Converting z28 to SS (or at least close to it)

Hey Guys. I have a '98 z28 that I want to convert to an SS. Is there some sort of conversion kit available? What all needs to change? What kind of investment am I looking at?

(I noticed that RKsports had a ram-air hood that was MUCH cheaper... Is there a reason why it's so much cheaper? i.e. lower quality)


Thanks

the primary difference in an Z28 to SS is that the SS has a ram air system and the RKsport ram air is actually pretty good, im actually looking to put it on my '97 Z28. So you put the ram air in and you've pretty much got an SS. however there are other little differences to the SS but im not sure that you can find those to convert it totally to a SS. but yea, the main thing is the ram air and that kit/hood from RKsport will do the job.

hood, spoiler, rims, exhaust... are all you need to have the SS look. And 98 SS's had a single tip exhaust on the drivers side.

Its cool to put all the SS appearance stuff on your car, as long as you DO NOT put the SS emblems on. Your build/option tag would show it's not an SS and you would have no SLP build tag.

I see this is your first post, so I'm guessing your new to the F-body community. I would suggest LS1tech.com for better info.

Personally, if I had a Z28 and wanted to convert it, I'd change the spoiler to an SS spoiler, and put an Ultra Z hood on it, not an SS hood. I wouldn't suggest putting SS emblems on it, like Black 97'Z said, that would not be looked well upon. For exhaust, I'd recommend the SLP Loudmouth exhaust, they sound amazing on LS1's...

why no SS badges???? as long as you didnt try to sell it as an SS and take someones money, i dont see why it would be a bad thing. as far as the conversion, is is just the ram air and the trim like the others have said. and im also not sure about that single exhaust, for the 98 camaro's, im pretty sure its the dual tail pipes.

How would one prove that they weren't trying to pass it off as an SS with SS emblems on the sides and backend?

well i dont know about you guys, but i dont trust anyone selling a car. i check the VIN and build codes, so i know what im buying, if he tried to pass it off as an SS and the VIN said it was a Z, you walk away cuz its a load of BS. but if he wants to put the badge on i dont see anything wrong with it. i was gonna put red Monty Carlo SS badges on the RS if i suped her up. and a 1969 vintage 302 badges on either side of the hood scoop. car never came with a 302 but whats the harm? engine was even going to be 327 (302 bored and stroked) so would it be wrong to put the 302 badges on it, or would i have had to put 327 badges on it? im just saying, the badges are inconciquental, anyone who bought the car, without doing any research on it, would be perfectly happy driving a Z they thought was an SS. someone like you, who knew what you were after, wouldnt fall for it. so its not a big deal.

I ran my vin on carfax; it came up as it being a Z28. I dont think the SS in encoded into the vin. Look on the RPO Codes for the code "WU8" Thats how you know its a true SS. And i think it was for the 97 Camaro SS, it had dual outlet's, but only on one side.

why no SS badges????

because putting SS badges on a Z28 is dumb. if someone wanted an SS, they should have bought one...


BTW, why make your Z28 an SS? For the amount of money you are going to pour into that project, you could have a car that is faster and looks better than an SS... :dunno:

i agree, for the price you spend on SS Cosmetic pieces (hood, spoiler, wheels etc) you could have your self a hopped up LS1. Its kinda like the honda situation. body kit vs engine mods (If your wondering, i got an SS alot cheaper then i could have gotten a Z28, for the same year)

1998 Camaro SS had a single 3in" exhaust tip exiting the drivers side, so did the 1998 WS6. It was in 99 the dual tips were added. And the SS was available with three different suspension options, including the 1LE, and SLP's dual/dual exhaust starting in 2000.

The 96-97 SS had the TOTL (Two On The Left) exhaust as an option.

Is if didn't come from the factory as an SS, then it's not an SS. Puting SS badges on your Z28 is like putting Type-R badges on your Civic DX, it makes you a poser. And Trans Am's VIN's com back as Firebirds Formulas, so do Firehawks.

Thanks for the tips guys. I guess there's a few more options out there than I thought. (Although, I'm still gettin that SS ram-air hood. I really like the way it looks.)

Black 97'7 None of the SS's came from the factory as an SS, they all started life as a Z-28 and SLP snaged a few and put the Ram Air hood, SLP air box, Hurst shifter, and what ever else they did to them. So i don't see the harm in putting SS badges on your car. If SLP did it why can't we? It's just a modified Z-28 any way right? And the same thing with the firebirds too.

GM contracted the building of the SS/Firehawk to SLP, it's not like Saleen or Roush. Just like ASC is contracted to assemble the WS6. The cars are shipped right off the assembly line to SLP's shop which is right down the road, and back the Ste. Therese plant befor being disturbuted to dealers.

Sorry for spelling your name wrong 97'Z. I was just saying that it wasn't factory..but I get your point. I still don't see the problem with it as long as you don't try to sell it as something it's actualy not. Hell I took the RS badges off my car and put MD on it(Mustang Distroyer) It's your car, make it your own. That's what I believe in.

yeah i just guess ill have to disagree with the harm in the SS badges. were all about improving our rides, its the hobby, so if you make the car more than a Z28, by putting on all the things that say, SLP did, and make it an SS in your heart, then put the SS badges on it. hell, even without the mods, if you just think the SS badges look better, put em on. no different than a set of rims that look better than the stock ones. who are yall to tell him its wrong and call him a poser, im gonna start callin my RS a 1LE just to piss ya off. :)

although i yeild to the exhaust question, i was wrong.

