is in violation. This bill died with the close of Hawaii’s legislative session. SEMA Action Network also killed an Illinois bill that threatened to ban vehicles equipped with a “muffler or exhaust system that clearly has been modified to amplify or increase the noise of the vehicle.” Under this measure, vehicle determined to have been modified by virtue of a “visual observation” would have failed emissions inspection. How emissions inspectors would have determined that an exhaust system increases noise through a visual inspection was not explained in the bill. Another bill died in the legislative session.

South Carolina Antique Vehicles: The South Carolina Legislature approved SEMA Action Network-supported legislation to provide an exemption from property taxes for motor vehicles licensed and registered as antiques. South Carolina law defines an “Antique” as every motor vehicle which is “over 25 years old, is owned solely as a collector’s item and is used for participation in club activities, exhibits, tours, parades and similar uses, but in no event used for general transportation.” The bill now goes to the governor for his signature and enactment into law.

On Wednesday June 29th 1966, Chevrolet Motor Division announced a new personal-size car named “Camaro” which will be included in its 1967 model line. This new car was called a “four-passenger package of excitement.” The new Camaro is aimed at the fast growing personal sports-type market that was pioneered by Chevrolet’s Corvette in 1953 and further defined by the Corvair Monza in the 1960’s. The aerodynamic design of its all steel body was perfected in a jet aircraft wind tunnel. The name Camaro reflects the purpose of the car because in French Camaro means “comrade or pal.” It suggests the real mission of the new automobile to be a close companion to its owner, tailored to reflect his or her individual tastes and at the same time provide exciting personal transportation. With the introduction of the new Camaro was an all new “tele-conferencing” where newsmen in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco, New York and Washington were linked by a long distance telephone network.

Next year we will celebrate Camaro’s 40th Anniversary and hopefully in the next few months we will hear the great news that Chevrolet will once again produce our Camaro! The Passion Still Lives!

Each month the book shelves at the local 7-11’s and book stores are filled with automotive magazines and I will admit that at one time or another I’ve read all of them. If you’re a Corvette enthusiast there are magazines for you, and if you’re like me, a person who likes all performance automobiles there’s a broad selection for us. Some magazines really go all out with their covers making you think that the entire magazine will have content worth reviewing. Of course on many occasions I’ve purchased a magazine because it had one article worth reading and unlike others I don’t stand at the book shelf reading magazines. Magazines as you know are full of advertisements from car parts to items that are of interest to males only. I would be willing to bet that if you were to cut out all of the advertisements you would have just a few articles of interest. We’re all aware that publishers of magazines supplement there printing cost through ads and I’m ok with this since I would rather have more magazines to choose from than not. Some articles in these various magazines are not totally correct but a sharp reader will see this and simply read the article for content instead of reading it as an instructional guide. Since I’ve read car magazines for more than thirty years I will list my favorite magazines from top to bottom. Please remember these are my personal choices only, not a rating of the magazine.

• Camaro World
• Drag Race Action
• Chevy High Performance
• Popular Hot Rodding
• GM High-Tech

One thing I think is worth mentioning is the unbelievable horsepower claims some individuals list in the articles sent to magazine publishers. When I see a photo of a car and the owner claims to be making 900 horsepower with a 350 cubic inch motor without a power adder, I know that’s a pipe dream. So don’t believe everything that you read, simply read the magazine during you quiet times and enjoy life!

