NJFBOA Car of the Month Archive

[Tru2Chevy]

January Car of the Month

Blackbirdws6's 1997 Pontiac Trans Am WS6

Name: Brian DeLuca
Mods: I purchased my 1997 Pontiac Trans Am used from my father who owned it as his weekend toy. My dad was not much for modding cars anymore but I decided that I wanted to personalize it with my own details. A few bolt-ons and a 100-shot of nitrous turned into a heads/cam project in my Dad's garage over the summer a few years back. We installed a set of Edelbrock heads, CC306 cam, Crane Gold 1.6RR's, 58MM TB, Spec 3 clutch, KBDD subframe connectors, a set of Hooker LT's, Mufflex 4-in Y-pipe and a set of Mecham exhaust tips. The car was tuned by Cartek in NJ and threw down a decent 360rwhp on the Dynojet. This past year an Edelbrock intake manifold found it's way under the hood to hopefully take care of a pesky oil leak (and see if any gains were to be had). On a dyno day at Harris Speed Works in PA the car laid down a more respectable 380rwhp NA and 460rwhp on spray once a new Racetronix fuel pump was installed.

Appearance wise, the car has been under constant change with the final additions being 18x8 and 18x10 AR TT's, LED lights all around, 98+ Honeycomb taillights, and HID headlights with Hella housings. The car also has an upgraded sound system with an Alpine HU, CD changer, amp, Boston speakers in the doors, and 2 10" JL subwoofers in an open box.

Future plans - Bi-Xenon Projector retrofit (in progress), upgraded brakes, and upgraded rear end.

[Tru2Chevy]

February Car of the Month

98tadriver's 1998 Pontiac Trans Am

Name: Ron
About the car: I was happy with my 15 second 1989 Camaro, but I wanted to step it up a couple of notches. I had planned on buying a fourth generation LS1 car for over a year and was set on getting one by the spring of 2005.

I bought my 1998 Trans Am M6 from a private owner in Central NJ, about one and a half hours North of me. A good friend of mine let me use his truck and trailer to bring it home. This was the first car I owned that I actually had some respect for, especially after driving my third generation Camaro around for a year.

Here it is, almost 3 full years later, and i still have it. I have had many fun times with it, including many days at the drag strip. With only bolt on modifications, I managed to run a best of 11.96 at over 113 mph in the 1/4 mile. I have taken a step back from drag racing with this car for now, as I am concentrating on another project car.

A special thanks to everyone who voted for me! Thanks for your support!

[Tru2Chevy]

March Car of the Month

camaroracer1992's 1992 Camaro RS

Name: Joe
About the car: My name is Joe and this is my 1992 Camaro RS. It has many mods and not much is factory. It has a 355 cu in motor, a TH400 with a trans brake, and a Ford 9 inch rear axle. I have entered it in many car shows, winning multiple awards at various shows including Best of Show at the East Coast F-Body Nationals in 2007. She is also pretty quick on the dragstrip laying down low 10 second passes on pump gas with nitrous.

This car was originally bought in 1993 with 11,000 miles on it by my mother and was a daily driver until 1999 when I took it over with 38,000 on the clock. It currently has only 49,000 miles on the odometer.

[Tru2Chevy]

April Car of the Month

BigDaddyKane's 2001 Camaro Z/28

Name: Noah Roedel
About the car: This Z/28, dubbed by many as "The Elusive Striped Catfish" was purchased from Gearheat Chevrolet in August 2005, with 46,900 miles, for $13,500. Loaded with T-Tops, Power Everything, Black Leather Interior, and the good ol' LS1 attached with a 4L60e, it was such a short time until the modifications started arriving at the doorstep.

Today, breathing with a transparent MTI Lid & K&N filter, this catfish has been hooked with a roaring set of Pacesetter Off-Road Headers, Hooker 3" Aerochamber exhaust system, while making an attempt to be environmental-friendly with a Texas Speed & Performance Hi-flow 3" Catted Y-Pipe. It hugs the road nicely with a 1.25" / 1.50" BMR lowering kit, along with a BMR Adjustable Panhard Bar, 32mm / 21mm BMR Sway Bars, and a BMR Strut Tower Brace. The sound system includes four 7" Clarion's powered by a Pioneer 7800 which keeps the neighbors at peace, but the driver at music-thrashing heaven.