Like I said, I have a 1992 Camaro MD yeah baby yeah.

the primary difference in an Z28 to SS is that the SS has a ram air system and the RKsport ram air is actually pretty good, im actually looking to put it on my '97 Z28. So you put the ram air in and you've pretty much got an SS. however there are other little differences to the SS but im not sure that you can find those to convert it totally to a SS. but yea, the main thing is the ram air and that kit/hood from RKsport will do the job.

Where is the ram air on the car????? The scoop does not work. Well as far as that is conserned Ram Air does not work unless your going over 150 MPH

How does the scoop not work? I can guarantee you that the ram air on an SS works long before 100 mph. I could pull up in your driveway and let you put your hand in front of the air box so that you could feel it sucking the air in while reving the engine...

I believe the rear end is different in the SS from the z28. It is an open differential with a slightly different ratio.

??? the SS has an open rear???? somehow i seriously doubt this, actually i seriously doubt the Z has an open rear. i think that both have the Torsen rear end, possibly diff ratios.

oh and hypsi, the ram air definately works, and at much less than 150mph. its like a snorkle to grab cool outside air, rather than hot underhood air. i mean, its not like a ramjet intake, that has to be at high speeds in order to funtion, so perhaps the ram air is misleading, but it is a cold air intake that works at all rpms.

My car doesn't have an open rear. There was an option available in 01 and 02 that put an Auburn differential in there, but there should be no other differences between the two rearends...

How does the scoop not work? I can guarantee you that the ram air on an SS works long before 100 mph. I could pull up in your driveway and let you put your hand in front of the air box so that you could feel it sucking the air in while reving the engine...


Hmmm I was in a coma like state earlier today ( sitting through a four hour training lecture at work). Anyway I was wondering how fast the air in a 3" inlet pipe to the turbo would be traveling if 800 cfm of air was going into the turbo. So when I came up with my anwser it woke me up enough to ask my buddies at work to calculate it for them selves and see what they came up with. I didnt tell them how I went about calculating it to avoid getting them started on the wrong foot incase I was wrong. They came up with the same results as I did. When I asked them how they went about calculating it they had approached it the same way I did.
here is how I did it:
1) I'am going to use standard temp and press for the air

2) area of 3" pipe = pi * radius squared
3.14 * 1.5in * 1.5in = 7.07 in2

3) Inside volume of pipe = area * length
I wanted to know how long a piece of 3" pipe had to be to half an internal volume of 1 cubic foot. I rearanged the equation:
length = volume / area
length = 1 ft3/ 7.07 in2 = 1 ft3 * 144in2 / 7.07in2 = 20.4 ft

4) OK now I know that 1 ft3 is the volume of a 20.4 ft long piece of 3" pipe. I also know that Iam looking for 800 ft3/min. so this is next:
Speed of the air in the pipe (mph) = (800 * 20.4 * 60) / 5280
800 is cfm (ft3/min)
20.4 (ft of pipe for one cfm)
60 (convert from minutes to hours)
5280 (convert from feet to miles)

ANWSER: 185.45 mph!!! Air speed in a 3" pipe with 800 cfm of air moving through it. Makes me shake my head but it appears to be right. I also calculated for a 4" pipe and the speed dropped to 104 mph.

There is no intended point of this. I was just kind of suprized by my answere and thought I would pass it along. BUT....it does make me wonder how much ram effect some of these late model cars get at 60 mph or even 80 mph with the little factory snorkels. Maybe they're just fancy looking cold air induction set ups? it does not ram air.

This is why I don't think ram air works. it might be a cold air intake but it is not ramming the air in the engine


I looked at 4 ss on the dealer lot about two years ago and the scoop on the hood was blocked off. Thats where I got that info. maybe they where different i don't know

My scoop is fully functional. It's not blocked off like the rustangs, it has that grill there to avoid sucking up small birds and other airborne ne'erdowells.

Even if the ram air isn't functional until high speeds, the cold air certainly helps a lot.

yeah like i said before, it really is just kinda misnamed, car manufacturers do that alot today if yall havnet noticed. it is just a cold air intake, it dosnt increase the airflow any. just decreases the intake temp.

Well actualy it is kinda like ram air....well of sorts. Your taking this big mouth aircleaner sucking up a lot of air, and compressing it into a small tube into the intake. Bernellies(spelling) prinsaple, yes the same one that tells you how an airplane works for those smart asses that'll call me ignorant, anyway his prinsiple states that when fluid in a tube reaches a restriction the flued passing through the restriction will be moving faster with less presure. Works with air intake as well. So you have this large air filter assy into a small intake tube, that air is going to be moving pretty damn fast. It's not forced air, but it's fast cold air. So it does act like a ram air of sorts. Ok, i'm done.

Well actualy it is kinda like ram air....well of sorts. Your taking this big mouth aircleaner sucking up a lot of air, and compressing it into a small tube into the intake. Bernellies(spelling) prinsaple, yes the same one that tells you how an airplane works for those smart asses that'll call me ignorant, anyway his prinsiple states that when fluid in a tube reaches a restriction the flued passing through the restriction will be moving faster with less presure. Works with air intake as well. So you have this large air filter assy into a small intake tube, that air is going to be moving pretty damn fast. It's not forced air, but it's fast cold air. So it does act like a ram air of sorts. Ok, i'm done.


Don't feel bad about the spelling...... I just realizedthat I can't spell answer. :icon16:

the ss came with a different suspension also, didnt it

As an option, you could order it with a Bilstein suspension. It had to be ordered with it though. Easiest way to tell if an SS has the Bilstein suspension is the color of the shocks. The stock ones are orange, the Bilsteins are blue and yellow...