Camaro 1LE/SC

After spending years sitting in a driveway, this car was in desperate need of some rejuvenation. A supercharger and facelift brought this car to modern standards.

This Build Included

  • OEM LSA Supercharger Setup
  • AFCO Heat Exchanger
  • Bosch Motorsport Aux Coolant Pump
  • Custom Supercharger Coolant Tank
  • Vibrant AN Lines and Fittings
  • DSX Tuning Flex Fuel Kit
  • DSX Tuning Auxiliary Fuel Pump
  • FIC 1000cc Injectors
  • DSX Tuning Billet Water Manifold
  • Gates Green Belt
  • LSX Innovations Belt Drive
  • Holley Valve Covers
  • NGK TR7IX Spark Plugs
  • 160 degree Thermostat
  • Crank Pin
  • JLT Big Gulp Intake
  • Mighty Mouse Catch Can
  • Custom Washer Fluid Tank
  • IKON Motorsport 6th Gen Facelift Bodykit
  • IKON Motorsport 6th Gen Facelift Headlights and DRL
  • Michelin Pilot Sport 4s 285/35R20 (front)
  • Toyo R888R 305/35R20 (rear)

What the Camaro entered the garage as

Custom powdercoated wheels with satin clear and Toyo R888R Tires

Pinning the crank to prevent belt slipage from the Supercharger
AN fittings used for all the Supercharger plumbing
Cooler pump installed and washer tank relocated.
Heat Exchanger installed

Everything installed and ready for dyno tuning

Final Dyno Run

554 HP on 91 octane – 622 HP on E85.
All Stock LS3 block, 1LE exhaust and emission devices retained.
Grilles – Paint matched to wheels
OEM Strut Brace – Painted

Detailing and Ceramic Coating

The car had years of drive through car washes, swirling and scratches all over. It definitely did not look as good as the newly painted bumpers. We did a 4 step paint correction to remove all the defects and return the car to show finish. Followed by a 3D ceramic coating to protect the cars finish for years to come.

What we started with
Wetsanding imperfections
1st buff with cutting compound
Wet sanding – cutting compound
After finishing polish

’64 Malibu Drop

This 1964 Malibu was completely restored and upgraded from the frame up.

LS3 Electronic Fuel Injection Swap
All wiring, lines and piping was custom made for the cleanest looking install

Bentley Continental GT Vacuum Leak and Maintenance.

The monstrous W12 engine/power-train unit removed from the car.

A common problem with early model Bentley Continentals (2004-2007) is the dreaded vacuum line leak. The lines are made from a thin plastic tubing and have a tendency to shrink with heat over time. Additionally they are connected directly to metal fittings which do not shrink at the same rate as the lines. Which causes splitting in the lines at the union.

Additionally Bentley engineers did not foresee the lines ever needing to be replaced, so they tucked the lines and the solenoids above the transmission. In a spot that is not accessible without removing the entire powertrain unit (engine, transmission, front differential and subframe.

Although this car only had 23k miles, we had to remove the engine to replace the lines, we fabricated new all metal lines and used silicone hose or emissions safe rubber/cloth braided hose to form the couplers to the factory fittings. To verify all the repairs were successful before re-installing the powertrain unit, we used a smoke test to check for potential leaks.

Since the motor was out, it made some simple maintenance items a little easier and lighter on the wallet. Our client opted to do all the recommended maintenance on the car.

-Spark Plugs

-Fluids

-A/C Compressor

Where the problem lies
Found it !
One of 10+ metal lines we fabricated to replace the brittle OEM plastic lines.
There was also an A/C issue, we diagnosed it as a defective compressor prior to removing the engine.
  • Lines rubbing from the factory
  • Another Line rubbing
  • Even with the motor out of the car, its still extremely hard to work on

1966 Ford Mustang V8 Restoration Stage 1 : Under…

A new client, we got the rare opportunity to plan the entire build from an all stock classic. We recommended to start with the frame and suspension to provide a good foundation for future mods. Very rarely does this happen, by this time most cars have switched hands many times and lots of bad repairs have been done already which can cost lots to repair properly, even more than starting with a car that has never been touched

-Clean/Repair/Reinforce Chassis. Then prime and coat with the proper paints.

-Upgrade suspension, all new bushings, springs, Aldan Coilover, adjustable control arms

-Upgrade brakes, Willwood 6/4 Piston disc brake kit with parking brake and all new stainless lines.

-Upgrade power steering to modern power gearbox setup

Undercarriage stripped and washed
New Fully Adjustable Suspension Setup and Aligned Properly
  • Prepared for paint
  • Before
  • After
  • Before
  • After
  • Worn Spindle Repair
  • After Repair
  • Problems in the frame and body identified for repair
  • Tear on control arm mount
  • New Setup Installed

FAQ: Toyota Large Tire Clearance, BMC, & Pinch Weld

The Culprit: Larger Tires and the notorious body mount clashing!

For years, Toyota has refused to take note and modify their body mount design. Anyone who has wanted to put larger than stock tires on their ride has had to deal with this or risk loosing turning radius and damaging their tires. Not to mention the noise that sounds like you just ran over a trashcan!

