Painting your Calipers

Interestingly, this mod is one of the cheapest, easiest, and best looking mods that I have done so far. For those of you who want professional looking paint jobs, powder coating is probably the best way to go. However, if you want a Do-It-Yourself paint job, something light on the wallet, and easy to do, then the G2 Caliper Paint kit is the best way to go. I bought this kit from R1 Concepts, it costed me around $40. They were having a sale on rotors and pads, so I just picked up a kit on the way to the check out.

You can buy these paint kits pretty much anywhere online. You can find them from $35-$40 on Ebay, or Amazon. You can check your local auto parts stores as well. I checked mine, and it costed $80, way too expensive. If you go straight to the G2 website, you can actually mix your own custom colors! Otherwise, it comes standard in Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White, Black, Silver, and some other ones.

Now, I understand painting calipers isn't for everyone. There are different ideologies when it comes to caliper paints. Some people think it's stupid, while others think it adds more flare, and a sense of speed. Personally, I'm going all out. Colored brake calipers just look super sexy when you can see them through some custom wheels. (Which I'll be getting to soon... but another day, another story)

I would advise you guys to give yourself a full two days to do this project. It technically took me 3 days to get the car out of the garage. However, I admit I slacked on day one, lol. There really isn't much to this DIY, and it almost feels silly for me to make such a long video for it. However, I know when I was doing research, a video like this would have helped me. Hopefully my tips and advice will help you guys do even better!

First, you need to remove all four of your wheels, which means you need four axle stands. I'd say an average house hold owns at least two axle stands. If you don't have four, borrow one from your neighbour =D. (I actually only own two, I 'borrowed' the other two from my neighbour and close friend)

Something I came across when I was removing my wheels, my rear wheels were seized onto the wheel hub. Since most of my DIY's so far have only required me to remove the front wheels, they were loosey goosey. However, the rear wheels have been on since it left the dealership a year ago. They don't anti-seize your wheels from the factory apparently, so my rear wheels were stuck on super tight. I tried to kick it, hammer it, no movement, nothing.

Here is what I learned on how to solve this issue, and a USEFUL TIP for you guys incase you run into the same problem: This will work 100%. First off, with your wheel lifted on the floor jack, loosen all lug nuts to halfway. IT IS CRITICAL THAT IT IS HALFWAY! Next, lower the car slowly so that the weight of the car pops the wheel off. You will hear a distinct pop. As soon as you hear it, stop lowering! Lift the car back up, and proceed in removing your wheels =). Obviously, I don't have to say why you needed the lugs on half way. You guys are smart enough ;)

With that issue out of the way. It was pretty much smooth sailing. Make sure you do a good job masking off everything that shouldn't be painted. If you didn't remove the calipers for painting, then I would say painting the underside of the caliper and the back side might get tricky. Here's another tip: Grab a small mirror to assist your vision in painting weird angles and tight corners. It's also a good way to spot any unpainted areas. Took me around 30 minutes to paint one coat on each caliper. Wait one or two hours before you apply another coat. You'll take around 6 hours to paint them all, and you'll need another 24 hours for the paint to dry. Don't forget to heat up those brakes after they dry.

That's pretty much it guys. You guys have now graduated, and are ready to paint your own calipers! Last word of advice, the final result for painting anything, has to do with preparation. Make sure you clean those brake calipers very thoroughly. Take your time, and have fun with it!

Another Jagan Story

You really just have to excuse my young at heart, guy fantasy story lol.
So yesterday, I took a friend out to check out an art show. I haven't seen her in a year, and she's been wanting a ride in my Camaro ever since. Our schedules just never really matched. Anyway, so when I picked her up, she and I were both a bit nervous I suppose, we've both changed, and so we interacted like strangers. She didn't really say much about the car at first, because she just got into the car so fast.

Alright, so whatever right? I start driving. We start talking about what's new and stuff... and on this one road, I had to pass this guy to get into the proper lane for the next turn, so I hit the throttle only ever so slightly, and she squeals in excitement.

Okay! Now I get into this state of euphoria, and I think to myself, "Does she get excited at speed? Because there is a lot more where that came from!"

She says, "Omg so fast."

I smile, and I say, "Really?"

She had broke all of my integrity, come on, she's just asking for it. What would you do? lol.

I would say that incident broke the ice. She ended up taking a lot of pictures of my car, interior and exterior, and told me how much she loved it. I had also re-tuned my car with Vince @ Trifecta's new found Horsepower tune, so I was really tempted to hit the pedal at any given moment.

On the way home, there was this empty straight, and she actually said, "GO GO GO!". ALRIGHT LITTLE LADY, YOU ASKED FOR IT. Floored it, I swore my little V6 reached 88MPH in around 8-9 seconds flat. Probably didn't, but it sure felt that fast. She was screaming the whole way lol.

