William Baker’s 2012 45th-Anniversary Camaro SS
The 2012 Camaro SS 45th-Anniversary Edition caught a bit of fanfare when it was first released, although the package wasn’t as brash and in-your-face as it had been in previous renditions. The owner of this one, William baker, was looking to change that almost as soon as he picked it up.
With only 300 miles on odometer, William dropped her off at Livernois Motorsports & Engineering in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, for a little shot of adrenaline and an attitude adjustment. What he had them do was install their Stage 2 upgrade package for the 2010-2015 Camaro SS.
Consisting of CNC-ported, assembled L92 cylinder heads, “Hi-Lift” camshaft, Roto-Fab cold-air intake, Livernois ported throttle body and intake manifold, MSD 8.5mm wires, a full Stainless Works exhaust system and a dyno tune.
The resulting dyno numbers put Mr. Baker right at 438 horsepower to the rear wheels and he claims that the car sounds “AMAZING!” Somehow, we don’t doubt that. He has since taken her the last three years of the Hot Rod Power Tour and has received numerous compliments on the car.
Tony Moreno’s 1999 Camaro Z28
Tony first scored this ’99 Z28 back in 2013 in Inglewood, California with 180k miles on the clock. Working with a budget of only $3500 and insisting on an LS1 F-body, he kept his eyes on the prize. After searching for the “right one” for quite a while, he ultimately landed on this 6-speed, T-Top equipped Camaro. The best part? At the time, Tony couldn’t even drive stick! So instead of test-driving the car, he told the seller to drive him around the block just to prove that the car was fully-operational and working properly.
Once everything checked out and the deal was made, Tony drove it home himself. “I must have stalled the car out at least twenty times, if not more, on the way home,” he tells us. Tony continues, “I taught myself to drive manual in the next four days and got the hang of it pretty quickly.
In those first few days, I fell in love with Camaro. I had never had a car with so much power and the fun that comes with shifting your own gears. This car has been my 
daily driver ever since I bought it and it has never let me down.”
It’s equipped with aftermarket racing seats and long-tube headers, a K&N air filter, an SLP air lid, smooth bellows, a Magnaflow catback exhaust, the throttle body bypass, a strut tower brace, Hurst short-throw shifter and sits on a set of 18-inch C5Z wheels. With 206,000 currently on the clock, the Camaro still maintains its original drivetrain, and continues to be Tony’s daily-driver.
Wesley Keylich’s 2014 SS
Wesley Keylich is a man of few words, and apparently, let’s his car do the talking for him. He sent us the laundry list of mods for the usually unassuming SS sedan, a car that get next to no acknowledgment from General Motors. Enthusiasts like Wesley are happy to wave the flag, however.
Happy to take the car back to its Aussie roots, it has already undergone a Holden Commodore SSV conversion to set it apart from the handful of other examples that are out there. Further making a styling statement is an LED conversion, carbon fiber roof wrap, carbon fiber rear spoiler and radiator cover. Under the hood is where it really counts, though.
Strapped to the factory-installed LS3 is a Whipple 2.9L supercharger cranking out 10-psi. of boost and paired up with an LS9 camshaft. Sitting behind the 6.2L V8 is a Phoenix 238mm 3000-stall converter, that helps the boosted GEN-IV small-block crank out 590 rwhp and 510-lb ft of twist to the tires. This combination was built by Wes and Dale Keylich, Tim Haines and Thomas Parker, and then tuned by Tim at Unlimited Performance. Wes’ best time to date is 11.12 at 126 mph – not bad!
Alan Minga’s 1986 Regal T-Type
Alan Minga’s one-owner ’86 Buick T-Type has been with him since day one. Yup, he bought it brand new in 1986 and was his daily-driver in college. Here we are almost thirty years later, and the car has since been retired as Alan’s “fun car.” Although it might look like a grandpa car to the younger generation of enthusiasts, the Regal T-Type was essentially a Grand National in a plain [white] wrapper.
Mr Minga’s example takes that formula and cranks it all the way up. Looking like a stock example, its true potential lay beneath its skin. Starting with the factory “109” 3.8L Buick V6 block, the foundation for the build has been bored 0.030 over.
The Buick mill now consists of Diamond forged pistons, ARP studs, ported stock iron heads, T&D roller rockers, an RJC power plate, a Revolution X 206/210 cam, PTE TA6262DBB turbo SLIC, intercooler and Turbo Saver, Razor Alky kit with an ISAC controller, TR6 Ignition Waste spark, MAF Translator and LT1 MAF, Turbo Tweak 6.1 chip, 60-lb Motron injectors, TA Performance race headers, ATR downpipe, and a power logger.
With this immense combination of parts, Alan tells us that he’s gone as fast as 7.01 in the 1/8th-mile, thanks to the Chris Hogeland-built LC2. If you’re interested in seeing more of Hogeland’s builds, look into Twisted6 Racing.
Underneath, the Buick benefits from a set of ATR sway bars, boxed lower control arms, Eibach springs and polyurethane bushings. The body has largely been left alone, save for a set of Spoolfool bumper fillers. Inside, it’s all 1986 Buick. With these cars becoming more rare with each passing day, it’s great to see samples like Alan’s still waving the flag as one of the original innovators of GM EFI performance!
*If you want your car featured in Reader’s Rides, send Editor Rick Seitz an email at [email protected] for more details!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