As of December, the catfish got the "demod" mod for the winter, but once it's time to go out fishing on the streets again, this car will be there in full swing.

[Tru2Chevy]

May Car of the Month

LS1Hawk's 2002 Firehawk

Name: John Greco
About the car: This is my 2002 Pontiac Trans Am Firehawk. It is production #144. I purchased the car in early October 2004 after a lifetime of wanting a Trans Am. The car was completely stock, except for having a remote starter and undetectable radar system installed by the original owner. The car was ordered with the base Firehawk package which, along with 20 extra hp, includes these options:

-Composite hood w/ functional cold air induction scoops
-Hood mounted heat extractors
-17"x9" five-spoke painted aluminum wheels
-P275/40ZR17 Firestone Firehawk SZ 50 tires
-Performance stainless steel exhaust system w/ twin dual tips
-Upgraded suspension components
-Firehawk center console plaque and key fobs
-Firehawk front fascia badge

I tend to be a purist when it comes to cars, so I'm not really big on mods. However, I've done some basic mods, which include an SLP Loud Mouth 2 exhaust, SLP sub-frame connectors, BMR strut tower brace, SLP air lid and smooth bellows.

[Tru2Chevy]

June Car of the Month

ar0ck's 1995 Camaro Z28

Name: Alex Quiles
About the car: My name is Alex Quiles and I'm from Northern NJ and this is my 1995 Camaro Z28. This car has come a long way in the 4 years that I have owned it. I purchased it completely stock in the fall of 2004 in Long Island. The car was in excellent condition when I purchased it, and to this day I try my best to keep it that way. I daily drove the car until the summer of 2006 when it blew a head gasket and my journey into modified motors began. The car was taken in by Josh @ JS Performance and thoroughly worked on. It now sports a forged 355 heads & cam motor with a complete tubular suspension all around. My plan for this car was something that could perform all around, holding its own in the straight line, hanging through the turns of a mountain road or road racing event, or dropping jaws cruising down the avenue.

So far I think I've accomplished that goal and then some.

[Tru2Chevy]

July Car of the Month

Grifter's 2001 Camaro SS

Name: Marc Mancino
About the car: My name is Marc Mancino, I'm from Central Jersey. This is my stripper 2001 Camaro SS, the only option on the car is a rear defogger. I drove out to Kentucky to purchase the car. It is a Heads & Cam car with all the bolt ons. Some of the mods include a custom Mufflex header back exhaust, SVO 30# injectors, Koni shocks, Hotchkis springs, Spohn solid motor mounts and UMI SFC's.

The car is currently putting down 395HP/375TQ.

[Tru2Chevy]

August Car of the Month

Camaro67_rcl's 1967 Camaro RS/SS

Name: Rick
About the car: I bought the car on December 24, 2002 as a nice SS driver. Since then I have done a frame on restoration, replaced the interior, and added the RS package.

The engine is a 1974 short block with '67 double hump heads, a mild cam, headers into chambered exhaust with a Holley 650 DP. Tranny is a Muncie M21Y with a '74 Nova 10 bolt with 3:42 gears.

[Tru2Chevy]

September Car of the Month

Pro90rscam's 1990 Camaro RS

Name: Don Baker
About the car: This is my 1990 Camaro RS. I bought this car new in Sept.of 1989 with a 3.1 litre V6 in it and it is a factory t-top car. I decided I wanted to give it a new look and wanted to Prostreet the car. The car was backhalved and tubbed in 96'. The car was completed in May of 2000.
An 8 point rollcage was installed, with a 350 cid bored .060" over small block that was dynoed at 425hp. The car was repainted in the original Bright Blue Metallic. All of the exterior body panels are original, except for the 3" Cervini cowl-hood. The transmission is a TH-400, and the rear is fitted with a Ford 9" with 411 gears and QA-1 coil overs. The engine compartment has been smoothed out and painted body color as is the cage. I have quite a bit of chrome and polished aluminum parts under the hood with an Edelbrock Pro-Flo fuel injection set up running a F.A.S.T computer. The interior has been all custom done in two-toned gray tweed and has a pretty nice sound system to. There is a lot more to list, but I will keep it short as this should give you an idea of whats been done with it. I have built this car to be driven to all show events in which I do a lot of, and I never trailer it anywhere.