Overall, an awesome night for my Camaro. I told her that she was my favorite passenger to date, and I would give her another ride anytime lol.

The Camaro V6, in a nutshell.

Ah, the LLT, a 3.6L, Direct Injected, DOHC with VVT. A wonderful engine. Actually I have the utmost respect when it comes to engines. Every part has their part to play, and every part is developed through hours and hours of sweat and blood. Cheers to those hard workers. Click on the image to get the full scope of the engine... I just love it, and I think I would like to make that into a poster.

Anyway, lets take a moment to really appreciate all the nuts and bolts that make our V6 power machines.

 

Lift Positions

Well, it's spring time, and summer is just a couple of months away. We are now in modding season. For those of you who are doing your own work on your car this year, you might be finding yourself jacking up the car quite a bit. If you are a bit uncomfortable or unsure of the positions to lift from, fear no more!

Remember to always, ALWAYS use Jack Stands/Axle Stands when you are working with your car lifted. Your life is more precious than your car, always remember that!

Winter sucks, Camaro awesome

I haven't washed my car since my blog post about Adam's Polishes products. Needless to say, my car is filthy. Anyway, the weather here is completely crap. It's been cold, icey, and snowy, therefore the salt trucks have been super active, and my Camaro is a daily driver. Sigh.

Well, I had some free time this weekend, and I just decided to give the car a good wash. No detailing, or tire dressing, but I just had to get all that crap off of the car. Wanted to show you guys just HOW dirty my car was.

I wash my car with two different wash pads, one for the top half and the other for the bottom half. I use two buckets, with grit guards, and I change the water and soap for the top and bottom half of the car as well. The pictures above are just from the bottom half of the car. LOOK AT HOW FILTHY THAT IS! All of that dirt and grime washed off my Camaro.

Good to see the car is back to black.

Tuned In

Okay guys and gals, I just tuned the car. I need to work on the tune a bit more before I can give the full review. My first impressions though? I can feel the differences right away. Felt like my car lost 500 lbs off the line. Doesn't feel as heavy as it did stock, and that's a good thing.

The tune was also incredibly easy to load. Plug and play, 10 minutes, and your car is completely different. I'm not trying to up-sell the tune by exaggerating. Here's an example of what I mean. You know, there is always this stereotypical dirty/shaggy guy in highschool. Doesn't look like he showers, or shaves, or cuts his hair, or washes his clothes? Then, on prom night, he makes an effort: cuts and gels his hair, suits up, neat, clean, and sharp. Then you are like... "what the f*@K?". Then girls all start to notice him, etc. You see, he's the same guy, just presented differently... enough to 'wow' you.

Yeah, it's like that. But the Camaro was a handsome devil to start with, then it had that prom makeover... Can you see where I'm going with this?

Eitherway, no review today... just first impressions =D

This is it, this is the Golden Egg

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting Spades 1.0.2. Click the above picture for the full size.

Now, I've been on the quest for gold for a couple of weeks now. It just looks good on a black or white car. Most importantly, I have yet to see a Camaro with gold wheels. I MAY BE the first, when I get them of course. These are TSW Nurburgrings, painted gold for the concept. I have contacted a vendor who also does powdercoats and paints the wheels he sells as a service. He said I could make them any color I want! =O

Honestly, these wheels are great looking, and probably one of the best bang for buck wheels out there. They are averaging around $350 per wheel out in the market, and they are FORGED! Another great aspect of these wheels: they are super lightweight. I believe the stock 20" Camaro wheels are around 30-33 lbs each, whereas these Nurburgrings are only 25 lbs each. Shedding a good 5 pounds per wheel is a lot, if you add it all up. I have decided the largest wheel size I'd go would be 19", so that should shed off another couple of pounds. =D Eitherway, if I made you guys excited, I'm sorry... these wheels won't be on this car for at least another year lol. Heck, I'm teasing MYSELF by making these awesome concept images =(.

In other news, my tune is here. Yes, the mods are piling up, but for now, that's it. All packages have been delivered to my door. I might tune my car this weekend though. So stay tuned for the full story and review!

Project Concept

Stock Camaro image from Tire Rack. Luckily, they are using the V6. Obviously, there are some differences compared to my stock car, but it works.

My ideal finished project car in my mind so far. I think gold wheels might be the way to go on this car. Can't really decide. Black, Gunmetal, Bronze, I just don't know.

Eitherway, I have most of the mods already done on this car. I have the Front Splitter, Logo Blackout, and Light Blackouts already applied. I have the Caliper Paints, Rotors, Grand Sport Stripes, in my house and ready to go. All I'm missing now is the Rear Spoiler, Window tints, Wheels, and Coilovers for lowering.

