Team T-Bone 1995 Camaro Z28 $2015 Challenge Rebuild for $2016

Team T-Bone has officially started our $2016 challenge entry. We decided to re-make our $2015 1995 Z-28 "Gran-Turismo" Camaro into something completely different for this years challenge. We're sticking with the car as our base platform because the running gear was so solid for last years challenge. We don't have much budget to spend, but plan to create a totally new body, make and model when we're done. Our new entry will most definitely contain quite a bit of wood products! Demolition started yesterday ... some team members cried a bit

Lol-that is an awesome first step!

Here are our detailed engineering plans ...

In reply to rich911s:

So Sad, not just cause you cut up a great looking car, but because your garage looks nicer than my living room.

I do like your engineering plans, be sure to document them well and share them here, it is OK to wait until after the challenge.... 95 inch wheelbase would be nice also.

Steve

Sometimes this is my living room... and sleeping quarters. I think we took off about 500 lbs., 200 of which were in the roof. Hoping for a fully dressed weight under 2500.

Zoiks!

This is relevant to my interests.

Our plan is to move the front of the engine to about where the back of the drivers seat is now. The engine and tranny together are 60" long. Hope to skip the driveshaft altogether and go straight to the axle. Need to build a pedal box and shift our steering linkage to the center of the car. Along with 500 or so other things ...

Subscribed!

You have my full attention.

What are you doing about a driveshaft and rear end?

(Edit: never mind, found your last post!)

Assuming you can reclaim the scrap metal from the budget, I would hedge my bets and wait a while to see if prices go up before next the 2016 event.

Ouch...your car was my Fav. Good luck

So, a naked camaro looks an awful lot like a naked corvette....

In reply to rich911s:

Going independent rear or keeping solid axle? You'll need a driveshaft if solid. Either that or articulated engine mounts.

Touche' I can Frame a House, not sure about a body for a car.

At first I thought you were inspired by the caged Miata Alan drove to the 2015 challenge... but they didn't move the motor. Get to work, there's 1 month less build time than last year. :-)

Love the articulated motor mount! Even with moving the seat all the way to the firewall and a super short drive shaft, we didn't have quite as much room as we wanted. An articulated motor would allow us to go straight from tranny output shaft to axle input shaft. Definitely going to try and figure that out ... we need the room. I guess there's no longer a need for our help wanted ad: "Forward thinking race team seeking retired horse jockey or person of similar stature and attitude interested in a lead position with a front running race effort."

Several GM FWD engine/trans combo's will all but drop in the trunk area.

We're keeping the same engine & tranny cause it's working good and we ain't got no mo $$$ money to spend (budget). I got to thinking about the pivoting motor mount idea and my tractor came to mind. The top link for my 3-point hitch regularly holds thousands of pounds, if I weld pins to the engine mounts and weld the top link eyeballs to the car frame, it might work ...

rich911s wrote: Love the articulated motor mount! Even with moving the seat all the way to the firewall and a super short drive shaft, we didn't have quite as much room as we wanted. An articulated motor would allow us to go straight from tranny output shaft to axle input shaft. Definitely going to try and figure that out ... we need the room. I guess there's no longer a need for our help wanted ad: "Forward thinking race team seeking retired horse jockey or person of similar stature and attitude interested in a lead position with a front running race effort."

This might be the best blueprint ever.

NOT to break up the party, BUT with a solid rear axel the engine will have to sit on a ball like a trailer hitch as it not only must move up and down in the rear but permit the axel to rise up and down on each side as a twisting motion. Maybe a Giant ass GO-Kart with a solid mount Engine and trans.

Um, not to hate or be a doubter, but why not just leave it up front?

You'd be essentially building a slightly heavier LTExocet with a live-axle rear (ie a super sweet v8 cart for the street) for a tenth the cost of an LSExocet.

In reply to rich911s:

I was actually kind of joking, but if you want to go for it, I'll watch! Don't forget the shifter will be moving with the axle too.

I myself would love to know what all who was drinking or smoking what when this all became "The Plan"

Drinking, yes, plenty of that has and will continue to inspire our creation!

Maybe we've been drinking too much, but we're not sure about the whole rotating axle engine thingy. We figure between the transmission output shaft, axle input shaft, axles, and tire rotation, something should absorb any minor rotational effect before it gets to the engine? How does a driveshaft absorb it? Who knows. Anyway, If we're wrong, we figure worst that can happen is our car will just flip over on it's side like one of the soccer-mom mini-van competitors. (Just kidding of course, we also purchased a van as a second entry and a solid plan B).

As for the shifter, it's a four speed automatic with a too long B&M Quicksilver cable shifter installed by the previous owner, so we're good there. Looks like the existing steering linkage might work out too. Regarding the Exocet, we were actually thinking that for last year, (or rather Roadkill Corvette) but went with the whole GT thing instead. I can't disclose our new car make and model without ruining the surprise, but it does have a body and it is another race car homage, though this time a real one rather than imagined.