[Tru2Chevy]

October Car of the Month

baddest434's 1991 Camaro Z28

Name: Bill Bittel
About the car: This is my 1991 Z28. No it's not an LSx, it's just a turd gen, LOL. The car started life as my wife's DD. It came with a 305. For the heck of it we threw a few thousand dollars into it and got it to run an 11.47@116 with a 150 shot then the bug hit me! I wanted to go faster. So the build started and it has not stopped yet. The car has the best of everything into it. Check my vBGarage for a complete list, it's long. The car weighs in at 2,995 lbs w/o a driver and has run a best of 8.90 @ 152 mph with a 1.26 60 ft time. On the squeeze the car is putting out over 950 HP. If you ever see me at the track just ask me if you can take her for a pass down the 1320! Of course, I'll probably say no, but heck, ask anyway, that way we'll have met. Even if I got an offer for as much $$ as I have put into the car i still wouldn't sell it!!! The rush of going in the 8's is incredible and we have been building this car faster for the last 10 years. Fast is never fast enough, LOL. The car is co-owned and co-driven by my son Ryan (the car's mechanic) whom without none of this would be possible!

[Tru2Chevy]

November Car of the Month

HardcoreZ28's 1989 Camaro IROC-Z

Name: Paul Riccioli
About the car: This 1989 IROC was my very first car. I bought it back in 1996 with money I saved up from working summer jobs in high school. The car had 54,000 miles on it when I bought it and I daily drove it for 4 years. Then I pulled it off the road and completely disassembled it. Every nut and bolt has been painted or powdercoated. I removed the original 305 and replaced it with a 383 with AFR heads and an Accel Super Ram. Z06 Corvette brakes, custom stereo setup, new interior sponsored by Year One and Hawks, 17" chrome IROC style wheels, Spohn suspension, etc. All work done by my company...RPM Resto & Custom.

[NJSPEEDER]

December 2008 Car of the Month

BlackOnyx79z's 1979 Camaro Z28

Name: Kerry Baker
About the car: This is my 1979 Camaro Z28 that was located in Augusta, GA. This is an original Z28 that was originally built in Van Nuys, CA. The car is all factory with no modifications and was restored 2 years ago. This car came with a 350 engine, TH-350 3-speed transmission, 10 bolt rear with factory 3.42 gears, dual exhaust, and Dark Carmine Red interior. I am very happy a friend of ours located this car on E-Bay. It was a very long trip to go pick it up, but it was worth it.

[BonzoHansen]

January 2009 Car of the Month

deadtrend1’s 2001 Trans Am WS6 M6

Name: Timothy Strella
About the car: I bought this car in early March of 2008. Many know it used to be owned by someone on LS1tech. I was toying with the idea of adding a LS1 T/A to my collection and really wasn't expecting to walk out of the dealership owning it that night. This car has run a best of 12.857 @ 109.57 mph.

Current mods: SLP Lid, SLP Loud Mouth II, UMI Subframe Connectors, Strut Tower Brace, Lower Control Arms and Panhard Bar, Pro 5.0 shifter, & Chummma tune.

[Tru2Chevy]

February Car of the Month

cbrrmike's 1999 Trans Am

Name: Michael Mehalik
About the car: The car has full bolt on's, a D&D built T-56 transmission, Moser 12 bolt, and full UMI suspension. I bought the car about 3 and a half years ago and it was completely stock at the time. It was also a salvage car that needed a complete new front clip installed. My current best 1/4 mile time is a 12.2 @ 115mph.

This picture was taken about 25 seconds before i tested the quality of the UMI driveshaft loop....