UPDATED: These are O.Z. Racing wheels, but sadly, they don't come with the right lug nut specs. I would prefer this style of wheel over the previous one though. Too bad =(

DIY: Dye Stitch your interior

This mod is probably one of the cheapest mods out there, it is also one of the easiest DIY I can think of... I mean, it's easier than washing your car lol. Anyway, let's get right down to the good stuff first.


 

Okay, I know that video was a bit long, but I felt like I haven't posted a video in so long, so I wanted to make it a really fun editing project as well. Now if you ask my honest opinion, I don't think the red stitching is BETTER than the white, but it's a different flavor. For those of you who are bored, and want a cheap way to change the mood/look, you can consider this mod. However, keep in mind that this is permanent, so if you are going to do it, do it right, and do it well. Let's go through some details of the process now.

 

I bought the FabricMate Fabric Dye Marker. This costs around $2.99 per marker if you can find it locally. The reason I went with red is because red has always been a dominant color for sports cars. As cliché as red is, it is also a timeless sporty color. Plus, you know, I've been adding red to everything!

Pictures of the stock shifter and steering wheel. Boy, I might miss them later on. If you are at this point, this is your very last chance of turning back. I mean, the white doesn't look bad. However, white stitching has a HUGE flaw: over time, your hands will begin to turn the white stitching yellow! So before you do this, properly clean your steering wheel and shift knob with a damp cloth mixed with soap and water. After this step, it is advised that you also apply leather cleaner and protectant. This makes it easier to remove the dye off the leather.

You may see some other people dye stitch their leather seats, arm rests, and other various things, but let me tell you now, those are easy compared to the steering wheel and shift knob. For the shift knob, I had to start the car, and put it into S mode, in order to dye the stitching closest to engine. I could have taken off the shift knob, but I was lazy. The steering wheel is a pain as well if you don't take off the steering wheel. You have to really find weird angles to attack at it. I strongly advise you turn your steering wheel to fit your angles and needs. Needless to say, I had a sore back after I did this mod, but I think it was worth it.

Other than that, I think the results really speak for themselves. Also, make sure your fabric dye marker is permanent. Mine says permanent after 24 hours. If your car is a daily driver, make sure you do this on the weekends. I don't want you guys to mess up your work while driving with wet dye =/

Overall, it was a fun mod to do. As mentioned in a video, it took me about an hour to do all of it. I had to actually split it into two days of work, because I was called away halfway through this project. I had the car stereo on, playing some music while I was working. It really felt like a day of kindergarten, coloring, music, and fun.

Old news, but young at heart

This was an old clip, but I thought it was a very inspiring video lol. Hope I can be like that when I'm that old.

52/48 weight distribution

I think it's actually important to point out that the V6 Camaro has an almost 50/50 front and rear weight distribution. It's easy to find any specifications for any car if you search online, and unless your engine is mid mount or rear mounted, it's nearly impossible to find a car that has a 50/50 weight distribution. Now the Camaro is not the best car in the world, there is no way I am blind enough to make that assumption. However, as I have said time and time again, you can see GM making smarter decisions. The V6 has a weight 52/48 weight distribution, which is astonishing for car nerds. The engine weight is usually what tips the scale between the front or the back being heavier. The V6 LLT engine is a good 200 lbs lighter than the V8 LS3 engine. Also the car battery is located in the rear, as opposed to the standard front mounted battery in your engine bay. The chassis and frame on the Camaro is also heavily focused in the rear. For styling and functional purposes, the rear end of the Camaro is much wider than the front, which means more surface area, and more material used, which equals more weight. This does offers more trunk space and more room in the back seats though.

Notice how the car is designed in the above image. The engine is aligned on top of the front wheels, trying to be as near to the center of gravity as possible. Nice! Last but not least, and most people forget this as a weight factor, rear wheel drive. This means there is a rear differential housing. That coupled with gears, axles, and all the other goodies that propel the car forwards: That definately should not be something to forget, and certainly plays a huge role in weight distribution.

In the end, GM did a good job delivering good weight distribution, it would work wonders on the track. However, the Camaro needs to go on a diet, 3750 lbs is a very heavy car for a V6, and it is the biggest mistake GM could have made.

EDIT: The top mentioned discussion isn't as simple as I have explained it. Upon more research, I have realized there are much more things at play than originally described. I won't share what I have found, because you can easily find it online if you do a quick search.

Spades V6 Intro v1

 

Well, work has been slow, and I miss modding my car, so to keep myself being productive, I've decided to play around with planar tracking and other visual effects. As you can see with my other videos, I love taking the time to edit them, making them a bit nicer to watch.

This is just a concept intro scene for future videos. I'll most likely be working on making it better over time, so just call this concept version 1.

SEMA 2010

I won't be attending SEMA this year, but I will be posting later about something that is currently "top-secret" that will be revealed at the SEMA show. Eitherway, for the people attending SEMA, hope you guys have a good time! Take lots and lots of pictures!