The remedy is to cut the body mount perch and weld in a plate that is much tighter to the actual body mount to allow for the much needed 1in or so of clearance.

A body mount ready to be cut off

However, not all BMCs are done equal. Each cars tires, wheels, suspension, frame and wheel alignment may be slightly different, this must be taken into account to make sure the chop is successful and no more rubbing occurs. Otherwise you will be back at square one after.

A “BMC” done by another shop using pre-cut pates. This Tacoma still had rubbing issues after they “fixed it”
A proper wide clearance body mount chop. The cut and plate are pushed as far back as possible to minimize the chances of the tire ever rubbing.

If you are running tires larger than 32.5″ (285/70r17) we are required to eliminate the pinch weld by folding it flat and making a smooth curve following the wheel arch in the fender well in addition to the Body Mount Chop. It is important to retain all corrosion prevention in this area since it is high impact (think all rocks and debris from the road splash this area and the fender liner will be trimmed since it is molded to protrude out and cover the pinch weld. So we are very careful to seal all the seams, clean and paint any areas that are compromised while preforming the repairs. It is then top coated with a professional rubberized rock guard coating, the same stuff that is applied at the factory.

The completed procedure: NO MORE RUBBING!

BMW E46 M3 – S54 VANOS rebuild, Valve Adjustment,…

This M3 came in for some routine maintenance with a little over 100k on the clock. The BMW S54 – a race grade engine, considered by some as an engineering marvel (& symphony to the ears) which debuted as the top production motor with with the most power per liter of any naturally aspirated engine in the market (333 hp)

We started with the top end, a routine valve adjustment and valve cover gasket. Additionally it was due for spark plugs so we knocked that out at the same time.

The timing chain guide had signs of wear and is a known weak point on this motor so we recommended a full VANOS bulletproof rebuild using parts from Besian Systems.

 

We found signs of a previous botch repair! RTV does not belong on o-rings!

New improved Timing chain guide vs the old damaged one

Everything going back together now!

 

Next it was on to the rod bearings, with the motor suspended from the upper body, we were able to drop the subframe and pull the oil pan off the car

 

Clear wear on the rod bearing surface

 

Bearing caps, still in good shape!

Signs of improper silicone used to seal the oil pan previously

Oil Pickup Tube with traces of failed sealant material in the strainer.


From The Archive: Bentley C-GT Audio Upgrades

From around circa 2015, when we were in our makeshift shop in the Hunters Point we took on this endeavor of replacing the failing/crackling speakers in this Bentley Continental GT for a customer who would eventually become a great client of ours. The availability of original factory replacements was scarce and very costly. Not to mention the sound quality from them was lacking from the start. We researched some options that would work well with the factory amp. We settled on a set of Focal 2-ways for the mid and tweeter and went with a 6.5in woofer driver for the door woofers. Now came the creative part – making it all fit in place of the stock drivers which required modifying the door frame, making speaker adapters, modifying the door trim panel and the original tweeter bracket.

Additionally we did some led lighting upgrades on the car as well!

Finished Product!

Supercharging the S52 Swapped e30

For this build the client wanted a little more punch for his already nimble e30 vert. In order to get it safely boosted we had to do a number of other supporting mods. Because you are only as strong as your weakest link! . . . and once you start modding its a little hard to stop 🙂

This was the plan for this build

  • VF engineering s/c kit
  • Custom made in-house silicone intake plumbing
  • 3″ Custom made header back exhaust
  • QTP e-cutout
  • Custom modified (for clearance) CSF Racing Radiator
  • Power-steering reservoir relocation
  • Modified intake manifold and IACV
  • Modify alternator for clearance
  • Modify motor mount for clearance
  • Spal pusher e-fan
  • Retrofitted e36 fan controller with lower temp sensor
  • AEM UEGO Wide-band senors
  • AEM X-Series oil pressure gauge
  • AEM X-Series boost pressure gauge
  • Custom made dash plate to hold gauges
  • Custom made coolant lines
  • e85 compatible fuel lines
  • Warlboro 255 lph fuel pump and modified to fit in place of the stock pump
  • Full e36 M3 drivetrain and z3 rear diff
  • H&R Front and Rear sway bars
  • Wilwood BBK
  • SPEC 6 puck clutch
  • B&M billet short shifter
  • other little odds and ends

    

Some pictures of the work in progress. Check out the tight spaces we had to work with!

     

2017 Ram 2500 Diesel

After a through explanation how our modifications wouldn’t affect his manufacture warranty for any of the parts not changed with the lift kit this client was confident in bringing in his brand new Ram 2500 to add a few things that completely changed the look of his truck!

  • Fuel Off Road Alloy Wheels
  • 37″ Mickey Thompson Tires
  • SuperLift 4″ Complete lift kit, with Radius arms for the best alignment and ride quality
  • Fox Racing Shocks with External Reservoir.

The trucks owner was extremely satisfied in the quality of work and products used on his truck. He was also surprised how well the truck rode and was glad he went with our recommended setup!

 

 

w211 E63 AMG

Just adding a little something to the wheel/brake setup

-Spacers to achieve the perfect offset

-Extended RAD Wheel Bolts for safety

-Yellow caliper coating and Brembo decals to show off the 6 piston big brake setup