[Tru2Chevy]

March Car of the Month

Mark68's 1968 Camaro RS/SS

Name: Mark Erdie
About the car: This is my '68 RS/SS Camaro. I bought it about 10 years ago and have refurbished or replaced almost every part on it. The only thing that didn't need to be addressed was the paint. I have a 350 cu. in, 300 hp engine in it with a Muncie 4 speed trans and a Hurst shifter. I just added a Comp Cams Thumper cam that gives it a big block sound. The exhaust is a 2 1/2" stainless kit from Pypes with Violator mufflers. I installed a push button start that makes it kind of unique. The wheels are 17" billet rallyes soon to replaced with 18" Rushforths. The original seats have been replaced with Arizen racing buckets in black leather with red inserts, the rears have also been recovered to match the front buckets. The front seatbelts have been replaced with 3 point racing belts from Morris Classic Concepts. There's more but I'm getting tired of typing!

[Tru2Chevy]

April Car of the Month

DevilDougWS6's 2000 Trans Am WS6

Name: Doug Hopkins
About the car: I bought this 6 speed 2000 WS6 two years ago with 35,000 miles on it. This car has been through a lot of changes since then. I have tinted the windows, added the front license plate cover, lowered it 1", painted the brake calipers, and I have swapped the entire interior from the original tan, to ebony. Performance wise there is not a lot done, I have a small cam, full exhaust, and 4.10 gears, along with a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch, and Mickey Thompson drag radials out back.

[Tru2Chevy]

May Car of the Month

slaptastic's 2002 Camaro Z28

Name: Rob Howard
About the car: I bought the car from a dealership that I work at for $13,500 with 14,500 miles. She has no T-Tops, manual door locks, manual windows, and doesn't even have a trunk release button. I bought her because my white 95 Z28 was a piece of junk. Broke every time I drove it, LOL. Plus it was a good deal. I've always wanted a Camaro, and now I have the one of my dreams! It's so nice to be able to pull in somewhere and have people come over and ask what's done and tell me how good the car looks.

The installed mods include: Free "Cold Air" mod, SLP Lid, K&N Air Filter, SLP Smooth Bellow, Coolant Bypass, Pacesetter LT's, Pacesetter Off-road 3" Y-pipe, A.I.R. Delete, Skip Shift Eliminator, 160* Thermostat, UMI Subframe Connectors, 2002 SS Wheels w/ 275 / 40 / 17 BF Goodwrich g-force T/A KDW tires, UMI Lower Control Arms, TSP 233/239 Cam, Patriot Gold Dual Valve Springs, Hardened Push Rods, TSP ported LS6 Oil Pump, LS2 Timing Chain, 3" Custom True Duals, Tuned by PSI Motorsports, Whistler Mod

[Tru2Chevy]

June Car of the Month

//<86TA>\\'s 1986 Trans Am

Name: Philip Olsen
About the car: The car is a 1986 Pontiac Trans Am. Came from the factory with the 305ci/4bbl engine and 700r4 trans. It has a gray interior and is painted the original red with striping on the 4" cowl hood and across the tail. The car was stripped and repainted in 2004 and begun its transformation.

It's now powered by a 408ci stroker motor built by T&L Engine Development in NC, a Tremec TKO600 5 speed trans, and a Moser 9" rear. The car rides on coil-overs front and rear, Hotchkis sway bars, and suspension components from UMI, Spohn and Alston racing. Wheels by Centerline, 18x8 front and 18x12 rear on BFG rubber. And its all stopped by 13" C5 z06 brakes in the front and 12" 4th gen Camaro rear disc brakes.

It has 3rd gen leather seats, a custom widened rear interior to accommodate the mini-tub. I drive the car whenever I can, usually when its not in pieces in the garage. Plenty more mods than I can list. Oh, and did I mention its fast?

[Tru2Chevy]

July Car of the Month

xrelapse13's 2000 Trans Am WS6

Name: Rob
About the car: I bought this car last year in the beginning of May after working and saving up money for one. I bought the car with 88,000 miles on it and drove down to Virginia Beach to pick it up. Since then I have added full bolt ons along with some exterior mods. Just recently finished up full suspension and plan to do auto x / road racing. The car is my daily driver during summer and winter and now has 111,500 miles.