Fifty percent of us are into making our Camaros go faster and fifty percent of us are into making our cars look good. Today’s blog is for those of you that want to extract more horsepower from your cars. There are some real horsepower junkies out there and the age old question of how much horsepower does your motor make without power adders continually comes up. Being a former drag racer I fully understand what it takes to go fast, Money! If you have the money you can buy horsepower and not be really concerned about how this power was achieved. On the other hand if you’re really into “what makes the motor make the claimed horsepower”, then you’ll be willing to try various horsepower improvements. I believe in a strong foundation first, and then add a power adder to the combination. The power adder can be nitrous, blowers, or turbo but power adders are key to any combination that I build. Since my car is designed for limited street duties I tend to go overboard and forget about drivability. The car is probably a little too wild for the street but who cares, I’m having fun and I never lack for excitement. Although I’m a big block Chevy guy, I still like the LS1/LS6 motors. These little motors can really make big horsepower and their light weight makes the Camaros fly at the drag strip. Many of the LS guys are stroking the LS2 to 404 cubic inches and easily achieving well over 500 horsepower and approximately 520 foot pounds of torque. Now World Products is offering a new LS1/LS6 block that can handle the really big horsepower needs (1,200-1,400) for the guys that are trying to break into the seven second or faster zone. The new “Warhawk LS7X engine block is stronger than anything that GM makes and can easily be stroked to 454 cubic inches. The cost of this block is $3,999 which is much cheaper than the C5R block that cost over $6,000. This new Warhawk series also has heads in both 12 degree and 15 degree series. One big problem with LS motors is the “ballooning” around the cylinder walls once you reach a certain amount of cylinder pressure. With the new Warhawk series this problem is eliminated because the cylinder walls are much thicker. For more information see the World Products web site at www.worldcastings.com.

While attending the Camaro Superfest in Ypsilanti Michigan I walked around the parking looking at the beautiful Camaros on display. One thing that I could not help but notice was the number of vehicles that had keys in their ignitions or left on the seat and the owners not in sight of their cars. If you’ve never experienced the theft of a vehicle let me tell you first hand that it’s a horrible feeling. One of the previous vehicles I owned was stolen and the windows were up and the car locked but that did not stop the thieves from stealing it. It was recovered but the damage was too extensive for repairs so the insurance company totaled the vehicle. We often have a false sense of security at car shows because the majority of the people attending these shows are also car enthusiast. There is not better place for a car thief to look for a high dollar vehicle than at a car show. When I attend a car show and I leave me vehicle I roll the windows up and lock it. I also suggest my friends do the same; since we’ve spent untold hours working on our cars it makes no sense that we invite someone to steal it by making it easy for them. Another thing every car enthusiast should do is make a simple list of identifying features on their vehicle so if it is stolen and repainted you can check the frame or firewall for identifying markings.
More and more cars are stolen each day and high performance cars are “hot market” items and all the thief looks for is “Opportunity”, so don’t make it easy for them!

For those that missed the Camaro Superfest held in Ypsilanti Michigan let me give you a first hand report. This show for exceeded last years Superfest. The show setting was changed from a college parking lot to a beautiful park setting in Depot Town, Michigan. This park setting with numerous shade trees and beautiful green grass made the show a much better place to relax and the children loved having such a large play area.
For those of us that were vendors, we could not have asked for a better location and we had something that we’re not use to, power and water next to our trailers. Having such great weather and some of the finest Camaros I’ve ever seen together in one area and the joint efforts of two Camaro clubs made a show like this hard to top. If you wanted to see large samplings of Camaros of all generations this was the place to be. The Saturday evening dinner held at the Marriott Hotel was excellent, and the guest speakers kept everyone’s interest by sharing the Concept Camaro build up. Everyone was treated to the unveiling of a beautiful red concept Camaro which everyone in the room stood up and applauded for. There were of course a few “Hard Luck” stories one which I really feel is worth mentioning; Al Poulin owner of Extreme Memorabilia was trailering his Camaro and his products when he ran out of gas on the New York Turn Pike. According to Al he was given a safety vest at the toll plaza to wear while he walked approximately a mile to obtain fuel. Once he returned he discovered that his truck and trailer missing and was towed by the transit police because toll plaza personnel told the police they did not know the owner’s location. Al contacted the tow lot and was told that he could not obtain his truck and trailer until 8am the next day. Al explained that he needed to be in Michigan by 8am, so he was allowed to obtain his truck and trailer early. After paying both the cab driver ($40.00) and the towing fees ($130.00) Al was once again on the road and he arrived at the show on Friday. There’s more detailed information to this story but as you can tell from the information I provided, this was poor Al’s worst nightmare and he’s very fortunate that his Camaro and products were not stolen. Look for additional Superfest coverage in your upcoming Camaro World Magazine!