[Tru2Chevy]

August Car of the Month

Blackbirdws6's 1997 Trans Am WS6

Name: Brian DeLuca
About the car: This is my 97 Pontiac T/A Ram Air Convertible. The basic modifications include a heads/cam setup with all supporting mods on the stock shortblock. In addition to the engine mods, a 100HP TNT wet nitrous system is utilized for extra punch and supported by a NANO nitrous assist system. Suspension mods include KBDD subframe connectors, panhard bar, and strut tower brace. Many appearance mods can be easily seen while others are more subtle including the VHT rear corner lenses and LED lighting used throughout. Custom retrofitted true bixenon projector headlights light the road at night and are one of a kind. Recently, the car has received a new Strange S60 rear end complimented by a Strange driveshaft. Future plans may include a new forged shortblock with boost.

[Tru2Chevy]

September Car of the Month

ar0ck's 1995 Camaro Z28

Name: Alex Quiles
About the car: This is my 1995 Camaro Z28. This car has come a long way in the 4 years that I have owned it. I purchased it completely stock in the fall of 2004 in Long Island. The car was in excellent condition when I purchased it, and to this day I try my best to keep it that way. I daily drove the car until the summer of 2006 when it blew a head gasket and my journey into modified motors began. The car was taken in by Josh @ JS Performance and thoroughly worked on. It now sports a forged 355 heads & cam motor with a complete tubular suspension all around.

[Tru2Chevy]

October Project Car of the Month

BonzoHansen's 1999 Camaro Z28

Name: Scott A.
About the car: This is my 99 Z28. It is currently in a state of extreme de-modding and weight reduction. Prior to this de-modding effort, it was a basically stock and clean LS1/T56 car with a Magnaflow cat back. At the time this pic was taken it had approximately 80,000 miles and the interior was grey cloth, very clean. AC, ABS, TCS, PS, PB, PL, T-Tops, 3.42 posi rear.

I do not sit in the car or make any vroom noises. I do push the LS1-doorstop around from time to time.

(For those keeping score, I still own what is left of this car, title and all. The best 4th gen is an extreme de-modded 4th gen. Huzzah!)

[Tru2Chevy]

November Car of the Month

69Novaguy's 1996 Trans Am

Name: James Sanders
About the car: I love LT1s. I drove my 1996 Pontiac Trans Am M6 until there was a rod knock. The mods to the car are: full exhaust, drag radials, tune, SLP intake, and some stickers. The car also has a corvette motor (seriously).

[Tru2Chevy]

December Car of the Month

Teds89IROC's 1989 Camaro IROC

Name: Ted Sanders
About the car: This is my 1989 Camaro IROC-Z 350 TPI. I purchased this car as a wreck in 2003 and spent a lot of hours fixing the damage and prepping the whole car for a repaint. The car has a 3.42 posi rear, full rebuild on the suspension including an Eibach pro-kit. Full exhaust- Hooker Super Comp LT's, Mufflex ORY, Magnaflow. Custom CAI, JS Performance tune, and most recently a T56. Next mod will most likely be an engine but at this point I'm still unsure of what route I would like to go.

[Tru2Chevy]

January Car of the Month

enRo's 2001 Camaro Z/28

Name: Noah Roedel
About the car: "The Elusive Striped Catfish"

I purchased this baby, bone stocks, with the exception of GTS Blackouts back in August 2005. It has come a long way since then. It has gotten quite a few appearance mods. It sits on chrome 17" SLP Firehawk wheels wrapped in BFG's. Also, it includes new pewter paint with a fresh new set of long-styled black hockey stripes, a bolt-on VFN Fiberglass 3" cowl hood with sunoco stripes, right down to the black billet grill with an old school Z/28 badge. It is currently awaiting an installation of a RK Sport 5" Highrise Ducktail spoiler. It has 69,000 miles, SLP bolt on's, Pacesetter LT's, TSP Catted Y Pipe, and Pypes catback w/hooker tips for a throaty, yet slightly obnoxious sound. It also has some suspension goodies, a Pioneer head unit, and 4 7" Clarion speakers. The winter months will consist of an MS3 cam-only setup.